Uh...yo...?

Yup, i haven;t updated in a couple of months. I haven't updated anything in a few months. Unfortunately, for the past 6 or so months, i've had a whopper of a writers' block, and stress has blocked off the passage to my creative flow. Oh, and school's being bitchy.

Anyhoo, enjoy the chapter :) 4664 words, so i hope its okay...

----

Lavi sat with his back to the rocky wall, long legs crossed in front of him, sword across his lap. Phoenix lay on the other side of the small cave. Three pieces of moonstone had been placed around her in the shape of a triangle.

He picked up the strange mask which lay beside him, marveling despite himself at the craftsmanship. The mask itself was a midnight blue, with speckled gold eye slits and a long, grinning smile that nearly went from ear-to-ear.

When Kevin Yeegar and Lavi had first saw the blood-stained girl, their instinct had been to help her. What gave her away as one of the enemy was the dark mask and the unusual black and red uniform. What gave her away as the one who killed his friend were the burning amber eyes.

Instead of killing her, Lavi had ordered Yeegar to bring her into the small cave. Shortly afterwards, he had detected Exorcist blood on Phoenix's body and, after placing certain wards around the cave and unconscious vampire, had stormed off into the woods in search of the Exorcist.

One of the horses tethered outside let out a nervous snort. Lavi stood up swiftly, sheathing his sword, and walked over to the anxious animals. He patted them on their long faces, murmuring something. They were disturbed by Phoenix's unnatural presence.

So was he.

A sudden, soft groan made him spin around, unsheathing his sword once more. Phoenix's eyes opened slowly, staring up at the cave's rocky roof for several seconds before she sat up slowly, clutching her shoulder. She blinked at Lavi for several seconds, meeting his stare evenly.

'Are you not going to avenge your friend?', she asked him, finally breaking the icy silence. 'I assume that is why I am still alive.'

'You're alive because I want information', Lavi was surprised to hear himself speaking in calm tones. 'If it's good, your death may be quick.'

Something close to amusement flitted across Phoenix's face. 'What do you want to know, boy?'

'I'm a prince', Lavi told her coldly, frowning. 'Do not dare antagonize me, vampire.'

'That makes sense…', Phoenix murmured, remembering her musings about him being out of place at the ball.

'Why did you kill Chaoji Han?', Lavi asked her quietly.

Phoenix stared at him.

'Answer, or I run you through with more moonstone', Lavi snarled, anger finally surfacing.

'I did not kill him', Phoenix said bluntly. 'I saved him.'

'Saved him?', Lavi snarled. 'You sucked him dry until he turned to powder! I caught you in the act!'

'Chaoji Han was an akuma, boy', Phoenix said, unfazed by his anger.

'Akuma?', Lavi said, frowning. 'What lies are you speaking of now?'

Phoenix looked at him blankly. 'Akuma are humans who make deals with a being known as the Millennium Earl. They sacrifice the lives of others to gain good fortune and prolong their lives. Have you really not heard of them?'

Lavi reddened slightly. 'I do not bother myself with pointless rumours, vampire.'

'It is not a fairytale', Phoenix said quietly. 'Akuma are very much real, and they are coming from you and your twisted servants-'

'You're the one that's twisted, vampire', Lavi snapped. 'Chaoji was not an…an akuma, if that is what you're suggesting.'

'I am', Phoenix said simply. 'Chaoji Han was classified as a Level Two akuma. He used his status to manipulate you-'

'Watch your mouth, vampire', Lavi muttered furiously. 'Chaoji was not an akuma.'

'Are you so ignorant that you cannot see past the smiling façade of your servants, boy?', Phoenix snapped. 'The majority of people living in that castle are evil, and it is because of them that your people are suffering-'

'-because you and your friends are corrupting them and killing innocent people!', Lavi interjected angrily. 'You've been spreading chaos and discord throughout the land. You and those masked assassins you work with are the only evil I see!'

'…Then you are blind', Phoenix whispered. 'You have been spoon-fed these lies all your life. The Millennium Earl and his followers, the Noah Clan, are the ones causing all this chaos and discord, not us. '

Lavi's mouth opened but no sound came out. Despite his disbelief, there was evidence to support what Phoenix had told him. Even so, he wouldn't believe that his best friend had been an akuma. There was just no way…

'My next question', Lavi finally said. 'What assassin group are you from, and where are you located?'

Phoenix smiled faintly. 'Assassin group?'

'Do not play dumb with me, vampire', Lavi snapped. 'Answer if you want to live.'

'You cannot threaten me with death', Phoenix told him, smile fading. 'I have nothing to live for.'

Lavi's eye widened in shock at her blunt declaration. Before he could speak, she stood up abruptly, placing both hands in front of her. An odd ripple disturbed the air. She stepped out of the triangle with a small grimace, stretching her stiff limbs.

Lavi's eye widened and he raised the sword in front of him. Phoenix eyed it blankly.

'How did you get out?', he demanded, taking a step back.

'Devil's Traps do not work on me', she said quietly, pushing aside her messy ponytail to reveal the three perfectly aligned dots on her jaw. 'How could you miss that?'

She took a step towards the entry of the cave. Lavi hesitated before leaping at her, sword swinging through the air. She flicked it away with a bare hand, shoving Lavi back against the cave wall. Before he could recover, her hand snapped around his neck, holding him there.

'I was going to let you live', Phoenix snarled. 'But you are getting on my nerves, boy. Ignorant fools like you who sit by day by day whilst their people are dying do not deserve to be king…or live, for that matter.'

To Lavi's horror, her eyes became clouded, now a swirling gold. The small fangs had lengthened, and a dark look had settled over her face.

'I have lost a lot of blood', Phoenix murmured, leaning closer to him. 'Not to mention I am not happy with the moonstone your servant stuck in me.'

'Mikk?', Lavi said, momentarily forgetting his predicament. 'Did you kill him?'

'No, unfortunately', she whispered, brushing her thumb over Lavi's eye patch. 'What is under here, boy?'

Lavi turned away from her. She hissed and held his face against the wall, eyes locked on the vein pulsing on his neck. Panic settled in as he could feel her quickened breath on his throat.

Phoenix chuckled suddenly, loosening her chokehold on Lavi. She released him suddenly, stepping away from him. He slid to the cave floor, panting and clutching his throat.

'You…', Lavi breathed, staggering to his feet. 'I will kill you.'

'Say something else, boy', Phoenix muttered, irritated. 'Be grateful I am letting you live.'

'Why?', he asked quietly, rubbing his throat. 'If you kill me, your little group of monsters will be happy, won't they?'

Phoenix turned to stare at him, placing her mask on top of her head. Lavi blinked. When did she…?

'On the contrary', she murmured, 'Leaving you alive may be of some benefit to us. Take what I have told you and think it over. We are not the ones you should be worrying about. True evil lies within your own home', she paused, looking at him with an expression close to thoughtful. 'You are…different. I hope-' she stopped abruptly, blunt expression going even blanker.

'What-?', Lavi's sentence was cut off by a small gasp from Phoenix. Her head lolled back and she went limp, falling into the arms of none other than Tyki Mikk.

'Sorry I am late, Prince', he said smoothly. 'Did she do you any harm?', his expression looked hopeful at the thought.

'No', Lavi said, scowling faintly. 'Where were you?'

'I am going to finish this somewhere else, Prince', Mikk said, ignoring Lavi's question. 'It may get bloody…'

Despite his hatred for the unconscious vampire, a part of him didn't want to walk away from whatever Mikk was planning to do. He was also more confused than he'd been in a long time, Phoenix's words echoing in his mind.

'Mikk, take her back to the castle', Lavi ordered suddenly. Mikk looked up at him, a flicker of irritation passing through his golden eyes.

'Do you not want her to die painfully for what she did to dear Chaoji Han?', Mikk murmured.

Akuma.

'She may have information useful to us', Lavi muttered. 'Until then, we will keep her in one of the cells.'

'We've received enough information from the others who came before her', Mikk said impatiently, eyes fixed on Phoenix. 'There is no need to keep this one alive.'

'What do you mean "Others"?', Lavi said, frowning. 'I was not aware you had questioned others of the enemy, Mikk.'

The Noah froze, looking over at Lavi.

'We did not want to trouble you', he said evasively. 'You have much more pressing matters to attend to-'

'Don't do it again', Lavi said quietly, sheathing his sword. 'And next time I tell you to do something', his eyes flickered to Phoenix, 'You do it properly.'

Something dark flashed in Mikk's eyes but vanished just as quickly as he smirked, bowing low.

'Yes, my Lord', he said smoothly. 'Where is Yeegar?'

'There are traces of Exorcist blood on her', Lavi explained, 'He's gone to see whose side the Exorcist is on, and whether he's still alive.'

Mikk's smirk widened. 'He was her partner.'

'You've killed him then?', Lavi murmured. 'Of course you would-'

Yeegar appeared in the cave's entry, face grim.

'The Exorcist killed was not one of ours, Prince', he said, acknowledging Mikk's presence with a curt nod. 'I found him crucified upside down against a tree', he gave a disgusted sigh, 'What beast did that, I do not know…'

Lavi's eye flickered to Mikk. The Noah seemed unperturbed by Yeegar's announcement and looked bored.

'…What happened?', Yeegar asked, looking from the slightly disheveled Lavi to the unconscious vampire in Mikk's arms. 'Did she hurt you, Prince?'

'No', Lavi muttered. 'Mikk got here just in time…'

'We should go now, I am thinking', the Noah said, running a hand through his hair. 'More dogs may pick up her scent.'

--

Komui placed both hands on the table in front of him, looking down at his steadily whitening knuckles. Allen, Kanda and a few others stood around the bodies of Daisya Barry and two Finders who had been killed in an attempt to stop them from entering an ambush.

'How could we have been so stupid?', Komui whispered to no-one in particular. An uncomfortable silence fell over the room. Then Allen spoke.

'Chief…it was not our fault', he said softly. 'We had no way of knowing it was a trap-'

'It should have been obvious', Komui hissed, looking up at the white-haired boy. 'We sent them out without bothering to confirm the rumour of the akuma nest. We let them walk into an obvious ambush and now Daisya is dead, Phoenix is missing and we have two dead Finders.'

A sheet with a Rose Cross imprinted on it had been placed over Daisya to block the sight of his gruesome death. The two Finders lay beside him, also covered by sheets.

Every time Kanda's eyes flickered to Daisya's body, a new wave of fury alighted within him, though his face remained impassive. The two of them had been the apprentices of Froi Tiedoll, an Exorcist and magician of the Black Order. And whilst he and Phoenix had a mutual hatred for each other, he liked to think there was some sort of rough friendship beneath it all. After all, he had known her for nine years.

'Kanda, Allen', Komui said suddenly. 'I am sending you on a new mission.'

Kanda scowled. 'Are you jesting, Komui?'

Komui looked up at him, brown eyes sharp. 'I will not lose another Exorcist because I made a foolish mistake. The two of you are going to infiltrate the castle and bring back Phoenix.'

'They will do no such thing, Komui', the stern voice of Malcolm Leverrier announced before Kanda and Allen could voice their shock. They all turned to him.

'What are you talking about?', Komui said angrily, earning a raised eyebrow from Leverrier. 'We cannot lose another Exorcist!'

'That girl was a vampire', Leverrier said softly. 'She did not count as an Exorcist, Komui. She was simply a convenient asset to the Order, and the only reason we did not end her immoral presence was because she had a decent mental state and made a good, obedient soldier. Whilst having a vampire on our side was convenient-'

'-Was?', Komui shouted. 'You make it seem as though she is dead!'

'She may as well be, if she was captured by the Noah', Leverrier snapped. 'As I was saying, having a vampire on the side of the church was a great asset, but is not much of a loss. Her Seal was weakening anyhow.'

'Can it not be renewed?', Komui asked desperately. 'It is nigh impossible to convert a vampire, Leverrier. They are not an expendable resource.'

'The magic placed on her was done by Cross Marian', Leverrier seemed to chew out the name. 'Even if we could find out where he is, there is no guarantee it would work twice.'

A dark look passed over Komui's face as he accepted the grim reality.

'Though I care very little for a vampire's wellbeing', Leverrier said slowly, 'You know as well as I do that Sealing a vampire makes them dangerous and unstable.'

'But her ancestry-', Komui began impatiently.

'Enough', Leverrier said coldly. 'You will waste no more lives, Komui.'

And with those words, he stormed off, leaving a blank-faced Komui behind him.

--

For the second time that day, Phoenix stirred slowly, blinking up at the stone ceiling above her. A second later, her memory rushed back and she sat up abruptly, a wave of sudden dizziness making her slump over once more.

'You know', a familiar voice purred. 'Your group of weapon-wielding fools made it too easy for us. It wasn't very entertaining for me, you know, hunting you down…'

Phoenix tried sitting up again, but her body wouldn't respond. She turned her head to the source of the voice, mild hock registering within her drugged brain as she saw Mikk sitting in a chair beside her, fingers steepled in front of him.

'We did not expect you to take the bait so quickly', he continued. 'Then again, I heard that your leaders are particularly vicious when it comes to akuma nests, hmm?'

Phoenix stared at him blankly, amber eyes drooping. Why did she feel so sick? She hadn't felt this way since…never.

'We have learnt a fair bit about vampires over the past few years', Mikk announced, smiling faintly. 'A savage bunch you all are, eh?'

Phoenix remained silent, mild panic mixed with anger settling in her stomach. How did this happen to her?

'Whilst the majority of you are pureblood savages with an insatiable bloodlust, there are a few who possess mixed blood, correct?', Mikk continued. When she didn't answer, he continued. 'Judging by your surprising level of sanity and strange obedience to your little organization, you either have the blood of another magical being running through your veins or there has been a Seal placed on you by the Black Order.'

Phoenix's eyes widened slightly. Mikk smirked at the response.

'We know a lot more about the Order than you think we do', he said with a chuckle. 'We know how many Exorcists lie within its walls, we even know where you are located.'

'Why have you not raided it then?', Phoenix muttered, turning away from Mikk's piercing gaze.

'We cannot get in', Mikk admitted. 'To destroy the Order and its occupants, we need the Heart.'

Phoenix visibly stiffened, turning back to face him with blatant shock on her face. How did he know about the Heart?

Mikk tapped his brow. 'We have eyes everywhere, little bird.'

He stood up and walked over to Phoenix, placing his hands on either side of her head as he leaned down, head tilted slightly. She met his probing gaze coolly.

'What is your name, dear?', he murmured. 'You never told me.'

'I do not have a proper name', Phoenix muttered. 'So do not bother trying to bind me to your will.'

'…Why did you leave me alive?', he asked her quietly. 'You seemed, I admit, unstoppable. Was it the moonstone that stopped you?'

More silence. Mikk sighed.

'Alright', he said, bringing a hand up to Phoenix's cheek. She was wary and vaguely confused by the gesture. 'You are being very uncooperative.'

'Since you aren't feeling talkative, we must progress a lot quicker than imagined', he murmured. The hand that was trailing up her neck stopped at her mouth, lifting her upper lip to reveal a small fang.

He snapped his fingers, and suddenly they blazed with purple.

'I warn you, this may be a bit painful', he said, breaking out into a wide grin. 'Now, open wide…'

--

He paced around his room aimlessly, frowning. Bookman, his mentor, was busy attending to his ill father. Thus, he had over an hour of nothing to do. Normally, this would be great news, and he would use this precious free time on one of the few pleasures in his life, and forget about the palace and its occupants and just be free.

Not this time. The vampire had left dark thoughts in his head. And he was mulling them over, growing more and more displeased as he realized everything she told him fit; pieces in a large and gruesome puzzle.

Yes, he was ignorant. Ignorant of his surroundings, of the world outside his, even of the people who supposedly follow him. He never suspected his followers. Why should he? They would never mislead him, trick him, harm him.

Would they?

Ignorant fools like you who sit by day by day whilst their people are dying do not deserve to be king…or live, for that matter.

He growled and lashed out at candelabra, yelling out his frustration. It snapped in half as it hit the stone wall, clattering to the ground with a loud crash. He stared down at his clenched fist, breathing heavily.

He wanted answers.

The vampire.

He whirled around and stalked out of his room, making his way down the corridor. The fair-haired maid who'd been flustered around him the other day was passing with a basket of linen. She met his one-eyed gaze and gave a timid smile. He did not return it, merely striding past her, throwing glares at anyone else who looked at him.

His angry stride continued as he took the spiral stairs leading down to the dungeons. He'd been there only twice before, when he was young, on one of the rare occasions his father was well enough to walk around. Amazingly, he remembered the way perfectly.

He approached a guard who was leaning on his spear, nodding off. He saw the young prince and straightened up, chain mail clinking as he fixed his stance. He eyed Lavi nervously.

'W-what brings Your Highness down here?', the guard asked in his booming voice.

'Where is the va-the woman Mikk brought in?', he asked quietly.

'The girl?', the guard said dumbly. 'Mikk had her moved to the torture chamber a while ago, Sir.'

'Torture chamber?', he said, frowning. 'What torture chamber-?'

A hair-raising scream reached his ears. He jumped slightly and the guard grimaced, cringing away slightly from the sound.

'Ah, Your Highness?', the guard said questioningly as Lavi moved towards the source of the sound. 'I wouldn't go in there, if I were you.'

Lavi ignored him and turned a corner, eye widening in surprise. A thick, battered wooden door led to the only room in the very short corridor. The door was slightly ajar.

He reached forward and pushed it open, taking a cautious step. At the scene in front of him, his eye widened and he froze completely, taking in his new surroundings.

Blood. Lots of it. Some fresh, some old and dried. Hundreds of vile-looking instruments hung off hooks on the four walls, and there were two blood-stained racks in the middle of the room.

On the far side of the room, the vampire was chained up to the wall. Where her clothes were torn, deep wounds lay fresh and bleeding. Her hair was a tangled mess around her face, which held a blank mask of pain. Dark, almost maroon blood poured from her mouth. Two small, pearly-white teeth lay in a pool of blood.

Tyki stood in front of her, sleeves rolled up, blood up to his elbows. A cruel-looking instrument was held in his hand. At the sound of the swinging door and Lavi's sharp gasp, his head snapped around. His golden eyes widened and he lowered his arms, hiding the odd instrument from sight, smirking.

'Prince, what are you doing away from your lesson?', he asked in a smooth tone, as if he wasn't in the process of torture.'

'M-Mikk', Lavi mumbled, feeling nauseous, 'What do you think you're doing?'

'Interrogating, as you said', Mikk said simply.

'I… didn't say to do this', Lavi hissed. 'I wasn't aware we even had a torture chamer!'

'It is quite recent-'

'The bloodstains and wearing of the wood say otherwise', Lavi interjected. 'The smell of death is stagnant, and old. This has been here for well over five years.'

'…Your Highness is rather observant', Tyki said quietly. 'However, you wanted answers, and I'm afraid this is the only way to get them.'

'By pulling out her…fangs?', Lavi said, scowling. 'I don't remember approving this, Mikk…'

Tyki appeared in front of him suddenly, causing the younger boy to stagger back in surprise. He slammed his palm into the stone wall beside Lavi, staring him down.

'You really should stop acting all high and mighty, Prince', Tyki spat contemptuously. 'That tongue of yours may get cut out someday.'

'And I assume you're the one who'd carry it out?', Lavi said in as calm a voice as he could manage. 'Listen, Mikk. I want to know what's going on behind my back. When did you start making decisions without my consultation? How many lies have you told me?'

Tyki looked vaguely alarmed and irritated. 'Who has been filling your head with such nonsense?'

Lavi's eye flickered to the stunned vampire against the wall and back to his Advisor. Tyki caught this and frowned, golden eyes darkening. He gave a small scoff and brought his hand back to his side. Bits of rubble landed on Lavi's shoulder.

Lavi straightened up, pretending not to notice the dent in the wall behind him.

'I want to speak with the vampire', he said firmly. 'Leave us.'

'I am not done with her', Tyki muttered, gaze hard. 'You should-'

'Do not tell me what to do', Lavi snarled. 'I am not afraid of you, Mikk. You may be stronger than me, but I am still prince. So do as I command you to, and leave.'

Tyki stared at him for several seconds with an unreadable expression on his face. He smirked, bowing mockingly low and brushing past Lavi, slamming the door shut behind him.

Lavi walked over to Phoenix, cautiously eyeing her for any movement. Her arms were limp, but her hands were clenched into tight fists. Her head sagged forward, partially hiding her face from view.

'Relax, I don't bite', she murmured, words slightly muffled. 'Not anymore', she added with a cold chuckle.

'I…I didn't order this', Lavi said hesitantly, growing nauseous as the smell and sight of blood hit him again.

'I know that, boy', Phoenix muttered. 'You are too spineless to inflict this on another being.'

'Stop that!', Lavi hissed, scowling. 'Stop speaking to me like that, vampire! Maybe I should bring Mikk back in?'

'I do not fear either of you', she said quietly. 'Especially you…you have the fear content of a pup.'

'How dare you-?', Lavi growled, hands clenching into fists.

'-What do you want?', Phoenix asked, faint traces of weariness in her voice. 'You said you wanted to speak with me, and I grow weary of this pointless conversation.'

'…I want answers', he murmured quietly.

'What makes you think I am going to give them to you?', Phoenix muttered, raising her head slowly. Lavi winced. She rested her head heavily on her chained arms, staring at Lavi with molten gold eyes.

He took a sharp breath and resisted the urge to take a step back. Phoenix scoffed faintly, coughing up blood a second later.

'I told you I don't bite, boy', she said in between coughs. 'A ruler of thousands should not fear a little blood.'

'Stop antagonizing me', Lavi hissed, scowling. 'Talk or I will bring him back in!'

'I have nothing to say to you', Phoenix said quietly, grimacing faintly as she closed her eyes. 'Go ask that Noah for answers if you want them.'

'I…', Lavi hesitated.

'You don't trust him anymore, do you?', Phoenix murmured. 'Have you come to your senses?'

'I never trusted him', Lavi said bitterly. 'And I don't trust you either.'

'Then what are you doing here, boy?', Phoenix asked, irritated. 'You are wasting my time.'

'I've pondered what you told me', Lavi said, chewing out each word. 'And…I believe...tell me more.'

'What you are too proud to say is that you have examined your surroundings and so-called subordinates, and you do not like what you see.'

'I-'

Lavi was cut off as the door swung open and Tyki sauntered in once more, looking a little less blood-stained.

'Done, Your Highness?', Tyki said in the mocking tone he saved for Lavi. The young prince felt a familiar flicker of irritation pass through him at the sound of his Advisor's smooth voice.

'Yes, that will be all', he muttered, turning to leave. Tyki was waiting at the door, leaning against it to hold it open. 'And Mikk, do not withhold any information you may get from her. You are to tell me immediately.'

Tyki smirked, golden eyes narrowed lazily. 'Yes, my Lord.'

Lavi frowned at him and walked out the door, milling over his brief and fruitless conversation with the vampire.

Make the right decision, boy.

The voice rang out clearly in his head. He spun around, uncovered eye wide. It locked on the smoldering eyes of Phoenix, who had him fixed in her firm stare.

'Did you just…?', Lavi whispered without thinking.

'Goodbye, Prince', Tyki interrupted, slamming the door shut in his face.

----

Nyaaw, poor Lavi-kun. If he appears to be a bit brat-ish, then thats ok, cuz he is in this story. I may change him later on.

Another, little notice, i may be deleting this account. I've published too many and its hard to keep track of, which may be one of the reasons for my stress/writer's block. if i do make a new account, i will publish 4 or so of my stories, all of which will be re-written.

Till next time (Maybe),

Llama-san