A/N: To my recent reviewers and my favorite/followers... you have my thanks! Normally I respond to reviews with private messages, but alas I'm unable to respond to two recent ones in that manner. SO! I shall respond here! Carnivore I truly appreciate your love of the 'big words' that I tend to use! Perhaps one day you'll be able to leave a review or send me a message from your actual account, as I almost always answer my reviewers with sneak previews or special hints about the story! And Quest, I am absolutely thrilled that you find Cobra to be hot! It took quite a while to truly refine his personality and solidify his appearance to ensure that the forked tongue, numerous hidden scars, and the soon-to-be-placed eyepatch didn't make him seem horrific or brutish. I am absolutely overjoyed that my work has been a success and that Cobra has become the dark, handsome princely character I had hoped for!
And now, without further ado, on to the performance!
Darkness... silence... pain... darkness... silence... pain... darkness... silence... pain... It was all that Nezumi's brain had registered over the past hour: the cell was dark, everything was quiet, and his beaten body was still in pain. That was it. "How long is this supposed to take!?" the boy thought to himself angrily, and made yet another failed attempt to loosen his bindings. He was sure that the leather straps had already caused him to bleed with all of the struggling, but even so it was better than just sitting there! The chair was uncomfortable, the silence was irritating, his wounds were still throbbing, it felt like he was dying of thirst, and the waiting was driving him completely insane! Once again the boy felt like a trapped rat..! Whatever his new 'master' had in store it would be a welcomed relief so long as he could at least move..!
Or would it?
"Dammit..!" Nezumi cursed as a million possibilities flowed across his mind. Anything was possible..! For all he knew his master could be some kind of freak! He may dress him up as a girl or stick him in some sort of giant rat-suit..! Or he could be planning to tie him up somewhere else with chains or lock him in a tiny cage and just stare at him! Hell staring at him may be the least of Nezumi's potential worries! "Fucking bastard looked at me like some sort of pedophile..!" the boy yelled inwardly, and with an unsettled but muffled groan he pulled furiously at the leather straps.
Freedom... All he had ever wanted was his freedom... No one to use him, no one to order him around, no one to make demands of him, no one to hurt him for the sheer fun of it, and no one to foolishly think that they had the right to do with him as they pleased... "Let him think he can own me..!" the boy seethed as he once again gave up on breaking out of the cell, "Let him think he can call himself my master and get away with it..! I'll just wait for him to sleep and then I'll get rid of him for good!"
Footsteps then shook him from his thoughts, and he could distinctively hear someone shuffling down the spiral stairway. They were heavy, staggered, and on occasion he could hear the chilling chink of metal against stone. Nezumi held his breath and listened closer, and on occasion a low, distorted groan would echo through the cells...
The sounds quickly drew closer as the person reached the end of the stairway, and the boy could clearly hear the low, unsteady panting matching the rhythm of the footsteps. Closer and closer still the noises approached, until they paused short at the entrance to his cell. Every muscle tensed, and very slowly Nezumi tried to turn his gaze to see behind him. He had little luck, and within seconds the metallic door was unlatched, allowing the footsteps to come closer. They slowed to a stop as a hand holding a bloodied blade set itself on the back end of the chair, and finally the silhouette of a face moved closer into Nezumi's view - a face with a bandaged eye... The boy's eyes clenched shut as he thought of the middle-aged coot's threats of revenge from earlier, and though he tried to hide it a terrified whimper sounded in his throat. He felt the blade slide against the skin of his wrist, and...
Riiiip...
The first of the leather bindings broke the silence as they were torn apart by the blade, and shortly after came the second set. Cobra had yet to fully recover from the constant spinning of the world around him, but even so the last thing he wanted to do was leave the poor child in the dungeon all night. With one hand still set on the chair for support Cobra clambered to the front, and knelt down on the floor to cut through the straps that were set around the boy's ankles.
"Cobra..?" Nezumi soon realized as he opened his eyes, but with his new master's head bent low to properly position the blade all he could really see to identify him was the unmistakable blond hair. With his hands freed Nezumi finally removed the gag from his lips, and as the last of the leather bindings were cut through he almost-worriedly asked, "The Hell happened to you..?"
After a brief moment Cobra looked up, as blood slowly trickled down the left side of his cheek from the temporary gauze eyepatch. "It's nothing that I wasn't prepared for," he answered plainly before rising again and trying to move away, but the sudden wave of dizziness sent him swaying until he latched his hand back onto the chair.
Nezumi stood up from the chair as he was finally freed, but with Cobra's added weight on the back it immediately started to topple. Quickly the boy set his hands down on the seat to hold the chair steady, and with a frown he looked up the older male and firmly replied, "You call that an answer?"
As the dizziness faded Cobra smiled and raised himself off of his temporary support. "From the beginning I knew that I could only pardon you from the murders and the theft," he explained plainly, and crossed his ungloved right hand over the left side of his face to reposition the patch, "An eye for an eye... That was the price to pay for the wound that you gave Toshi, but rather than letting him have yours I made him take mine."
The truth settled in as an unwelcome burden, and with wide eyes Nezumi stared at the bloody wound. "What..?" the boy asked in disbelief as a feeling of guilt started to dawn on him, "Why the hell would you do that for me!?"
"Because you are mine," Cobra answered plainly with a weak laugh at the child's show of anger. "Perhaps I should have told him the full extent of my plan, for his sake," he thought solemnly, "but as stubborn as he seems I'm sure he would never have agreed had he known. It's for the best in the end... even if he hates me for it."
Cobra's simple reasoning stung, and with his teeth grinding together Nezumi glared at the floor. He had never asked for this! And who in their right mind would give up their eye for someone they didn't even know!? It was ludicrous! And now it wasn't like he could just up and leave whenever he got the chance..! That'd be ungrateful, completely heartless..! And he definitely couldn't take kill Cobra to escape..! It wasn't like the idiot had simply gotten him out of some trouble; the selfish jerk had gone and sacrificed an eye for him without even mentioning that this crazy idea was actually planned! "It's my fault he..." Nezumi thought to himself, but couldn't finish the sentence as the reality still evaded his mind's grasp. Cobra had lost his eye... his face forever scarred for all to see... and all for him... "What the hell is wrong with this man!?"
For a while Cobra had expected the boy to respond, but silence remained the only answer. Gently Cobra extended his gloved hand towards Nezumi, offering a smile as the boy finally looked up before calmly asking, "You're still going to stay with me, aren't you?"
Nezumi swallowed hard as his eyes were drawn back to the bloodied patch, and his body involuntarily flinched at the sight. How much pain must it have caused, to have his eye removed? How much blood had he lost between then and now..? How much fear did he feel as he knowingly went through with this cruel fate..? "I can't even imagine..." Nezumi thought to himself with an increased feeling of dread as the reality sunk in deeper. Had it not been for Cobra, imagining that sort of trauma would have been the least of his concerns. He would have felt the pain... His blood would have spilled... He would have shaken in fear... And then, after all of that, he would have died...
Again it seemed that the boy wasn't going to answer, and with a playful smirk Cobra withdrew his hand to fold his arms across his chest. "Shall I carry you then, my little rat?" he inquired in a humored tone. In his current weakened condition Cobra knew that such a task was impossible - after all he could just barely manage to hold himself up - but at the very least he expected that such a question would finally warrant a response from the speechless child.
The boy's pensive thoughts vanished as the question reached his ears, and his gray eyes sharply narrowed. "Don't even think about it you jerk..!" Nezumi replied with a threatening glare as his fists clenched, ready to fight. The reaction was strictly instinctive, and had almost come as a shock to the young boy... Once again the guilt steadily replaced his anger, and no sooner than he struck the vicious pose did he drop out of it. He set his faltering glare to the floor and lowered his shaking shoulders, but even so he couldn't force himself to apologize for the outburst. The word 'sorry' remained stuck on his tongue, polluting his mouth with the bitter taste of shame.
A smile formed over Cobra's features as he watched the child's temperament transition from the sudden flash of anger to the following regretful stance, and perhaps a little unsteadily he knelt down to better match the boy's height. Gently Cobra set his gloved left hand on Nezumi's cheek, and lifted his chin to look him in the eyes. "Let's go home, Nezumi..." Cobra said softly, and lowered his hand to offer it to the boy once more, "To tell the truth I should be resting now, but my first priority was retrieving you."
"He isn't mad..?" Nezumi thought to himself curiously as Cobra remained so collected despite the boy's yelling. He strained to find the slightest hint of malice in his master's remaining golden eye, but though Cobra looked weary and exhausted there was only compassion and understanding to be seen. "Why do I keep running into these sympathetic idiots..!?" the boy inwardly groaned, and with a subtle frown he set his sights on the offered hand. It was obvious enough that Cobra was barely even standing, but even if he decided to run there remained the simple fact that he had no idea where to run to. "I don't have a home..." Nezumi replied adamantly and turned his gaze away to frown at one of the dingy stone walls, but despite his curt response he carelessly plopped his hand onto Cobra's to accept his offer of being taken away from here.
"You do now," Cobra replied with a passing smirk, and lowered his lips to the boy's hand to place a kiss over his small fingers before rising back to his feet. For a moment Cobra was once again overcome by the sudden wave of dizziness, but shortly after raising his bloodied right hand to his head his sense of balance was restored. "It's a long walk back to my chambers... At this rate I'll barely be able to make it," he warily mused to himself, but even so he rallied the remnants of his dwindling strength to press on.
The grip around Nezumi's hand was barely clinging on, and the extent of his so-called master's weakness started to show as he took the first few staggering steps forward. Physically it'd be easy, so very easy, to slip away and make a run for it, and the thought continued to dance in circles around the boy's mind... But he simply couldn't... The boy's jaw clenched as he walked alongside his master at an agonizingly slow pace, and he soon found himself all the more torn between the desire to flee, and an unwarranted thought to help the sick bastard who had laid claim to him. As the metal bars clanged shut behind them as they exited the small cell Nezumi's decision was made, and he instantly slipped his right hand out of Cobra's delicate grasp.
Cobra had barely noticed that Nezumi's hand had left his own, until he felt a slight pull at his arm and a sudden bump against his leg. Curiously Cobra turned his head to get a view of his blinded left side, and much to his surprise he found that the boy had set Cobra's hand on his left shoulder and was holding it there with both hands to keep the grasp steady. He smiled as he noticed the determined look in his boy's forward-facing eyes, and with a gentle squeeze he managed to call Nezumi's attention up towards him. "Thank you, my little rat," Cobra said in a soft whisper with a gentle smile.
Nezumi's eyes narrowed at Cobra's mark of appreciation, but he was quick to set his gaze away to avoid glaring straight at him. "Whatever... Just hurry up and get me out of here already," he muttered curtly under his breath.
It was in that manner that the two shuffled through the seemingly endless halls... Nezumi managed to support a portion of Cobra's weight on his shoulders and through most of it kept him from collapsing on the spot, and with Cobra's direction and lead they avoided drawing too much attention from the occasional passerby... By his actions it was made very clear that Cobra did not want to appear weak in front of anyone, as he seemed to push himself twice as hard every time he was set in the sights of another person. A few times it came as a relief to Nezumi - or rather it was a relief to his shoulders since it gave him a small break from holding Cobra steady - but even so it struck him as a little strange...
"I don't get it..." Nezumi thought to himself idly as Cobra once again paused to lean against the wall to catch his breath once no one else was around, "He tries so hard to hide this from everyone else but me... What's the point?" For the first time since they had started their journey Nezumi glanced up at the older male... In the dim, dungeon-like cell he had barely noticed just how much blood was covering Cobra's fur-lined coat, or the thick smears of red that lined the side of his face and traveled down to his neck. Even his pale blonde hair had been dyed with patches of red, and from Nezumi's angle the few droplets of blood that continued to trickle from the blood-soaked gauze almost looked like tears. Slowly the boy leaned forward, his hands still set firm on Cobra's as he held it to his shoulder... His remaining eye was lightly closed, and his though his lips were slightly parted his chest remained eerily still. "Cobra..?" Nezumi called out a little more worriedly than intended, but kept his gaze on his master's face.
Slowly Cobra's eye fluttered open, and with a weak smile he glanced down at the boy before forcing his body to raise off of the wall. "Sorry," he stated with a slight laugh, "It seems I may have taken a longer break than intended..." His smile soon faded as he felt another droplet of blood stream down the side of cheek, and he quickly made an attempt to wipe it away with his free hand only to smear even more blood in its place. "I told her we should have cauterized it..."
"How much farther?" Nezumi asked firmly, his lips pulling into a frown at the handprint of blood on Cobra's cheek. "At this rate he'll bleed out before we get anywhere..!" he thought uneasily, but the feeling of concern left him further unsettled, "Dammit! Why should I even care..? It's his own damn fault this happened to him!"
It was a very good question, but the haze in Cobra's vision made it hard to tell... With the back of his hand he rubbed the cloudiness from his eye to get a good look at where they were, and as soon as he realized their location he couldn't help but laugh... a lot...
"Shit, now he's gone delirious!" Nezumi fretted as a clear look of worry spread over his face. "Hey! Quit laughing and answer me!"
After a final chuckle Cobra looked down at him, and with a half-embarrassed grin he pointed to the door on the other side of the hallway. "I probably would have walked right past it had you not said anything," he admitted shamelessly, but he wouldn't dare admit that he had possibly led them in circles the whole time.
Nezumi moved one of his hands to hold it over his face as he shook his head, but hidden beneath his palm was an amused smile. "Idiot," he scoffed plainly, and with his hand placed back over Cobra's he practically dragged the taller male across the hallway. Strangely, it was the only door on that entire wall of the hallway... How could anyone possibly miss it?
The sudden jerk of the boy's movement had almost made Cobra stumble, but luckily he managed to regain his balance moments shy of placing his blood-drenched hand against the door. "I'm starting to think he may actually be worried about me..." he mused to himself as Nezumi hurriedly opened the door, "How interesting..."
Curiously Nezumi looked into the newly revealed room, and with a frown he raised his gaze back to Cobra. "You sure this is your room?" he asked bluntly, as if the answer would be an obvious no. It looked more like a lounge than anything, with multiple couches and chairs, large bookshelves and grand paintings lining the walls, ancient-looking statues poised in various places, tables holding a wide array of drinks and all kinds of snacks, and absolutely no sign of a bed or anything remotely close to bedroom furniture.
"I wouldn't call this my room, exactly," Cobra replied with a subtle smile as he took the lead through the enormous room, "but it is the foyer of my chambers. I realize that it may look like a bit much at the moment but it does serve its purpose when I host meetings or celebrations with my district."
"Your district..?" Nezumi repeated as he slowly walked at Cobra's side to keep him stable, "So what, you're some kind of fancy politician with a secret fetish for little boys?" It was a crude question, but it was honest.
With a wide smile Cobra laughed, so much so that he had to stop and lean against one of the doorways to keep from collapsing. "It's only been a few minutes and already I can tell..." he thought to himself as he stifled his laughter and caught his breath, "I'm going to love him."
Nezumi once again glared at the older male, and in an annoyed tone he demanded, "What's so damn funny, huh!?" Cobra had to be delirious! Or insane! Or... something! Who in their right mind would laugh at that kind of accusation!? Even if it were true shouldn't he be denying it!?
"You are," Cobra answered plainly, and reached into his jacket to remove a hidden key, "No one else has ever spoken to me in such a manner before... It's cute."
"Cute..?" Nezumi's thoughts repeated, and the comment quickly struck a nerve. "I am not cute!" the boy growled in response, his gray eyes gleaming with rage as his hands tightly tensed around Cobra's.
Again Cobra responded with laughter, and after unlocking the bedroom door he set his full attention on Nezumi. "Indeed you are," he rebutted casually, "Though you may not be completely wrong, even if you missed a few details." A smirk settled on Cobra's lips as he pushed the door open, "Since my father is entitled as the Serpent King that would make me a prince, as opposed to a politician. And while it's true that my attraction has always been towards my own gender I can say that currently you're the only one who has my interest - child or not."
The response left Nezumi momentarily speechless. "Did he just agree with my insult..?" the boy thought to himself as he returned Cobra's smirk with a look of disbelief. Politician, prince, what's the difference? And where did he find the nerve to say that Nezumi was the only one he was attracted to!? "Tch. Is that supposed to make me feel special or something..?"Nezumi scoffed, but even though he would never admit it to himself the declaration did manage to bring a flutter to his stomach.
The comment quickly captured Cobra's attention, and as he took the lead through the doorway he replied, "I'm really not sure... Does it make you feel special to know that, my little rat?" In truth Cobra had set no intentions behind his words - it was a simple, honest statement. Whatever effect his honesty may have had was completely beyond his control, but for Nezumi to immediately suspect such a thing meant that he had quite possibly felt that way...
"O-of course not!" Nezumi hastily replied, and perhaps even more hastily he released Cobra's hand and slipped out from beneath his grip to fold his arms over his chest and sulk. As much as he hated the sensation, it felt good to be wanted because of himself and not just because of his age... But, still, it was an unwanted feeling.
With a smile Cobra closed the door behind them, and for the moment left the boy to his sulking. It was much easier to move around now that he was back in the safe confines of his elegant room, but still there were a few other matters to tend to before he could allow himself to rest...
Nezumi's attention broke free of his brooding as he heard another door open, and as his eye followed the noise Cobra vanished behind it. For the moment, Nezumi was completely alone... He frowned as his conscience once again told him that he couldn't leave, and so, rather than bolting for the door, Nezumi cautiously walked further into the dim-lit room.
It was far less luxurious than the rest of the extravagant manor, with a corner of simple bookshelves holding volume after volume of whatever text, while the opposing corner held shelving units for a wide assortment of metallic parts both small and large that surrounded a large workbench. Centered in between the two corners was an extremely large four-poster bed with a black framed canopy holding translucent white curtains over light grey bedding, and set directly across in the center of the facing wall was a huge bay window that showed a clear view of the night sky, and, perhaps a bit to Nezumi's disdain, revealed that they were at least three stories high... The room was still lavishly decorated, but when compared to the rest of what Nezumi had seen - dungeon excluded of course - it almost appeared to be empty.
Finally Nezumi made it to the very center of the large room, and with a passing sigh he took a seat on the dark red carpet. He was still sore after the merciless beating he had received: the initial punch to the face, the repeated slams against the ground, and the countless kicks that came in a steady stream all over his tiny form... But at least he was alive. And intact. Nezumi frowned again as he laid back on the floor, but no sooner than he had closed his eyes did the sound of an opening door immediately alert him. As he sat up again his sights were immediately drawn to Cobra, his bloodstained coat now gone and replaced by a white long sleeved button-up shirt. A few spatters of blood remained on the silky fabric, and the left side of his face was still smeared with red, but it was at least some improvement. "What's that..?" Nezumi asked in a slight mumble as Cobra set a small box down on the workbench near the doorway.
"Medical supplies," Cobra replied plainly before looking down at him with a gentle smile and beckoning him to come closer, "Did you somehow forget about your own injuries, my little rat?"
"Did you forget about yours?" Nezumi answered with implied sarcasm as he rose and approached the large table.
With a brief chuckle Cobra shook his head, "No, I haven't forgotten. But my first priority is taking care of you." Without expecting an answer Cobra busied himself with removing the different sized bandages and cleaning agents from the box of supplies, but this time, it seemed, his words of kindness would not go unanswered.
"Oh yeah? Well who's to say I even want someone to take care of me?"
Cobra froze as the boy's words hit his ears, but he simply smiled as he turned to face him. "No one," he replied, and gently set his recently-cleaned bare hand over Nezumi's left eye, "But that doesn't mean you don't need it."
Instantly Nezumi shoved Cobra's hand away, chilled by the subtle reminder of what he would have lost, and by the cold, corpse-like touch of Cobra's hand. "Alright, I get it!" Nezumi yelled harshly, but despite his cruel tone his stance was submissive as his eyes lowered to the floor and his shoulders slumped. "I owe you... a lot..." he mumbled in defeat, but raised his gaze shortly after with a stubborn look in his eye and dramatically pointed at Cobra, "But I can take care of these wounds on my own, got it? So go lay down already! Or did you forget that I had to practically drag your ass back here?"
For a moment Cobra stared at Nezumi in shock as he dared such a commanding tone, but the shock was followed by a great deal of humor. He forced back a laugh, and with a faint smirk he leaned forward to nip the boy's pointed finger, holding it gently between his teeth as he dragged his forked tongue along the digit and pulling away immediately after. "Very well, Nezumi, I'll give in to your demands," Cobra replied with the slightest hint of a hidden innuendo.
A blush rose over Nezumi's cheeks and his heart skipped over a few beats as an unfamiliar heat rushed through his body, but no matter how hard he tried to think of a comeback his thoughts remained stuck on a single, unwanted drive... The feel of Cobra's tongue against his finger had felt oddly good, and a certain other part of his young body was wanting it too. "Sh-shut up!" Nezumi finally managed to respond, and he quickly moved past Cobra to hide the blush on his face.
Cobra chuckled as he moved away from the bench to approach his bed, but with a sly smirk he turned back with a final reply. "That's 'shut up, Master' for you, my little rat."
The word dropped on Nezumi like an iron weight, but it added more heat to his earlier thoughts. He couldn't speak, and with his teeth clenched he dug through the supplies to distract himself. "Damn him..! That was a cheap shot!"
Cobra's smirk soon faded into a smile as he assessed Nezumi's reaction, but he had claimed that he would follow the boy's order... It was more of a relief than expected once Cobra crawled over to the center of his bed, and before he could even think to slip under the blankets his uninjured eye closed, leaving Nezumi alone once again...
A/N: I am absolutely loving the young Nezumi! Cocky, dangerous, temperamental, and perhaps a little bit paranoid! Granted, there was very little to go on through the anime with Nezumi at this age, so it is quite possible that I've perhaps embellished his childish nature a bit too much... but I think I'm still in plausible range, yes? ... maybe...? Hopefully..?
... so rare that I second-guess myself... *stalks off to brood in a corner and contemplate the dreaded possibility of having Nezumi out of character*