Blood, Sweat, and Tears: The Cloud Directive
Rating: High T
Genre: Supernatural/ Romance
Inspired By: Amaranth -/- Wish I Had an Angel
Artist: Both by Nightwish
Summary: Cloud is a vampire failing in all his lessons. He receives the opportunity to get hands-on training in the human realm and meets the mortal girl who would change his immortal life forever.
A/N: I'm alive!!! Who would've thought?
This is a sequel/alternate POV to the first chapter in this folder, Blood, Sweat, and Tears. I would recommend reading that one first. Also, I think this is first time I ran out of room with a chapter name... Did you there was a limit?
I just had too much fun writing this one. And, as of now, I love 'Wish I Had an Angel.' Again, I just used a Latin dictionary, so if some of this is off, please don't hate me. And while Demonegg was kind enough to point out that 'Seracor' was incorrect, I left it the same to avoid confusion. Thanks again for pointing that out. I'll come back and edit later, so please excuse any errors...
Now then, on with the story! I hope I didn't give away too much for the series…
Flame. Nothing but those frickin' flames. Day… night… It makes no difference to me. It doesn't make a difference to anyone in Orcus. This hell is exactly that. Those mortals have no idea what they're missing… At least they're smart enough to complain about their realm day in and day out.
"Iurgium!"
Hm? What's this? Aerith is never this excitable… My gaze raises and spies the sight of her brown hair approaching. I reply, "Yes?" Hn. My blond hair shifts back forth as I give my head a shake. Mental note: talk more often. Maybe my voice wouldn't sound so hoarse then.
She laughed. "Iurgium, we have new orders."
"Oh?"
"Mm-hm… We're going to… the mortal realm!"
My eyes roll automatically. "Yippee. I'm so happy."
"Oh…" She held a small box out for me to take. "You'll need this."
Hm? What could this be? I open the case and lift the object within. A new rosario? Why now? A raised eyebrow sends my curiosities to the girl across from me.
She smiled. "This one has a stronger spell. It'll keep your already frayed powers in check while we're topside."
"Did you make it?"
"Naturally. Well, the charm was made by an artisan, but I made the spell."
"Mm." Great. Not a new one. It took me long enough to get accustomed to the one I have now. Now it won't just be the hunger under control. This one will probably block my flare powers, too.
She turns to leave and calls over her shoulder, "Alright, Iurgium. We'll leave next week. And remember when packing, Gaia is much, much colder than Orcus!"
Another thing to love about the flames of hell. Wonderful. Now, the only thing that could possibly make this worse would be if-
"Cloud!"
-she showed up. Dammit, she's more of a devil than the Dominus himself. I give a sigh, "What the fuck do you want?"
The dark-haired girl grinned widely, floating a good two feet off the ground. "Hiya, Cloud! Is Aerith chewing you out because you failed again?"
My middle finger rose slowly. "Screw you, Yuffie. Damn succubuses are a disgrace to all real demons."
"Oh!" She fell back dramatically, still hanging in the air. "You hurt me so, Cloud Strife! Master of all failures!"
"You repulsive things use seduction and sex to your advantage. It's disgusting."
"Oh, and lusting after the blood of mortals isn't?"
"At least we have rules to follow… There's a small selection of mortals we're allowed to feed off of. We can't just go off and do what we want to who we want."
"Hm. And what about your other sides?"
My eyes narrow to a dark degree. "I am a vampire! Nothing more, nothing less!"
She nodded wisely. "Uh-huh. We all know you screwed up. Don't deny it, Blood-Sucker!"
Walk away. Just walk away. That's all you can do when she gets like this. I turn sharply and march through the heated caverns in the direction of the vampire district to get some sleep.
***
One week later, I waited by the Magnus Aditus with my gear packed, rosario equipped, and Aerith and her werewolf companion standing nearby. I watched as the three Aditus masters opened the portal to the human realm with the powers unique to an artisan.
The passage opened in a series of three ripples echoing across the glass surface. I felt a prod in my shoulder and knew it was Aerith without even needing to look. I pull myself to my feet and pull my travel sack over my shoulder.
Aerith waved a hand and shouted, "Pendēre!" At the sound of her voice, the heavy trunks packed with our belongings slowly rose from the cavern floor and floated along behind her as she made for the gigantic mirror. Her raven-haired companion, Zack, followed behind her with a grin and a thumbs-up for his werewolf friends on the side.
I give a sigh and follow them to the realm of eternal torment. At least to a vampire. Snacks all around, but no excuse to sate my hunger. Another sigh and I pass through the gate.
My vision blurs slightly at the foreign feeling. It's… strange. It feels as though I'm being thrust through water without a surface. All I can see is blue, the ripples of the dimensional rift shifting over my sight in an unsettling way. Light filters past and reflects off the wrinkles in time, making it difficult to keep my eyes open. The moisture of the strip between realms is actually pretty gross. My face forms an unintentional grimace as the fluid soaks through my clothes and presses them to my body.
A grunt escapes my lips as a force throws me out of the passage and I land on my hands and knees on a soft floor. It feels strangely familiar and while I'm trying to figure it out, Aerith's giggles enter my ears. I scowl and stand, glaring at her.
She raises a hand to try to muffle her laughter. "Iurgium… This is your first time through the passage, right? Well, since then, anyway…"
I reach up, twisting my spiky hair free of liquid and toss the limp lock out of the way. "Yeah."
"Well, then, since you're not used to it, you can have the shower first."
I finally take the chance to observe my surroundings and blink at the quaint design of the mortal room. What the heck are these things? So many unusual objects. Aerith scuttles around the small living quarters, taking things from the trunks and setting them around on the counters and other furnishings. She pauses and turns to face me, "Oh, Iurgium?"
I hate the tone in her voice. I reply warily, "…What?"
She smiles widely, "I've enrolled all of us in the local school. Nundinae and I, while we're old enough to remember the last war, we still look young enough to be in a school, so we'll all go together."
I swear my pale skin fades a shade lighter and I manage to mumble, "Human school…? Are you serious?"
"Quite. You need to learn how to cooperate with mortals. It's a part of your training."
Oh, fuck. I had no idea she'd shove this sort of crap on me. I guess I don't really have a choice. I sigh again. "Fine. So what do I have to do?"
"Well, basically, you just have to attend the classes and take their exams. Your grades in this school will be considered when I give your final grade on this expedition."
"…You mean, on top trying to keep my fangs out of all these creatures, I'm going to have learn all the crap they do?"
She waved a hand dismissively. "You won't have any trouble. As a vampire, all your reflexes are high beyond that of a human. Your learning processes are much more attuned, as well. There are a stack of textbooks on the desk of your room to get you caught up to the grade you'll be attending."
She continues at my confused expression, "The human schools are divided up by twelve grades. They start attending school at the age of six and start the first grade then. They increase one grade per year, so, since you're seventeen, you'll be going into eleventh grade. Zack and I will accompany you to that grade so we can help you get used to it. A large portion of your training is how well you can interact with mortals."
Wonderful. Just wonderful. Not only am I going to be surrounded by snacks, but I have to interact with them, too? Without eating? I don't even interact with demons unless I have to. This is going to be one hell of a lesson.
"Oh, and, Iurgium? Your first day of school is next Monday."
***
I tug at the damn piece of fabric threatening to cut my airwaves off and finally give up, biting the thing and tearing it apart with my fangs. Aerith walked past the doorway to see me picking pieces of black cloth out of my teeth and laughs. She shakes her head good-naturedly and teases, "You know, Iurgium, ties aren't mandatory."
I spit a wad of material onto the floor and raise my eyes to hers. "Now you tell me."
She laughs again. "Buttoning your shirt and jacket are, though."
I glance down at my open shirt. "But I never wear shirts."
"The point of being in the mortal realm is to learn how to fit in."
I sigh. "No exceptions?"
"At least wear an undershirt until you get used to it. But you do need to try to blend."
"Yeah, whatever." I shrug my open shirt and jacket off and grab a black undershirt from my dresser. As I pull it over my head, I glare at Aerith as she holds a stack of books and a bag common to mortals -a backpack?- towards me.
She grins. "Have fun on your first day of school!" She turns and shouts to the rest of the apartment, "Nundinae! Hurry up! We have about two minutes to transfer!"
Zack's voice calls back, "Alright, alright! I'm almost ready!"
Aerith turns back to me before she leaves completely. "Oh, do you have your new rosario equipped?"
I nod sharply, "Yeah." Damn thing stings like hell, too. I always hate getting new ones. They take forever to get accustomed to. I sigh once more for good measure and pick up the bag Aerith gave me. After a minute of tying, it finally occurs to me to actually put it on my back. Who knew? Mortals can make sense. I mean, duh! Where else would you wear a backpack but on your back? I'm about to slap my forehead from my own idiocy when Aerith's head pokes back into the doorway.
She cocks her head at the sight of me but chooses not to comment. Smart woman. Instead, she says, "Iurgium? We need to transfer now if we're going to be on time."
I can't wait. Really, I can't. Aerith walks into my room and grabs hold of my wrist, dragging me back out to the all-purpose room. What was it Aerith had called it? The living room? I think so. Sounds close enough, anyway.
"Iurgium? Over here."
I sigh and walk over to where Aerith and Zack wait. A foreign call from Aerith has us fading away into nothingness as her teleportation spell takes effect. New surroundings fill my vision as we start to appear in a small valley between two mortal buildings.
By the forgotten curse of artisans! Why in the hell do mortals like the smell of metal so much? It's disgusting! I can't even- Yegh!
Something cool touches my arm, sending me through the roof, and I turn to see Aerith standing there with concern written on her features. A wrinkle forms in her brow as she asks, "Iurgium? Do you sense something?"
There she goes again. Flipping out just because my frickin' vampire senses are actually picking up what they're supposed to. She knows as well as the next demon that vampires have naturally sharper senses. I feel a prod in my side, bringing me back to the present. I answer her question, "Just the god-forsaken smell of metal…"
She nods understandingly and turns to leave the alley, a pink backpack strapped over her shoulders. I roll my eyes and shiver. Damn it. Aerith was right when she said Gaia was colder than Orcus. And this is comin' from a guy who has a higher natural body temperature. Aerith told me once that average body heat for humans was about ninety-seven-point-something degrees Fahrenheit and a hundred-four was a dangerous number. A vampire's average runs roughly between one-thirty and one-forty. So, really, I shouldn't be cold at all.
Giving my eyes a roll for effect, I follow Zack and Aerith out of the foul-smelling gorge.
***
Aerith leads me through the halls, staring at everything the way a necromancer inspects fresh corpses. I, on the other hand, find myself sniffing every mortal to see how tasty they might be. Dunno if it's unfortunate or not, but my new rosario cloud's -funny, really- my judgment, making it impossible to tell if they would taste any good.
A giggle escapes Aerith's lips, snapping my attention back to her. She smiles and voices her thoughts, "They've changed this place since the last time I was here. For instance," she points at the tile under our feet, "that used to be a drab white. The red and black patterns are a nice update. And the walls were white, too. They've really spruced the place up."
I blink. "Uh-huh…"
She pauses. "Oh, this is your stop!" She shoves on my shoulder, throwing me towards the small room. I grunt out of distaste, collecting myself and putting my normal scowl in place before turning the knob.
I walk in and glare at the various students already gathered. The old mortal at the front of the room looks up and speaks, "Oh, you must be the new students. Care to introduce yourselves?"
I stand still, saying nothing, before turning and walking back to the third of five rows and stop at the third seat. Aerith's voice sounds behind me, "I'm sorry, sir. He's just shy. I'm Aerith, and he's Iurgium."
Completely ignoring the conversation behind me, I glare down at the mortal boy in my seat. He looks up at me. "What the heck do you want, Goth-boy?"
My eyes narrow. "My seat."
"Look, dude, this is my seat. Go find your own spot."
This guy is really starting to piss me off. Can't he just do as he's told? I know Aerith is watching to see if I'll 'fit in' and I don't doubt that she used her magic to get us in every class together, but I can't resist. This guy is ticking me off. I won't bite… this time.
"Come on, get out of here, you freak!"
Okay. That does it. Did it ever occur to you that mortals might be the freaks and demons are just stuck protecting your sorry asses? Even with my powers bound by my rosario, my hand flies forward with inhuman speed and grips him by his collar. I lift him to the side and drop him on the floor without taking my eyes off the sudden fear embedded on his face.
I drop down into my seat and pick his books up, letting those drop to the floor beside him with a thud. The kid looks up at me and gathers his books in a hurry before grabbing a seat on the opposite side of the room.
Aerith walks over and sits down in the seat behind me. She leans forward to whisper in my ear, "You know we'll be talking about this later."
I shrug a response as the old mortal adjusts the metal and glass objects on his nose before speaking.
***
Ten weeks. That's how long I've been in this alternate hell. I thought the mortal realm was supposed to be some sort of paradise? Whoever made that up deserves death in the most painful process imaginable. On the plus side, I've managed to keep my fangs out of every unsuspecting mortal around me. I glance down at the god-forsaken textbook in front of me and flip it closed. Bracing my hands against the desk, I shove back and stand. I switch my uniform for a pair of sweat pants and fall into bed, the hushed whispers of Aerith's and Zack's conversation slipping into my ears.
***
A groan escapes my lips as I push myself out of bed. A glance at my clock has me out of bed and racing for the bathroom, wondering if Aerith had attempted an electrical spell and short-circuited the power. A quick search of the apartment yields the absence of both the witch and her companion. What the hell? Did they abandon me here? In this mortal hell?
I turn, about ready to throw myself against the wall, when a flash of brown catches my eye. I walk over to the kitchen counter, where Aerith burned a message onto the surface. It read, 'Iurgium, I hope you see this before you trash the apartment, but I shut off your alarm. Yesterday morning was a mortal ritual called 'Daylight Savings Time.' It alters the time by one hour and I know you need all the sleep you can get as a starved vampire. Just come to school as soon as you wake up. See you there -Aerith.'
I roll my eyes. Geez. Damn mortals and all their stupid-ass 'rituals.' Ah, well. Just because last week was 'spring break' doesn't mean I can't have a bit more free time from that prison. I get myself a glass of cranberry juice from the refrigerator and sip it slowly. It might not be the consistency of blood, but it is the right color. It helps my hunger, if only a little.
I finish getting ready for school and grab the teleportation charm my teacher left for me. My eyes close as I focus on the scrap of paper and the world fades around me.
I push the door to the bathroom stall open and walk out to the school's halls. Taking a moment to get my bearings, I head down the hall for my second period, algebra. God, if mortals didn't spend so much time thinking up such useless things, I bet they might actually have a stable form of government.
I walk up to my classroom and pause. Something doesn't feel right. I sense… something new. It's not unpleasant, but it's not friendly, either. Whatever it is, I don't doubt I could take it. I take the knob and turn it before taking a few steps inside. I pause by the instructor's desk and quickly skim the room for the disturbance.
There. My eyes fall on a girl, no older than anyone else in this hellhole, with long, dark hair and a sorrowful frown. She's sitting in the desk next to mine, so I make my way over and sit down. I didn't have time to stop by my locker, so I didn't have any of my books for this class. Wouldn't have mattered if I did, anyway.
There was something about that girl. I don't know what, either. She's definitely not a demon, I know that much. But there was something else… I can't place it. Her physical features are just plain hot. Silken hair, woe-laden ruby eyes, a petite frame, long, slender legs, a short skirt… What man in his right mind -demon or no- wouldn't stare? She's almost the embodiment of all things Orcus isn't. Aether.
Her head starts to turn towards me and I snap my attention to the teacher. The gaze of those beautiful eyes leaves me and I turn back to her, just realizing what it is about her.
She smells so good. I can only imagine how she must taste.
***
I throw my books from forth period into my locker and grab my mortal currency for lunch. What can I say? It's routine by now. I slam my locker shut and sigh at the sight of the uniformed brunette waiting behind the door. She smiles openly and shouts over the noise of passing students, "Hey, Iurgium! What time did you come in for?"
"Halfway through second period."
"Oh, really? I guess that's not too late. How'd you sleep?"
"A lot worse than if you'd let me sleep during the day."
"You know how the darkness feeds your hunger. It would just be stupid of me to let you wander during those hours."
"Yeah, yeah…"
"Anyway, lunch! I wonder what's on the menu today?"
"Who cares?"
She laughed, apparently thinking I was joking, and followed the flow of students to the cafeteria. I trail along after them simply because any sustenance was better than none. Aerith stopped by the double doors and smiled, addressing me with a shout, "Iurgium! I'm going to wait for Nundinae. Go on ahead!"
I nod once and get in line for my food. If you could even call this shit food, but who am I to judge what mortals eat? After going through the motions, I get my meal and look for an empty table.
That's when I smell it. That's when I smell her. What the hell is it about that girl? I follow my nose towards the table in very corner of the large room and pull out a seat without an invitation. I sit down and let my eyes roam over her features, memorizing every detail.
She watches me with a hard expression and asks, "Am I that interesting?"
***
I clean out my locker of all the crap I'll need for tonight's homework at the day's end when Aerith stops beside me. A familiar scent lingers around her, permeating my senses with the lust for human blood. God, that girl, Tifa, she… Damn the Dominus! Why the fuck is she in my head like this!? I've never had a lust like this before. Tifa with her perfect eyes and her perfect scent and her perfect curves… She's so damn adorable! I sound like fucking idiot saying that, but I can't help it! That's what she is!
"-cor home, okay?"
I turn to Aerith, just realizing she was talking. "What were you saying?"
She rolls her eyes. "Did you hear a thing I just said?"
"Not… really…"
"Basically, I'm going to walk Seracor home and then meet up with you and Nundinae so we can do some grocery shopping. Maybe we can actually eat some decent food for lunch. Do you need anything before I go?"
I shake my head and watch her bounce down the hallway before releasing a sigh. Great. Not only am I stuck with Zack, but I'm stuck with him in public.
A loud shout echoes behind me, "Cloud! Ready to go?"
I roll my eyes and turn to face Zack. "Yeah, let's get this over with."
An insulted expression crosses his face. "'Get this over with'? What are you talking about? Surely my company is better than stiff ol' Aerith's!"
I keep my stare level and stay silent for a moment before allowing my grin show. "You are in so much trouble if I tell her you said that."
He waves a hand nonchalantly. "Eh, whatever. Wouldn't be the first time she punished me."
"How can you stand it? Being looked down on by your own companion?"
He shrugs as we head outside. "That's just the way it is. A word of advice: Don't fall for a council member."
"How come?"
"Makes life a helluva lot easier if you don't have to keep followin' her topside. And take care of her students, and do as she says, and- Oh, well, you're different from the rest. I mean, the whole almost-son thing and all."
Wonderful. Another reminder that I was raised by his companion. Don't get me wrong, Aerith was -and is- a great parental figure to me. Zack… Not so much. He's more like the older-younger brother I never had or wanted.
We continue our walk towards downtown and ten minutes later the pizza shop we all have come to love enters our sight. They serve a special called 'Vampire's Delight,' but they lie. There's not a drop of blood or flesh… It's just some processed meats and some sauce that looks a little more like blood than the usual.
"So the one thing I can't figure out about mortals…"
Just one thing, Zack?
"Is why do they call those things monkey wrenches? I mean, did monkeys use them or were they for beating bad monkeys or…?"
Like I know…
"I just can't figure it out…"
…or care. Finally, we're here. I move to push the door open as a cheerful voice that could only belong to one person fills my ears. "Hey! Nundinae! Iurgium! There you guys are!"
Zack turns and shoots a grin at his companion. "Hey, Aerith! Wassup?"
"I just split off from Seracor and came here. So! What should we get this time?"
Despite the apparent popular belief by mortals, judging by all the 'supernatural' stories I've stumbled across, demons don't have much larger appetites than humans. On the contrary, it's probably the opposite. I mean, we eat, but not that much.
Zack goes to open the door to the commercial building when a sound pierces through my finely-tuned vampiric hearing. A scream. To the south… It sounded like…
Tifa.
Before I can stop myself, my hand is reaching up and ripping my rosario from my neck and tossing to Aerith. I take off in the direction of the scream, ignoring Aerith's complaints. In the back of my mind, I hear the sound of her summoning a stop spell and Zack transforming.
Without my rosario, my full potential is free. My feet move beneath me at a speed where human passerby's would just see a black blur, probably. I can't hear anything else and I pray to whatever God there might be that she's alright. Deep inside, I can't help but hope that it isn't her. My ears have never failed me before, though. I perk up, trying to pick up more sounds to point me in the right direction.
There. The scuffling of feet and small splashes of water. Wait, was that a zipper? Oh, fuck no. I turn the corner and the sight makes my already blood-thirsty stomach hunger more. I'm not sure if it's the desire to see the disgusting mortal dead or my wish to have Tifa in my arms and open for my pleasure that makes me feel that way.
Not important right now.
I summon my flare powers and a small fire forms in my palm, growing slightly as I force myself to focus on it. I skid to a stop about ten feet away, hurling the flame and watching my power connect with the right side of the lowly mortal's face, burning it on contact. His scream echoes through the alley, feeding my hunger to a dangerous degree. I know I shouldn't let this go any further, but what could one little bite hurt?
My feet move beneath me, carrying me closer to him. My hand rises of its own accord and grips his throat, lifting him from the ground as my hold tightens. I hear him choking as his last breath fails him. His body falls limp in my grasp and I slowly lower him to the ground, just to make sure his blood isn't shifted too much. If there's one thing I hate, its shaken blood. It's been this long; I'm not going to ruin the one chance I have.
My fangs sink into his flesh, puncturing it for the feeding. Positioning my lips around the wounds, I start to drink his blood. Oh, yeah! It might be foul blood, but it's blood. I'll take it where I can get it. The flavor slowly slips down my throat, almost sending me to shivers from the sensation. I haven't fed on a fresh human in over eight years. The glory! The taste…!
A sound pierces through my thoughts, forcing me to search for the distraction. A beautiful brunette human sits in the rotten rainwater, a look of fear embedded on her gorgeous features. Her smell… She has got to be delicious…
A thud echoes in the back of my mind as I stand and slowly move towards her. Her neck looks so smooth and soft… The veins throbbing with every beat of her heart… Her blood… Her crimson blood…
Blood. Taste. Red. Girl. Blood. Skirt. Eyes. Fear. Taste. Blood. Rubies. Hunger. Veins. Red. Blood. Taste. Blood.
Must… Taste… Blood!!!
My mind refused to register what was going on then. It wasn't until later that I realized how sporadic my thoughts were. A vampire without the proper seal in the mortal realm is truly a dangerous thing.
***
I sit on the edge of the six-foot planter outside school. Tifa sits down a little ways from me, shy for some reason. She bites into her sandwich and my memory flashes back to two days ago, when I tasted her. She keeps her eyes down as she swallows her food before raising her gaze. She stares straight ahead, not looking at me and speaks, "Cloud…?"
My reply is more of a grunt than anything else. "Hn?"
"What… What's Orcus like?"
I snap my textbook closed and set it down. I haven't been hungry in almost two whole days. Judging by the amount of blood I drank, I probably won't be hungry for another two weeks. I sigh and answer her question with a brief, "It's hell."
She nods slowly. "I see. How sad…"
Against my better judgment, I turn to face her. "Why?"
"It's sad that you've spent your whole life in such a miserable place…"
I fight the chuckle deep inside my throat. Tifa was my master, after all. Wouldn't be a good idea to get on her bad side. "Don't misunderstand me. Hell to a demon is like…" I look around for an example. "It's like soil to a tree. It's bland, it's stereotypical, but all-in-all, it's where we belong."
Her expression shifts to one of understanding. "You never answered my question. What is Orcus like?"
"It's… home. There're always flames on every side. There's no outside; everything is inside dark and dismal caverns. Every breed has their own district where they can be 'safe' from all other breeds."
"What do you mean when you say 'breeds'?"
"Vampires, flares, witches, werewolves, succubuses, necromancers, artisans… So on and so forth."
"How many breeds are there?"
I shrug. "I have no idea. At least a good twenty or thirty, I'd say. Maybe more. Why?"
A faint blush burns softly at her cheeks, enhancing the ruby light of her eyes. "It's just… I want to get to know you better. That's all."
I lean back, using my palms as support to keep myself on the oversized planter. "If that's the case, you're asking all the wrong questions." She shoots me a look but I shrug it off. "Sure, asking about the place where I grew up might help you understand me, but it won't teach you about who I am."
"Alright…" She crossed her arms. "So tell me about yourself, then."
"Later. We have five minutes to get to our next class."
She glances at her watch. "Oh! Alright, let's go, um, what was it? Iurgeos?"
I roll my eyes. "Iurgium. But please call me 'Cloud,' master."
"If you stop calling me 'master.' I hate this stupid food-chain deal. The strong lead the weak? What sort of garbage is that?"
"'The strong lead the weak because the weak are not strong enough to lead themselves.'"
"What's that?"
"That's a common demon saying used to describe our leadership methods."
"Oh."
"Does it make any more sense to you now?"
"Not really… It still seems insane to me."
"It's insane to me, too."
***
I follow her back to her home for the forth night in a row, wondering how long this will last before her parents find out I've been sleeping on her balcony. She opens the front door and walks inside. I follow closely, unable to get enough of her scent. Sure, I may have tasted her, but that only lasts so long. It'll last a little while, but then I'll start to hunger again. It's the unbreakable cycle.
She lifts a piece of paper from the counter and reads it briefly before turning to me. "My mom went shopping, so I guess it's just us until my dad gets home."
I nod. "I see. Then we can finish our conversation from lunch."
She sits on the couch and pulls notebook from her bag, observing my penmanship from fourth period. "Alright… So, um…What exactly are vampires?"
I raise an eyebrow. "What are humans?"
She blushes. God, she's beautiful when she blushes. "I meant… What does it mean to be a vampire?"
"I don't follow."
"What can you do? I mean, monsters have special powers, right?"
I can't help it. I laugh. A full, rich, arrogant laugh. "First off, you would be wise not to address any of my kind as 'monsters.' We much prefer 'demon.'"
She looks startled by my reaction. I guess I can't blame her. "O-okay. I'll remember that…"
"Secondly, while I wouldn't call them 'powers,' yes, we do have… abilities… mortals do not."
She slides forward on the sofa, interested in my response. "Like what?"
I scratch the back of my head, unsure of how to reply. "You asked about vampires, so… We are one of the more physical breeds; along with succubuses and werewolves. The latter are closer to the magic side because of their transformations -like you saw with Zack- while succubuses nature is somewhat more magical as a whole. They have a… unnatural… way with the body. It's not entirely magical, but it's not physical, either."
"But what about vampires?"
"We are the most physical of all the breeds. Everything we do is natural. We are powered by our lust for human blood. It… drives us. Unlike a succubus's desire for fucking, ours is uncontrollable except by a rosario. If I were to remove this-" I hold up my rosario for emphasis "-I would lose all control of my senses and probably would have sucked every drop of blood from your body by now."
She releases a gasp. "What can you do, though?"
"Vampires don't get fancy spells like witches or puppet mastery like necromancers. All of our abilities are, like I said, purely physical. Strength, hearing, smell, taste, eyesight… Our senses are developed far beyond that of other demons."
"So, let me get this straight. Succubuses, um, get physical for fun?"
I sigh. "We do, too, but ours is dangerous for mortals. Ours is in our nature for survival, while damn succubuses just go for pleasure. They have no need to actually have sex."
"Okay… So, do vampires have sex, too?"
My eyebrow rises again and I can feel my heartbeat quicken. "Are you suggesting something?"
My appearance must look pretty calm still, because she doesn't seem to realize what she just did to me. A bright blush burns at her face and she hides behind her hands. "No! I didn't mean…! I… I just…" Her voice drops to a whisper, "Oh, my Goddess… I can't believe I said that…!"
"To answer your question, yes. Even vampires have their desires… and the need to procreate."
Her face remains hidden in her hands. "I… I see… I…"
"It was a simple slip of the tongue. Don't dwell on it for too long. Any other questions?"
She finally collects herself, slowly rising again with the heat still showing on her face. "Oh… Uh… What about… What about that fire?"
"Hm?"
"That blue fire… It saved me… It was you, wasn't it?"
I nod slowly. "Yes, that was my flame."
"But… You said vampires don't have any magical abilities."
My gaze lowers. "That's because… Well…"
She stutters a quick apology, "I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to bring back any bad memories or anything…"
Another sigh. "You are my master. If you want to know, I have to speak."
"Cloud, that's… That's not right. If you want to give up your freedom, so be it. But I'm not going to sacrifice my equal-opportunity way of thinking for some stupid mistake."
I look back up to her, locking my gaze onto hers. "Is that so?"
She nods defiantly. "If I must be your master, then at least let me be a merciful one."
I shrug. "You are the master. The choice is yours."
***
I stack Tifa's stuff together and stand from forth period. I hate mortal history. It so frickin' boring. I mean, what the heck do I care about the past of Gaia? Seriously? I was much happier with the damn chemistry class I had before I started following Tifa. Granted, she makes it worth it, but still… It's still a pain in the ass.
"Cloud?"
I look up at her. Damn, she's beautiful. "Yeah?"
"Um, lunch?"
"Oh, right." I gesture towards the door, letting her go first like the gentleman I am. A gentleman that drinks the blood of gorgeous mortals, but still… If you were in my place, you'd have done the same thing. Just trust me on this one.
She walks out the door, turning to make sure I'm following before heading towards her locker to get our lunches and deposit her crap from class. I'd started leaving my lunch in her locker since it was an overall time-saver.
We head to the front door, our regular lunch spot, and I set my lunch on the planter. I move behind Tifa and set my hands on her waist. She gasps as I easily lift her up to the ledge. I pull myself up next to her and pick up my lunch sack. I dig around inside, fully aware of her eyes on me, and pull a sandwich made of some kind of mortal livestock.
I give a sigh and finally turn to face her, no longer having an excuse to look away. I know the look in her eyes is going to kill me. It always does.
I'm surprised when she turns away. What the…? I keep my hands to myself as I ask, "Tifa?"
She still doesn't look. "Yes?"
"Are you alright?"
Still her eyes stay on the pleats of her skirt. "I'm fine. Why?"
I know I'm not going to win this one. "You're just… acting unusually."
"No, I'm not. I'm just fine."
I hate having to stoop this low. "You were really stiff during class, too."
She finally glances at me out of the corner of her eye. It's only a brief glance then her eyes are back to her knees. "As if you know."
"You were practically on my lap." Shut up, shut up, shut up! Stop talking! Now! This is only going to make things worse between us. She already hates me for clinging like a snake to shadows…
"Cloud… I…"
"Iurgium! Seracor!" Aerith comes out the front of the school with Zack in tow, waving high over her head. She stops in front of us and smiles. "We're going back to Orcus tonight, so if you want to say good-bye, stop by the apartment after school."
A new thought occurs to me. "Do I need to move my stuff out?"
Aerith gives her head a shake. "Nope! Orcus will continue to fund the place, so it'll be yours for awhile."
I nod. "Thanks."
Zack grins from behind his companion. "So, Cloud, are you gonna miss me?"
I shake my head, laughing my ass off on the inside. "Nope."
His shoulders slump a little. "Aw, man… Can't you lie and make me feel a little better?"
"Nope."
Aerith laughs and rubs a hand through her companion's hair, scratching him behind the ear to appeal to his dog side. "Don't worry, Nundinae. I still love you for all your quirks."
"Aw, thanks, Aerith."
I notice Tifa has been uncharacteristically quiet through this conversation. She's usually flying off the handle, asking a whole frickload of questions about Orcus and demons. I am definitely going to be talking to her about this later.
***
I follow Tifa down the hall to sixth period when she suddenly reaches out and grabs my wrist, pulling me off to the side. Don't laugh at me. I was taken by surprise.
I look around the empty classroom. "Tifa, I don't think our class is-"
I feel my breath hitch in my throat as her slender fingers slowly feel their way up my chest. The thin fabric of my undershirt does little to block out the heat of her palms. I barely get a breath in before her lips softly tread over mine. She starts slow, brushing her lips back and forth over mine and then pressing harder to seal her mouth over mine.
Wait. What? What the-? I thought she hated me… Since when does hate turn into this? Oh, shit… I thought her blood tasted good? Well, it did, but her mouth… On top of her fruity lip balm, she tastes like… passion and grace. I know. It sounds dumb, but that's what I taste.
It occurs to me finally that she's been kissing me and I'm just standing there. Crap! She's probably starting to think I don't like her! Damn it! Wait… How… do you… kiss…? I've never kissed anyone before… Fuck! Oh, shit. Bad choice of words. Stop thinking, Strife, and just go with it! There's got to be tons of people this age who've never kissed before.
I know it involves your tongue… kind of… Alright, let's just try this. I angle my chin a little to fit my mouth against hers better. There. That feels… way too damn good for something so simple.
Her hands slip slowly upwards to twist into my hair. Ow. I'm really regretting my lack of a comb this week. She doesn't seem to notice as she grips more tightly. Ow.
Oh, right. Hands. What do I do with those? Shoulders? Too awkward. Waist? She's not close enough. Butt? Waaayyy too awkward. Hips? Hips could work. Slowly, and still a bit unsure, I set my palms on her hips.
I must've done something right. Suddenly, her body lurches forward, pressing closer to mine. At this proximity, she must be able to feel what she's doing to me.
Hips don't feel right anymore. My hands slowly crawl up to her back and press against her shoulder blades, pulling her closer. That feels nice.
Alright… Tongue… Tongue… How does this work? Just… get past her lips and… move around? That's my best guess. Let's just do this as we go. First step: get past her lips. I guess I just… push past? Her mouth is still closed against mine, so should I be gentle and let her know I want to explore or just force my way in? Who am I kidding? This is Tifa! She deserves the best and most gentlemanly behavior I can give.
I part my lips slowly and rub the tip of my tongue against her mouth. It takes her a little bit, but eventually her lips part for me. My tongue is inside her mouth before I can stop myself. Whatever happened to 'gentleman,' Strife? Oh-ho-ho… Now I know why mortals jam their tongues in each others' throats. The sensations are just… I always thought it was disgusting when I heard the succubuses talking. But now…? Well, suffice to say my opinion has changed.
A shiver echoes through her body, vibrating into my hands. Oh, God… I'm starting hunger again. I didn't think I'd even consider it for another week or so.
Her tongue starts to run against mine, pushing me back and fighting to explore my mouth. This isn't supposed to happen! Tifa, you… Damn it! She's winning! This can't be happening! I like being in her mouth!
She finally gets her way and forces her way into my mouth. Oh, hey… No, I can deal. Mm… I had no idea how sensitive my fangs were to her advances. My throat starts to tighten a little as a moan pushes its way up. Damn, how does she know to do these things? How in the chains of Orcus does she know how to spur a seventeen-year-old vampire?
Oh, fuck, no. I can't take this. If I let this last any longer, I'll end up with either my fangs in her neck or my pants at my ankles.
I force myself to pull away from her and look her in the eye, hating myself for letting it get as far as it did. I mean, I just sucked my master's lips off! Granted, she initiated it, but still… Nothing can happen between us. I'm foolish for even thinking there might be a chance. We might be close in age now, but she's a mortal; her body will age while mine will mature to early-twenties and stop. It just won't work.
"Cloud…" My name slips past her lips and the tenderness with which she speaks almost has me leaning back to her.
I watch her eyes watching me. I know she wants more from me, but it… it can't happen. Finally, I reach up and tuck a lock of her hair behind her ear while whispering, "Tifa… Why…?"
Her face rams into my neck as her hold tightens on my shoulders. "Cloud… I… If I'm going to be stuck with you for the rest of my life, I want to spend it the way my heart tells me to."
Oh, crap. She… Oh, crap, crap, and double crap. This is not good. I'm about to tell her we can't be together when a forgotten factor jumps into my brain. Suddenly, I feel very depressed. My shoulders droop. "I drank your blood. I am yours now."
I can hear the anger slipping into her tone. "I don't want to be with you like this unless you're happy with it… Even if I 'own' you… I want you to feel the same way about me as I do about you."
I run a hand through her hair before resting my cheek on the silken tresses. "Tifa… You have nothing to worry about. When I drank your blood, I tasted your being… When you kissed me, I tasted your hunger… Now, all I want is to taste all of you… Your body, blood, and soul."
"Cloud…" Her grip on my shoulders tightens. "And taste me you will…"
"Tifa, that's… If you're saying what I think you're saying, then that can't ever happen. Not now, not ten years from now, not ever. Mortals and demons aren't… allowed. It just won't work."
"Cloud, that's not… I mean, I…" Her head shifts a little against my neck. "We are ridiculously late for class."
"Who gives a shit?"
She pulls back to leave. "I do, Cloud. My parents would flip if they found out I skipped class to make out."
I reach out to catch her wrist. "Tifa, this is important. Yes, you are my master. Yes, you can tell me what to do. Yes, I'll blindly follow because I screwed up royally. But, Tifa… What you're suggesting…It can't ever happen."
She turned around, yanking her wrist free from my hold, and made for the door. I follow, thoughts to make sure she's alright more consuming than the fact that I'll be deported if I get too far away.
I grab her wrist as she tries to run. "Tifa! Listen to me."
She turns to me; the tears running down her face making me forget what I was going to say. "What?" she snaps.
"I…" My hand comes up to brush her tears away. She doesn't try to stop me, but doesn't lean into my touch, either. "Tifa… What I said… That's law. I can't. It's not because I don't want it, too. If I could, I would."
"Cloud… I just… I've never felt like this before. That was… That was my first real kiss, too. I mean, guys have given me quick kisses on the cheek and stuff, but not like that. That was… totally new to me."
"Tifa…?"
"Yeah?"
"Would you believe me if I said that was my first kiss ever?"
"Cloud…?"
"Hm?"
"If we can't… If we're not supposed to… If your laws say… Can we still… you know… have a relationship?"
"You mean… like dating?" I think that's the word mortals use, anyway.
"Yeah… Dating."
"As long as we can stay chaste, it shouldn't be a problem."
We all know how long that lasted, huh? The next morning will be the first chapter of the series, so if you want to see what happens, then keep your eyes peeled. I'll be posting the series separately with this and Tifa's POV as prologues. I had too much fun writing Cloud in first-person, so a majority of the story will be -as I initially planned- from Tifa's point of view with a few sections from Cloud's.
Hope to see you there! (When I can finally feel guilt-free enough to write it… and ignore all my other stories.)
-Valk
