The Hunter’s Weakness

8: MONSTER

Kita actually doesn't hear from Alexis for a couple days. This doesn't ever happen, so he finds himself feeling a bit worried. Especially because he really needs to talk to the guy.

Kita can't stop thinking about the conversation he heard. The fact that Alexis has been given explicit permission to marry whoever he wants. Eve is clearly at her limit with leading, she needs somebody to take over, and Kita would be absolutely fine with helping

Alexis rule Amarath.

Also, he wouldn't have to deal with Alexis marrying someone else and leaving him. It's not like Kita has many plans for his life, and he sure wasn't looking forward to working at the pub for the rest of it. This would save him from that fate. He'd get to spend the rest of his life with his best friend! It's a win-win!

As the days go by, Kita's wound doesn't heal. He's forced to just keep wrapping it in bandages, though at least it hardly bleeds anymore. He is so unbelievably hungry, and he craves something specific, but he doesn't know what. He tries to eat multiple times during this two day long period. However, every time, his body rejects it. The only thing he can keep down is water, but it ends up being pointless to drink since it only makes him feel more dehydrated.

Kita only feels worse and worse, hungrier and hungrier, unsure what to do. Is he going to die like this?

Thankfully he's distracted mostly by his thoughts, as well as Alexis disappearing off the face of the earth, so it doesn't weigh on him too much. One night, two days after the castle incident, Kita is working in his parent's pub. He's bartending, like usual, and it's actually somewhat of a slow night, which hardly ever happens. They're about ten minutes from closing—the place is near empty—when Kita hears the door chime as someone enters.

Kita looks up, as does the rest of the place. When he spots Alexis' large form entering the building, his entire face lights up. Alexis, as per usual, pays the staring no mind. He is clad in his armor, meaning he is most likely about to go on a hunt.

Alexis takes a seat at the bar, in his normal spot, all the way to the left side. It's right in front of where Kita does the dishes, and as soon as Kita sees him, he's rushing over there. Once Kita reaches him, he speaks.

"I need to talk to you."

"I need to ask you something."

They both talk at the same time, and Kita frowns. Alexis needs to talk to him? Kita was just going to come clean about his eavesdropping, and ask him how he feels about the... solution he came up with. He was also going to question Alexis on where he's been these past few days. Alexis and Kita both frown.

"What is it?" He asks, meaning Kita is going first. Whatever, Alexis might want to talk about the same thing Kita does. It's really a great idea, it solves all their f*****g problems. Again, it's not like Kita was planning on doing much else with his life. He figured one day some girl would steal Alexis away and then Kita would rot in his parent's pub the rest of his life. This is way better.

"Okay, so—I'm sorry, but, uh, at the party. So, yeah—so—" Kita really should've planned this out. Alexis starts to look amused, possibly at the fact that Kita can't talk. Why is he so nervous all of a sudden? "After I left I, uh, changed my mind..."

Kita pauses after that, wondering why he didn't tell Alexis about the vampire. Whatever, they can talk about that later. It would redirect the conversation, anyway, and they need to speak about something else right now.

"So I went back inside, and I couldn't find you anywhere, so I started looking..." Kita can tell from the look on Alexis' face that he's catching on. Thankfully he doesn't look mad. Kita actually can't read his expression at all right now. It's sort of unnerving, but he powers through. "Uh, I found you upstairs, and you were talking to your mom, and I accidentally eavesdropped."

Alexis just stares at him. "Accidentally."

"Yeah, anyway, uh..." Kita gulps, wondering how he should phrase this. Alexis is looking at him, gaze unmoving and intense. It has Kita growing more nervous, and he wonders why Alexis is so keyed in on him. It's strange to feel self conscious around his best friend, but he is. "Your mom wants you to take over, because the empire is suffering, and she... well, she said..."

Alexis leans forward a bit, arms folded in front of him, and studies Kita's face, which begins to grow warm. Why is Kita being so weird about this all of a sudden? It's just... uh... marriage. Damn, that is kind of serious, huh?

"What did she say, Kita?"

Kita gulps. Come on, just say it! Stop dragging this out! "She said you need to get married."

Alexis nods, and Kita wonders if he's thinking the same thing. Probably not, since they're friends. Honestly, what is Kita doing, anyway? This whole time he just assumed that Alexis would agree, but he could have anybody he wants. Why would he choose Kita?

"I do," Alexis says simply. Kita gulps. He should change the subject, he doesn't know what he was thinking. Alexis probably had somebody in mind, anyway. It sure sounded like it, going off his phrasing.

"Do you want something to drink?" Kita asks him, fidgeting. To keep his hands busy, he begins washing his dishes.

"No thank you."

Kita nods silently, not making eye contact. A few minutes go by of him doing this, until he risks a glance up at Alexis, who is already looking at him. Kita jumps, not expecting it, though he probably should've.

"What?" Kita asks anxiously.

"You said you wanted to ask me something," Alexis reminds him. Kita pauses, realizing Alexis is right. He curses himself for saying that, for being stupid enough to think Alexis would go along with something so ridiculous.

"Never mind," Kita says, shaking his head and continuing with his dishes. "It was a dumb idea."

Kita continues washing his dishes, uninterrupted this time, until they're completely finished. He then realizes the pub is basically empty, and they're closed now. There are a few servers still doing side work and closing tasks, and Kita has done hardly any of his pre closing duties. He's been too distracted by the conversation.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" Kita asks, upon remembering what Alexis said earlier. He finishes his dishes, so he just rests his hands on the industrial sink in front of himself. Alexis is still staring at him.

Alexis continues looking at him blankly, and Kita really can't read his expression at all. It's starting to drive him crazy. "Not relevant anymore."

Not relevant anymore? That makes Kita wonder if, perhaps, he was actually going to tell Kita about his situation. His predicament, of finding someone to marry before the empress loses her mind. Then, Kita revealed his eavesdropping, and it was rendered useless.

"Oh," Kita says lamely, unable to think of anything else. He purses his lips, averting his eyes to the bar top. He realizes that it's kind of dirty, so he grabs a nearby rag and begins cleaning it. When he's scrubbing the area in front of Alexis, the guy puts his hand over Kita's own, successfully stopping Kita's movements.

"What did you want to ask me, Kita?"

"I- I don't know," Kita says hastily, avoiding eye contact and backing away, cutting their contact quickly. "I'm gonna finish closing."

Alexis doesn't answer him, and Kita does his best to ignore him as he begins doing as he said he would. It takes him at least thirty minutes to completely close down the bar, and by that time everybody has left. The pub is now empty, and Kita does a walk through to ensure they did a decent job.

After making sure the door is locked, Kita turns back around. Alexis is no longer on the bar stool. Instead he's standing there, arms crossed, the room only illuminated by the faint light in the kitchen. Kita makes a mental note to shut it off when he goes upstairs.

Alexis is leaned against the bar, eyes still unmoving from Kita, when he talks, "come here."

Kita gulps, feeling so nervous for some reason. His steps are hesitant when he does as told, slowly making his way back to his best friend. Eventually he is in front of Alexis, but still keeping a good bit of distance between them. Alexis pushes off the bar and takes a couple steps forward, rendering that precaution useless. Now they're much closer. Kita has to actually crane his neck to look up at

him, and it does not help his nerves.

He's frozen when Alexis speaks again. "Ask."

Kita stares into his eyes, putting his hands in his pockets when they begin to shake in anticipation. Alexis' silver gaze is unnerving, so Kita doesn't last long before breaking eye contact.

"I was g-going to, um..." Kita stammers, feeling like an ant under a magnifying glass. After a while, he gives up. Honestly, if Alexis really wants to know, then f**k it. Kita will tell him. That is, if he can even get the words out. How should he phrase this?

"You... could marry me."

Alexis goes silent. Kita can hear his heartbeat in his ears. Several long, excruciating moments go by before he finally gathers the courage to look up at his best friend. He completely freezes when he finds the guy with raised eyebrows. He's looking down at Kita, seeming to not have expected Kita to come out with it that easily, but there's something else to the look in his eye.

Kita takes note that either way, he's not surprised.

"Kita..."

"I-It was a dumb idea," Kita says, face beet red. He takes several steps back, running a hand through his hair as he starts to panic. Oh god, why did he say that? "I just thought, I mean, she said you could marry a commoner. She also said it could be platonic, and... and the empire... I don't know, forget I said anything—"

"Kita," Alexis says again, this time with more conviction. Kita reluctantly looks up to meet his eyes, and finds his expression to be mostly unreadable, but his gaze is still intense. "Do you understand what that would entail?"

Kita gulps, keeping the distance. The look in Alexis' eye is meaningful, and Kita is feeling so stressed. He's really regretting bringing this up. He should've just kept it to himself! "What do you mean?"

"We couldn't divorce for a long time, if ever. You'd be stuck with me." Alexis starts off, like Kita was even worried about that. "Nobody would be able to know it was platonic. We would have to follow all basic wedding traditions to a T. We'd have to be convincing."

Kita shrugs, "that sounds fine."

"You're not getting it," Alexis is growing visibly impatient. "You would have to kiss me."

Oh. Okay, Kita didn't really think about that. He honestly didn't realize that people couldn't know it was platonic. Then again, platonic marriages aren't really a thing. Maybe he should've known. Still, his opinion hasn't changed. He thinks it's their best option.

Kita is not seeing much of a problem, anyway. He and Alexis have known each other for a decade and a half. If their friendship can't survive some stupid kissing, then there was no hope to begin with. Kita doesn't mind having to act like a couple or anything—again, their friendship is pretty solid. Who cares?

Also, if it'll keep him from having to watch Alexis dance with another princess...

"It was just an idea, I understand if you think it's weird."

"I don't think it's weird," Alexis says quickly. Kita can't help but to give him a bit of a questioning look at the haste. His facial expression doesn't change, and he continues, "I just want you to know what you're signing up for."

Kita shrugs. He averts his gaze back to the floor, wishing he could read this guy's mind. It's so hard to tell how Alexis feels about this. He at least doesn't seem to hate the idea, which is a good thing. "I'll kiss you as much as I need to if it'll help the empire."

Dead silence. Kita absolutely refuses to make eye contact. For some reason he's starting to feel really flustered, exposed. These gaps in conversation and long lapses of silence are unnerving him. Surely if Alexis didn't like the idea, he'd have made that known, instead of turning it on Kita. Right?

Then, Kita's being pulled into a hug. He makes an embarrassing squeak of surprise as he's enveloped into his friend's arms, not expecting it. Alexis rests his head on top of Kita's hair, just holding him, until Kita begins to relax into it. Yeah, this is the reaction he was hoping for.

"I'll let her know."

Kita gives him a hum of acknowledgement, still feeling the annoying warmth on his cheeks. Why is he so flustered?! Sure, it's marriage, but still. It's also Alexis, the guy he's been best friends with since they were kids. It's not a big deal. It's for the empire!

That's it!

They only hug for a bit longer before Alexis takes his exit, appearing in a much better mood than Kita has seen for awhile. Anybody would be, if so many of their problems got solved at once. Kita hopes this works out.

Of course, good things never last. Kita forgot that for a second.

He's reminded of this little detail right after Alexis leaves, when he feels a hunger pain more intense than he's ever experienced. He becomes unsteady on his feet, leaning to the side and scrambling for purchase on the table. He feels winded, like he's on the verge of unconsciousness. Okay, this is getting out of hand.

Then, Kita catches sight of the back door. It leads to Bermuda's stable, and he's reminded of his confrontation with Evander after the party.

I just want to make this easier on you

That's right!

I left you something in Bermuda's saddle

Kita doesn't know what exactly Evander meant by all that, but he's desperate. If anything will relieve him of this hell his body is putting him through, he will f*****g take it. Evander seemed to know quite a bit, anyway, especially since he was aware of the attack. People are beginning to notice Kita's condition. He's been questioned many times over by both his parents and even customers. The only reason Alexis probably didn't notice was due to the excitement of their conversation, as well as the low light of the closed pub making it difficult to see Kita to begin with.

Kita rushes out the door and to Bermuda, almost falling down many times. Upon reaching the horse, he is immediately taking apart her saddle, hoping his parents haven't used the storage compartments in the past couple days. It would help if he knew what he was looking for.

Kita checks the smaller compartments, before finally searching the biggest one. When he does, he finds a large glass jar. It's at least pint sized, and it's full of some sort of dark liquid.

Kita frowns, pulling it out. It's cold, probably due to the weather. They're heading into winter right now, and Amarath winters are nothing to be taken lightly.

He situates Bermuda again before stepping out of the stables, trying to figure out what this is. He stands at the back of his parent's pub, by the trash cans, the only luminance from a nearby street lamp.

Kita gives up trying to figure out what it is from sight alone, finally giving in and opening the jar.

Once the smell hits his nose, he is salivating.

Kita barely has time to process the liquid as blood before he is bringing the jar to his mouth and chugging. He doesn't even try to be graceful about it, the liquid running down the sides of his mouth and down his neck. He doesn't take a breath until he's completely drained the container, and only then does it occur to him what just happened.

Kita stands there, frozen, as everything hits him at once.

Kita immediately feels a lot better, but this feeling is tainted by what he just did. What this means. His mind runs a mile a minute, and he barely remembers the trek back inside. He just ascends the stairs numbly and before he knows it, he's in his bathroom.

Kita stares at his reflection, at the blood all over his face and neck. His eyes are red—a bright, glowing crimson—and his nails have grown into these black, claw like things. They almost look like talons.

His mouth is closed, but he doesn't even have to run his tongue along his teeth to know the situation in there. Still, he has to check. It takes him several moments to gather the courage to open it.

As soon as Kita's eyes land on the fangs, his eyes are welling up with tears. He reaches a shaky hand up and covers his mouth, praying it's not true. That his eyes are betraying him.

This doesn't work. Kita's not good at lying to himself, and he knows immediately what it all means. This is very f*****g bad.

Kita drops the jar. It shatters upon impact with the ground, and Kita isn't far behind it. His body is so exhausted from all the changes it's been through over these past few days or so, and Kita's at risk of a mental breakdown as it all hits his brain at once. Like someone bashing a mallet over his head, realization after realization assaulting him until he can't support his weight anymore. Until he can't even think.

One thought stands out amongst it all, when Kita finally loses consciousness:

I'm a monster.