It's been a long five years. The days seemed to move at a snail's pace. The weeks slowly slinked by. The months felt like a never ending blizzard. It's like we were always stuck inside. Never moving forward but today is the day. Hikaru left over a week ago with everything he would need to wake them up.
"Are you excited to meet Kuroyuki?" I asked Maddox as we walked down the stairs towards the catacombs.
"Yeah I am. I am nervous though. What if he rejects me? Rejection is a death sentence for us." He said, running his fingers through his hair.
"Hikaru said Kuroyuki was into guys. So, you should be okay." I said, offering a reassuring smile.
"What about Nora though?" Maddox asked.
"What about her?" I asked.
"Are you worried about the power she possesses? I mean she could lose control at any point and time." Maddox said, giving me a pointed look.
"She wont. Kostchtchie will keep his promise." I assured him.
"Which was?" Maddox probed.
"Once this was over he would take his power back. Then if I could save her he would let her keep the teeth." I said grinning.
"You're something else!" He said grinning.
We walk through the entrance to the catacombs and see Hikaru handing a tall blonde man who I assume is Kuroyuki a set of clothing. You could hear them speaking Japanese softly to each other. Suddenly the talking stopped and Kuroyuki's back stiffened. Hikaru looked around his brother and grinned when he saw us.
"Kuroyuki, these are my friends Maddox and Malkia." He gestured between us. Kuroyuki has not said anything. He looks at me and nods. However his eyes lit up and he grins when his eyes land on Maddox.
"Didn't you say Ichika was sealed away with me?" Kuroyuki asked with a thick, heavy accent.
"Yes." Hikaru said.
"My best mate's daughter is alive?" He asked again
"Yeah, she is. She is truly an amazing person. She will be thrilled to see you." Hikaru said, offering his brother a bright smile.
"Where is she?" I asked, looking around. Panic starts trying to claw its way up my throat. Was he not able to wake her up? Does she still have her humanity? Is she mad at me for locking her away? The questions shot through my head.
"She's sitting over here on the floor. She's still pretty sleepy. I had to change her clothes myself but I did manage to get her to drink two pints of blood." He said, offering a sheepish smile.
Honestly I stopped listening after he said " She is sitting over here on the floor." I quickly walk past Hikaru and when I see her I swear my dead heart skipped a beat. She's sitting on the floor with her back propped up against the wall. Her head is tilted back. Her eyes are closed and her mouth is open. Red sticky blood stains her lips. I can't help but grin when I see the hint of the razor sharp incisors.The military uniform that she fought in is gone. In its place are black leggings, a white crop top with an anime jacket that's hanging off her shoulders. A blood bag hangs from her fingers. She looks so peaceful but I need her. It's been too long.
"Nora, it's time to wake up." I said squatting down in front of her. Her eyes open to slits. A hiss escapes her lips but then her eyes close again. I can't help but to chuckle. This is typical Nora stubbornness.
"Baby." I said running my knuckles down her cheeks. I am once again met with the eye slit and the hiss. I grin. I guess we are doing this my way. I lean down, gently sweep her curls away and tilt her head to the side. I gently kiss my mark on her neck before sinking my teeth in. Her body jerks and a sleepy moan escapes her lips. I retract my fangs but smile against the mark. When I pulled away I was met with a more alert version of Nora. She grips the bag of blood that she already had dangling between two fingers and chugs it.
"Welcome back baby!" I said grinning. She gives me a quick glance over before mirroring my grin. She wraps her arms around me. She places a kiss on my neck. This is what happiness is. This is what it feels like to be loved.
Nora wouldn't agree with me but she is the hero in this story. Not just for me but for everyone that was there for the fight. "The battle in Alaska" was marked in our history books due to the involvement of both supernatural kingdoms. she wasn't able to get the credit she deserved but we all know. She is the hero.
"What did I miss?" She asked around another mouthful of blood.
"So much but we have forever." I said, kissing her softly.
"Forever." She said smiling