The Vanishing by Karla Nikole

Twenty

“Good morning, your grace.” Junichi smiles, sitting at the table with Asao and holding a steaming cup of coffee.

Haruka draws closer, squinting from the flood of bright morning light filling the kitchen. Confused, he scratches his head. “I thought you were traveling in Europe until August?”

“I was, but plans change. Giovanni is back home and Cellina is leaving this weekend, yes?”

“Yes… Our outstanding responsibilities are settled for now, so I feel there is no tangible reason for them to stay.”

“Right. And how’s Nino recovering?” Junichi asks.

“He is excellent—sleeping, presently.” Haruka sits in the open chair at the head of the table, shielding his eyes from the light. It’s intense, lately. “His ribs are healed and he started working with a speech pathologist last week. This week, we will begin feeding therapy. Sora is coming today to draw my blood. But why did you shorten your trip? You always enjoy your business excursions to Europe.”

“Is the light bothering your eyes?” Junichi tilts his head. “You seem distressed by it.”

Haruka reaches up and rubs with his fingertips. His irises are burning—but not in the usual way when they alight. This is different. “I do not know why, but they seem irritated at the moment.”

“They look irritated. Asao told me you’re not sleeping at night… that you haven’t in over a month and you have a habit of passing out somewhere in the house during the day.”

“Did he?” Haruka drops his hands, narrowing his eyes at his manservant. Asao stares forward, ignoring him while he drinks.

“Haruka…” Junichi probes. “If you become nocturnal—”

“I am not.”

“Yes,you are,” Asao interjects, frowning. “You already are, Haruka. It’s a problem.”

“If you’re nocturnal,” Junichi continues, “we all have to become nocturnal—do you understand that? Even if you don’t mandate it, our natures will follow your lead by instinct, because your essence is like a beacon to us. It’s old and powerful, and it impacts us. If we want to meet with you or conduct business with you, but you’re only awake at night, then guess what? We have to be, too.”

Haruka shakes his head. His eyes are burning and it feels as if his brain is swimming in murky water. “No—I do not want this community to change its practices.”

“Then why aren’t you sleeping?” Junichi asks.

“I… I cannot. Not right now.”

“Why?” Asao presses.

Leaning with his elbows on the table, Haruka places his palms against his irritated eyes, shielding them from the light. “Because Lajos is nocturnal. Nino’s attacker walks at night. How can I sleep and leave us both defenseless against him?”

“Didn’t you verbally rescind his invitation into our home?” Asao asks. “He can’t come inside anymore. You don’t need to do this.”

“It’s not enough!” Haruka pauses from the outburst, taking a breath. “He can still use his power to vanish us, even if he is not inside the house. As long as he knows we are here, we are vulnerable and I cannot… I can’t sleep knowing this. I will not.”

“So, why not let Cellina and Giovanni stay to help?” Junichi asks.

“Because they have already done more than enough for us. I refuse to burden them any more than I already have. I can handle this.”

Silence falls over the warm space of the kitchen. Haruka rubs his eyes. The inflammation there is growing unbearable.

“How long will this go on?” Junichi asks. “This practice of living in fear and paranoia?”

“I don’t know,” Haruka says, his throat tightening from the anxiety and cutting off his breathing. Everything—the stress, shock and uncertainty of the past month—it all crashes down on his psyche. “I have lost much in my life, Junichi. I lost my parents very young, and I lost my first mate and a child. I almost lost Nino and it scares me to death. If I lose him… I’m finished. There’s nothing else for me in this life.”

Haruka clenches his eyes shut, the fear deep within him rising to the surface and spilling over. His eyes water and he wipes the tears away with his fingertips. “I was too complacent, too relaxed. I… I will do whatever it takes to protect the vampire I love and our home. If this means becoming nocturnal, then so be it. But I do not wish for your lives to be uprooted by my actions. I do not want to make things difficult for my community. I am sorry.”

“You don’t need to be sorry,” Junichi says. “But I don’t like that all of our lives are being shifted because of this vile vampire. You’re giving him a lot of power, Haruka.”

“I don’t know what else to do.”

Asao exhales a groan and runs his palms against his face. “Going to the bank and grocery shopping are going to be a real bitch.”

Junichi laughs. “You crabby old man—that’s all you’re worried about right now?”

“No more high school baseball games, or afternoon karuta matches at the local rec center. And think about vamps whose businesses thrive in the daytime hours, or how the trains stop running at two in the morning—travel and accessibility are going to be shit. Night buses for everyone!”

“Mm.” Junichi shakes his head. “Fuck the night bus, I’m not doing that.”

Asao laughs. “Vampires on the Night Bus sounds like some cheap horror film—”

The doorbell rings and Asao stands to leave. When he’s gone, Haruka squints at the suave peanut-brown vampire beside him. “Did Asao tell you to come back home to talk to me?”

“Asao is not the boss of me. I make my own decisions.”

“He’s your elder.”

“Doesn’t matter. After my father died, I stopped listening to my elders. Evil bastard ruined it for all of ’em.”

Haruka scoffs, unconvinced. Junichi will be one hundred and thirty this fall. Haruka outranks him, but the dynamic of their relationship is comfortable—not rigid in their culture’s traditional, hierarchical manner. It’s nice.

“Thank you, Jun. For listening, and for keeping my circumstance secret… for as long as possible, anyway.”

“You’re welcome.” Junichi smiles, watching Haruka from the corner of his eyes. “That’s what friends are for. Should I start making you new clothes since you’re rail thin now? My dark, ethereal muse is becoming skeletal, so I need to adjust my aesthetic?”

“Ethereal?” Haruka turns his nose up, but then looks down at his baggy sweater, his loose pants with his belt augmented by a self-made hole to draw it in tighter. “Is it so bad?”

“It’s not good.Why aren’t you eating?”

“Solidarity. But I eat sometimes… I am busy.”

“Doesn’t Nino get a feeding tube for nutrition and a blood IV? Plus, your mate is a little more toned than you, Haruka. He can handle the weight loss better. You, on the other hand,need to eat more than ‘sometimes,’ my dear friend.”

Haruka shrugs. “We have always been taught that as purebreds, we do not need to consume food to survive.”

“Right. You can walk around looking like Nosferatu in a wig if you want to, but you’d be better off with some meat on your bones.”

Asao reappears in the doorway and Haruka is surprised when a casually dressed Doctor Davies is standing beside him. He bows at the waist as he holds the handles of a large bag within his fists. Haruka turns to Junichi, the moment shocking him. He whispers, “There is a human in my house.”

“Who is this?” Junichi sits forward, whispering back with his black eyes wide. “He’s exquisite…”

Stepping into the kitchen, the doctor nods his head. The action is stiff. “Good morning, Mr. Hirano. I—well… Sora had a double shift yesterday and you had asked me about medical books. So I decided to make the house call since I’m off on Sundays. I tried contacting you directly but—but your phone was off.”

Haruka has no idea where his phone is. He can’t even remember the last time he’s seen or used it. “Please call me Haruka, and thank you for making a personal visit. Doctor Davies, this is Junichi Takayama. He is a close friend. Junichi, Doctor Davies.”

Doctor Davies bows. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Likewise.” Junichi smiles. “Is this your first time being in a house full of high-level vampires?”

The doctor relaxes his shoulders and scratches the back of his thick ombre hair. The color reminds Haruka of a lion’s mane. He lifts his eyebrows behind his glasses. “Is it obvious?”

“Very.” Junichi sits back, examining him. “But don’t worry. We won’t bite… before a first date, anyway. Do you have dinner plans tonight?”

Doctor Davies blinks. “Ex-excuse me?”

Haruka holds his hand up, shaking his head. “I apologize for my friend’s facetious rhetoric. Nino is in the bedroom—Asao will guide you there—and thank you for the books. That was very kind of you.”

Doctor Davies narrows his eyes toward Junichi, but then adjusts and softens his expression. He smiles toward Haruka. “It’s… my pleasure. I’ll need to draw your blood for the new IV today as well. I’ll examine Nino first, then let you know when I’m ready. Haruka… are you doing okay? You look a little—”

“I am fine, Doctor. Thank you for your concern.”

The doctor nods politely before Asao guides him out of the kitchen. Haruka whips his head toward Junichi when they’re gone. “What are you doing? He’s Nino’s doctor.”

“Why are you cockblocking me? And why does he smell like that?” Junichi points at the empty doorway. “Do you not notice how incredible he smells? Is he human?”

Haruka blinks, frowning. He has never heard the term “cockblocking” before, but given the context and Junichi’s demeanor he can easily understand. “I admit that he is oddly appealing to my nature. But he reads as human.”

“I know humans.” Junichi folds his arms. “They smell like dirt. He does not smell like dirt, and he’s stunning. He’s at my mother’s hospital with Sora? Damn… maybe I feel sick, too?”

Junichi forces a shallow cough, the sound unnatural and awkward. Haruka purses his lips in a frown. “Please do not harass my mate’s doctor.”

“I make no promises.” Junichi grins. “Do you think he likes males? Humans are very particular about that.”

* * *

Thirty minutes later,Doctor Davies has finished examining Nino and drawn bags of Haruka’s blood for the upcoming week.

With Nino lying behind him, Haruka unrolls the sleeves of his sweater while seated on the edge of the mattress. “He says that the regeneration process is, quote, ‘like earthquakes and hellfire’ in his mouth.”

The doctor smiles. “Well, yes, that sounds about right—I did say it wouldn’t be easy. But everything is progressing as it should. Hopefully the hellfire rages on and burns out soon?” At Haruka’s silence, the doctor pauses from packing his bag and looks up. Nino’s face is flat as he shakes his head.

Haruka grins. “He says, ‘Is he joking about this right now?’ There was also an expletive that I don’t care to repeat.”

“N-no, not at all. Sorry about that.”

The doorbell rings, surprising Haruka. They aren’t expecting anyone else today. But within a few minutes, he can hear the pitter-patter of small feet, the whisper of excited voices. He sits up straighter, his heart light.

“Behave, please, or we won’t do this again,” Sora cautions as they enter the doorway. Shion and Amon are at her sides, their hands gripped in hers and their faces full of wonder. This is the first time they have ever visited the estate.

“Haru-sama!” Amon shouts, then bolts from Sora’s grip. She calls after him but it’s no use. He bounds, then slams into Haruka as he sits with his legs gaped on the bed. He wraps his arms around Haruka’s waist in a tight hug, his face pressed into his sweater.

Haruka grips Amon’s head in his palms and pulls his gaze up, smiling. “Well, hello.”

“Hi!”

“Amon, Mom said don’t run,” Shion scolds from beside her mother. Amon turns his head and sticks his tongue out before snuggling into Haruka’s stomach again.

“Hi, Sora.” Doctor Davies blinks. “I told you I’d take care of things today?”

“I know, I know,” she says. “But I wanted to surprise Haruka since it’s been rough the past several weeks. And I forgot that I promised the little ones I’d bring them with me this week so, you know… they don’t understand the concept of ‘Mommy worked a thirty-hour shift so the trip you were looking forward to for three weeks is cancelled.’”

“Ah, well, fair enough.” The doctor grins. “Should I come next week, too?”

As they talk, Haruka pulls Amon up from his vise-like position around his waist and sits him against his thighs. When he’s settled, he looks up at Haruka with bright brown eyes. “Can I show you something?” he whispers.

“Yes.” Haruka nods, whispering in turn. “But first, I think we should apologize for not listening to Mom, shouldn’t we?”

Amon turns his head toward Sora and nods in a polite bow. “Momma, I’m sorry.”

Sora smiles in acknowledgment. “Thank you, sweetie—but listen next time.” She narrows her eyes, then turns back toward the doctor.

Haruka pats Amon against his back. “And can we also properly greet Nino-sama?” Amon turns his head and dips it in a hasty bow.

“Hello, Nino-sama!”

“Hel-hello…”

Amon flips back, looking up at Haruka. “Can I show you now, please?”

“Of course, what is it?”

He digs into his jacket pocket and pulls out a complex-looking object. Holding it within his small hands, Amon flips the toy around as he speaks. “It’s nanoblocks. It’s a shark, see? And it can open and close its mouth—chomp chomp chomp.” Amon grips the shark’s jaw with his fingers, demonstrating and holding it up a little too close to Haruka’s face.

“It’s wonderful.” Haruka chuckles, leaning back. “Did you build this by yourself?”

“No, Dad helped. It took a long time—ah! Can we please do one together? Next time you come visit?”

“I love this idea. What animal should we choose?”

“Hmm, you pick.”

Haruka contemplates, scratching his head. Truly, he has no clue as to what this line of toys has available—

There’s a pig, a parakeet, kangaroo… a fox and all manner of Pokémon.

Haruka meets Nino’s eyes and his mate is watching him. He has his phone in his hands, a gentle smile on his lips. Haruka grins. Thank you, my love.

You’re welcome…

Confident, Haruka looks down at Amon. “I think I would like to do a Pokémon.”

“Yeah!” Amon brightens. “Which one is your favorite?”

For fuck’s sake, Haru. You couldn’t pick the pig? Or one of the other three you recognized?

Haruka bites his lips, discreetly eying his mate. What the hell is a Pokémon?

Unbelievable—

“Nino-sama?”

Shion is at Nino’s side. She places her hands against his exposed arm, affectionately rubbing him there. “Are you okay?”

Nino nods, briefly flickering his eyes toward Haruka before answering, his words slow and careful. “Yes. Th-thank you… for asking…”

“Please feel all better soon,” says Shion. “Then you can come over with Haru-sama, and me and Dad will make mochi!”

“I’ll help too!” Amon frowns.

Shion sighs. “Amon will help, too.”

Nino smiles, hesitating, but then lays his hand on top of hers as it rests against his arm. “Okay, s-sounds good.”