This is the ninth chapter (of 10) of 'Affairs of the Heart', an ML / H50 crossover story for challenge 140. In this story, Mick has finally agreed to turn Beth, but is stalling. Beth has traveled to Hawaii to spend a little time with Mary Ann McGarrett and to 'sort through' some issues. At the end of the end of the eighth chapter, Rokuro's killer confessed who the mastermind to the plot was before he was destroyed. Danny learns more about blood demons that upset him greatly and Kono learns that Adam's desire for revenge may be stronger than his love for her. In this chapter, Mick, Beth and Josef return to Kimiko's house, while Chin learns more than he bargained for. Steve does his best to help Danny put things into perspective.
As always, I don't own any of the characters, I just like to play with them.
A/N The final chapter will go up this weekend, but I'm not sure if it will be Saturday or Sunday.
Please, enjoy!
Affairs of the Heart
Chapter 9
An atmosphere of simmering hostility greeted Josef, Mick and Beth when they entered Kimiko’s home. As before, the leader of the island’s blood demons was attended by Tadashi, but now there were at least a dozen other blood demons present, all looking grim. Sensing danger, Mick tensed, while Josef calmly addressed his hostess. “We wish to extend our gratitude for your assistance in resolving this unfortunate situation, Kimiko. With your permission, we’ll return to the mainland now.”
Kimiko rose, her demeanor grave as she approached the three. “I fear, old friend, that we have some unpleasant business which must be resolved before your journey home. I have been informed that one of my brothers has been destroyed at the hand of your shisha. Is this true?”
“It is.”
At this, there was a stirring among the gathered, which Kimiko silenced with a slight gesture. Approaching Mick, she inquired. “Why have you done this?”
“Your brother dishonored my mate. It was my right to destroy him.”
In the background, Tadashi sneered. “The woman is not your mate, so there can be no dishonor. The destruction of our brother must be avenged!”
Eyes flashing, Beth shot back. “There is neither truth nor honor in your words. I am human now, but soon, I will give my blood and my life to the one I love, to become as he is.”
Nodding appreciatively, Kimiko approached Beth. “Indeed, your heart beats with human passion, but I sense the vampire within you, one who longs to join her mate. Yet I wonder, just how soon will you set her free?”
Before Mick or Josef could intervene, Beth replied, her eyes locked with Kimiko’s. “Here and now, if you’ll permit it.”
Intrigued, Kimiko inclined her head, then turned to Mick. “Are you willing to turn this woman, here and now, taking her as your eternal mate?”
At first, Mick silently cursed his wife’s impetuous gesture, but then he understood – this was her way of showing just how much she trusted him that nothing would go wrong. Still, Beth’s turning was a private affair, a sentiment he hoped Kimiko shared. “The turning of one’s mate is not a spectacle for others to witness, Kimiko. Given the privacy we deserve, yes, I’ll turn her.”
Kimiko turned from the couple and addressed the assembled. “We blood demons pride ourselves on being a noble race, our strength coming from our sense of kazaku, family. As a family, we guard and love each other, so that all prosper. With honor to guide us, we survive. Without it, we perish.”
“You see before you a human woman, physically weak in comparison to ourselves, but with the spiritual strength beyond any here gathered. When she takes the blood of her mate and is freed from human weakness, she will be a formidable and honored addition to our family. Learn from her, my brothers and sisters, and learn from the one who loves her. In destroying our brother, this blood demon sought only to avenge the dishonorable actions taken against his mate.”
A subtle shift in the room’s atmosphere occurred at Mick’s absolution and the acknowledgement of Beth as his mate. Walking among the assembled blood demons, Kimiko continued. “Indeed, our brother dishonored us all by seeking to disgrace this noble couple. He has paid the price for his actions, but he is not alone in his shame. There is one among you who wishes to change our way of life, not for the betterment of our family, but for his own gain. In so doing, he risks the survival of us all. I ask you now, my brothers and sisters, will you abandon honor or will you uphold it and preserve our family?”
One by one, Kimiko faced those gathered, capturing their eyes with hers. Each in turn, bowed before her, a sign of their allegiance. Tadashi, however, remained rigid, his eyes burning with hatred.
Kimiko gazed at him with sadness. “Tadashi, my most trusted brother. How could you betray us so?”
“It is you that have betrayed us, Kimiko! You speak of honor, but we cannot survive on honor alone. The world is changing and we must change with it.”
“And by not changing….”
“You have become as weak as this human woman and do not deserve to lead our family.”
There was an audible gasp among the gathered; comparing their leader to a human was an unthinkable insult. While Josef remained calm, Mick moved himself in a position to shield Beth fearing all hell broke was about to break loose.
Kimiko turned from Tadashi and once again addressed the assembled blood demons. “Our brother believes me weak, out of touch with the world in which we live. Are we not thriving, safe and secure in the midst of our human brethren? Do we not profit from their skills and knowledge? Are we not sustained by the blood they willingly provide? Still, I would like to understand the path Tadashi would lead us on.”
Tadashi hesitated, seeing too late the trap Kimiko had laid; only by swaying his brethren to his cause could he survive. “We blood demons have hidden in the shadows for too long. We disgrace ourselves by assuming a human guise, treating mortals as equals. My brothers and sisters, they are not our equals, they serve no purpose other than to sustain us. Follow me, and I will lead us all to our rightful position in this world, a world in which humankind will serve us.”
A murmur arose among the assembled blood demons as Tadashi pressed his case. “Kimiko is correct in stating that we are strong. But our strength comes not from honor alone but from death which has released us from our human bondage to achieve a higher state. It is time for us to use that strength for the benefit of all our kind.”
Tadashi pointed contemptuously at Mick. “This is what comes of treating humans as equals. We become soft, forgetting what it means to be a blood demon. St. John is as weak as the human who hides behind him.”
It was everything Mick could do to maintain control; he knew he was being goaded and that a lot more than his pride was at stake. “The last blood demon who called me weak screamed for mercy at my hand. He didn’t get any. You won’t either.”
The murmuring ceased; all eyes were now focused on the pair.
Tadashi blinked; he’d assumed by insulting such a young vampire, Mick would lose control and attack, allowing Tadashi to demonstrate his own strength by destroying him. Instead, Mick stood calmly, in complete control of his emotions, although Tadashi could sense his rage. “You dare threaten me? ”
“That wasn’t a threat. It was a promise.” Mick addressed the assembled. “Before he died, your brother confessed Tadashi schemed to set blood demon against blood demon, hoping to overthrow Kimiko. Human or blood demon, a man doesn’t betray his family for his own gain.” Turning back to face Tadashi, he continued. “And only a coward hides in the shadows while others do his dirty work.”
Sensing the tide had turned against him, Tadashi desperately searched for a way to forestall his doom. Before he could say anymore, Kimiko intervened.
“What say you, my brothers and sisters? Which path do you wish our family to follow? The path of honor and love or the path of cowardice and greed?”
One by one, each of the blood demons moved to stand by Kimiko, leaving Tadashi standing alone.
Kimiko approached Mick and Beth. “It is your right to punish Tadashi for the dishonor he has brought upon you.”
Mick declined. “The dishonor Tadashi brought upon his family is greater. They should be the ones to punish him.”
An approving smile crept across Kimiko’s face as she took Mick’s hand in hers. “You are an honorable man, Mick St. John, and wise for you age.” Taking Beth’s hand, she placed it in Mick’s, her own surrounding them. “Take this woman to be your mate, and enjoy each other’s love for all eternity.”
Kimiko then took a jade pendent from around her neck and placed it around Beth’s. “Soon, you will be a honored daughter in my house. Take this as a token of my affection and protection. Go now, and may you have a safe journey home.”
As Kimiko turned away, Josef tugged on Mick’s arm. “Unless you want Beth to have nightmares for eternity, I suggest we take our cue to leave. Now.”
Silence accompanied the three as they left Kimiko’s house, but as the door to the limousine closed behind them, Tadashi’s screams echoed in the night.
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Troubled thoughts were Kono’s only company on her drive home. The conversation between Adam and her boss had left her feeling hurt and confused, wondering about her future with Adam.
‘You may find this hard to believe, McGarrett, but I do love Kono.’
‘More than your desire for revenge?’
Adam’s silence had disappointed her, but she shouldn’t have been surprised. For all of his father’s many faults, Adam still idolized him and sadly, Hiro influenced his son even in death.
Kono could understand Adam’s anger over his father’s cold-blooded murder, but that anger had started to consume him, festering into a distorted and sadistic sense of justice. She had seen first-hand how he had been prepared to torture and dismember Wo Fat just as Wo Fat had tortured Hiro.
How can a man who loves as deeply as Adam be capable of such cruelty? How can I love a man like that?
By the time she reached home, Kono was exhausted, more emotionally than anything else. Her parting from Adam had been awkward, she distant, he confused at her coolness. Maybe a brief separation from her lover would be wise, at least until Adam sorted out his priorities. If their relationship was going to work, Adam was soon going to have to choose between his love for the living and his veneration of the dead.
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By the time Chin got home, Malia was in bed, but roused when he entered their bedroom. He brushed her cheek with a kiss and told her to go back to sleep, knowing she had an early morning shift at the hospital. He was a fortunate man to be married to Malia, but regretted the time they could have had if he hadn’t been so stubborn. All that was in the past now, and Chin looked forward to a long and happy marriage to the woman he loved so much.
As his days as a cop went, Chin had to admit this was one of the more bizarre ones, leaving him with so many unanswered questions. He still believed that the Yakuza played more of a role in this intrigue than apparent and despite Yoshi’s protests, that included Adam Noshimuri. With McGarrett out of the way, the Yakuza could operate a lot more easily on the island. Or maybe that’s just what Chin wanted to be true, letting his displeasure over Kono’s relationship with Noshimuri cloud his judgment. For someone as bright as Kono, her choice in men left a lot to be desired.
Like Kono, Chin couldn’t understand how St. John killing Steve would start a war among blood demons, whoever the hell they were. Then there was St. John himself; the physical resemblance to Steve alone was unnerving, but there was something about the man that just put him on edge. Kostan? Chin didn’t even know how to describe him and would have chalked it up to his imagination except that Danny was also clearly nervous around both men.
What bothered him most were these mysterious blood demons. When Steve mentioned them, it triggered a distant memory about a story an uncle once told him, but one Chin couldn’t quite bring into focus. In order to satisfy his curiosity, Chin googled ‘blood demons’ and what he found made his skin crawl. It was very late by the time he finally went to bed with even more questions about this case and his boss than ever before.
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As Steve rode home with his brooding partner, the late night silence was broken only by the purr of the Camaro’s engine. Steve knew better than to push; when Danny was ready, he’d talk. They were nearly home when Danny finally spoke. “How did you and Mick get that bastard to talk?”
“Danny, I ..I don’t think you want to know.”
“That ….that thing was going to kill a little girl by drinking her blood, Steven. I wanna know what you did to him.”
His partner shifted uncomfortably at the memory. “Seriously, man, you don’t.”
Slamming his hand on the steering wheel, Danny yelled. “Tell me, goddammit!! I wanna know that sonofabitch died writhing in agony!!”
“OK, OK, just try to stay on the road, will ya?” Steve swallowed hard. “Mick knifed him.”
“That’s it?”
“In the balls.”
Danny’s sharp intake of breath was expected; his reply wasn’t. “I hope he cut them off and shoved them down his throat while he was at it.”
“Uh, no, but trust me, the guy suffered.” Fighting down another wave of nausea, Steve regarded his friend with concern. “Danny, I know a lot went down tonight. Are you OK?”
“No, Steven, I am not OK. You called blood demons people. They’re not people. They’re monsters, drinking blood and killing humans just to stay alive. You know what Kostan told me? He said some of their kind actually preferred, preferred blood taken forcibly from humans, especially children. How sick is that?”
“As sick as humans who force themselves on women and children.”
“It’s not the same, Steven.”
“Yeah, it is. Most humans have consensual sex with people they know and care about while others pay for the service willingly provided by strangers. Vampires have a similar arrangement with those that supply them blood. Both have their fringe elements who resort to violence and terror to take what they want because they get off on it.”
“So what are you saying?”
“I’m saying you can’t lump all vampires into a single category, just like you can’t lump all people together. Both have their heroes, both have their monsters and everyone else falls somewhere in between.” Steve took a deep breath. “Still, even heroes have dark sides.”
“What, so I’m a monster because I’d have cut the guy’s nuts off?”
“No. That’s the point. You say you’d do it, but I know you never would.”
“You sure about that?”
“Danny, I’ve seen you lose it and beat the crap out of a guy, but you’ve always pulled back before you cross the line. A monster wouldn’t.”
“There’s a difference between a guy who crosses the line in the heat of the moment and a guy who just gets off on it. That’s when a man becomes a monster.”
“OK, I’ll buy that, but I’ve crossed that line and done things …things that still give me nightmares. Some of them weren’t in the heat of the moment and trust me, I didn’t enjoy it. What does that make me?”
“A good man doing what he had to.”
“Maybe.”
Danny grew silent then, a sign that he was at least thinking about what Steve said. His partner’s next question, though, caught him off guard. “Did you know Beth is going to become like Mick?”
“Yeah, she told me when I drove her up to the North Shore.”
“And you’re OK with that?”
“It doesn’t matter if I’m OK with it or not. Beth has her reasons, and I have to respect her decision.”
Silence fell once again until Danny mused aloud. “I wonder how bad it hurts. Being bitten, I mean.”
“It depends. When we were in LA, Beth told me that it can be pleasurable, erotic even. Still, if a vampire wants it to, it can hurt like hell.”
“And you know this, how?”
“Didn’t you ever wonder how I knew about blood demons in the first place?”
“Shit!! You’ve been bitten!!! ??? When? Why didn’t you tell me this?”
“I tried to, but you weren’t exactly in a listening mood when we left LA. After that, I figured there wasn’t a need.”
“Trust me, Steven, there’s a need.”
“OK. A few years ago, I was attacked and bitten by a blood demon in the Philippines. At first, I thought I was hallucinating, until I felt the guy’s fangs sink into my neck, and yeah, it hurt like hell.”
“How did you get away?”
“Remember Takaro? He’s the blood demon who saved my life. Since then, I’ve been protected by his leader, Takeo.”
“From blood demons, maybe, but not from paparazzi. You think the Governor is going to accept your version of truth?”
“He’d better or you’re going to be looking for a new partner.”
“Not going to happen, babe. I’ve just about got you broken in.”
When the two men arrived at Steve’s house, he invited Danny to come in. “You wanna have a beer?”
“Nah, it’s late and I have a couple of stops to make on the way home.”
As the Camaro drove off, Steve made a quick call, figuring he knew where one of those stops was. With a little time, Danny would hopefully come around and accept that some of the world’s monsters were human while some of its heroes were not.
And what are you, McGarrett? Or do you want to know the answer?
Seeing a light on in the house, Steve tensed, then relaxed as a welcome aroma greeted him. Sauntering into the kitchen, he found the one person who could make him forget everything he wanted to and accept him as he was.
Catherine smiled at seeing him. “There wasn’t much to work with, but I think it’s edible.”
Steve drew his lover into his arms. “I’m sure it’s fine.”
“Hungry?”
“Famished.”
“Want to eat now or later?”
“What do you think?”
“I think, Commander, that one day, we just might get to eat dinner first.”
)
Thankfully, Kimiko let them off the hook. Tadashi, however, didn't fare so well.
