“Well...uh...I’ve fought a ton of werewolves before, and none of them have teeth that look like yours, with the entire sabretooth thing going on.”
Luna stammers awkwardly. “I..I..uh..I don’t know. They j-just came in like this? Is it...is it weird?”
Sakura nods. “A little weird yeah. I mean, it doesn’t bother me or anything like that, I was just curious.”
Luna lowers her head into the pillow, her ears sliding back in thought. Come to think of it, the guys at the Oswald’s house said her eyes were different...was there something wrong with her? Granted, those guys were pretty terrible people, but even they recognized she was strange. Maybe the dreams or the voice in her head...were those byproducts of her condition? Did all werewolves have that problem?
Sakura cuts through Luna’s self-consciousness with a noise of disgust, pulling her out of her introspection.
“Ugh...what happened to TV while I was gone?”
Luna turns her head towards the television as the program guide is displayed, with the vampire clicking through channels quickly.
“Why is everything reality tv, crime shows, sports and cat videos?”
“You mean there were other things on TV besides that?”
Sakura glances down towards Luna. “Well yeah? Where’s the original shows, the drama stuff, anime, cartoons...what happened?”
“On the internet.”
“What?”
“Yeah. There are tons of new shows and everything, but they all show up on the internet. TV is just kind of for...I guess easy stuff that they know people will watch. Lots of people have computers, and you can do more stuff with a computer than you can a TV.”
Sakura ponders. “If all the good stuff is on the internet, then what’s the point of owning one? Why not just get a computer and call it good?”
“Well, if you think about it…” Luna says, rolling over onto her back. “A TV these days is just a monitor with a tiny computer telling it what it can and can’t do. You can stream stuff from a desktop or a laptop directly to it, and if you just want stupid entertainment, you have it without doing anything.”
Sakura sighs in frustration and gives up her channel surfing, letting the TV rest on a cooking infomercial.
“I’ve never really thought about like that before. I guess that’s...kind of worth it.”
Luna closes her eyes and exhales deeply. “A little. Keep it down okay? I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Sakura watches the werewolf settle into trying to sleep and shoulders the covers up to her neck in return. “Sure...and Luna?”
She opens one eye towards Sakura. “Yeah?”
“Thank you.”
A small grin curls up Luna’s muzzle. “Anytime.”
Chapter 13
Return to Sender
New Year’s came and went without much cause for celebration, as Sakura spent the entire day asleep and Luna spent most of the time busying herself with various television shows to pass the time. Miguel came around to see how the girls were doing from time to time, but for the most part, he left them to their own devices. Sakura felt about as good as new after a few nights, waking up to find that the werewolf had moved from her sleeping spot. The sounds of dishware in the kitchen did provide a helpful clue where Luna had likely gone.
Getting up and brushing the blanket over the window aside, Sakura takes a quick look outside. The snowfall had eased up a bit, and even from the apartment, the roads looked clear. Sunset must have only been a few moments ago, as the sky still burned with dark oranges of daylight. She eases out of the curtain blanket and steps over towards the kitchen, sticking her head inside of the doorframe.
Luna stands at the sink, her back to the vampire, filling a glass up with water. Sensing a mischievous opportunity, she waits until the werewolf tips the glass up before speaking sharply, raising a hand up near her mouth to amplify her voice.
“Hey!”
Luna snorts, her fur-raising on end and her shoulders hunching in surprise. The water rockets out of the glass, blasting herself in the face with it and dripping off of her whiskers in large drops. Luna, realizing what she’s done, slowly tilts her eyes back towards Sakura with a minor turn of her head. Her face flattens itself into barely smothered indifference.
“...Hey.”
Sakura chortles to herself, her lips spread wide in a smile the managed mischief. She comes out from around the corner and leans on the small wall space by the door, crossing her arms nonchalantly.
“Wow, you are jumpy. What’s up with you?”
Luna blinks innocently and looks at the completely empty glass. She didn’t upturn the glass that hard did she and water usually doesn’t explode like that, does it? Nearly two decades of experience suggested otherwise.
“Nothing? Besides taking a bath apparently. How are you feeling?” Luna runs a hand over her nose and blows it, sending any water there outwards.
Sakura flexes both of her arms, admittedly not showing much muscle, but at least she looked healthy. “Good as new. Or at least as new as I get.”
Luna wipes the rest of the water off of her face and nods positively. “That’s good. Are you hungry at all?”
Sakura shakes her head in response. “I’m still good for now. I’ll need something to eat in a few days though.”
“That...uh...less good.” Luna admits. “You don’t...kill them, do you?”
“If I don’t screw it up, no. Sometimes accidents happen and you take a little too much, but most of us don’t enjoy killing off our food source. Emphasis on most.”
Luna sets her glass down by the sink. “I guess that makes sense. Kind of.”
Sakura waves her hand dismissively. “Don’t you worry about it. We’re good people...some of us. Others...well...heh. Not so much.”
“Uh-huh.” Luna moves over towards the fridge and opens it up. The racks were almost entirely barren, outside of some cans of beer and soda, neither one of which constituted much of a meal. The werewolf shifts upward, opening up the freezer section. The only thing the contained tundra held were a half eaten pack of chicken nuggets that were encased in ice so thick that an archaeologist would consider it preserved. Luna shuts the door, leaving the fossil to rest once more in darkness.
She turns then towards the pantry and starts searching its contents, which prompts a raised brow from Sakura.
“Problem?”
Luna leans over, fishing out a single can of barely edible pasta. The rest of the pantry either contained seasonings or half-eaten condiments.
“Yeah...we’re out of food again.”
Sakura frowns at that and shrugs. “Really? Does he not have money or something?”
“Well...yeah. I don’t know. He bought me some clothes and some stuff but then he also bought all those explosives…”
“That shit is not cheap. He doesn’t have a job or anything, right? Has he talked to you about money?”
Luna meekly shakes her head. “No...uhm...not at all. I mean, I guess it’s really none of my business.”
“Bull. If it involves you, then it is your business. I seriously doubt you have money. And If he’s blowing it all on fighting Scar, that’s kind of dumb. You’d need a lot more than just a few bombs to take him out. What are you going to do if he can’t pay rent? Or like, utilities or something?”
“Well...that’s kind of his responsibili-”
Sakura snorts derisively. “Yes! Exactly that! But we’re staying here too. And we have a right to know what his overall plan is. Because this little guerrilla hit and run stuff isn’t gonna cut it.”
Luna sets the can on the table and looks back towards the vampire. “I mean...I guess we can. It’s good to have all that sorted out before it becomes a problem.”
Sakura jerks a thumb out of the room and then turns to leave it. Luna considers the can for a moment longer before departing with her. They travel around the corner and down the hall to Miguel’s room, which as per the usual, is locked. Sakura reaches forward and knocks on the
door sternly. Smooth jazz could be heard through the door.
It takes a moment of shifting, but Miguel opens the door quickly, sticking his head out of the frame and blocking the rest with his leaning body. He looks between the two women quizzically.
“Uh...hey. Is there a problem out there?”
Luna starts to speak, but Sakura instantly interrupts, casually pointing towards Miguel’s chest. “We need to talk. The three of us need to talk. Mind letting us in?”
Miguel thinks on this for a moment before backing out of the doorway and leaving the door slightly ajar for the others to enter. The room is a little messy compared to the last time Luna saw it on her first day here. The bed is unmade, a few articles of clean but wrinkled clothing litter the ground and a half dozen of empty bottles of beer sit on his desk. Luna’s nose wrinkles in distaste; the alcohol content in the beers were strong.
“So…” Miguel starts, closing the door back and crossing his arms over his chest anxiously. “What’s this about?”
Sakura takes a seat on the edge of Miguel’s bed confidently, clearing her throat before speaking. “First off, I gotta say. Props to both you and her for getting me out of a tough situation. I really do appreciate it. But I got to thinking just now...what’s your endgame? What’s your long-term goal here?”
Miguel’s pupils shrink dramatically. “Wh-what? What are you talking about?”
Sakura continues casually. “This whole Scar thing? I mean, I don’t blame you for wanting to get revenge. He’s done a lot of bad things to a lot of people. And the bombing thing is cute but...you won’t stop him. Not like this.”
Luna stands nervously, turning her head slightly to whoever is speaking, wanting to say something but also knowing better than to interrupt. Miguel leans up off the wall, dropping his arms to his sides.
“So what? You want me to just leave him alone? Let him run his little screwed up game? Let him get away with everything?”
Sakura leans forward a little bit, looking bored. “Did I say that? But you need to stop and think for a moment.”
Miguel frowns severely. “What’s there to think about? His rap sheet is a mile long, he’s importing materials that just...has to be illegal, and as if I needed more motivation, he killed my-”
Sakura interrupts him, rolling her eyes. “Do you honestly think you are the only one? Seriously? The only one who’s ever had that happen to them? I’ve only been working there for a bit, and I’ve watched him kill people for insubordination just as easily as he kills the humans he feeds upon. He has a font but on his bad days...well, let’s just say he has his vices.”
Luna chimes in quickly. “What’s a font?”
Sakura’s tone softens for a moment. “I guess you guys wouldn’t know that. It’s a human that is specifically used for feeding because they regenerate blood quickly. They are really, really rare and even more expensive. Like, millions of dollars expensive.”
“Okay, so he’s a monster.” Miguel states matter-of-factly, cutting off the tangent. “Already knew that. Plainly. But here’s the problem. Nobody is doing anything about him. He’s been the same bastard for years. I’ve read his charges, and no matter how many times he gets caught with something, he weasels his way out of the system. I tried to do something about it and I paid for it. I did it the right way. Now I’m doing it my way.”
Sakura’s eyes narrow at him. “Does ‘your way’ plan on living for any period of time? Because you don’t have a job, she doesn’t have a job...” Sakura jerks a thumb at a somewhat frozen Luna. “And I just nearly died losing mine. I’ll get the hell out when I can, but I don’t know about Luna. You have someone depending on you.”
Miguel takes a step towards Sakura and raises his voice, his ire getting the better of him. His hands subconsciously ball into fists. “Look, I didn’t ask for this shit! I had a plan. A SIMPLE plan. I knew what I was going to do the second I got out of the hospital. Get some fireworks. Get revenge. Get life back on track. Simple. And my plan didn’t involve a werewolf busting my car in half, and it sure as hell didn’t involve some surly vampire coming in and crashing on my couch. I can’t even believe what I’m saying right now. The fact that you two are even here is insane!”
Sakura’s own temper rises as she stands up from the couch, the height difference between the two not intimidating her in the least. She glares right back towards the human. “Your ‘revenge’ is going to get yourself killed! You are a human, without the skills, tools or even basic damn knowledge on how to fight him! In other words: NOTHING SPECIAL!”
Miguel bristles with barely constrained anger while Sakura continues onward. “And to make matters worse, he’s a crime lord, with tons of dudes at his beck and call. And a strong vampire, as if we needed to make this shit sundae even worse. You WILL die if you go after him. And you are going to take Luna with you!”
Miguel finally explodes, throwing his hands up and then quickly to his sides as he yells. “I. DON’T. CARE! I am doing this, with or without your help! I have come too far and waited too long to give this up now. I will have my revenge. And come tomorrow goddamn night, pack up your shit and get OUT OF MY HOUSE! And while you are at it, take Luna with you. If you are such a smartass, clearly you can figure something out better than this regular human can.”
Sakura snorts at him and crosses her arms. “Fine. After this, you won’t see me again. And we’ll see just how far you get. And when I do leave, you WILL give me back my sword.” With that, the vampire brushes a shoulder on Miguel as she passes him, presses her way out of the room.
Miguel calls after her loudly. “And only then, because I still don’t trust your ass.”
“Tell me something I don’t know.” Sakura retaliates, disappearing into the hallway.
Miguel’s resentment radiates off of him visibly as he starts to pant to calm himself down. It wasn’t working. It’s only then he recognizes that Luna’s standing right next to him, the werewolf looking shocked and hurt. Miguel shakes his head as if he’s offended.
“What!? Why are you looking at me like that?”
Luna’s eyes well up with emotional pain but she shakes her head dismissively. She wipes away the beginnings of her tears with the back of her wrist. “I just...I just thought you were better than that. That’s all. Goodnight Mr. Morales.”
Miguel simply stares at her as the werewolf turns to leave, the door closing quietly behind her. He bites his lip as he looks down, closing his eyes and lowering his head. He slowly reaches for the door after a few moments of contemplation and locks his door, settling back into his computer chair with his head in his hands. His hand slowly gravitates towards one of his warm beers.
When Luna makes her way back into living room, Sakura is sprawled out on the couch, fuming but dispassionately clicking the remote through television stations. Luna frowns at her as she steps up from behind, draping herself over the back of the couch above Sakura.
“Why’d you have to push him so hard?” Luna says, trying to get Sakura’s attention. The vampire doesn’t respond immediately. The rate at which the channels flip increases.
“Don’t do this. Just answer the question. Why did you have to push him? He’s clearly been through a ton, and if we just mentioned the food, I’m sure he would have-”
Sakura interrupts her with the bluntness of a hammer. “...He’s not worth it. You should go somewhere else anyway. He’s too stupid to know when death is looking at him in the face and taking measurements. And you are just as stupid for following him. Blind leading the dumb.”
Luna’s fur riles up subconsciously. “Hey! If it wasn’t for him, I’d be dead! And he at least helped you back to your feet, isn’t that worth anything to you?”
The channels stop flipping as she looks up towards her. “And if he got you killed tomorrow, how much would that be worth? A few nickels maybe? A dollar?”
Luna goes silent and stiff, unable to come up with an answer to the question. Sakura turns her head back down towards the television and co
ntinues rifling through channels.
“I’m sure you’ll be fine…” Sakura continues, her voice flat and sarcastic. “Werewolves love the great outdoors, right? It’ll be fine. And when we get kicked out tomorrow, hit the road. I’ve got better things to do than babysit. You’ll be one less thing on my conscience. And that’s screwed up enough as it is.”
“Fine. You are welcome for saving your life by the way.” Luna remarks, going over towards her makeshift bed on the floor and grabbing her pillow and her blanket and moving it away from the couch. She finds a nice corner to the side of the television to lay in, setting her bed back up and crawling in it, despite it being fairly early in the evening. She rolls her back to Sakura and tries to relax, the tone of the earlier conversation causing her to tense up considerably.
With nothing to focus on, Luna eventually falls asleep. Sakura never did seem to find anything she wanted to watch and outside of that, everything else seemed to be quiet. Even with her enhanced hearing, Miguel’s room seemed to be silent, and the few tenants that lived in this building didn’t even provide much else to listen to. Like the last few nights, her sleep seemed peaceful enough, but something felt...off. And not just because of the night’s events but as if it were some sort of sixth sense.
The uneasy feeling eventually overwhelms Luna’s slumber and startles her awake, her heart taking residence in her throat. She instantly turns around and looks towards Sakura on the couch. At some point during the night, the vampire dozed off, the soft volume of the television playing an infomercial. A small bead of saliva drips out of her mouth and onto the couch’s plush material. Luna’s ears swivel to focus on Miguel’s room. Judging by the lack of even the soft jazz he had playing, he’d likely gone to sleep as well.
Everything seemed to be fine, so why was her heart beating so hard? Luna tries to fall back asleep, snuggling herself back in her covers. After only a few minutes, it’s clear that she’d be up, at least for awhile. The werewolf pushes herself to her feet and heads into the kitchen, the light of the street lamps only barely being enough to illuminate it. Spotting the failed glass of water she had earlier, she grabs it again, moving towards the kitchen and turning the faucet on.
Ravenport: Luna's Awakening Page 17