A Most Succulent Apple

YamiNoTomoyo

-(YnT)-

Chapter 4 – Exemplary Conduct

"Eriol! Damn you, get the hell up!" A familiar voice shouted through the door.

Sleepily Eriol opened his eyes and sat up, glaring at the door with as much energy as, at five in the afternoon, he could possibly muster. "What'd I do to get this wake up two days in a row?" he muttered.

"Come on already!" she shouted again.

Eriol groaned. "Okay, okay!" Impossibly fast, he changed into new clothing, setting everything straight within a few seconds. Then, slowing down to a more normal speed, he opened the door. "What?" he growled.

Andrea took in his appearance, and glared at him. "You were already awake!" she accused. "Never mind. Anyway, Lucille told me about your little excursion yesterday, idiot. So, as punishment, you're going on a date with me. Now."

"A date?"

"Well, not a date. But we're going to pretend we're on one, right?" She gave him a saccharine smile, and added, "I'll meet you downstairs in five minutes, Eriol. And I'm sure you won't be late, will you now?"

Andrea didn't even give him a chance to argue back. She turned around on the balls of her feet, as dignified as a queen, and then skipped away with as much carelessness as a girl.

Damien appeared out of nowhere. "You're screwed."

"She won't hurt me. She knows I'd prefer to be mortally wounded than go on a date and pretend to like her. I bet she'll force us to sip at the same blood-shake from two straws." He shuddered in mock horror.

"Very funny," Damien muttered. "I'll never understand you. But really… You're screwed. What was she talking about, anyway? An excursion? Who's Lucille?"

"Don't you remember? She's the little pet of Ronald. The sweet little ditz. She kindly offered to guide me back when I had lost my way and bumped into Ronald himself."

"At least your sense of humor is intact. Now, really, what happened? Did you go home with her, maybe?"

"I illicitly wandered into Ronald's territory. By accident, of course."

"You're not kidding?"

Eriol shook his head.

"Are you sure Andrea just wants a date?" he said with horror. "How could you? That could mean… I mean, you almost sparked a goddamn war, for all we know! Shit, this is not good. What do you expect me to say to that?"

"Nothing. Let me deal with her. It'll be fine."

"Eriol, you're not invincible. Andrea is strong as hell, and you know it. I don't know if you'll come back alive, I swear." Damien looked at him pleadingly. "How could you do this?"

"A mistake. But listen - really listen to me, for just a moment - I understand. I won't force you to choose sides, though I know which side you would. I respect that. But you won't need to choose. Damien, I swear I won't let this stupid action of mine get between me and Andrea to the point where we must go separate ways, or one of us must die. I know the stakes. But it won't happen. I promise it. I understand. Do you?"

"You have a death wish," Damien muttered. "But yes. Just… Keep that promise, Eriol. You're the only one who knows, and…" Damien shook his head, clapped a hand over Eriol shoulder, and then moved away.

As Damien left the hallway, Eriol sighed.

Damien had long ago entrusted Eriol with his most precious secret – the reason he followed Andrea, when they were both of equal strength. He loved her hopelessly, whether or not she was, quote on quote, a bitch to him. Of course, everybody else knew it, even Andrea. But nobody ever mentioned it, just like nobody ever mentioned why Andrea was completely uninterested.

Yet, Eriol had still not dared tell Damien his greatest secret. Eriol knew also that, until the time came, he probably never would. He wanted no part of his secret, not a bit.

But he felt guilt. The greatest guilt. He owed it to Damien to share something. Damien's trust in him was so complete, but though Eriol trusted Damien beyond anybody else… No. He still couldn't share even that.

Perhaps, Eriol thought, there is something else I could tell him. I could tell him about Tomoyo.

But what would I say? And how would I explain it? It would reveal my secret just as easily. Damn it all. Why did I have to become a vampire?

By now he had come to the bottom of the building, where Andrea waited. Eriol smiled cheerfully. "Shall we leave then, my lady?" he said with the charm of a gentleman centuries ago. He held out his arm, hooked at the elbow. Laughing lightly at Eriol's odd sense of humor, Andrea played along. She placed a gentle hand on his arm, as a lady in the olden days might have done.

Eriol kindly led her out to the sidewalk, where they both slipped into a more modern hand-in-hand walk. Best to blend in, after all.

"Shit," Andrea murmured, looking at the people who were on the street. "I forgot to feed. Restrain me a bit, will you?"

Eriol gripped her hand a little tighter, understanding his duty. He could get away with some things when he and Andrea were on good terms. But she was furious with him, for all she pretended to smile. That meant any order she gave, even those phrased like requests, had to be followed. He had no intention to cause more sparks to fly. "Of course. Where are we headed?"

"I was thinking to the children's park," she replied, whispering in his ear like a doting girlfriend. "We can make out with each other, concealed in the foliage."

"If by make out you mean try not to kill each other, then that would be wonderful, my lady Andrea." He smiled charmingly, and she smiled back just as charmingly.

It was quite a shame that neither of them found the other particularly charming. They looked like quite a charming couple.

Except that she was outraged and suspicious and he was aloof and unconcerned. Not that anybody else noticed.

Their walk to the park was mostly silent, although occasionally, just for appearances, Andrea said something inane, and they laughed, and she kissed his cheek. Eriol thought, with a mental wrinkle of the nose, that he'd rather be kissed by a snake. It was far less dangerous.

Before long, the young "couple" was at a park. It had a playground, which at this time of night was all but empty. Eriol walked Andrea to a tree, and then lifted her into it by the waist as sweetly as any boyfriend might. Then, he joined her upon the branch, and immediately dropped his carefree smile.

She did the same, and glared at him. "I don't know what to do anymore," she said bluntly.

Andrea had completely taken him by surprise. "What?" he asked.

"I don't. Really. Look, Eriol. You're either under my command, or you're not. I don't know or even want to know how strong you are. But I'll say it straight out – I fear you, Eriol Hiiragizawa.

"I like my position. I like being in control. I like being the top of the top, with everybody else dancing to my will. And I don't mind having you around, either. Most of the time, you play it cool. You follow me when I ask it, and are fair and far from troublesome when you don't. You have your secrets. But I fear you, because both of us know that if you wanted to, it wouldn't take much for you to oust me. You're not only stronger, but you're smarter. I don't even know what it is that keeps you with me. Damien, I can understand. I know his strength, and I know his motivation for ignoring it. But you're a wild card.

"So you go and do something stupid like this that potentially threatens everybody. Not just you, or me – everybody. I thought you were smarter than that. So what am I supposed to do? I can't rightly punish you for fear that you'll retaliate, because I still don't know what keeps you under my command. But if this goes unnoticed, then what am I saying? That I'm a lax little queen, afraid of her own subjects? I can't afford that.

"Eriol, I've said it outright. I'll say it again. I fear you. I admit it, and I'm sure you know how much I don't like to. But what else am I supposed to do? I am asking for you to give me something, anything, to fix this mess. At least explain yourself, if you can't do that. Do you see my point?"

Andrea watched him turn over thoughts in his head, slowly. It was several minutes before he spoke.

"I see your point," he said at last. Andrea jumped, startled out of a daze of thought. "Luckily, I think this mess can be fixed. In thanks for allowing me to go free, I have promised Ronald a gift – which, come to think of it, I was holding in reserve for you in case I ever got on your bad side. Oh, well. My point is, I have a gift – a present, really – which will allow my mistake to be completely overlooked. Nobody else needs to know that it ever happened.

"And by the way – it truly was a mistake. I was thinking, and wandering, after leaving the Orchid, and had honestly been so focused on my thoughts that I had forgotten to be wary of my surroundings. I doubt it will happen again. Also, if the gift doesn't serve its purpose, I will make sure you are not implicated. This conversation, for now, never existed. You have no knowledge of what I did yesterday. Lucille will keep her mouth shut if you act as though you have no idea. Do you see, Andrea? I know I screwed up, and I have everything set to be fixed. You need not worry that my mistake – for which I am terribly sorry – causes more trouble than either of us require."

Eriol paused for a moment, and then, to her surprise, said, "Thank you. I knew you feared me. But you don't need to. You, Andrea, are the kind of person who will never be happy if they do not have something they can control. Having power over other vampires gives you that control. It is difficult for you to understand that power is the last thing I want. I simply don't want to be a leader. I prefer to be a subordinate, albeit a subordinate with just a few more privileges. I don't expect you to understand my reasons, but I hope you will not fear me so much after this." With a mischievous smile, he added, "Especially since that fear has been waking me up earlier than I would like, these days."

Andrea nodded, and hopped out of the tree, smiling jubilantly. "Well, damn. Now that we've sorted all that out, I have to let you sleep in tomorrow. Assuming Ronald doesn't skin you alive, or try to. But may I simply ask you something, Eriol?"

"What might that be?" he asked, before leaping down as well, and taking her hand in his as they pretended once more to be a couple.

"Does anybody ever understand you?"

Eriol hesitated, but then smiled at her cheerfully again. "It's been known to happen on occasion," he informed her.

She couldn't know that by occasion, he meant once. Once, by one person, who always seemed to understand, even when he didn't himself.

A small part of his mind wondered where she was right now.

-(YnT)-

"You've brought me a – a parasol."

Eriol resisted the urge to grin.

"Yes, actually. A parasol. Actually, I thought it was an umbrella, but you are free to call it whatever you like, of course. I'm sorry I was unable to get a pattern. Solid blue is so boring."

"Why have you brought me a parasol?"

"It is a gift, Ronald, of goodwill. I dare you to test it later. You will find that it might as well be military-grade steel. Not a single ray of sunlight will pass through that parasol. In short, with this over your head, you will be able to step out in daytime. As long as you're careful, that is."

Ronald's eyebrows rose. "That's quite a gift. Must have been expensive. Where did you get the money?"

"Oh, surely I can have a few secrets, after giving you that precious thing. All I ask is that you ignore that secrets, and accept this as my thanks for helping me find my way home. I hate getting lost."

"But that you would spend so much… Do you really want to buy us off, Eriol? We are greater in numbers than you. Greater even, than Andrea and all her followers, yourself included. Could it be you fear our rage?"

Eriol's eyes flashed. "I dislike conflict. It's messy and people are hurt. But make no mistake – Andrea may be a very relaxed leader, and those she leads may be even more relaxed, but we have no hesitation in fighting back if we are attacked. That is no threat, of course, Ronald – just something I would like you to be aware of. We are young, and strong, but all we want is to exist peacefully. If that means that I must give up my insurance," Eriol said, waving to the umbrella, "in return for the end of this misunderstanding, then so be it."

Ronald nodded slowly. "You are young, strong, and oddly wise, then. As a show of good faith, nobody will escort you back. I think you will remember the way back from yesterday, won't you?"

"Of course." Eriol nodded in respect to Ronald, and then began to stroll away.

Two potential disasters avoided in one night. I can't tell if that's good luck or bad, Eriol thought wryly.

Eriol walked, still thanking the stars that the skin on his body was still intact. He was almost back in Andrea's territory, when suddenly he stopped.

Suddenly a strange feeling swept across his body, like nothing he'd ever felt before. It reminded him of a siren or horn, some kind of alert. It was telling him something. Trouble had happened.

Frowning, he gazed, across the city, his eyes blazing even more blue than they ever did. Suddenly he whirled around, looking back the way he had come.

A second later, he heard a scream. A second later, there was blood all over the ground in front of Ronald, and the body of vampire with his heart torn out - dead.

The voice that next whispered to Ronald was laced with cold, so much that it made all the hair on his neck stand up. It was an act of pure will that kept him from shaking in sudden fear.

"She is mine."

"How?" Ronald asked in horror, staring at the body before him. "It's not possible. And she is not -"

"I haven't marked her yet, but rest assured that she is indeed mine and mine alone. You saw. I can destroy you before you even blink," that cold voice continued to whisper.

The touch of a finger at the back of his neck left no room for doubt in the voice's words. Ronald went still.

"It's very possible. I can demonstrate again, if you like. Listen closely. You will let her go," that deadly voice hissed, "or you'll find out how it feels to have your heart ripped out of your body, just like your friend there. Only…"

The pause was perfectly timed to scare Ronald even further.

"…Slower."

"Who are you?" Ronald asked.

The whispery voice seemed amused. "You're in no position to ask. Tell – I think his name is Lawrence? – tell Lawrence to release her, and you'll live. That's all you have to know."

"Lawrence," Ronald began. Human, he would have been sweating heavily by now. He was not looking at Lawrence, the vampire who held the girl they had captured, but rather at the face of that girl. She seemed oddly calm, with her gaze fixed upon the face behind him. Suddenly, he had to know.

"Lawrence, who is behind me?"

The finger at his back pressed him hard enough to bruise, as Lawrence answered very slowly, "Eriol."

"Eriol? Impossible," Ronald blurted, loud enough for everybody to hear. "You'd have to be-"

"Didn't I already tell you that it's very possible?" Eriol said. No longer whispering, Ronald could tell that the voice was truly him. Only, all the charm and wit from earlier had vanished. How could this be? How could one weaker than Andrea be so quick, so threatening? "Just let her go. All you have to do is tell Lawrence to let her go. You may still live."

"Lawrence," Ronald began once again, after a moment of deep thought. "Kill her."

Things happened impossibly fast. The finger on his back moved away almost instantly, in reaction to Lawrence, who had begun to draw a razor-sharp nail across the girl's throat. But before he could more than scratch her, Eriol had slammed him against the wall with a bestial ferocity, hard enough to make sure the bigger vampire wouldn't be retaliating for some time.

The girl fell roughly to the ground, staring with wide eyes. Ronald didn't bother to stay around, for the aftermath. He began to run, banking on and hoping that Eriol wouldn't chase him, instead seeing to the girl. It would be death if he was wrong.

Fortunately for Ronald, he was right.

Eriol ran over to Tomoyo the moment Lawrence had fallen. His eyes were bright blue but rimmed with red. He had reverted to a predatorial stance again, becoming far less human than vampire in his attempt to save her.

"You're alright?" he asked shortly.

Tomoyo blinked several times at him, but then finally nodded. "Fine. Scraped and bruised, a little."

"Too calm, though. Shock," he muttered. How he was keeping his thirst at bay was beyond him. Maybe it was the imminent danger to Tomoyo's life that was causing him to think clearly instead of be driven by thirst, even when she was so close. It was a curiosity he would have to ponder at a more convenient time.

"Maybe I am in shock. I don't think so, though. Think you can get us out of here quicker than a cab? Something tells me hanging around here is not a good idea."

"Not without endangering you."

"And I'm so much safer here, surrounded by vampires with no reason to hesitate?"

"Definitely shock. You should be terrified right now," Eriol informed her. Despite his terse voice, he had picked her up, gently and easily as though she were light as a flower petal, and held her bridal style.

And so, he began to run. Around this corner, this one, down the next street – dizzy, Tomoyo lost track of their surroundings quickly. She was beginning to feel slightly nauseous, and her foot throbbed – a sprain, perhaps? Maybe she was going into shock. A little. Or it could have been the speed at which Eriol was carrying her, which was inhuman and possibly too fast for even most vampires. Tomoyo closed her eyes.

It was over a moment later, thankfully. Tomoyo reopened her eyes, and found they were in a residential part of London she had visited only once or twice. She recognized it only because of the ominous plot of land that enclosed the famed haunted house of the area.

"We should be fine, here," Eriol murmured. He rubbed his head, sighing. "Now what?"

"You can start by putting me down," offered Tomoyo. Eriol set her down, but she winced, stumbled, and nearly fell again. She might have, had Eriol not been supporting her.

"What's wrong?"

"It's just my foot. Probably a sprain or something. I'm fine; I'll just be careful until there is a chance to look at it. Besides, you're not going to leave me alone to walk on it until I have help." Gingerly she put her left foot back on the ground, and placed just a bit of weight on it.

"If you say so," Eriol replied, wondering how she knew him so well when they hadn't seen each other in four years. "What were you doing in that area?"

"Walking. I guess I picked a bad time, because Lawrence jumped me, and…" Tomoyo's throat bubbled in laughter, and tightened. "Had you not come, Eriol, I would be dead now." Another giggle escaped her, and a tear or two leaked out. She wiped it away hastily, complaining, "Aw, damn. Hysterics. Just what I need, huh? No, I did not pick the best time of night to go for a walk." She put her head on Eriol's shoulder, letting him hold her upright for the moment as she regained her senses, half-crying and half-laughing and half trying to stifle both.

"You take a near-death experience pretty well, if you ask me. But the problem is, I made a terrible mistake, Tomoyo. I just killed another vampire, who hadn't done anything wrong. I've probably just started a war with Ronald, setting him against Andrea and all of my friends, endangering all of their lives. And I've even endangered you in the process, Tomoyo. You can't go back. They know what you look like, and they know your scent. They know you're…"

Tomoyo straightened, and supplied, "Important."

Eriol nodded.

"I can't just – just quit going to classes, like that!" Tomoyo exclaimed, shaking her head.

"You don't have a choice," Eriol harshly told her. He looked her in the eyes again. "You need to leave London. If you're hurt because of all of this, I will never forgive myself," Eriol said, a steely glint in his gaze.

"I don't have to leave. I can't leave. So instead, I propose a compromise. You can't force me to leave, Eriol, and you know it. So I'm staying here – and you are staying with me."

What?

-(YnT)-

Thanks to Meiling-chan and Rika-chan of ECRS. To Meiling-chan for betaing; to Rika-chan for withstanding the sheer insanity of my twisted ideas and for appreciating the parasol.

Dedicated to suicide dot org for contributing to the ongoing struggle towards saving the life of my dearest friend (love you, girl, so don't you go anywhere, 'kay?) and many others.

I'm in a bitchy mood (quoted from my LJ, no less). Please try not to make my bitchiness today worse.

I am absolutely aware that the Eriol running part was grotesquely close to Twilight. However, there are key differences – such as it being less of a joyride and more of a let's-get-the-hell-out-of-here-before-one-of-us-dies type of ride. You know? Besides, it was utterly unavoidable. I'd like to see one of you come up with a different, realistic, in character answer for how they would escape. (Though I wouldn't be surprised if R-chan/E-chan and N-chan managed to come up with something, knowing their great skills at torturing characters).

And for those of you not aware already – don't get me wrong. I love Twilight, really. I'm on Team Edward (if only because I want Jacob for myself), worship the ground upon which Alice walks, and can't imagine ever not liking Twilight.

However, and I say this with no hesitation, Twilight itself sucks. The plot and the sexiness of the characters pretty much make up the entire series. There's no real skill in the writing, no true backbone. Not to mention Edward and Bella are a perfectly abhorrent example of an unhealthy and overly dependent relationship.

Which is why I try to stay far, far away from Twilight in this. Understand? If I get a flame for dumb reasons, shame on you for being an ass.

Whoa. Long chapter, huh? Even a long rant, to boot. Well, see ya. I'm off to have me some delicious ice cream.