Yahoo! You managed to stumble upon a new story of mine. Ok let's see... I thought of this one while going to some library in Pasadena yesterday and it just demanded to be written! I thought, 'wouldn't it be cool if there were things living in the isles of a library this big?!' So yeah... a summary?

A/U: A curse has been placed on Dark and Krad that had bound them to the land they were killed on. Now, hundreds of years later, a library stands on the same grounds. It's said that the place is haunted but no one's ever seen a ghost. Until Kat that is... R&R

I hope you enjoy my new story!

PLEASE REVIEW!!!

Bound to the Books

Prologue

He slid off his horse, landing heavily in the mud. The rain poured down around him in heavy sheets soaking through his cloak and dampening his skin. Mud poured in and out of his boots with every step. A hand clutched at his stomach and he could feel the warm blood seep through the leather of his glove.

'I'm injured really badly this time...'

As he entered the gloomy pub all heads turned his way. The bartender was the first to notice who he was and greeted, "What brings you here Master Dark? Surely you have a better place to be than this?"

The man smirked and replied, "Come tomorrow, I'll be a grave man."

The bartender laughed and replied, "The day you die, is the day I strike it rich!"

He sat down on one of the stools and noticed how it was taking most of his strength just to sit up right. His vision was beginning to blur but he could still tell that the bartender was slowly scrubbing a filthy glass with an even filthier rag.

Mud and water began to pool on the floor around him and he knew it was only a matter of time before his blood was to be added to the puddle. His ears picked up the sound of a fire crackling in the stone hearth and a kettle sat just above the embers cooking only god knew what.

The straw and wood roof leaked something awful and he knew that the bartender had given up long ago attempting putting pots out to catch the rain. 'What good does it do?' the bartender asked when inquired, 'There aren't enough pots for all the leaks!'

"You ain't lookin too good Dark. Perhaps I was wrong about you dying," the bartender said.

Someone looked up from their meal and piped, "He's dripping blood on the floor!"

"Bloody hell! What's wrong with you boy?" the bartender asked as he leaned forward over the counter.

The hollow sound of hooves on cobblestone announced another's arrival. Almost on cue, the doors burst open and the few eyes that weren't locked on Dark now moved to the new comer.

He wasted no time in crossing the room, boots thudding heavily on the wood floor, trailing massive amounts of water and mud behind him. He stopped next to Dark and sat down heavily on the stool beside him. As he removed his hood some of the room's occupants gasped. Shining blonde hair and golden eyes became visible. Some of the girls – most of whom were prostitutes – fainted from his beauty.

"You've caused me much trouble tonight Dark," the blonde said as he eyed the man sitting next to him.

"As you have me Krad," Dark replied, smirking under the cover of his hood.

"Can I ask why you attempted to steal 'Griffin's Gate'? You betrayed me..." Krad said his eyes picking up some of the purple locks tucked under Dark's heavy cloak.

"It's possessed," he replied simply.

Krad tried to keep his rage hidden but the delay of a reply gave him away. "You can't expect me to believe that..."

Dark bristled, he knew what was coming but there was no way he was ready for it. Krad was just playing with him. Dark didn't answer and let Krad decide how this was going to end.

Neither of them moved for a long while. The entire pub was silent and you could hear the rain thundering down on the roof above. Someone coughed.

In the blink of an eye both men had drawn their swords and were now facing off in the middle of the room. Dark's cloak fell off with a wet slop to the floor and there were gasps at what lay beneath.

Ebony wings were growing from his shoulder blades and the wound he had received earlier was also now apparent. Blood ran down his clothes and dripped onto the floor. A black feather floated to the ground and landed in the slowly growing pool of blood. Murmurs of 'demon!' and 'monster!' began to spread through the room like wildfire.

"I see you managed to get yourself injured," Krad laughed.

"It's just a scratch," Dark replied callously as he slashed at Krad.

Krad knew that Dark was lying. He glowered as his own coat slumped to the floor. Ivory wings stretched from his own back and glowed orange in the candle light. A flash of lightening lit the room and forked to the ground not to far away. A clap of thunder followed shortly after.

Dark staggered backwards, his wound was aching like hell and spilling more blood than he had to give. He backed into the bar and knocked over a stool.

"Bastard!" Krad hissed and attacked.

Gold and violet eyes widened at the unexpected hits. Blood dripped down onto Dark's face and the people in the pub began to scream. Dark's sword was lodged deeply in Krad's side and in turn the blonde had struck him in the chest. Dark drew in a breath and wheezed. He had been struck through the lung and a main artery had been punctured as well.

The golden eyes softened and Dark's sword was pulled out with a sickening slosh. Krad collapsed to his knees by his enemy, "Neither of us had to die tonight-"

"See you in hell..." Dark spat, his world dimming faster than his mind could grasp. His hand was still firmly clenched around the item he had stolen.

'I can only hope that in the next life, I'll find happiness...'

A bright light began emitting from the item in Dark's hand and let out a pulse of energy. The scream of a griffin pierced through the night, something no one had heard in over a hundred years, and it died as quickly as it had arisen. Dark's grip began to relax and he could feel the cool darkness of death surround him as if he was drowning.

'Happiness.'

(A/N: Hope there weren't too many spelling/ grammar mistakes in there! On to the next chapter! PLEASE REVIEW!!!)