The Vanishing by Karla Nikole

Thirteen

Personality, problem-solving, behaviors and emotions… judgment. Speech? No—not this. Body movement… motor strip?

Haruka pushes his current book aside and picks up a heavy clinical anatomy reference. He flips to the index and scans with his finger as he sits crouched on the floor.

He doesn’t know what time it is. It doesn’t matter. It’s dark.

Motor strip—primary motor cortex… controls voluntary movement, speech, swallowing. The thalamus relays sensory and motor signals to the cerebral cortex… cerebral cortex. Higher intellectual functions… Perhaps—

He tosses the book away in a lazy motion, then lifts to grab another reference, flipping to the back once more. Haruka’s head snaps up as he senses the vaguest hum of energy, like electrodes shifting in the atmosphere of the room. He stands upright, slow and with every muscle in his body tensing. On instinct, his eyes alight against the darkness.

The intruder materializes in the center of the room, his thin body solidifying from a misty wave of atoms and silver particles. It is Lajos, wearing the same dark, formal and outdated clothing. He taps his cane against the tatami and flashes an arrogant smile. “Have you reconsidered, young male?”

“Return my mate.” Haruka stares, trembling. Burning fury and desperation swirl within his mind, chaotic. Being at this cruel creature’s mercy… He hates it. “Return him nowand you can have the manuscript.”

Lajos raises an eyebrow. “Both you and your mate insist on negotiating with me. Is this how things are done in the modern age? Quid pro quo and diplomatic conversations—”

“Enough talking.” Haruka takes a breath, seconds from shattering. “Return him, take the book, leave us.”

Lajos stares at him for what feels like an eternity before his white eyes finally alight. “This arrangement suits me. Consider yourself fortunate that I do not teach you a lesson about respecting your elders.”

The energy in the room shifts again, silvery atoms waving and gathering in the air of the space between them. Nino’s body forms, then drops hard against the tatami. He groans, his eyes clenched as a bright sphere of blood-orange light flashes, growing and radiating around him. Haruka rushes forward, smoothly passing through the warmth of the shape and dropping to his knees to cradle Nino’s head against his thighs.

“You insufferable little twit,” Lajos snarls, his gaze focused on Nino. He addresses Haruka. “Where is the manuscript?”

Haruka holds Nino’s head. He is gray and in a great deal of pain. The bronzed glow of his skin tone is diluted and ashen, the texture of it flaking and dry. Haruka answers while examining his mate. “The table behind you.”

Nino’s chest is heaving, his face clenched in distress. Haruka runs his fingers into the top of his hair, then holds Nino’s cheek. “My love, you need to feed.” He presses his palm against his mate’s mouth to urge him, but he surprises Haruka when he shifts his head away, shaking him off before coughing and choking in violent spasms. “Why?” Haruka asks, the relief he felt from having Nino in his arms morphing into anxiety.

A loud, sharp tap of something hitting glass makes Haruka look up. Lajos is standing over them, his cane resting on top of the sphere. Haruka blinks. It’s solid? He hasn’t taught Nino to manipulate his aura to this extent. He has never even seen Nino create this shape of his own volition.

“The fact is”—Lajos grins—“your exquisite youth combined with your ancient blood and powerful aura impresses me. Are you certain that you would not be interested in visiting my realm?”

“Leave our home. Never return. If you do, you will regret it.”

Lajos laughs. “Is that a threat, young male—”

“It is a promise.”

“Hm… you have challenged me, negotiated with me and now threatened me. I have not been this entertained in almost two centuries. I’m certain that we will meet again.”

Before another word is spoken, the bright light within the old vampire’s eyes flashes. He disappears. The putrid scent of sage lingers in his absence. Haruka refocuses on his mate. “Nino, please feed, you must—”

The energy around them fizzles out as Nino’s head falls to the side against Haruka’s lap. When the door to the library slides open, Asao is there with Cellina close behind.

“We need to go to the hospital.” Haruka stands, wrapping the power of his essence around Nino as he cradles him against his body, lifting and carrying him. The two are engulfed in a fiery glow. “Please bring the car to the front.”

Cellina rushes forward, observing Nino’s anguished expression as they move. “What’s wrong? Is he alright?”

“I don’t know,” Haruka says, careful in moving through the doorway. “He won’t feed and he hasn’t spoken.”

* * *

Asao makesthe drive to the hospital in Himeji in half the time it would normally take. At four in the morning, the roads are clear.

Sora Fujihara had told Haruka about a human doctor in Himeji that specializes in vampire health and medicine. The doctor has just recently moved to Japan. Already, very low-ranked vampires within their realm visit him on a regular basis to receive donated blood bags for feeding and other medical or psychological purposes.

Nino is almost catatonic when they reach the hospital. Haruka had tried to feed him during the car ride, but he refused over and over, elevating Haruka’s internal distress. The nurses attend to him as soon as they arrive, setting him up in a room and withdrawing Haruka’s blood for an IV drip.

After Nino is stable and the physician examines him, a nurse directs Haruka into a nearby office to discuss his mate’s condition. Asao remains in the hospital room, but Cellina insists on joining Haruka to hear the prognosis.

They sit together in the doctor’s office now, waiting. Haruka’s hands are clasped in his lap. He takes a deep breath and closes his eyes.

“You look exhausted.” Cellina’s voice cuts through the silence, soft, almost a whisper. “When Giovanni gets here from Osaka, we can sit with Nino. You should try to get some sleep. You gave a lot of blood and Asao said you haven’t eaten anything in days.”

Haruka smiles weakly. “I am fine. Thank you for your concern.”

Cellina sighs. “Haruka, listen—”

The door to the office swings open and shuts. The doctor makes his way behind the desk. He is average height with warm brown eyes behind modern, black-framed glasses. His hair is light brown but with golden highlights, the subtle wave of it cleanly swept back from his face.

“Good morning.” The doctor offers a polite bow and smiles. His white teeth are straight and gleaming. “I’m Doctor Davies. The nurse told me that you’re mated with Nino Bianchi, but… are you legally responsible for him?”

“I am,” Haruka confirms.

“Great. Nice to meet you, Mr. Hirano. And… this is?” He tilts his head toward Cellina.

“This is Cellina De Luca. She has my consent to attend the consultation. She is not fluent in Japanese, so please speak in simple expressions.”

The doctor nods, but his demeanor reads stiff. Uncomfortable, somehow. Sora had told Haruka good things about him as a medical professional, but the subtle tension radiating from the doctor is unsettling.

“Right, I understand.” Doctor Davies rolls his shoulders. “I—I have to give you the legal speech first. Himeji Prefectural Hospital does not explicitly specialize in vampire biology. However, we do not discriminate based on race, biology, gender, color, ethnicity or religious beliefs. The results I’m giving you today have been assessed and derived by licensed and professional human doctors who possess a limited understanding of vampire biology. In no way are these doctors proficient in the infinite complexities associated with a vampire’s genetic makeup, and are subject to scrutiny. Do you both accept the conditions under which I give my prognosis?”

“I do,” Haruka and Cellina say at once.

“Alright. Great… I hate saying all that.” Doctor Davies smiles. He takes a breath and continues in simple Japanese. “It makes me seem incompetent—but I’m not! I’ve studied vampire biology for more than twenty years… which is nothing compared with your lifetime, I guess… but, anyway…”

The doctor rolls his shoulders again, turning toward his computer. Haruka raises an eyebrow. Are humans always this nervous?

Something is odd about him. However, this circumstance is unusual. Ranked vampires almost never need doctors, and purebreds are arguably the healthiest beings on the planet. Given time, their bodies heal themselves. But with Nino refusing to feed, Haruka had decided to play it safe and bring him to a medical professional for help.

“Nino is stable. I’m confident he’ll make a full recovery—so rest assured there.” The doctor clicks and moves his computer mouse as he speaks, a white glare from the screen flashing against his glasses. “But there are a few things happening, one being very odd. First, he was severely underfed. With the IV drip, that will be addressed within the next twenty-four hours.

“The second thing is some of his ribs are broken, as if they’ve been damaged by blunt trauma—perhaps someone used an object or kicked him? His organs are bruised, but nothing is pierced. This will heal itself within a month or two… maybe a month, since you’re both purebred? Healing tends to be even faster with your biology.”

Closing his eyes, Haruka stifles a flare of unfiltered rage. Lajos not only abducted his mate but caused him physical harm. The realization creates a fire in Haruka, urging him to hunt the decrepit vampire down and—

When Cellina’s hand rests on top of his own, he opens his eyes. Her bright gray irises are focused on him, blinking. The doctor is also staring, his hands hovering in place over the keyboard. Haruka’s eyes are alighted. He takes a deep breath. “My apologies.”

“It… it’s okay,” Doctor Davies says, his brow furrowed. “Should I continue?”

“Please.”

He nods. “Right… The last thing is very strange. I’ve never seen anything like it.” Doctor Davies turns the large screen so that Cellina and Haruka can see. There is a black-and-white X-ray scan. The doctor points. “This is the cavity of Nino’s mouth. Do you see this big, empty space? This is where his tongue should be. It’s just… not there. It doesn’t exist! There’s no trauma—no evidence of it being removed. It’s very strange.”

Haruka takes another deep breath, quelling the silent fury within.

“Is this why he wouldn’t feed?” Cellina asks.

“He can’t,” the doctor says. “You need your tongue to control the flow of liquid and saliva, to guide food down into your throat to swallow. Without it he would struggle. Did… did he have a tongue before?”

Silence.

Cellina balks. “Are you kidding?”

“Yes,” Haruka assures the doctor.

“Of course—stupid question, very sorry.” Doctor Davies sits up straighter and smiles. “It will regenerate. I’ll be honest with you, vampiric regeneration is a very painful and slow process. Depending on the body part and the blood quality of the feeding source, it could take anywhere from two months to a year.”

Nodding, Haruka mentally prepares himself for the long road ahead. “He will need to use this IV drip and have my blood drawn until his tongue has regenerated?”

“Yes, that’s right. It won’t be fun for him, but again, since you’re both purebreds, I imagine the process will be on the shorter end. His ribs should heal pretty fast, too. Your mate will be back to normal within a few months.”

“That is a relief,” Haruka breathes. None of the details matter. As long as Nino will be safe and healthy again, all is well. They can deal with the particulars together.

“You’ll need to take it slow.” Doctor Davies turns his screen forward, then clicks with his mouse before giving them his full attention. “He’ll need a lot of blood as he heals, but you can’t starve yourself feeding him. So take it little by little. I would also recommend you restrain from rigorous physical activity while he heals… Maybe avoid pulling his aura? Or nature? Are the two interchangeable? In all my studies I’ve never been clear on that.”

“Fundamentally, they are one and the same, but a vampire’s aura is the physical, outward manifestation of their internal nature,” Haruka explains.

Doctor Davies nods, his caramel-colored eyes bright behind his glasses. “Right. Got it. Makes perfect sense. Thank you for that. I’d like to have a follow-up appointment in two months to check on your progress, maybe even give you both the green light to resume your normal activities. How does that sound?”

“Understood. Thank you, Doctor Davies.”

Cellina sighs. “Thank you, Doctor.”

“It’s my pleasure—honor, really.” He grins. “Stop by the nurse’s station at the end of the hall. Sora should be there. She’ll schedule the follow-up. We’ll also need to have your blood drawn each week for the IV—”

“Is there someone who can make house calls?” Haruka asks, not wanting to traverse back and forth to Himeji for the next two months or so.

“Um, sure…” Doctor Davies scratches the back of his head. “I’ll look into that for you. We’ll get something figured out.”

“And…” Haruka smiles, charming. “Do you have any recommendations for books or resources that focus on the physiology of the frontal and parietal lobes of the brain? Something that outlines precise details?”

Doctor Davies pauses. His brow lifts above his black glasses. “Ah… I’ll see what I can do?”