alusion (because the world needed it)

A Life to Remmeber (11)

due to popular vote (aka one vote vs my own opinion + an exchange for a fic, i choose option 3: write ch11 first before ch10.  don't worry, you aren't missing out on too much (there's a reason i found it too annoying to write).  so, here.  have this from my ass.  g'day, and sorry for the lack of uploads ~
category: series
word count: 1430

Gusion had insisted on coming along, despite Alucard's protests.

"It might be best if you convinced Gusion to stay.  I don't.. trust him anymore, to be exact.  Not since he came back.  My best advice is for you not to trust him as well.  We don't need another tragedy on our hands."

Tigreal's words.

Alucard didn't want to trust them, but that seed of doubt was planted inside of him and--fuck!  Why wouldn't anybody just be straightforward with him?!  Everything was just a big, tangled mess, and he still couldn't remember jack shit--for the Creator's sake, he couldn't even remember his own past!  Gusion had told him they'd come slowly, on their own time when they're triggered, but, dammit!  It was so frustrating--everything was so damned frustrating and he hated it!  Why couldn't he just remem-

"Alucard?"

Gusion's voice snapped him out of his thoughts, his name on the brunet's lips calming his flooding thoughts, rebuilding the dam containing them.  "Sorry.  Did you say something?"  Alucard questioned, bringing his hand up to the back of his neck sheepishly, looking over at the other.

Gusion nodded.  "I said we're almost there, so you might wanna get out of la la land."  He leaned forward, lightly flicking Alucard's forehead with a small smirk.

The demon hunter glared at the other.  "Yeah, yeah."  He grumbled, rolling his eyes and looking back ahead.  It wasn't that Gusion was wrong, rather, it was the fact that Gusion was right that annoyed him. He really shouldn't be losing himself in his thoughts when they were nearing their target area.  It was stupid of him to do such a thing.

Soon enough, the brush cleared out, and the trail they were travelling on widened, the smell of smoke strong as they neared their target area.  As they made the final turn, an eerie silence took over the area as the duo were faced with a burnt village, some ruins still smoldering in the fire.  Alucard swore--they were too late.

"Fuck."  Another curse slipped from his mouth, but, faintly, in the back of his mind--why did this place look familiar?  What the hell?  Confused, he started to turn to Gusion.  "Hey, Gusion, this place-"  Gusion's face was pale, a mixture of emotions on his face, mouth pressed together in a straight line.  It was.. unusual, for Alucard to see, and he was about to continue when Gusion beat him to it. 

"We're sticking together.  No matter what."

Something in Gusion's tone told him that was final.

Alucard nodded, a bit uneasy.  "Alright."

Without another word, Gusion continued forward, dagger drawn in his hand.  They searched the ruins together, finding no trace of any living being nor the demon who was reported to have caused it.  Alucard, figuring the perimeter would take too long to go around together, started to suggest, "Since it's only one, how about we-"

"No."  Gusion's voice was firm, cold.  The topic wouldn't be debated.

Irked, Alucard started to walk off ahead in his own.  "Fine."  Really, what was up with Gusion today?  He was fine on the way here, albeit a bit of a worrywart (Alucard had grown to realize that was usual for the other), but now?  He was being a bit of a pri-

"Alucard!"

Alucard barely had time to register his name being called out by Gusion when he was pushed forward and onto the ground.  His hand gripped on his sword as he turned around, trying to access the situation.  On the roof of the building he had just walked by, a demon seemed to be.. glitching into shape, part of its body mimicking the top of the former-house it had being on.  Its skin was a pale grey, blood a starting red--wait, no, it was mixing into black, black like the.. was that blood dripping from its claw?  His gaze turned to Gusion, who was clutching onto his right arm with his teeth gritted.

Black blood seeped through Gusion's hand.

The only creatures that had black blood were-

"Not again you bastard!"  The scream was almost guttural, and Alucard didn't think he'd ever seen so hatred and rage present on another's face before as much as he did now.

Almost thinking he'd blinked, Gusion's dagger had been chucked at the demon, the brunet running at high speeds towards the demon, five daggers exploding from his grasp.  Barely the demon dodged, its own speed beginning to rise as the red mixed black blood overtook the preexisting blood held inside of it.  Thr demon jumped down to the ground in hopes of escape, but in a blink Gusion was in front of it, throwing out another five daggers.  Again, the demon dodged with gaining speed and Gusion, anticipating such an act, threw a single dagger at it, locking in.  Again, Gusion darted forward, ending up behind the demon. 

Awestruck, Alucard watched as Gusion raised out his hand, daggers ready to recall.  Alucard had seen him to it before, seen the movements before, he remembered it, but this time...

Nothing happened.

Alucard watched as a panicked expression came onto Gusion's face as he flexed his fingers out, the daggers still refusing to recall to his hand.  The daggers themselves lost their shine, the light illuminating them, beginning to look like regular, non-magic daggers.  Alucard could only watch in horror as the demon turned around, that claw raised up again to strike.

"Gusion!"

There was so much raw emotion in Gusion's eyes as their gazes locked.  Anger.  Confusion.  Fear.  Time seemed to slow as Gusion looked away, gaze seeing to slowly move up towards the dripping-black claw arching down towards him.  Alucard was up on his feet, rushing forward and then-

He couldn't quite describe the sound that was made.

In one moment, he was rushing out to try and save Gusion, and in thr next he was flying backwards through the air, as if a large blast of air had knocked him back.  He could see the demon, as well, had been thrown back, but had remained on its feet where as Alucard had been thrown down onto his back, skidding a few meters before he came to a halt.  Gusion's cloak fluttered to the ground some feet in front of him.

The epicenter of it all, Gusion, a strange symbol, a hex of sorts, slowly rotating above his hand.

The brunet he had grown to trust stood in the middle, slightly slouched over, chest heaving.  He was clutching his right arm, where Alucard could see and inky blackness swirling up, rapidly moving upwards past Gusion's elbow and upwards, the black-fillrd lines disappearing underneath the sleeve of Gusion's shirt.  The Black liquid still seeped through Gusion's earlier wound, as if it were blood.  Was.. Was it Gus-

"Traitor!"  The demon's voice was distorted as it pointed its claw at the brunet.

"I am none of such!  I am no demon!"  Gusion spat, straightening upright.  Letting go of his arm, Gusion shakily brought it upwards, tips of his fingers pointing towards the demon as he jutted up his chin.  "I will not let there be another death of the one I love by your demonic hand!  Burn!  Burn like you belong!"

From Gusion's hand came a dark, black mist that shot at the demon, consuming the creature in black flames.  An inhuman screech left the demon as it desperately clawed at itself, skin bursting into flames.  No comprehensible words left it before it left out one, last screech, stumbling forward and reaching out to its killer before it dropped dead, dissolving into nothing more than a pile of ash.

Alucard blinked, his mind trying to comprehend what had just happened.  It hurt.  His head hurt so much that his vision swam.  A cry left him as a stabbing pain jolted through his head, and he brought up his hands as he clutched his head.  Vaguely, he could make out Gusion--though he couldn't tell out of the three versions his vision produced was the actual one--turning around, face worried.  Ah.  Gusion was always worrying for him, it seemed.  The brunet's face grew closer, and Alucard could numbly feel Gusion's hands on his cheeks as he kneeled on front of him.  His ringing ears blocked out any words Gusion was yelling out, which from reading Gusion's lips he could only guess to be his name.  Dully, everything seemed to fade to the static of nothingness as the pulsing pain took over, unconsciousness's grasp reaching out and taking over him, lulling him into itself.