When he was a child, Diego had a fear of elevators, tight spaces to be exact. When he grew up, he eventually overcame it to the point he can do it alone at night.
He thought that he would never have a nerve wracking experience in an elevator after that but looking at the girl beside her who was humming, Diego's memories were relived again.
Since they were going to the top floor, the wait was long and agonizing. No one spoke and just let the silence happen. This wouldn't bother him usually but he would be lying if he said he was still feeling surreal after seeing someone he killed walking around like nothing happened.
Arcueid was relaxed. Like her murderer wasn't beside her, she was even humming a little tune while waiting.
*Ding!*
The wait finally ended and the elevator door opened. After getting out, they walked through the corridors and moments later, they stopped at the door at the end.
Arcueid opened the door and gestured for him to come in, "Let's go."
Diego hesitated. This is too weird right?
"Hurry up." Seeing him not moving, the blonde princess urged again.
Hearing this, Diego took a deep breath in his mind and slowly went in. After seeing him come inside, Arcueid closed the door and locked it with a click.
Inside, Diego was surprised to find the luxurious line up of the room. There's not much stuff but he can tell that the room itself was very expensive.
It was very big. There was a sofa, a TV but at the same time, it gives the impression that the one living was not very materialistic.
Arcueid stretched her arms and asked him to come over, "Come here."
"Okay…." Diego approached her but to his surprise, she suddenly grabbed his hand and went to her room.
"Okay! What was that for?!" He exclaimed in surprise while removing his hand from hers. Things are going very fast, usually it would be something like "There's a cat doing backflips in my room" to get his attention.
"Eh? What do you mean? I just want to ask you to stay here while I rest." Arcueid replied before laying flat in the bed, her hands on her stomach. She gave him a smile before closing her eyes.
Seeing this made Diego dumbfounded but at the same time, made him relieved. He didn't want to add sexual assault in his sentence.
"Is she really asleep? That's so fast." He muttered while looking at the girl who looked like she had already fallen asleep.
Looking at her blonde hair, her smooth skin and big chest, Diego realized that Arcueid was a very beautiful girl.
He immediately slapped himself from thinking those kinds of things and was about to find something to sit down on when he noticed something red in her clothes.
He came closer hesitantly but had his eyes wide when the red patch started spreading, now only her chest has no red in it while the bed was filled with red… blood?
"She's bleeding?!" Diego hurriedly touched the bed and felt the wet but thick texture of blood in it. Seeing this, he taps both her shoulders to wake her up but she isn't responding, making him check her breathing and pulse but to his surprise, there was none.
"Cardiac arrest? No, blood loss?" His face became ugly as he inspected her body. He didn't know her exact weight but he can still notice that she shouldn't be this light.
Hesitating for a moment, Diego flipped Arcueid's body to the side and raised her clothes slightly, to his surprise, there was blood gushing on her body but there were no visible wounds.
He hesitated whether to call for an ambulance or perform first aid now. He knows CPR but things like preventing blood loss is too much for him, especially when there's no visible wound.
After some thinking, Diego gritted his teeth and flipped her back before grabbing her chin and slowly opening it. He closed his eyes and as he was about to perform CPR, he heard a familiar voice.
"What are you doing?"
He slowly opened his eyes and saw Arcueid looking at him with confusion, her face perfectly fine and not showing signs of pain.
Looking at his hand that was in her chin opening her mouth, Diego fought the urge to pass out again but this time, to avoid embarrassment.
He slowly closed Arcueid's mouth much to her confusion before slowly backing away from her until he left the bed.
He did this while maintaining a straight face and once there was some distance between them, he answered as hard as he could, "I saw your body started bleeding and you had no pulse nor breathing."
"Really?" She looked at herself and saw her blood soaked clothes, "You're right!" She was surprised and immediately took her clothes off, making Diego close his eyes and go for the door.
"Where are you going? I asked you to guard me." He heard her angry voice but he simply replied by saying, "I'm going to buy some bandages and sanitizer. Wait for me to come back." And change your clothes too but he didn't say the last part.
"I see…I'll be waiting for you then." Arcueid seemed to understand what he's saying but still warned him, "But if you don't come back. I'll hunt you down myself."
Diego just hummed and left the room and once he was out of the hotel room, he took the biggest exhale of his life yet.
"My crimes are piling up the more I stay with her…" He muttered.
—-
After buying the things he needed, Diego went back to the hotel room and went to her room. He stopped for a while and shouted, "I'm here, is it fine to enter now?"
"You're back? Come in." He heard her voice from the other side and entered the room with a sigh.
Once he entered, he froze when he saw her state.
Arcueid was only wearing pantyhose and a bra, her skirt and bloodied sweater was on the side and she was looking at him curiously, "What did you get?"
This reaction of hers made him speechless, "What the hell are you wearing?!"
"Ah? My underwear?" She looked at herself and asked, "What's wrong? My clothes are bloodied. Should I remove these too?" Although it was a question, her hands were already on her back, ready to unclip her bra.
Diego hurriedly put the things he bought and stopped her by grabbing her arm, "No! Just… stay put there, okay?" He said after a frustrated sigh.
"If you say so…" She was confused by his reaction but still nodded.
'Deep breathes. This is not the first time you saw a woman's body. Stop being a pussy and just do it.' Diego told himself inwardly.
He grabbed the gauze and sanitizer before shakily reaching out on Arcueid's back.
"Does it bother you? Should I remove it?" Arcueid was about to reach out for her clip again but Diego just grabbed her hand and said, "No removing anything. Just stay put and don't move."
Hearing his stern voice, the blonde princess nodded obediently and just stared at the wall.
Diego touched her shoulder making her jump lightly before she relaxed again. This action almost made him flee in embarrassment but he pushed through and cleaned the remaining blood on her body before wrapping the bandage on the skin that was bleeding without a wound.
As he was doing this, Diego found himself staring at her neck. Even with her underwear on, he can see the side of her chest, it was big, the necklace wrap around her neck adds a bit of charm too and everytime she moves, her gifted assets shakes slightly.
'Neck…. From this angle, I could definitely decapitate her. But it failed earlier so should I just crush her head? Just one word from King Crimson I could….' Diego's eyes turned red the longer he stared and an invisible red aura was leaking from his body.
"C-Can you stop touching my neck? It's tickling me…" Arcueid's face turned red as she looked at him, her voice tinged with shyness.
"Sorry." Diego withdrew his hand calmly though on the inside, he wasn't calm at all!
What was he thinking?! What do you mean by smashing her head?! His eyes just activated and saw lines from her head to neck, urging him to at least cut one of it. If she didn't snap him out, Diego might have really done so.
'I need to smoke. Badly.' He touched his head.
"Is it done?" She asked him, her face still a little red from earlier physical contact.
"Yeah. You can dress up now." Diego replied blankly and picked up his stuff before leaving the room, not allowing her to react.
"Wait!" Arcueid wanted to say something but he already left, "I didn't even get to say thank you."
She sighed and started undressing before getting another set of clothes.
—-
After Arcueid changed her clothes, she went outside and saw Diego just sitting, while staring at the window.
"What's wrong?" She asked, curious why he's just staring at the window.
"... Nothing." Diego looked at her and secretly breathed a sigh of relief after seeing there's no lines in her body, "There's nothing to do so I'm just distracting myself." He shrugged.
"By staring at nothing?" She sat down beside him and asked.
"I don't see the problem."
"Hehehe, you're weird." She giggled.
You too. Diego wanted to say that but held back, "By the way, how's your injuries?"
"Oh that? I'm fine now." Arcueid showed her nonexistent biceps to prove how healthy she was.
Hearing that did ease his feelings but her following words surprised him.
"Thank you." He looked at her and saw her smile at him, "That was very nice of you."
"..." Diego just stood up and turned his head away from her, "What are you going to do this time? Can you still sleep?"
He was actually feeling embarrassed. He had dealt with shameless people before but not someone like her. It's like every little he does will get praised.
It was quite uncomfortable.
Arcueid didn't understand why he turned away but she still replied, "I'm still going to rest. What happened earlier was my negligence, I didn't expect that my injuries were that severe. In this case, I actually need to rest more to recover my strength."
Diego tensed when he heard her mentioning her injuries, "Strength? You're weakened?''
"Yes. That's why you have to protect me, kay?' She nodded seriously.
"... If you don't mind me asking, what exactly are you?" Diego nodded and asked the question he's been wanting to say all this time.
"Hmm.. Well, I think the popular term to call me would be a vampire." She put her hand on her chin in thought.
"A vampire?" Diego's eyes flashed red for a moment before turning back. "What do you mean by "popular term" exactly?''
He looked at her red eyes and pale skin. No wonder she looks so.. Inhumanely beautiful.
"Popular terms because that's how most people who're not aware of the supernatural call us. In truth, "vampires" as people call them are divided into two categories."
Diego's interests piqued, "What are those?"
"They are called True Ancestors and Dead Apostles." Seeing him listening, Arcueid continued, "True Ancestors can be called the original vampires. They are similar to guardians of the planet and have been walking in this world for a long time. I'm a True Ancestor." She puffed her chest proudly.
"Then what about Dead Apostles?" Diego, for some reason doesn't give a fuck about True Ancestors and asked about the second classification.
"Dead Apostles are humans that have been bitten by True Ancestors, similar to vampires people know of, Dead Apostles prey on flesh and blood to increase their strength and numbers. You can say that the reputation of vampires as blood sucking creatures came from them."
"What do you mean by that? Don't True Ancestors suck blood too considering they are the progenitors?" Diego's hands were becoming itchy the more he listens but he still asked.
"That's true but it's more that True Ancestors suck blood because they want to, not that they need to in contrast to Dead Apostles whose body can't last long without drinking that blood. It's the difference between desire and need." She shrugged.
"So… have you drank blood?" An inexplicable irritation welled up on his chest when he asked the question.
"Me? I have never." She rapidly shook her head.
"I see…." The feeling died down the moment she said that, "What a weird vampire then."
"Just because I don't drink blood doesn't mean I can't." She retorted with anger and shyness, as if she had failed at what vampires are supposed to do, "Besides…"
"Hmmm?"
"I don't want to drink blood. True Ancestors don't need them but if they do drink, they can become addicted to it and won't stop." She raised her knees and put her chin on it.
"I see," Diego sighed while rubbing his head, "This is really weird. I met two blood sucking vampires in just a week."
"What?" Arcueid looked at him with surprise then inquired, "You have also met a vampire? Was it a Dead Apostle? Does he have silver hair and that creepy look on his face?"
"Okay, okay. Relax." Diego calmed her down and after seeing her calm down, he replied, "I'm not really sure if she's a vampire or anything but she can regenerate and is active at night I guess? She also has those claws too."
"She? So it's not him." She muttered with some disappointment, "What happened then? What does she look like?"
"She looks like a little girl with a gothic dress and red eyes. As for what happened after, she tried to kill me." Diego gave a dry laugh. He didn't see after that and he does not want to see her again, at all.
"Oh! Now that's interesting." She listened more attentively, "What happened next? Did you kill her?"
Diego was taken aback by her blunt question but he shook his head, "I barely survived and she started saying something weird before letting me go."
"Is that so?" She hummed before coming close to him, her nose inching near his face, "So what really happened?"
"Pardon?" Diego wanted to back away but her question caught him off guard again, "What exactly do you mean by that?"
"It's impossible for you to just barely survive." She backed away slightly and disagreed with his earlier words, "As a True Ancestor, my strength is pretty up there in the world yet you easily killed me without me even being able to react." Diego flinched when he heard her words.
"If that isn't enough, it's night when it happened, it may not be a full moon but my strength at night is a qualitative change compared to day. Being able to fight me is already impressive and killing me is even more so, I can't just see an outcome when you'll lose to a random Dead Apostle with those skills." Arcueid started brainstorming.
"Maybe she's not random then?" Diego tried diverting the topic.
"Even so, it's still impossible for you to just "barely survive", tell me Diego Seijuro, what exactly are you? You asked me a question earlier so I guess it's safe to assume I can ask you as well right?" Arcueid came closer until her arms were holding his knees as if to prevent him from running away.
"Who exactly are you? Why do you smell so good? And… How are you able to kill me?"