A/N: Um, yeah. Four months for this one. I'm surprised no one has yelled at me yet...
Once again, this chapter contains some explicit sexual stuff, so go to http / maxw3llsmage . livejournal . com / 6912 . html (no spaces) if you want to see the uncensored version.
Also, I am pleased to introduce the HaoYoh and FaustEliza dynamic in this chapter. I am also...less than pleased to introduce some badly-written LysergHoro (but only for a short time, don't worry--HoroRen will always be my SK OTP), and some not-so-decent RenHoro. My smut-writing skills today are very lacking indeed, and I can only say they were worse two years ago. Bleh.
I'm starting to really fear that this story will never be finished. I'll let you all know, of course, if I decide to discontinue it.
(Edit 7/17/07) Wow, I'm stupid; I posted the chapter without editing out the smut. Heh. It's all taken care of now!
INTEMPTESTA NOX: CHAPTER IV
It was an hour after sunset when Usui Horokeu pulled on a light jacket and stepped outside, closing the front door behind him. His breath crystallized in the air before his face, but he did not mind the cold as he walked slowly down the stairs, hands shoved in his pockets, glancing up at the stars that were just starting to wink on in the night sky above.
As he reached the bottom of the stairs and turned onto the sidewalk, his Master's words from the previous night came slowly back to him, as if from a dream.
Even I cannot tell what will happen…
Horokeu shook his head as he continued to walk. His Master was just trying to scare him, that was all. There was nothing out here that was threatening; it was a quiet town with hardly any action, so he had nothing to be afraid of. Really.
Still, even as Horokeu walked slowly down the sidewalk, he could not ignore the small feeling of guilt that nagged at the back of his mind, guilt that he had disobeyed his Master's wishes. Clearly his Master did not wish for him to go out on these searches, but the truth was that Horokeu had reached the point where he must know more about his mysterious visitor or die trying. He could stand the mystery, the questions, the secrecy no longer, and so he walked, peering into the dark alleyways and the long shadows created by the streetlamps.
A slight movement at the very edge of his peripheral vision caught his attention, and Horokeu turned just in time to see something dark slip into a nearby alleyway. He barely got a glimpse of a tall human figure, face and body completely shadowed save for the eyes—glowing in the dark, like a cat's eyes, like his Master's eyes. Without hesitating he spun and raced off after it, leaping over garbage cans and loose trash as he pursued the fleeting shadow. His heart was pounding in his chest; could this be a clue as to the whereabouts of his Master? Could this—
The damp brick wall opened suddenly before him, and Horokeu brought himself to a quick stop, breathing hard. He turned a full, wide circle, searching the cracked asphault and the concrete walls, but could see nothing but trash, grime and mold. The shadow was gone.
Almost involuntarily Horokeu heaved a sigh of disappointment. It had probably been a cat, or some other animal that he had once again mistaken for something more and had gone chasing like a madman. He shook his head slowly. Why did his mind automatically associate anything dark and mysterious with his visitor? Why didn't he just go through public records, phone books, places where the light was plentiful and he was bound to find more information? Why did he always get the feeling that doing such things would prove useless?
He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he did not hear the soft hiss, but the sudden chill that ran through his body was too much to ignore. Suddenly aware of another presence above him, he instantly looked up, just in time to see something, a dark mass crouched on the wall above him like a spider, peering down at him with gleaming eyes.
For an instant Horokeu was unable to move, paralyzed with something more than fear, but then instinct set in and he turned to flee. Just then, however, the shadow detached itself from the wall, falling freely toward the Ainu, and Horokeu's scream was cut off as he suddenly felt a heavy weight fall onto his back, forcing him roughly onto the ground. Instantly he turned, expecting to struggle against the great weight, but found instead that the thing was almost impossibly light, no more than a feather upon his chest so that he was able to spin onto his back easily. But there was no mistaking that there was something on top of him, for he found himself staring into a pair of glittering green eyes set in a ghastly pale face, and Horokeu cried out in surprise when he saw the dark lips open, revealing a set of pearly white teeth equipped with abnormally long canines.
Before the Ainu could do anything, though, the thing seized him by the shoulders, forcing him against the ground and bending over him, and an instant later Horokeu gasped at the sharp stinging pain as the thing sank its fangs into his neck, and suddenly it seemed that he lost track of the time, for the entire world seemed to spin, the stars to dip and to chase the sun and the moon endlessly around and around in a dreamy circle. His world shrank suddenly to a single point unto a blinking light, like a beacon beckoning to him through the darkness that was now closing in around him, and as Horokeu watched breathlessly, helplessly, the light slowly darkened from bright white to a dull dark red, then to silver, then to dark gray, until suddenly it winked out altogether.
It was the heat that finally brought Horokeu out of his deep slumber, and he shuddered and blinked his eyes slowly open. For a moment his vision was a myriad of blurred, hopeless images—a flash of yellow, dark velvet red, black—then suddenly green, emerald green that filled his vision. Horokeu blinked as his vision slowly but surely focused, still fuzzy on the edges but clear enough for him to realize that he was staring into a pair of eyes that were looking right back at him.
The rest of the dark room was nothing more than a dim blur, but even as Horokeu opened his mouth to speak, a wave of fresh heat washed up from between his legs, sending sparks through his nerves, and he had barely registered how he had truly been awakened when this new stranger spoke.
"You are Usui Horokeu, I presume?" he asked. Horokeu did not recognize his voice, and indeed he spoke Japanese with a distinct accent, though the Ainu did not know where the accent had originated. In fact, it seemed he had never met this person before, for he had light green hair to match his eyes, and was dressed in a style not popular in Japan.
Still, there was something about this person, some feeling, some aura, that somehow reminded Horokeu of his Master, and so he spoke slowly, attempting to steady his breathing that was now hitching with every erotic caress the new stranger was giving him. "Are you…ahh…m-my Master?" he whispered, arching involuntarily into the green-haired man's expert hand.
He was surprised when the stranger gave a low laugh before wrapping his fingers firmly around Horokeu's half-aroused member, smiling when the Ainu moaned in appreciation. "No, Horokeu," he said. "Though now that I see how truly beautiful you are, I rather wish I was." He bent closer, pressing his thumb firmly against the head, causing Horokeu to shudder with pleasure. "You may call me Lyserg," he said, so close to Horokeu that the Ainu could feel his breath blasting in his face. "Lyserg Diethyl, if you prefer the formalities."
"L-Lyserg…" Horokeu was finding it hard to concentrate between Lyserg's ministrations and this semi-conscious state he could not seem to awaken from. "Then you're n-not—oh!" He moaned as Lyserg stroked faster, in the meantime leaning in and planting hot kisses along Horokeu's throat, his tongue flicking lightly over the sensitive skin.
Horokeu bit his lip. "Lyserg, please…"
"Hm?" Lyserg paused briefly in his actions. "You don't like this?"
"Y-Yes," Horokeu answered, panting heavily. "I do. It feels…good, but…but…" He did not know how to explain it, but somehow, this did not feel right. If Lyserg was not his Master, then he could not do this. Only his Master had the right…the right to his body.
"Please," Horokeu whispered, whimpering slightly when another erotic stroke from Lyserg nearly numbed his mind with pleasure. "I-I…"
"Lyserg."
Horokeu was at first so absorbed in the heat of the moment that he did not register the new voice. However, when Lyserg's caresses suddenly ceased and the heat began to recede, Horokeu slowly cracked his eyes open, half wanting more, half curious about why Lyserg had stopped. Through his blurred vision he could barely make out a new figure, dark, shadowed, standing over the green-haired man and the Ainu. The dim lights on the ceiling threw no shadow on the floor, yet Horokeu was too groggy to notice.
The figure spoke again. "What are you doing, Lyserg?" he asked.
Instantly something snapped inside Horokeu's mind: the voice was familiar; it was his Master's voice. Eagerly he sat up, Lyserg quite forgotten as he strained his eyes to see his Master, but somehow he could not make out more than a fuzzy image of golden eyes, purple hair, and black clothing, though he blinked and strained his vision as much as he could.
Lyserg rose slowly, bowing slightly to the new arrival. "Just a test, sire," he said, voice low and respectful.
Horokeu's Master cocked his head slightly, and when he spoke, his voice was rather amused. "And for what sort of test would you bring Horokeu all the way here?" he asked.
At this, Lyserg smiled. "He's safer here," he said, before pausing and adding in a rather mischievous voice, "and I was curious as to what he was capable of. After all, you had mentioned—"
"Yes, I am aware." Horokeu's Master laughed, a low, deep chuckle. "Intriguing, isn't he?" He waved his hand then dismissively at Lyserg. "Come now, but he belongs to me. Go."
Lyserg sighed. "But Ren-sama, I'd hardly begun," he protested.
Horokeu's Master shook his head. "Go," he repeated, "Else Marco will get impatient. And you know how he gets when he's impatient."
"Hm." Lyserg shrugged as if it was of no consequence. "Well, it was entertaining while it lasted," he said, half-addressing Horokeu and half-addressing the new arrival. "My respects, Ren-sama." He bowed, and Horokeu barely heard his footsteps receding, followed by the sound of a door opening and closing. The Ainu did not even glance in Lyserg's direction; his attention was fixated on the figure standing before him.
For a moment neither moved nor spoke, but soon his Master came up to him, kneeling down before the Ainu and gently tilting his chin upward so that he could get a closer look at him, ignoring the fact that Horokeu was at the moment exposed in a most indecent way. Still Horokeu could not seem to awaken from his groggy state and so he could make out nothing more than his Master's intoxicating golden eyes as the other man gave him a thorough scrutiny, knitting his brows slightly when he peered at Horokeu's neck.
"Well now…" he muttered, almost to himself, as he reached up and gently touched the side of Horokeu's throat; instantly the Ainu shivered at both the cold feeling of his fingers and the sharp sting of his touch—he vaguely remembered that thing, which he now suspected could somehow have been Lyserg with his green eyes, had bitten him somewhere near or on this spot.
"Looks like Lyserg had himself quite a feast," his Master remarked lightly. "I'm not surprised that you are not yourself."
Horokeu hardly heard him. "You're my Master," he blurted out.
His Master smiled. "Well, it's good to know that you are not completely incapacitated after losing so much blood," he said, before nodding slowly. "Yes, Horokeu, I am your Master. Tao Ren is my name, if you're curious."
"Tao Ren…" Horokeu repeated the name slowly; it sounded foreign, but somehow he loved it already. "You're the one who's been visiting me every night?"
"I would allow no other, now would I?" Ren said, smiling as he reached up to stroke Horokeu's cheek. "Such a beautiful, perfect mortal…"
Horokeu blinked. "M-Mortal?"
Ren smiled. "You will eventually die, won't you? That makes you mortal."
"Yes, but…" Horokeu frowned. "Why me and not you?"
At this, he was surprised when Ren laughed. "Why, indeed," he said. "Come now, Horokeu, I know you're smarter than this. You've seen Lyserg, and what he is capable of. I know you have your legends and your folk tales; surely you can't have missed the clues?"
He smiled then, displaying a set of polished white teeth, and the instant Horokeu noticed the canines, almost three times as long as they normally would be and sharpened to fine points, he realized. For a moment he grew confused as scientific laws and basic common sense revolted against the thought, but when he spoke, his voice was amazingly calm and resolute.
"You're a vampire."
Ren's grin widened, showing even more prominently his sharpened fangs. "Excellent, Horokeu," he said. "You are truly worthy of serving me."
Horokeu blinked, the words taking a moment to register in his dazed state. "Serving…you?"
Ren cocked his head. "Surely you must have realized," he said, speaking as if surprised that Horokeu did not understand.
Horokeu shook his head. "I'm sorry, Ren, but—" He never finished, for at that instant Ren's hand came up and slapped him across the face, causing his cheek to smart so that tears jumped to his eyes. Reaching up to touch his swelling face, he stared at Ren in shock. The vampire looked far from pleased.
"You've already forgotten?" Ren said, his voice low. He gripped Horokeu's chin tightly in his hand, forcing the Ainu to look straight into his hard golden eyes. "You are only to call me Master, Horokeu," he said. "Nothing more, nothing less, as long as you remain my slave."
The last word distracted Horokeu from Ren's anger. "Slave?"
At this, Ren's expression softened and returned to the cool impassiveness of before, and he gently released the Ainu. "It seems you do not fully comprehend," he said. "I warned you against it, but you have ended up in the underworld anyway. Mortals who step into the realm of immortals cannot step out again freely. You will remain here as my slave for as long as I deem fit."
His words paralyzed Horokeu, and instantly confusion tore through his mind. Half of him revolted at the thought of serving Ren like a mindless captive, of having to obey someone else's every word and command and to be at his every beck and call. But the other half of him somehow felt that this was right, that he would gladly give up his entire life to serve his Master if it meant he could be with Ren forever, and this was the side that, as of late, Horokeu had gotten into the habit of listening to.
When he spoke, his voice was soft yet resolute. "Yes, Master."
"Very good." And before Horokeu could say anything more, his arm was taken in an iron grip and he was hauled to his feet. Instantly the entire room spun in lazy circles as what blood left in his body shifted, trying to accommodate this new position, and he would have fallen had Ren not wrapped an arm firmly around him, allowing Horokeu to lean against him as they made their way slowly across the room. Horokeu's vision was still blurry, yet he could tell from the lighting as they entered another room that they were in a bathroom, and he was not surprised when Ren set him gently against the counter and proceeded to carefully remove his clothing. When that was done, Ren led him slowly into the shower and turned the knobs. The water was hot, so hot that it nearly scalded his skin, and with this sudden shock Horokeu was jolted partially out of his faint condition, just enough so that he could peer at Ren closely and clearly as the vampire proceeded to scrub him down with a washcloth as tenderly as a mother would her child.
The first thing that struck Horokeu about Ren was the fact that, though he had the complexion of an Asian, he did not look Japanese. Thinking carefully over the name Tao Ren, Horokeu at last decided that Ren had to be at least part-Chinese. Peering carefully at the vampire even as the hot water ran down his face, he noted Ren's pale features, his dark purple hair that hung partially in front of his face and spiked at the top of his head, and the simple black long-sleeve shirt and dark jeans he was wearing. Horokeu also realized with some surprise that Ren was a good couple of inches shorter than he was; he had seemed tall enough when they were making love.
(cut)
He did not have time to relish the afterglow for Ren seized him, using the showerhead to clean him up before turning off the water and dragging him out. Startled by his sudden haste, Horokeu looked up, the passionate haze barely starting to clear as he peered at Ren, who was drying him with towels. "M-Master?" he whispered, worried. Had he done something wrong?
"It's not you," Ren said, as if he could read Horokeu's thoughts. He gently slid a black silk robe onto Horokeu's bare shoulders, tying it for him. When the Ainu was thus once again decent, Ren seized his hand, leading him toward the closed bathroom door. "Come along," he said. "He's waiting for us."
"Who?" Horokeu asked, watching as Ren turned the doorknob.
"Our leader," Ren answered in a matter-of-fact voice, pulling open the door.
Instantly Horokeu blinked, waiting for his eyes to adjust from the harsh bathroom lights to the dimmer setting of the room he had awoken in. It took a moment before he was finally able to distinguish anything from the soft darkness of the muted lamps. Slowly, before his adjusting eyes, shadowy figures began to take on distinct, more human features.
The first one he recognized was Lyserg, who at the moment was bowing respectfully in Ren's direction. Across the room stood a tall couple: a tall blond man dressed in a thick coat with an oddly-shaped hat on his head, and a slim woman wearing a simple pink dress and with golden locks that cascaded down her shoulders in waves to her thin waist. Both merely nodded in Ren's direction, and Horokeu had the sense that they were equals, though he had no idea how levels in the apparent vampiric hierarchy were determined.
Suddenly his hand was released and, turning, he blinked when he saw Ren dip his body in a reverent bow. He was facing neither Lyserg nor the odd couple in the corner; Horokeu looked and saw two people standing in the middle of the room, facing them, one behind the other. The one in front had long, dark brown hair that fell neatly down his shoulders and Horokeu could see almost nothing of his body for he was wearing a cream-colored mantle that covered everything. The one in back surprised the Ainu because his facial features almost exactly matched those of the one in front, save that his hair was shorter and tied in a ponytail at the back of his head, and Horokeu immediately noticed that, while everyone else in the room had skin that was colored a pale, creamy white, this man's skin was like Horokeu's own: warm, flushed, alive.
His attention was drawn when the taller of the two, the one with the longer hair, cocked his head slightly and spoke. "Would this fair one happen to be your new slave, Ren?" he asked with a chuckle, voice low yet light. "Haven't taught him the proper manners yet?"
Horokeu was about to answer when he was suddenly stricken a blow from behind that caused him to fall to his knees with a startled cry. To his left he heard Ren snarl in anger, "Show respect, slave."
"S-Sorry," Horokeu whispered, not knowing whether he was apologizing to Ren or to the long-haired man.
The new arrival laughed with the air of one who had no cares about the situation either way. "No need to apologize, mortal," he said. "Even my slave here forgot in the beginning…though I soon corrected his ways." He nodded slightly in the direction of the man standing behind him, who made no response, remaining respectfully quiet.
The long-haired man then took a step forward, putting out his hand and slowly helping Horokeu back up to his feet. "Now then," he said. "I don't think we've had the pleasure yet." He offered his hand. "Asakura Hao, Ren's creator. In terms you can easily understand, I am your master's master."
Horokeu glanced to his left, as if asking Ren's permission to touch Hao. The golden-eyed vampire made no attempt to answer him, however, and so he hesitantly reached out and took the offered hand. "Usui Horok—ah!" He could not hold back his startled cry as Hao yanked him forward, and before he even had a chance to wonder what was going on he felt the vampire's ice-cold hand dip under the thin material of the robe, wandering over his skin. Involuntarily he hissed in surprise at the feeling, but that only drew another amused laugh from Hao.
"Sensitive, are we?" he said, smiling as he withdrew his hand. He turned then to Ren and nodded. "You've quite a find here, my child. I especially like the hair." With a slight push he sent Horokeu stumbling back toward the other vampire, who caught him in strong arms and wrapped him in a comforting embrace. Instantly Horokeu's fear vanished and he relaxed.
Ren did not look at him as he addressed Hao, voice even and respectful. "Thank you, Hao-sama."
"Well then," Hao said, stepping back and snapping his fingers; instantly the man behind him stepped up. "Usui Horokeu, right? Allow me to make introductions." He snaked an arm around his companion's waist, allowing the other man's head to fall back onto his chest. "This is Asakura Yoh, my most recent…and most satisfying…slave." He dipped his head slightly and planted a kiss on Yoh's lips, which was eagerly returned. "He should make good company."
He turned then to the other vampires present in the room. "Lyserg you have already met," he said, nodding to the green-haired vampire in the corner. "Over there is Faust with his wife Eliza." The blond man tipped his hat with a smile; the woman merely nodded, snuggling closer to her husband.
Hao nodded. "And that will be all concerning the slave," he said, voice suddenly growing harder, more cruel. He did not look at Horokeu again as he turned to the rest of the vampires. "It grows late, but there is still time. Jeanne will be out as well, so I suggest you be careful." He turned to Faust. "You're staying tonight."
Faust nodded. "Of course, Hao-sama," he said. "Eliza will bring me what I need." His wife nodded, giving him a kiss before detaching herself from him and stepping forward. Lyserg joined her, and Ren, looking down at Horokeu, smiled and kissed his forehead lightly.
"I'll be back soon," he said.
"Where are you going, Master?" Horokeu asked.
"Why, to hunt, of course," Hao said with an amused smile. "Honestly, Ren, your slave seems a little slow on the uptake, hm?"
"That would be my fault, Hao-sama," Lyserg said with a mischievous grin.
"Is it?" Hao said, his smile not fading. "I was under the impression Ren did not like others touching his property."
"I don't," Ren said, giving Lyserg a pointed look before gently disengaging Horokeu and joining Hao.
The long-haired vampire simply smiled, turning to Yoh and running a gentle hand down the side of his face. "I'm expecting something nice when I get back," he whispered. Yoh blushed lightly and nodded. Still grinning, Hao turned and waved nonchalantly at the large window at the back of the room; instantly the double panes flew open with a loud bang. As the chilly night air rushed into the room, Horokeu could only stare as each vampire seemed to rise on the current before darting out into the night with incredible speed; the Ainu only had to blink and then they were gone.
He was left alone in the room with only Faust and Yoh. Turning, he watched quietly as the blond vampire walked—no, glided, it seemed—up to the open window and closed it gently. He turned then to Horokeu and smiled, a caring, fatherly grin. "If you need some clothes to change into, I'm sure Yoh will be more than happy to provide them for you," he said.
Yoh nodded and spoke for the first time. "Come with me," he said, beckoning to Horokeu. Noting how his voice seemed to exactly match Hao's tone, Horokeu obeyed, tailing the other human out of the room. Faust smiled, flicking the flower in his hat indifferently as he looked out through the window at the dark night.
