Frisson (Diabolik lovers)

XXIV. How do we survive..?

"Reiji!" Lauren sprang forward.
"Stay away..." His arms gave in and suffering Reiji sank flat to the floor.

Meanwhile  

"Mister Sakamaki, what brings you here?" Nadia shifted in her bed, preparing herself for an unpleasing meeting.

"My my, I just came to visit my dying wife. You're the first one whose death I'm going to witness." Tougo sat down on the chair near Nadia's hospital bed. 

"You sure are smooth with your words, aren't you," Nadia grumbled.

"So how is your health? Are you in any pain? Does your head hurt?" Tougo took Nadia's hand in his own. 
"How do you think? I already have hard time doing some basic stuff, like writing." She leaned back against her pillows. Nadia was being injected with painkillers constantly, so she wasn't in a lot of pain. But... She was still suffering. Suffering, because she couldn't help Lauren with anything. Suffering, because she was going to die. Suffering, because there was nothing in her power to be done.

Of course, Mister Sakamaki was taking care of her, visiting her regularly and making sure that Lauren had everything she needed, but... No one in the entire world could understand her little girl as well as Nadia could. When Lauren was born, Nadia swore to her and to herself that no matter what, she would never abandon her little sparkle of light and hope. But here she was now, hiding far away, silently dying. 

"How is Lauren? She told me she got sick. Is she okay now?" Tougo was cradling Nadia's hand.
"Don't worry - I personally made sure to get her the best treatment possible. Reiji is nursing her back to health and," Sakamaki father took a look at his wrist watch, "it's about the time he gives her medicine. She's already feeling fine, so concentrate on your own wellbeing." Nadia only smirked at his words.

"Concentrate on what? I have one month tops and even this is unrealistically optimistic. Treatment doesn't help one bit, it's actually the other way around - it made things worse. I'm actually surprised I feel this well," Nadia sighed painfully.

"I will make sure to make your death as painless as possible when the time comes."
"I don't need you promising crap like this! Just promise me that you will take care of Lauren no matter what."
"Of course I will, so rest assured."

Back to the dungeon

Lauren ran towards the collapsed vampire.
"Reiji! Come on! You can't die! You're immortal, remember!" But the moment she touched him, Reiji sprang towards her, pushing and pinning her to the ground. His eyes were the eyes of a starved beast. Reiji's fangs were bigger than ever before and wet with saliva. His grip on Lauren's wrists was almost crushing. Lauren felt like she was staring into the crimson, full of bloodlust and furry eyes of death itself.

"I. Told. You. To. STAY AWAY!" Terrified girl didn't even understand what was happening, she only knew that one moment she was beneath this beast and the other - flying towards the wall. 

The collision with a wall of rocks knocked the air out of Lauren's still unhealthy lungs. For a fair amount of time she was convinced she would suffocate from this impact, but slowly, Lauren regained her ability to take at least shallow breaths. When she opened her eyes, she saw Reiji yet again collapsed on the floor, breathing heavily, but this time, he was out of strength for sure.

When Reiji felt her touch, his bloodlust took completely over him for a few moments. Her neck was so close and yet, he had to save her from himself. He had to get her away as fast as possible, so he used the last bits of his strength to push Lauren away. 

'Sacrificing myself for a human girl... Just like my life, my death is pathetic...' Was the last thought Reiji had before passing out.

"No... Reiji... Reiji!" Lauren was slowly crawling on all four towards Reiji, despite all of his warnings and her own pain. He was dying. Literally dying! Unwanted tears were running down her cheeks. 

"Come on... you low life... vampire! If you die now... you'll be no better... than Shuu!" Lauren still didn't understand why, but she couldn't handle the thought of Reiji dying. She just couldn't!

"Please be better... than him... please..." Lauren rolled Reiji to his back and shook him, trying to wake him up from his upcoming eternal slumber. 
"Come on... If only I had something to... cut my hand I could-" Her eyes widened. Lauren frantically started to search for that dagger she got with a note. 

"Come on! I know I had it here. come on!" A few whimpers left her lips. 

"Found it! Reiji, you just hold on for a moment... Now it's my turn to give you some medicine, you just wait." She took off her bathrobe, rolled it into an improvised pillow and put it beneath Reiji's head. She forced his mouth open and with trembling hands, cut her wrist. She pressed her wound against his mouth. 

"Come on... Drink it!" She was helplessly watching as her blood was going anywhere, but down his throat, so she stuck two fingers into his mouth and pressed his tongue down, forcing him to swallow. She had been repeating this over and over again, until her head became light. The last things she saw were her severely bleeding hand and Reiji's unconscious body. 

Meanwhile

"Mh~  the smell of Bitch-chan's blood~" Laito threw back his head, inhaling deeply.
"Yeah, seems like she won't make it this time." Subaru kicked a pillow.
"Even here I can barely control myself. It feels like I'm choking on her blood." Ayato licked his lips, remembering that sweet taste of Lauren's blood.
"So we finally succeeded. We finally got rid of that pest, right, Teddy?" Kanato hugged his friend tighter.

"So you did what I suggested, heh," Shuu chuckled. He told his brothers that allowing Reiji to succeed would be worse than killing Lauren. He also mentioned the drug and how Subaru's dagger could be used in this entire plan. But Shuu hasn't participated there. He just accidentally walked upon Lauren in that music room.

"Lauren could have killed Reiji, but I guess she was too soft. Even that kitchenware-otaku couldn't deal with his own creation." Brothers were already celebrating their victory... Or should I say, celebrating not being losers. But as they were congratulating each other, Reiji's eyes slowly cracked open.

"What... happened?" He could remember the agony and unbearable pain, he could remember Lauren's desperate voice calling his name, but what happened next? His sight was still a blurry mess, but he could feel something on his face. It was heavy and wet and had this strong smell of blood.

Reiji was no longer in pain, he could no longer feel the desire to drink, but why? He slowly touched the cool thing on his face. It was soft and silky... It felt like a hand... A hand? Blood? Lauren?! He felt his strength rapidly returning, the haze left his eyes and he finally saw it. Lauren was lying there besides him, bleeding, with a red-stained dagger a few feet away from her.

"You idiot!" He pulled the unconscious girl into his lap.
"Why did you do this?!" Reiji checked her pulse, but felt nothing.

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Now will Lauren survive or not? Stay tuned for the fang-gang!