Shinigami Yumi

presents

Moonlight Flower


Disclaimer: I only wish I owned CastleVania. I unfortunately don't, and I don't make money from writing this either.

Summary: In his fight with a certain silver-haired vampire, Leon chose to save his enemy from fading away. The two become unlikely friends, and Joachim takes Leon as his Host. The years pass as Leon continues to hunt the night with Joachim's aid while searching for Mathias. Meanwhile, Joachim finds himself wanting far more than he already has. Possible JoachimLeon, MathiasLeon and MathiasLeonJoachim later. Implied WalterJoachim. Yes, it's YAOI. You have been warned.

A/N: Contains spoilers for all of Lament of Innocence. Now, I realize this is a bit of a leap of faith, and I won't even attempt to argue a canon basis for this possibility, but this fic idea sprung from a conversation I was having with my beloved beta, Meinarch, about "What if Leon spared Joachim's life?" and that woman can convince me of almost anything. Like every author, I have my own theories about vampire mythology even while working within CastleVania canon, so you might not agree with some elements, but please bear with me. That said, I hope you enjoy my first CastleVania fanfiction. Please read and review!


Chapter 1: Roots

Leon Belmont figured this vampire, Walter Bernhard, had a sense of humour, albeit a rather sick one. In order to give hunters a fighting chance at surviving long enough to 'entertain' him personally, he'd thoughtfully designated safe rooms barred against monster entry for humans to get some rest in. As he sat upon the cold bluish stone floor, he wondered for the umpteenth time how Sara was feeling. If she had been hurt, he swore he'd never forgive the monster. His sweet fiancée… He would definitely rescue her; she had never done anything in her life to deserve this.

The young knight rose and gathered his things, strapping on his armour and slipping on the necessary accessories. It was time to set out again; he'd rested long enough. According to the seemingly ancient map he'd found lying around and later added to personally, he was back at the place he couldn't get to earlier. He'd triggered the switches for both the bridge and the water flow, so the path should be passable now. He was reaching the end of the Dark Palace of Waterfalls, and the path would probably lead him to one of the high–level monsters guarding one of Walter's orbs.

He set out, hurrying through the door on his right to avoid the reptilian monsters lurking in the corridor into the circular chamber with the statues of maidens bearing torches in the middle. True enough, there was no longer a curtain of water cascading down before the other door and blocking his passage. He pushed open the door guardedly, preparing for an attack, but once again the area beyond was devoid of life. The bridge had risen though, so he could now get across to the other side.

Leon walked up to the door and traced familiar carvings with his fingertips. The patterns were like those upon the doors of the other orb guardians he had fought, but he couldn't feel the presence of a monster beyond it. Hesitantly, he pushed the door open and entered. It was a cave–like chamber, dimly lit like the rest of the Dark Palace of Waterfalls. A small lamp hung from the stone ceiling near the entrance, glowing with a magical light. He could just make out the shape of several swords embedded in the stone ground, perhaps left by some hunters who had failed to survive Walter's test. Further ahead in the darkness, the shadows coalesced into what appeared to be a cage with doors that had been broken down. Squinting a little, he caught sight of the silhouette of… a person? It looked like someone was sitting on the ground before the cage, hugging his knees, but Leon couldn't be certain.

Taking a step forward, he called, "Is someone there?"

There was no response.

"Are you a prisoner here?" he tried again.

The figure stirred. "Who are you…?" The other's velvety baritone echoed off the cavern walls.

The blond hesitated. "My name is Leon," he replied. "And you are…?"

The person rose slowly, gracefully, and moved closer. "My name…" he enunciated softly as he stepped into the light. "…is Joachim Armster." Silver shoulder–length hair framed a pale flawless face from which placid bluish grey eyes gazed out. Joachim wore dark blue robes trimmed with silver and a breastplate of the same colour with silver patterns over it, and he carried himself with a languid air of understated elegance. Leon unexpectedly found himself thinking that the other was almost beautiful, surreally so. "It's too bad…" Joachim continued, his eyes glowing an eerie red. "…that you aren't Walter."

An oppressive energy pervaded the air then, taking Leon aback slightly. "This feeling…" he mused. "Are you a vampire?"

Pale lips curled into a small disdainful smirk. "That's right, lowly human."

A vampire? Here? Leon was puzzled. "But why is a vampire locked away here?" he wondered aloud.

"Shut up!" Joachim shouted, suddenly irate, as he turned and began pacing. That is, if one would consider it pacing despite its lack of speed or urgency. "Damn Walter!" he ranted angrily. "I would have won, if not for his Ebony Stone!!"

"Ebony Stone?" Leon echoed, his interest piqued. If it was valuable information that might help him in his quest to save Sara, he wanted to hear it. "What is that?" he asked.

As if suddenly remembering his existence and presence, the vampire halted in his pacing and turned to face him, wearing a bitter and disdainful smile. "If you want to know…" Joachim raised his arms, and the five swords embedded in the ground glowed in a blue light as they flew to hover around him in a circle. "…beat me!" he cried, rising as well to float a few inches off the ground. "It'll be a nice prelude to defeating Walter." A slender finger pointed at the blond. "I'll beat you to a pulp!"

Taken by surprise at the sudden change of disposition, the blond just barely managed to roll out of the way unscathed when the other abruptly charged at him. Leaping to his feet, he lashed out with the whip, but it bounced off an invisible barrier, and he had to dodge sideways to avoid a pair of swords. As he continued to evade attacks, he realized that the barrier glowed faintly with a blue light if he looked hard enough. He'd have to find a way to break it. He held out the cross he'd found lying somewhere in the area and threw an attack augmented by a white orb he'd acquired in another part of the castle at the vampire. The attack dissipated as it hit the barrier, and Joachim gave him a condescending smirk in response as the swords plunged into the ground. The ground below Leon's feet glowed red hot, and the knight swiftly sidestepped to avoid a large blade thrusting up from underground.

"Die!" Joachim cried, charging at him again, swords at the ready.

The blond somersaulted backwards and to the right to move out of the way, thinking that his opponent had a very strange line of reasoning. If they were both vampires, then why were Walter and Joachim enemies? And if Joachim was against Walter, why was he fighting hunters and thereby helping the other vampire? He really didn't understand.

"Since you're a vampire, why aren't you and Walter friends?" he asked, a little breathless from dodging the other's swift attacks.

"Friends," the vampire repeated with a mirthless laugh. "Friends," he spat, actually halting the assault for a moment. "That bastard doesn't want friends. He wants docile servants and subservient playthings," he bit out, sending the swords flying at him more ferociously than before in his obvious bitterness and anger.

The strike caught him by surprise, and the twinge of pain in his left arm told him that he'd been an instant too slow. A few drops of blood dripped to the ground from the gash, and he watched as a pale pink tongue flicked out to lick pale lips predatorily.

"I look forward to draining you dry after this, lowly human," the other murmured, the eerie red gleam back in bluish grey eyes.

That was when a blue glow to his right caught his eye. There was an orb hovering a few feet above the ground in the corner, and it glowed with… the same blue light as the barrier. As he watched out of the corner of his eye, three fountains of flame spurted up from the ground around it. Unimportant things did not need protecting; it was worth a shot. As Joachim charged at him again, he made a dash for the orb and leapt up to strike it with the whip. It shattered after two hits, but a glance at the vampire as he narrowly evaded another attack showed that the barrier remained intact. Perhaps there was more than one.

Leon sprinted to the nearest other corner of the cavern and was rewarded with another similar orb, which he smashed quickly before running to the next corner and leaping up to strike at the orb he found there. Joachim couldn't have timed his attack more perfectly. Five swords flew at the knight just as he jumped to hit the last orb, catching him unable to dodge midair. The blond twisted his body as he broke the orb, escaping a fatal wound by a hair's breadth, but still received a large gash in either side for his effort. He dropped to one knee on the floor when he landed with a grunt, clutching his side in pain.

The vampire smirked as he closed in for the finishing blow, but the barrier was gone now. Leon threw an attack with the cross at him, and Joachim backed away, reeling from the blast of holy energy, as the blond quickly swallowed one of the phials of potion that he had brought along. Feeling the wounds beginning to knit shut, he threw another cross attack at the retreating vampire before suddenly noticing that the ground under his feet was glowing again and rolling out of the way just as a blade rose out of the ground where he had been just two seconds earlier.

The intense pain in his side now only a throbbing memory, he charged at the other, nimbly avoiding a few swords before lunging at his opponent and lashing out furiously with the whip. Joachim held out his hands to protect his face and moved his swords to form a shield before him as he recasted the spell to recreate the orbs. Leon backed off as the barrier materialized around the vampire again. Unfortunately for the other, he now knew how to destroy it. The knight ran for the nearest corner, narrowly avoiding swords from a few directions. As he smashed the orb, he managed to grab a breather long enough to ask a question of his opponent.

"If you hate Walter so much, why are you helping him?"

"Helping him?" Joachim echoed incredulously.

"Yes, by killing hunters."

The vampire scoffed at that. "Foolish human. If you cannot defeat me, think not of even surviving Walter!" he yelled vehemently, sending the swords flying at the blond from all directions.

Leon leapt to avoid the strike, and for the most part, he succeeded. A sword caught him from behind, however, and he cried out as a deep gash was cut into his flesh. "Why do you hate that man, even though you're both vampires?" he queried as he ran for the next orb, uncorking and swallowing another phial of potion as he did so.

"Hah," Joachim scoffed again. "Wouldn't you hate that bastard, so full of his false promises and artificial civility." Swords flew at the human just as he jumped again, giving the blond several deep cuts in his thighs and hips. "Of course, I too was foolish enough to believe his pretty lies. Damn Walter, curse me in my ignorance then treat me like some doll to program for your fucked up amusement, will you? I'll make you pay," the bitter words dripped contemptuously from his pale lips as he plunged the swords into the ground again.

Ignoring the pain of the new injuries, Leon said nothing to that as he sprinted for the last orb, avoiding the glowing areas on the ground. He didn't quite understand the other's idiosyncratic line of reasoning, but it appeared Joachim Armster had never wanted to be a vampire. However, he didn't seem to think very highly of humans either. Still, he didn't altogether seem like a bad person, just one that was very twisted perhaps from too many years of captivity and living alternately as a prisoner and entertainment piece. Smashing the orb, he dashed to the left to avoid several of the vampire's swords before lunging at the other again and unleashing a long combo of whip attacks. When Joachim predictably moved the swords to block the onslaught, he held up the cross and white orb, unleashing another blast of holy energy at the other before pressing forward to strike with the whip again. Leon almost smiled; he was getting used to this. It might take some time, but the vampire was definitely going down.


"To think… I lost to a human…" Joachim struggled to speak, staggering from his many injuries, both magical and physical.

"You promised! Answer me. What is the Ebony Stone?" Leon demanded. He sported a good number of injuries as well, but had come out somewhat the better.

"A stone made with alchemy…" the other answered with effort. "It creates the never-ending darkness in this forest."

At least he has honour. He really could have refused to tell to the end, the knight thought. Guess he really does want Walter dead. "Hence, Eternal Night…" he mused pensively. "But the night should help you too, since you are a vampire."

It seemed like a ghost of a wistful smile flitted across the other's face for the barest instant before he said, "That stone choose its master. My powers pale beside his."

The blond's body moved almost of its own accord to catch the falling vampire who only stared up at him incredulously, as if he were some kind of lunatic. In truth, Leon did rather feel that he was going crazy as he held out a phial of potion to the silver–haired one, who blinked at the blue liquid slowly before pushing his hand away gently with some effort.

"It won't help where it matters," Joachim whispered, sliding bluish grey eyes shut. Physical injuries were of little concern, it was all the magical damage from holy energy that was killing him. This human… is truly a fool. Only fools aid their enemies. I could easily kill him now, he thought ruefully, but did not attack. How different would he be from Walter if he did underhanded and dishonourable things like that?

"Would… Would feeding help?" the knight asked without thinking. "If there's any way for you to do it without turning…" he stopped, abruptly realizing what he was saying. The idea was ludicrous; what was wrong with him? Why was he even thinking of helping a monster? But Joachim didn't feel much like a monster, more like a terribly embittered human with strange abilities. Still, he was a vampire. What was he saying?

"Yes… Yes. As long as I don't use my fangs…" the other trailed off hesitantly, bringing him out of his reverie and looking up at him like he highly doubted his sanity.

Heck, Leon doubted his own sanity.

Still, now that he'd done something as ridiculous as offering his help, he couldn't honourably retract it. He held out his left hand to the vampire. "Don't disappear before you're done explaining," he muttered somewhat grudgingly, certain that he was losing his mind and that something strange was getting into him.

Joachim brought the human's wrist to his lips, opening the plump artery there with a sharp fingernail and causing the other to wince slightly in pain. This human is truly an idiot. Really, I'll drain him dry to teach him a lesson about saving the lives of enemies, he thought vindictively.

Then the first drops of blood stained his tongue, and the vampire had to close his eyes and force his expression to remain blank to hide his disposition. Oh, it was worth leaving this man alive just to taste this elixir again. Among the powers that came with the Thirst was the ability to 'taste' a person's personality in his blood. A single sip was all it took to differentiate a virtuous man from a corrupt one. And Leon's blood was making him wish they'd met 200 years ago when he had still been human, before his loneliness and disdain of humanity had gotten him into this whole mess with Walter. At least humans would have had some saving grace in his eyes. The blond tasted of honour and compassion, kindness and honesty, determination and selflessness, justice and love, so much love, for God, for an old friend, for his fiancée. Ah yes, the woman Walter kidnapped to bring him here.

Joachim knew he had to stop, and it was taking a force of willpower to do so. He both needed and wanted more, but it wasn't safe to drink more than two pints at once, now that he'd decided to keep the knight alive after all. Reluctantly, he licked the wound, feeling the tender flesh knit shut under his ministrations. Then he released the knight's hand and gazed up at the other's expressionless face with a careful blank mask of his own. For a long moment, there was only silence.

"Foolish human," he murmured, breaking the silence and looking away. "I could have killed you." What was this warm feeling in his chest that melted away the cold emptiness of solitude? It had been over a century since he'd felt anything but bitterness, loneliness, hatred and resentment. And some days, when he awoke feeling numb and blank, his empty regrets were all he had left. It was hard now to remember any other emotion.

"I'm more useful to you alive. I have a better chance at defeating Walter than you do."

He doubted he was imagining that tiny hint of smugness in the blond's voice, but somehow, he didn't mind. Technically, he could have drained the human of his blood, thereby acquiring some of his own strength before fighting Walter personally. Vengeance really wasn't as sweet and cold when not served with a personal touch. However, he refrained from remarking on that. It was rather pleasant having company after so long.

"If only I had the Crimson Stone…" he lamented softly. He would have won if he'd had that. Or if Walter hadn't had the Ebony Stone.

"What is that?" Leon enquired, unsure if he'd imagined Joachim's moving marginally closer in his arms.

"Another stone. Also created by alchemy," the vampire replied, his quiet baritone enunciating the words beautifully. "It… allows its master to use vampires' souls as sources of power. I could have wrenched that bastard's soul from his body with it."

The knight paused, perpending the information carefully. "Wouldn't it work for humans too?" he asked. Perhaps if he could get his hands on it, he could use it to permanently get rid of Walter Bernhard.

Joachim grew pensive at that. "Perhaps," he answered honestly. "I do not know, but there doesn't seem to be a reason why it shouldn't." Then as if noticing that Leon felt quite literally drained, he added, "You can rest here a while if you like. You look exhausted. It's quite safe. The only things that come in here are hunters like yourself."

The suspicious look the blond gave him amused the vampire. Allowing him to feed on his blood was actually infinitely more dangerous than sleeping in front of him, and the human was okay with the former and not the latter. This was a strange one and, he maintained, a fool.

He rose to his feet gingerly. "We Nosferatu actually have more culture in one society than most humans have in one civilization, you know. I will uphold my honour and refrain from taking the life of one that has saved mine," he said with great effort. He was still in a lot of pain.

Leon rose as well. "I should be getting back to Rinaldo's house to restock and continue my quest. He might also know more about the Crimson Stone."

Joachim turned slightly to catch the knight in his peripheral vision.

"You may as well get some rest first. I need to recover enough power to materialize the orb for this room and create that transportation circle for you," he said, staggering slowly to a corner of the cavern. To be honest, that wasn't exactly true. Yet, the sooner the blond left, the sooner he would be killed by Walter. He found himself inexplicably reluctant to allow that eventuality to be realized. Leon was strong, yes, but not quite strong enough yet.

Leon hesitated. Then he said, "Fine then. I guess I have no choice," before making his way to the opposite corner and settling in against the cavern wall.

The vampire sat down in his corner. It was best that he avoided the hunter for the time being. He needed to feed rather desperately, and he was in no condition to even hunt for monsters to drink from. He wasn't sure how long he could maintain his self–control before instinct took over. He hoped he could last at least six hours. A human needed a minimum of five hours of sleep before it was safe to drink from them again. And he sincerely hoped Leon planned on catching up on some sleep.


Soft lips planted themselves on his own. His every nerve felt like it was on fire, and a skilled hand was stroking him between his legs. He gasped as the kiss was broken and those lips trailed down his jaw and neck. Fingers carded through his hair to tilt his head back as moist kisses were pressed to his throat. Then the mouth closed over a nipple, and he moaned; he'd never thought of that part as an erogenous area. The hand continued to work his stiffening member, and his hips bucked reflexively as he grew completely erect. Sharp teeth nibbled lightly on an earlobe as he arched against a lean body, and he tried to open his eyes, only to find that he couldn't; something was binding his consciousness.

He groaned and panted; he was close. Strong arms wrapped around him, and it didn't feel quite right. No, this was wrong. If it was a dream, where was Sara? Yes, Sara… He'd longed for her touch for many a day now. Sara, his sweet gentle fiancée. He called her name softly. Sara was waiting for him. There was a twinge of pain on his chest in that moment, and then it suddenly felt like a thousand fingers were caressing his every nerve ending in his body even as a finger brushed against someplace delicious, and he came with a loud cry of passion. Waves of ecstasy rolled over him, and he rode them breathlessly. Then the darkness around him seem to thicken like a blanket of soft wool wrapping and folding itself around him, and soon, there was nothing but a blissful peace.


Leon awoke to the smell of grilled fish in the cavern. He blinked sleepy eyes at the sight of a certain vampire roasting slices of some kind of fish meat over an open fire. Logic dictated that the meat had probably come from some of the monsters in the area; he himself had eaten their meat on some occasions. He found the thought pretty gross, actually, but at least the monsters were alive and not decaying undead; besides, beggars couldn't be choosers. Rising languidly, he stretched a bit before approaching the other to find that his eyes had not been playing tricks on him, and the vampire had indeed skewered the slices of fish meat on one of his swords to roast them. He sat down a small distance away from his companion.

"How long have I been asleep?" he asked, rolling his head in a full circle on his neck to loosen the muscles there.

Joachim seemed to consider the matter rather carefully. "About… Eleven hours," he answered at last.

"What?!" Leon leapt to his feet in alarm. "I must be going!"

"Have some breakfast first," the other offered, holding out the fish skewer–sword. "Walter's never in a hurry to end his games, and that sadistic bastard will certainly keep your lady alive at least long enough to add insult to injury when you see her."

The knight looked at him doubtfully. "One can't say for sure."

"I've known Walter a long time. He never kills the girl until the hunter's dead, though there was once he killed the woman right in front of her rescuer. He'd want the hunters to have hope right till the bitter end because he finds it entertaining to crush their hopes, and he'd like nothing better than for one to watch the death of his or her beloved while unable to do anything." Bluish grey eyes slid up to gaze at the blond; the eerie red gleam was gone from them now, and he looked almost human again. "Trust me," he whispered. "Lady Sara will be alive when you see her."

What he did not say was that it had probably been too late to save her right from the start. Oh, he knew Walter very well indeed. The last time a hunter had been unable to kill his beloved after she had been tainted, she soon killed him by accident and fled from his dead body in abject horror before finding herself back in Walter's castle and falling to a kind of madness. She was here still, though the centuries of Eternal Night had changed her, and guarded the orb at the Ghostly Theatre, waiting in her semi-psychosis for a new lead actor to replay a long since twisted version of her own life story on the ancient stage again and again. Reluctantly, Leon sat down again and took the offered food hesitantly before looking it over with mild suspicion.

"It's not poisonous," Joachim supplied quietly. "I even washed the blade before sterilizing it over the fire if you're worried about that." Bluish grey orbs returned to gazing into the fire like it held all the answers in the universe.

Something occurred to the hunter then. "Wait, you know Sara? You've seen her?" he enquired suspiciously, taking a small bite of fish. It didn't taste too bad, albeit rather bland.

The vampire glanced up at him. "No. You were calling her name in your sleep."

The words struck a chord as memories came flooding back in a rush. The dream. Hands on his skin, soft lips on his own and pleasure, unadulterated pleasure, coursing through his veins like burning lava. It felt too real to be a dream. Could Joachim…? He surreptitiously checked himself over; his clothes were just the way he'd left them. Even his pants were unsoiled. He wasn't sure whether that made things more suspicious or less; he couldn't even ascertain whether or not it had been a dream. Still, he remembered an orgasm, and his pants should probably be a mess, but they weren't. However, with no evidence, he couldn't exactly make unfounded accusations.

"I…" he started. "I see," he said simply at last, thinking better of it. This wasn't the time to worry about such things. Sara was waiting for him. "I'll be going now," he decided aloud, finishing the last slice of fish and rising to his feet. "Thank you for breakfast." He held out the other's sword to him.

Joachim stood up as well, taking the sword from the blond with one hand while holding out the other to the side. Short beams of green light flew towards his outstretched hand from all directions, coalescing in his upturned palm into a green–coloured orb. He held it out to the knight. "Here's what you came here for." Leon took the orb from him, and he made a complicated gesture with the same hand. A transportation circle appeared, glowing purple on the ground. "I assume you are accustomed to these by now."

Leon nodded, making his way over to the circle.

Joachim found himself reaching out as if to stop him, but managed to stay his hand in time. It really wasn't his place to stop the hunter from completing his quest. He settled for simply saying, "Good luck," instead. "Beware his expanding fire attacks."

Leon turned to face him just before stepping into the circle. "I'll keep that in mind. Will you not come with me to face Walter?" he invited.

He forced a slight chuckle. "I am in no condition to face Walter now. I'd be more a burden than a help in this state."

The blond looked away at that. "I apologize. You should not have insisted."

"I had to test you. At least if you died here, you would not have to watch him kill Lady Sara before your very eyes."

Leon's gaze dropped to the floor. "I will prevent that."

Joachim opened his mouth, wanting to tell him that it was too late, that he didn't have to risk his life that way, but stopped himself. After coming all this way, perhaps it was better for the hunter to think he'd always had a chance until the last moment. He had no right to say such a thing anyway. "It's cold," he settled for saying at last.

"You're next to a fire," the other pointed out.

He shook his head, turning away. "It's a different kind of cold," he explained. "The… chill of the grave I never had…"

Not knowing what to say, Leon simply remained silent. He had no idea how the vampire expected him to react to that statement, which seemed almost sad. Was he supposed to feel sympathy? He doubted Joachim's pride would take that at all well. The Nosferatu probably wouldn't like appearing in any way inferior to anyone, much less a human. He wondered if the other was going to say anything else though, since he couldn't tell. In any case, it wasn't likely to be of any importance to him, so he should probably leave now, having already extended the due courtesy of allowing his companion the time to reply if so desired. He turned back towards the circle.

"Wait…"

He turned to give the vampire, who was now facing him again, a questioning look.

Joachim mulled over how best to get what he wanted without starting a fight, since he'd fare no better than he did the last time and only succeed in making things worse. Finally, he decided it was best to be direct. "I'd… like to feed from you again… Just a little…" he said quietly, watching the blond's facial expression carefully to gauge the reaction.

Leon just stared, speechless. This was crazy. Surely, Joachim didn't expect him to agree..?

"Well, I'm still not quite up to hunting, and if you're planning to keep me alive, you may as well make sure I stay that way," the vampire reasoned somewhat haughtily, averting his eyes.

Abruptly, Leon chuckled slightly, something he didn't remember doing since things had taken that tragic downturn with Elisabetha's passing. The other was rather… amusing, and evidently without malicious intent. "I have to admit you have a point there," he conceded, removing his gauntlet and holding out his left hand. Cold hands were gentle when they took the proffered wrist, dry skin flaking a little as it chafed his warm flesh lightly. The other's hands seemed slightly wrinkled, more so than they had been when he'd last seen them eleven hours ago. Perhaps he'd really done more damage than he'd realized. "Does it help with the cold?" he asked, mildly curious.

"Yes," Joachim answered plainly, taking a step closer. "Tell me, human, would you really trust me to fight alongside you against Walter, even if I could?"

The blond blinked. "Certainly, you hate him as much—no, even more than I do."

"And you are certain that is not an act?" He took another step closer.

Leon blinked again. While it was true that the possibility existed, it wasn't easy to fake the depth and magnitude of hatred the other had shown. Should he perhaps be more wary? Still, the lesser vampire had had every opportunity to kill him throughout the last eleven hours, so if he had such an intention, he would have done so by now. Unless of course, he was every bit as screwed up as his master. Well, he supposed there was no better way to test it than to imply precisely that. Perhaps Mathias would be happy that some of the things he'd been taught had remained in him.

"You'd have to be as twisted as he is to even bother," he replied calmly.

At that, bluish gray eyes narrowed, and the other was suddenly behind him. "How dare you…" came a low, velvety murmur as cold, rather fusty breath frosted the very goose pimples on his neck.

He gasped. "What—"

"But you'd expect some of it to rub off, don't you think..?"

"You—" he started, moving to push the Nosferatu away, when a small cut was made to his jugular using a single sharp claw-like nail an instant before he was pulled towards the other and soft cool lips were pressed to it. He started to struggle and reach for a weapon before noticing that there was nothing malevolent in the other's actions. The arms around him were loose, only intended to keep him in place, and the gentle suction on his neck felt strangely pleasant. He relaxed with a slight sigh and tilted his head a little to the side even as a moist tongue licked at the incision to close it. "I would have hit you with my crucifix," he said softly when Joachim pulled away.

"Why didn't you?" came the equally quiet question.

"I realized just in time that you meant me no harm," Leon replied simply. "You shouldn't tempt danger like that," he continued, chastising.

"Heh," Joachim scoffed, an entire century's worth of self-deprecation behind that single expression, as he released the blond from his embrace and stepped back. "How did you think I even got into this mess," he spat dryly, more to himself than to his companion.

For a long time, there was no reply from the hunter; he didn't expect one.

"I should get going," the other announced at length, breaking the silence.

Once again, the vampire was overcome by the desire to stop him, to tell him that he was only pointlessly risking his life, and once again, he restrained himself and merely nodded without turning to face Leon. He squeezed his eyes shut. He had no right, and Leon surely would not believe him and give up hope anyway.

The blond crossed the two steps to the transportation circle but suddenly paused just before setting foot into it. "You're different," he said out of the blue.

At that, Joachim turned. "What?"

Leon hesitated, then clarified, "You're… not like Walter."

The Nosferatu smiled slightly at that, the expression feeling strange on his pale face as long-unused facial muscles protested the motion. You don't know that, human. Perhaps I would be, were you anyone but yourself. Sometimes I don't remember myself anymore… Perhaps, after all this time, I might have turned into that despicable bastard without my noticing it; maybe I don't recall any other way to be. Yet, it is a relief to hear you say so; they are beautiful last words to me, he thought, but aloud he only whispered, "Thank you."

The knight nodded and stepped into the circle. "Goodbye," he said, and then he was gone.

"Goodbye, Leon," Joachim murmured to the empty cavern, abruptly disconcerted by the hollow feeling in his chest. What he had done had made things worse rather than better. Now he was thoroughly addicted to a drug that could soon no longer be obtained. He turned to the fire, and the flames went out with a wave of his hand. It seemed almost symbolic, and he found himself hoping that the Crusader would not suffer the same fate. It was a pity; the only decent human he'd ever met was hunting death. Quite literally.


A/N: Well, what did you think of this first chapter? I took some liberties with Joachim's characterization, since he has very little canon screen time to base on, but I hope it is acceptable nevertheless. I also may have stretched Leon's a little for the purposes of this storyline, but I did try my best to stay in character. Please tell me if I should continue or if there are any problems. Thank you very much!