Romance?! Romance with Rose and Kain?! That's just wrong! Sure, there'll end up being a slight one-sided romantic dido but, not Rose of all people! Or Kain! That's a thought that never even had the audacity to be in my dreams! (And trust me, no matter how sad it is, I have dreamed about Rose before. It was kinda scary, but it happened.)

MWMWMW

The unknown vampire jumped away from the gate (preassemble having just stepping forwards to open it) as soon as they walked into his line of view.

"Marcus, my old friend . . . " Kain looked upon his bewildered acquaintance with nostalgia.

"You, I, when did . . . ?" He spluttered confusedly as he heard them, looking from Kain to Rose to Kain again.

"Oh yes . . . " Rose started as if reading his mind "We're quit real, no need to question your mental stability . . . well, for this reason any way. I can't entirely promise your state of mind out side of this moment . . . But rest assured! We are real! But then, if I were a hallucination, I still might be reassuring the same thing. Well, I also must add that real is a relative term based on perspective, what the majority of people believe and the health of the person in question . . . but that brings us back to the whole sanity dilemma, doesn't it . . . ?" She rambled in her usual fashion.

It seemed that hearing Rose strengthened Marcus' notions of reality he had previous to their intrusion. In that respect, Rose's rant was a success, if not for the reasons she had intended. Ironically, it seemed to put him at ease and show him his own foolishness. Presently, he addressed Kain, really not wanting to encourage another bout of meaningless babble.

"'Old friend'? A poor choice of words Kain, we were never friends . . . " He tried recovering his lost dignity.

Rose spoke again, regardless of the fact that he had been referring to Kain. "My! But you are hard set on spoiling what could very well have been a beautiful reunion! Well, I do hear tell that you didn't part on a high note, but you really must be willing to put old grudges aside . . . !"

"Old grudges?!" He hissed indignantly. "Kain tried to kill me!"

"I seemed to have failed." Kain interjected with amusement.

"Unless he was re-reanimated . . . Do you think that's possible?" Rose thought aloud.

"No. It's not possible!" Marcus answered her, annoyed that he was nothing more then a joke to the pair of them. "You think me no more than a fool for your amusement?! I know the reasons you tried to kill me! You were afraid of my growing power, that's why you begged me to join you!" He cried in a fit of childish rage.

"Begged? I never begged! I-" Kain started, Rose cut him off.

"You know Marcus, if you're trying to hide something, you really shouldn't think about it so hard. It only makes it the easer to reach . . . " She took a moment to look absent mindedly over Marcus' shoulder. "Well, I don't believe we need to be bothering you much longer, I mean, I do have all the information I need . . . Ta-ta!" Kain smirked, it seemed oddly satisfying to see Rose play with someone else's mind for a change. Rose turned as if to leave.

"NO!" Marcus shouted. "What did you do to me?!" He questioned (yet again) indignantly. Kain too was rather curious, what had she done to him?

"Why Marcus! Have you never known the extent of the torture your own power can induce? Shame on you!" She scolded gleefully. "Well, now you know, don't you? You'll put it to good use now, won't you?"

"No, he won't put it to good use." Kain said, suddenly remembering his rage.

"Oh! Too true! Kain, you were so quite I almost forgot you were there! Of corse he won't be putting it to good use, silly me!" Rose turned her falsely surprised eyes away from Kain to Marcus, where they transformed dramatically into apologetic. "I fear I am in error, you see, we were tracking you down for one little reason, which (I'm afraid to say) cannot be avoided or procrastinated a moment longer! Now Kain, I believe it was you who wished the honor of . . . ?"

"Killing me?" Marcus half suggested, half questioned. His lips twitched as if itching to scream their defeat.

"Why . . . yes! That was what I was about to say! You really do read minds don't you?" Read minds? Panicked rage flitted through Kain's head. Could Rose read his mind?!

"I do not read minds! I invade it and make it mine!" Marcus replied disgustedly.

"Call it what you will . . . " Rose trailed off, but could not resist proving herself right. "But you could read minds if you wanted to, right?"

"Enough babble, woman! Let's see how you fair against your own beneficiary!" Marcus brought his hands up to his own head as if he had a bad headache. Kain reeled as he did so. It felt as though someone was trying to force a cargo ship to fit through his skull. He rebelled against the unpleasant sensation. Marcus suddenly stumbled backwards and gasped. "Impossible!" He managed to breathe around his own pain.

"Really," Rose stated in disbelief. "Did you think it would work? You honestly did, didn't you! You either have severely poor judgment, or a grotesquely swelled head . . . " Marcus lost it.

"I HAVE WAITED TWO HUNDRED YEARS TO KILL KAIN! I WILL NOT BE INSULTED LEAST I KILL YOU BOTH!" He fumed for a few minutes. When Rose stood with her hands folded in front of her smiling happily. "Strike that last . . . I WILL KILL YOU BOTH! WE WILL MEET AGAIN AND YOU WILL FALL, THE PAIR OF YOU!" He then disappeared in a puff of dramatic smoke.

"Pleasant fellow!" Rose commented cheerily and started walking away.

"Wait, Rose." Kain had to know, the curiosity was killing. "What did you do to him?" Rose turned and smiled.

"I read his mind." Kain was perplexed, could she do such a thing? Rose continued as if knowing what would come next. "At one point I could do it at will, but then (and this is part of why I want him dead so bad so listen well) the Sarafan lord imprisoned me and stole my power, sealing my strength in that damned stone! Oh, I can do it now (or could do it then) because what would be the point of restricting the power of his own servant? I was able to do that because Marcus could . . . I was merely acting the parasite, feeding from his ability to fuel my own."

"You said you got information . . . " Kain said slowly, implying his question.

Rose grinned widely. "I discovered a secrete shortcut . . . "