A/N: So, since I've been absent for quite a while now, I feel that I owe you an explanation. These past few months have been very rough on me, since October last year. I was studying in Graphic Design major in my university for almost two years, I've gone through four semesters of my bachelor degree when I realized what I wanted to learn wasn't in that school. I had a really hard time accepting the subjects that I did not want to learn, for my passion goes for a specific field; drawing illustration.

Although Graphic Design major could also be an Illustrator after I graduated from there, it's just that in my previous university, Graphic Design major was still a new major and still very lacking of facilities and good teachers, since my uni was far away from the city. In fact, it hasn't been granted enough facilities even now, and practically half-abandoned, so I made a risky wager. I told my parents how I felt and I applied to take an entry exam to a prestigious art school in Singapore. The exam was on December, so I had one and a half month to prepare myself. Then, I made another risky bet. Without telling my parents, I applied to take a 'rest' from the university for the remaining of the semester (it was already in the middle of a semester), in order to study for the exam. Only my friends knew I did that, I didn't tell my parents.

It was very chancy. I knew if I take a semester off and fail the exam, I'd be in big troubles in terms of catching up with my studies (not to mention I'd be devastated), and my parents would find out I've wasted on the school fee for the semester and that I've lied to them. I was nervous and scared, really scared. That's when the story updates were late, because I was preparing myself for the exam the entire time. Despite all the risks I took, I went on with life, took the exam, and waited for a whole month for the result.

I tried to forget about it, but on January, university will begin a new semester, so I became anxious again. But then the agent called and told us that I got in with a 7500 dollars per year worth of scholarship! I was really happy, of course, but then again I have to waste 2 years worth of education to start anew, I have a contract with the Singapore government to work there for three years, and I'll be living away from my family and friends. But I think it's worth it.

Since then, I've been busy with the application paperworks, looking for an apartment, going to check the school, raising my drawing skills, learning chinese(because most Singaporeans speak the language), etc. I'll be moving there on July. So why the lack of updates? Because I'm having one of the biggest moments in my life, that's why! :-)

Ares-Arthur/England

Heracles/Hercules-Heracles/Greece

Zeus-Francis/France

Apollo-Vash/Switzerland

Artemis-Lili/Liechtenstein

Athena-Elizaveta/Hungary

Dionysus-Feliciano/N. Italy

Demeter-Katja/Ukraine

Poseidon-Ivan/Russia

Hermes-Lovino/S. Italy

Hephaestus-Berwald/Sweden

Hestia-Natalia/Belarus

Hades-Lukas/Norway

Warnings: M-rated contents, and language. Some stuff are made-up, plots based on Grecian myths. This story is purely fiction.

Chapter Fourteen: Forbidden Desires

In his whole immortal life, there was only one woman whom Ares had truly loved.

She was the most beautiful woman in the world, the most beautiful goddess among the most beautiful of goddesses. He was captivated by her blue eyes that were like a pair of diamonds, her luscious golden hair as if it was made out of the sunset, her skin that was in the color of the finest porcelain and as soft as the finest silk, her red plump lips, her sensual voluptuous body, and her graceful, deadly allure.

No man could ever resist the goddess of love, Aphrodite, and most certainly Ares himself had fallen hard for the beautiful goddess.

He admitted, no one had ever made him feel the way Aphrodite did to him. What he felt for her was far more than the mere physical attraction he had with many of his other partners. He wasn't only attracted to Aphrodite's beauty and grace, but he was also captivated by her personality, her wittiness, her intelligence, even her often terrible temper. Because Ares himself was violent and crude himself, it was as if they were a perfect match. To him, Aphrodite was the perfect woman.

He fell in love with her, hard. He was in love with her so deeply that he din't mind betraying his own blood brother Hephaestus, Aphrodite's rightful husband. At that time Ares didn't care as long as the woman he loved was in his arms, although his heart ached that she wasn't completely his. It didn't matter to him, it was Hephaestus' fault that he couldn't satisfy his wife. Ares was far more of a man and god than he ever was, Aphrodite chose him over that ugly bastard as the prove, and that was all he needed.

If love drove a man to madness, it was true. Aphrodite was the woman Ares had ever truly loved. She had driven him madly in love with her. Ares was sure an eternity wouldn't be enough for him to forget about her. Even if he was just one of her countless lovers.

"-a way to find that boy's spirit, I think we should ask Athena. What do you think, Ares?"

Ares was suddenly pulled out of his thought. He looked up to his right and saw Alfred, who was standing next to him, had given him a questioning look. He glanced around him and finally remembered where they were, in the hallway of the hospital ward, discussing of ways to save Alfred's friend. Alfred, Heracles, and Hermes were all staring at him, while Hephaestus stood a bit far from them, his back against the wall with a thoughtful look on his face, while crossing his arms.

Damn. It looked like he was dozing off without noticing.

"…what's the matter?" Heracles asked, sounding as bland as ever.

"Nothing." Arthur sighed and scratched the back of his head. "Sorry, I wasn't listening. What were you saying again?"

"We're wondering if we should go and ask Athena." Hermes calmly explained.

"Lady Athena is an excellent strategist, she knows every nook and cranny of the land and the ocean. I'm sure she knows well of the places where spirits hide. If we can get her to help us, it'll save us a lot of work." Heracles proposed.

"Yeah I think it's a good idea." Hermes added. "Sister Athena is the best tracker I know, actually even better than me."

"So what do you think, Ares? Should we go ask for her help, or should we think of another way?"

Ares didn't reply immediately, taking a thoughtful moment. Athena was indeed a remarkable goddess, he thought, she was excellent at planning almost anything, especially if it had a relation to war strategies. She was the goddess of war after all, although she was far gentler in handling things than the violent and barbaric way Ares much preferred.

He hated to have to ask for her help because they constantly fought over their own principles of war, but she may be the best shot they had.

"…I do not care what you lot are planning to do."

All the three gods and one human glanced at the previously silent blonde who suddenly spoke. Hephaestus were looking at them with cold eyes, paying an especially icy glare towards Ares. When he spoke again, his voice was thick with cold resentment.

"But I refuse to ask for his help. I'm going to save my son by myself." With that statement, Hephaestus sharply turned and walked away in quick strides, leaving the rest of the group without looking back.

Alfred was especially shocked as he stared at his best friend's dad, he looked back and forth at tall man and the group of gods, who didn't seem to share the same feelings as him, each had a grim look on their faces, although Heracles seemed to be as expressionless as ever. Realizing that none of the three would try to stop Mathias' father, Alfred was about to turn around to run after the man himself, when Arthur caught him by his arm.

The American teen looked back to see the hardened face of the Grecian War God, much darker than he had ever seen in him, staring at him with a cold, yet slightly sad pair of jade eyes. "Don't." He mouthed softly, as he held Alfred's arm firmly. His eyes were fixated at Hephaestus' back.

Alfred snapped his gaze in line with Arthur's, then turned back. He didn't think it was a good idea to let the man leave. "But - "

"It's my fault." Ares cut him calmly. "I'll go. You stay here."

Without further ado, Arthur released his grip and went after Hephaestus, still with the same expression on his face.

Alfred was watching him as god disappeared behind the white-painted hospital walls, dumbfounded. He clearly didn't see this coming, that Arthur and his brothers actually knew Mathias' father. Or… did Mr. Kholer's relationship with them was deeper than he thought? Arthur did call him a name that sounded unfamiliar to him, Hippo or hepasomething.

One thing certain, however, it looked like they didn't share a good relationship, especially between Arthur and Mr. Kholer. They seemed to resent each other, it was quite obvious. But… Alfred wondered what set them off. What had happened between them?

"Hephaestus is Ares' blood brother." Heracles suddenly spoke, earning the turning head of the American boy. Hermes was silent, despite the troubled look showed on his face.

"Mr. Kholer and Arthur are brothers?" Alfred asked, stunned. He didn't see that coming either.

Heracles nodded. "Yes. Unlike us, his half-brothers, Hephaestus and Ares were born of the same parents, Zeus and Hera. Ares has closer blood relation to him than the rest of us." He explained calmly.

"But… they don't look close, I mean, they look like they hate each other's guts." Alfred stated, reminded of the tense, heavy atmosphere that lingered between Ares and Hephaestus from minute one they met. It was more like deep resentment than just siblings fight, in a dark, murderous kind. It actually scared him a little bit.

Heracles didn't say anything for a short while, as if wondering whether or not he should tell Alfred, but he decided to speak again. "I'm not sure whether I am in the position of telling this. Ares may be angry with me if I tell you before he could…"

"It's okay, I want to know. I… want to know everything about Arthur." Alfred quickly said, his curiosity only grew larger.

The quiet Grecian nodded then, continuing. "This is an open secret in the Grecian gods' world, famous within the mortal's universe. And since you're Ares' spouse… I think you should know this." He said, gaining more attention from the curious boy. Hermes looked at Heracles as if he wanted to interrupt, but apparently decided not to say anything.

Glancing at the fidgeting god briefly, Heracles continued. "A long time ago, Hephaestus was married to a goddess, said to be the most beautiful in all of Olympus, Aphrodite. Also, with whom Ares had fallen in love with."

A look of realization surfaced upon Alfred, as his mind processed the information quicker than Heracles' next words. "Don't tell me." He muttered in slight disbelief, wide-eyed. "Don't tell me… did Arthur…?"

The Grecian Hero looked at him with blank eyes, then nodded. "You catch on quick."

Alfred sucked in breath, suddenly finding it hard to digest the sudden revelation. It was too much for him, he felt his head started aching slightly.

"Arthur… had an affair with with his brother's wife?" He asked, resenting the words that came out of his mouth. He felt nauseous all of a sudden. He clutched at his stomach, trying not to gag. "But why…? How could he, behind his own brother's back…?"

"Grecian gods are selfish creatures."

Alfred looked up and found the dark-haired half-god had spoken again, now an obvious serious look on his face, unlike his usual blank, silent self. It was the first time Alfred saw this side to Heracles, he looked solemn and for the first time, scary. Alfred unconsciously gulped the spit that gathered in his throat.

"Alfred, we are not as how you think of us. Gods are selfish and childish by nature, for centuries they've reigned over the world based only on a whim. The human world served as nothing but a toy for them to play with when bored. Back then, Ares was no different with those whimsical, egoistical creatures who thought of nothing but themselves. Gods interfered and toyed with humans and fellow gods alike, they built, they destroyed, they killed, they took and gave away as they pleased. No one could stop them, and they were very well aware of that."

"Ares was the most violent of the gods. He was barbaric, he was heartless and rebellious. He killed more than numbers could count. He destroyed more than he created. He was the kind of man who would rage a war when he was bored, killing and destroying were his twisted idea of recreation. He even slept with his own brother's wife, and never apologized for it. He wasn't the man you thought he was." His voice was cold, as Heracles spoke blatantly.

"Alfred, you've known my brother only for a short while. You know next to nothing about him, yet you've declared that you love him and want to spend the rest of your life with him. Now that you know, do you plan to back away from that? Ares is not a human, he's a god. He has lived far longer than you have, he has seen and experienced far more things than you could ever do in your life." Heracles saw Alfred reel back, fear overcame his expression. He looked like as if he wanted to say something, but Heracles wasn't done yet.

"You and Ares lived in a completely different world. This is not some innocent puppy love. This is a real adult relationship and not a normal one at that. If you've realized this and changed your mind, I suggest you break things now before you're dragged in too deep." As soon as Heracles had finished his sentence, he looked up to a very troubled-looking teenager before him with a pair of cold dark eyes.

Alfred's blue eyes were wide and his blond eyebrows furrowed deeply, his mouth was agape, moving but without a sound. He closed it and opened it again, looking like he wanted to say something but couldn't find the right words to say. Then he looked down at his mud-smudged white sneakers, clenching his fists. Shadow overcame his expression and hid his face.

Hermes and Heracles were both looking at the baffled boy, feeling the tension surrounding them heightened. The Messenger of the Gods was silent the whole time, although looking thoughtful himself, his eyes were staring into the white walls. While the half-god Hero stayed calm and composed, seemingly unfazed by the situation.

"I…" Alfred's broken word broke the silence, both of the gods looked at him. Alfred's head was still lowered that they couldn't see his face, but they could see his fists clenching tightly at his sides.

"I… I don't… know…" He muttered softly again, almost inaudible. When he finally held up his chin again, a deeply troubled look was clearly seen on his face.

"…I gotta go." Then he turned on his heels and left the scene.

After Alfred left, Hermes turned to Heracles, giving him a questioning look. "Why did you say that?" He asked, softly, unused of this Heracles he had never seen before.

Heracles glanced at him as he crossed his arms, his back against the wall. "Because he needs to know the consequences for having an affair with a god." He answered cryptically, staring down at the white porcelain floor. "How many times have this happened? It repeats itself again and again since the ancient times that I've lost count. Gods having intimate relationships with humans. …and the chaos it causes." He muttered.

"Since the beginning, gods weren't supposed to meddle with humans, let alone getting into forbidden affairs with them. How much sufferings had it brought onto those humans' lives? Gods are selfish, they never thought of the consequences of their actions, and it took tolls only upon the humans they mingled with. Like my mother, for example." Heracles was silent for the next couple of seconds, before he continued.

"Alfred is still young. A boy his age doesn't usually think far into his future, they live in the moment. Worse yet, he accidentally got dragged into something he know nothing of of the danger. He acted out of emotion and the surge of adrenaline in response to all the things happened to him, if someone don't tell him right there and then, it would be too late."

"…but I thought you approve of their relationship?"

Heracles sighed as he smiled thinly.

"I thought it was interesting to see a flustered Ares, and that boy… he's apparently a good influence to our stubborn brother. For once, I see Ares is looking happier for the first time in decades. But… this has to stop eventually." He shook his head, a grim look on his face. "It's a different world now. The reign of the gods has ended a long time ago, we shouldn't meddle with humans. They don't need gods anymore."

Hermes looked thoughtful, seemingly taking Heracles' words into consideration. Although…

"How about you?" Hermes suddenly asked. "You said we shouldn't meddle with humans anymore. But how about what you want? What are your feelings about this?"

Dark eyes widened slightly at Hermes' bold question. And then he averted his gaze, a thin bitter smile grew on his lips.

"I know it's not meant to be. But…" He brought a hand to clutch at the front of his shirt. "…it's a lost cause for me."

Seeing an unexpected reaction from the usually emotionless man, Hermes felt forlorn. "I… I think I understand that."

"In the end, we're still unable to run away from these troublesome feelings." Heracles blandly stated. "After all I said, I can't fulfill one thing."

"True, I think I've never heard you talk so much." Hermes pointed, laughing.

"…and you shall never hear it again."

"Aside from all of that," Hermes interrupted, "we still have to locate the spirit of that kid, right? I don't know if Ares can persuade Hephaestus, so I think we can count him out for now. I can go to Sister Athena's place, but I think we still have some problems. What if the spirit hides underwater? I don't think even Athena can see through the ocean."

"There's always Poseidon." Heracles suggested. "He's the ruler of the ocean, he can order all sorts of sea creatures to help us, although it may be too fancy. But we're running out of time at this point."

Hermes face blanched. "No! Not Poseidon! What if he tells father? He likes to lie and play tricks on us! He'll definitely tell Zeus that I screwed up again!" He uttered in panic, flailing his arms.

"Don't worry, he won't do that. He owes something to me from before, he doesn't like owing anything to other people, he'll agree to help us."

Hermes looked astonished. "He owes you…? For what?"

Heracles rubbed his chin. "Well, there were times when he tearfully asked me to hide him when Hestia was looking for him…"

"Ooh… so she went out for him again? Poor Poseidon." Hermes uttered, sympathizing with his uncle. "Um, but the last time I went to his castle last week, his servants said he hasn't returned for a month. I don't know if he's home now."

"If that is the case, I'll go to check if he's there. You go to Athena. We'll meet here again later."

"What about Ares?"

"…don't worry, he'll call when he's done." Heracles assured.

"Alright, I'll go to Athena's place now." Hermes agreed. But before he left for the Olympus, he asked Heracles, "By the way, if you happen to meet Dionysus somewhere, tell me where he is. I'm gonna give him a piece of my mind."

"Sure."

With a poof, Hermes had put on his winged sandals and vanished into the air.

Now, the only one left was Heracles, his mission now was to seek help from the God of the Sea, as risky as it was. He mused as he strolled along the hospital hallways. To be honest, however, he felt a bit guilty for lashing out on Alfred just a while ago, even more worried about Ares and Hephaestus. He knew Ares would be fine, although he wasn't sure what the human boy would do.

He thought perhaps he was too hard on him, after all Alfred was still just a boy. But nevertheless, he only told the truth and had to warn him, for he knew very well the danger of a human weaving a relationship with a god. He knew some gods wouldn't be too happy with Ares' 'accidental' marriage with the boy. Heracles shook his head softly.

Who was he to talk? Heracles himself couldn't get a certain person out of his mind, no matter how much he tried. And Ares… he could see that his half-brother has feelings growing for the human boy, and Hermes too, looked like he had someone in mind. Almost every god of Olympus had have at least one human lover in their lives.

Heracles sighed.

It was as if the gods' attraction towards humans was inevitable, as if it was in their nature to be attracted to the humans. Was it because humans were made to resemble them so much? Somehow gods always ended up attracted to the mortals, as inferior as they were to them, like moths to fire. Heracles could feel the half god in him giving in into forbidden desires towards the humans, unable to fight, enchanted by the things only humans could do and feel, the things no god capable of. Though it felt more natural to Heracles to be infatuated to them, because he was half human.

Despite what he wanted, however, he knew he shouldn't be seeing Kiku anymore, but he couldn't resist. He just couldn't. He was different, unlike any other person he met, Kiku was special. It had felt so natural for Heracles to be with him, to talk to him, to walk with him. And overtime they spent time together, his feelings only grew deeper, to the point it would be dangerous to go on. Heracles had to go back to Olympus someday, but he couldn't bear the thought of not seeing Kiku ever again. Humans lives were short, if he didn't use the remaining of time they had, Kiku would just… pass like the other mortals.

The thought of it was frightening. Heracles clenched his jaw. Why did gods fall in love with humans when they know they could never be together in the end? If Heracles could kill his feelings for him, he would. He would.

If only.

"Heracles-san?"

Heracles' dark eyes widened when he saw a dark-haired Asian man was walking slowly towards him, holding out a rod and tapping it left and right as he found his way, his unfocused dark eyes stared straight at him. Beside him, a seemingly young Chinese walked alongside him, gently placing his hand over his shoulder. The Grecian was surprised as he stopped on his track, realizing he was already outside of the hospital building, only a few feet away from the entrance.

He hurriedly rushed towards his Japanese friend, a hand outstretched to touch Kiku's. The gentle man smiled kindly at the familiar touch. "Ah, thank goodness you're still here. I was looking for you." He said, gently holding the Grecian's hand.

Heracles felt a bit embarrassed yet strangely glad. "Honda-san, I'm sorry I left you before, a family friend was injured. But that aside, how are you? How did the examination goes?"

"Yes. The doctor said I have a slight cold, but that's just because my age is catching up with me. Otherwise, I'm very healthy." Kiku explained.

"Kiku, would you care to introduce me to this man?" Asked the Chinese man on his side. Heracles glanced at him, realizing he looked unfamiliar. But he realized he gave out the same aura as Kiku.

"Ah, yes. How rude of me. Heracles-san, I'd like to introduce you to my older brother, Yao nii-san. Yao nii-san, this is Heracles-san, a good friend of mine."

"I am Wang Yao, Kiku's Ge Ge. I've heard about you, thank you for taking care of my Di Di." The man called Yao said with a smile as he held out his hand.

Heracles did the same and they shook hands briefly. "Heracles Karpussi. It's an honor." He calmly said.

"Heracles-san, Yao nii-san has come to take me home. But I would like to see you before I go, I'm glad you haven't left. It is really a pity that we couldn't talk more. I wish to see you again at the park tomorrow, will you come?" He asked, looking expectant.

"Ah, tomorrow… I'm afraid I can't, I… have an errand to run. It's quite important." Heracles said, secretly feeling disappointed. But he had to go to Poseidon's palace, that would take at least one and half a day.

"Oh. That is too bad." Kiku sounded genuinely disappointed.

"Sorry, I would like to see you again soon with the kittens, but it's urgent, so…"

"Oh no, it is alright. We can meet next time you are available. Please bring the kittens too, I would love to see them again." Kiku smiled sweetly, the kind that made Heracles' chest throbbing.

"Yes. I will." Heracles replied with a smile.

"Kiku, it's almost time." Yao softly tap his younger brother's shoulder.

The Japanese man nodded, before he turned to the Grecian and smiled. "I apologize, Heracles-san. I have to go now, I hope to meet you soon."

"Me too. I hope to see you soon."

After bidding their farewells, Kiku and Yao turned around an left the tall Grecian alone. On their way, the older of the two, who held the younger's hand to guide him as they walk, started to ask about the man his Di Di was so fond of. "How did you meet that man, Kiku?" He asked, while tenderly guiding his sightless brother.

"Heracles-san? I met him at the park about a month ago. I wasn't careful and fell on the ground, he helped getting on my knees and we sat at the bench to chat. He is very nice to me." Kiku spoke fondly at the reminiscence.

"Did he really? He certainly look nice and quiet." Yao smiled as he pat the younger man's head. "But I want you to be still be careful, Kiku. He is still a stranger. He might look kind on the outside, but who knows what he is thinking."

Kiku chuckled at his brother's words. "Oh, nii-san. Don't worry. Heracles-san isn't like that. You worry too much."

"Of course I worry. You're my precious Xiong Di. I don't want anything bad to happen to you, or to our siblings." The Chinese man solemnly said as he squeezed his brother's hand gently.

Kiku returned in the same manner. "Yes. You're certainly our reliable Ge Ge." He smiled. "Oh yes… Yao nii-san, your birthday is coming soon. What would you like for your birthday?" He asked.

Yao laughed aloud, amused. "There's nothing to celebrate when you get into forty years of age, Kiku." He exclaimed, feeling silly. "But… if I can have a wish granted in my birthday, I want my family to always be healthy and happy. Especially you, you have to get better, I think that's enough birthday present for me."

Kiku looked guilty as his smiled turned into a frown. "I'm sorry I've been a burden to you and our family all this time."

"What are you saying?" Yao retorted quickly, sounding irritated. "Family is not a burden and you're my family. You're my Xiong Di and will always be my Xiong Di. I am not doing this only because I'm obliged to do it; it's because I love you as my brother."

"Yao nii-san…"

Yao smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry I raised my voice to you. But don't say that again, alright? Don't think that you're a burden to us."

Kiku shook his head. "But… because of me, because of my illness, you have to work hard day and night to pay for the medical bills. You didn't even have the time to get married and have a family, I'm…"

"I have no complain in working hard. I love working. Besides, I enjoy taking care of my siblings more than anything else in the world. And why do I have to marry to have a family? I already have my hands full of all of you, my family. Especially Yong Soo, Wan, and Hong. They're still in school. I still have a long way to go." Yao pulled his little brother to him, holding him close.

"Kiku… don't worry about me. I am fine. You just have to concentrate in getting better. As long as you're healthy, it's rewarding me enough as it is."

Kiku felt sad, but happy when he heard those words. He had always felt guilty for putting more burden onto his older brother's shoulders, already heavy with responsibility and obligation. But in the same time he felt grateful to have such a loving, caring family who loved him dearly, despite the fact that he was blind and his disease-rendered body…

"Yes… Yao nii-san. Thank you." He uttered from the depths of his heart, returning his brother's embrace.

Yao smiled as he held his younger brother. "Hmph. Silly child. You don't have to thank me. We're family." After a moment, they separated. "Let's go home." Yao said, as he held Kiku's hand. It reminded the Japanese man of the time they were still children. Yao used to hold his hand just like this.

"Yes, let's go home."

Yao pulled up the blanket until it covered Kiku's neck, as the younger man had slept from the medicine.

Gently, he brushed his palm against Kiku's forehead and felt he was a bit feverish, but the fever had gone down significantly from last night. Kiku was already sound asleep, his the futon heaved up and down in a steady rhythm as he breathed. Then, Yao took the medicine and the empty glass of water onto a wooden tray next to the futon.

He got onto his knees with the tray, proceeding to leave the room, closing the door shut as gently as he could, before it clicked behind him. Then he walked across the hallway towards the kitchen, his eyes went all over the house and saw the mess Yong Soo made before he went to school. He thought of cleaning up a bit before going to the store for the rest of the day.

As he was musing silently in peace, he finally reached the kitchen and was about to put the tray down and start washing the dishes when he was put into a sudden halt that almost made the glass fell from the tray, instead rolling over the wooden surface. With widened dark eyes, Yao stared straight at the intruder who had surprised him, standing within the room, his back facing the Chinese man.

Yao's heart was beating loudly in its ribcage, drops of sweat trickled down his temples. Without having to see his face, he knew who the tall stranger was. He glared at his back, thin black eyebrows furrowed deeply. His hands trembled and the tray shook faintly in his hands. He swallowed hard, waiting in what seem to be an endless silence.

When he tried to spoke, he felt a lump was stuck in his throat, giving him agony as he spoke. "You again."

The huge man turned around and amethyst eyes met black obsidians. His skin was pale and white as the snow and his hair light blonde. He was a very tall, seemingly young foreigner. He smiled at him, but that smile looked fake and cold to Yao's eyes. When he spoke in a pretentious childish tone of voice, Yao felt shivers ran up his spines, for to him, it sweet poison dripped from his mouth.

"Aah Yaoo… I've been waiting for you. Where have you been, darling?" The man exclaimed in a sing-song voice, approaching the unenthusiastic man with spread arms.

But before he could touch the shorter man, Yao had beaten him to it. "Don't touch me." He growled sharply, looking up at the man with fierce obsidian eyes. Although his hands were still trembling. This unwelcoming reply had the blonde man's hands down. Yao was very alert, watching the man's behavior.

"What do you want?" He asked rudely.

The blonde was still smiling, but didn't answer. He took the tray from Yao's hand and put it away into the sink, before turning around and gathered the smaller man into his arms. Yao tensed within his embrace, feeling the cold, icy feeling of the taller man's touch. It was cold, like the darkness in the bottom of the sea, it was odd, seeing the man was wearing long-sleeves shirt and sweater vest.

Yao flinched when the man breathed out in his ears, drowning his face into his small shoulders.

"Yao… Yao." He breathed, but even his breath felt cold against Yao's skin. The stranger held him even tighter, Yao couldn't push him away or struggle, he only stood there like a statue, unable to do anything. An invincible force had forced him to stay still and obedient, while the man did whatever he want with him. It was vexing.

"I want you, Yao." The man whispered into his ears. "I want you to come with me and be mine… forever."

TBC

Ge Ge = Older Brother

Di Di = Younger Brother

Xiong Di = Sibling

I've been learning Chinese~ :P

A/N: Incoming… RoChu, Hungary, more Hephaestus and SuFin, and possibly more pairings to come!