Reno's head lolled forward as the cage came to a stop, his uneasy sleep coming to an end as his chin touched his chest. He opened his eyes reluctantly and shivered; his body blue with cold. He wished Yazoo had let him go while he slept, but he was fairly sure the vampire wasn't going to be releasing him until they got to the nightmarish castle that Cid had known as a prison. Reno felt Yazoo stand up and pull him into his arms, the cold making every cell of his skin rise into a goose bump. He made an attempt to look at Genesis, but Yazoo had whisked him out of the cage before he could catch sight of the werewolf.
Loz slipped into the cage once Yazoo had left and pulled Genesis out, his touch far rougher than Yazoo's had been. Reno watched as Genesis was carried out, still asleep, and he wondered if the man was just feigning sleep to keep from facing the horrors around them. Reno wished he had been able to do that.
Yazoo strode across the dew slicked grass, a breeze fanning his hair out behind him. The sight was certainly intimidating for the few villagers who were waiting beside the ferry docked at the shallow port, their shoulders shaking as fear gripped their hearts. Reno felt his anger rise to the surface again as Yazoo and Loz strode up to the ferry, their presence tyrannical to the handful of humans who had the unfortunate task of waiting on them.
Yazoo stopped in front of the group, his head held high with an air of regal self-importance. "Is the ferry ready to take us across as instructed?"
"Y-yes, sir." An older man in the group bowed deeply, the others with him following suit. Reno frowned at their stupidity; by bowing they completely exposed their necks to the bloodthirsty vampire.
"Good. Do we have provisions aboard?" Yazoo looked the group over, his nostrils flaring softly as he took in their human scent. He could feel Loz tensing behind him, the older vampire having more trouble fighting his hunger than he did. Loz's self-control left something to be desired.
The same man nodded, head still bowed. "Y-yes, sir."
"Are my provisions alive or dead?" Yazoo adjusted his hold on Reno, feeling the redhead begin to seethe with rage. He had to fight laughter at the redhead's odd mood changes. He should be trembling with fear at his own predicament, not feeling indignant over the fates of others.
"A-alive, sir. As requested." The man's strong, broad shoulders quaked with his voice as he spoke. Reno wondered just who had been provided for provisions. He felt pity for the people now delegated to be meals for thirsty vampires; not even murderers deserved such a fate in his mind.
"Good. Where is our normal captain? I do not smell him here." Yazoo's brow furrowed as he spoke; the calm in his voice made his words more frightening.
"H-he has fled the village with his family, sir. Just last night, when you did not arrive as scheduled. We tried to detain him, but we failed. You have our sincere apologies." Reno curled his hands to fists as the people standing in front of Yazoo shook violently with unmasked fear that they were unable to contain. It was obvious that every one of them knew that their lives were held tight in Yazoo's gloved hand.
"His replacement?" Yazoo frowned, making a mental note to inform the Master that yet another captain had fled their employ.
"He knows the way, and he's a good captain, sir." The man's voice was still quaking as he stood to point to the heavily layered, hunchbacked man standing at a distance from the rest of the group.
Reno hadn't even noticed the man; his presence was almost eerily underwhelming. He gave off the appearance of great age, even though the majority of his face was not visible under a thickly set gray-speckled brown beard and a wide brimmed black hat that was perched atop a wild mane of like-colored hair. He was tall, despite the hunch in his shoulders that must have taken a foot or more from his overall height. His clothes were drab; a brown tunic that needed patching and a large black overcoat that was long enough to touch the tops of his leather boots. As unnoticeable as he was, his presence was an odd sight. Reno looked him over again, searching for some sign of fear, but the old man's shoulders and hands didn't even shake from palsy.
Yazoo raised an eyebrow, looking the man over. "You smell like death."
"The elderly tend to smell that way." The man's voice grated on Reno's ears, as if the geezer had swallowed a handful of gravel before speaking.
"Guess it means I won't be tempted to eat you. I like my food fresh." Yazoo snorted and walked towards the large bellied ferry that was waiting to take them across the ocean.
The old man chuckled, "I suppose not."
Loz followed Yazoo, his nose wrinkling as he passed the man. Genesis was still dead weight in his arms, his face passive and blank. Reno was beginning to wonder if the man had been drugged.
Yazoo slipped below deck, his feet barely seeming to make contact with the metal stairs below them. Loz followed closely, quickly dumping Genesis onto one of the many uncomfortable looking beds set into the walls of the ferry. He straightened and rubbed his chin softly. "Hey, Yazoo, should we tie him up? What if he tries to escape?"
Yazoo snorted softly, walking farther into the ship with Reno in his arms. "Leave him. We'll be in the middle of the ocean soon and I doubt he'll be swimming away any time soon."
Loz shrugged and followed Yazoo, "I suppose that's true. Is it just me, though, or did that new captain seem….off?"
"He smelled like death, looked like shit, and is old as hell. Compared to our normal captains, he's off the wall. Considering that we don't have a lot of options, however, it's best if we just allow him to take us. So long as he knows where that canal is in the middle of Wutai, we will probably keep him. If he misses that and we have to go around the whole damned island to get home, I will be very upset." Yazoo walked into a state room located deeper in the belly of the ferry, setting Reno down and smirking as the redhead immediately retreated to the farthest corner of the room.
Loz nodded, "Well, that sounds fine. I'll go make sure he knows so we don't have to eat him. He doesn't smell tasty and I know that means you won't help me with him at all if he does screw up."
"Of course I won't. I don't eat anything that's been rotting that long." Yazoo laughed, watching Reno rub his arms to try and get warm. "Don't stay up there too long, Loz. It'll be daylight soon and I wouldn't want to bring you home in a matchbox."
"Of course." Loz snorted and walked out of the room, his footsteps echoing down the hall as he went. Reno wondered why Loz was so loud when all of the other vampires were so deathly silent.
Yazoo looked at Reno, pointing to the bed in the room. "Sit."
Reno frowned, rubbing his arms to try and warm himself. "No way."
"Yes, way." Yazoo snorted and shut the door, striding towards Reno. "Need I remind you again why you listen to me and not the other way around?"
"Suppose so. If you think I'm just going to do what you say whenever you say it you're fucking insane." Reno pressed himself into the corner that he was standing in, trying to root himself to the ground as the ferry began rocking lightly. They must have left the port behind.
Yazoo laughed, easily adjusting to the sway of the ferry. "On the contrary, you're the insane one for not doing what you're told when the price for disobedience is so high."
Reno frowned and puffed out his chest, trying to show bravado and bravery despite the frantic beating of his fearful heart. "I'm not going to sit."
"Yes, you are." Yazoo chuckled and grabbed Reno's shoulder, his hand gripping tight like a vice and pulling a pained gasp from Reno's lungs. He dragged Reno across the room easily and sat him on the bed, releasing him once he was seated.
Reno held his shoulder, eyes closed tight as he tried to avoid making any more sounds that revealed his pain. His shoulder was throbbing with pain and as he rocked himself to try and suppress the urge to cry, he felt a large blanket fall across his shoulders. His eyes snapped open and he quickly pulled the blanket close, confusion crossing his face as Yazoo sat beside him. He tried to edge away from the vampire, but a strong, slender hand pulled him back forcefully. He couldn't suppress an outcry of pain this time; Yazoo was good at getting him to feel like he was going to die.
Yazoo pulled Reno into his lap, blanket and all, and reclined on the bed; pulling Reno's back flush with his chest again. "Just calm down; you're not going anywhere so long as I'm entertained by you."
Reno frowned, holding the blanket tight to try and regain the warmth that had been escaping him since the day before. "Entertainment my ass! You've got a twisted sense of what's fun, ya know that?"
"Of course, I know that. It's not an issue for me; it's an issue for you." Yazoo stroked Reno's hair gently, enjoying the scent of fear that rolled off the man.
Reno shuddered and looked to the door, wanting away from Yazoo as quickly as possible. "I feel like a rabbit that's being pet before it's going to be made into soup."
"If you're a good rabbit you'll get soup instead of being made into it." Yazoo pulled Reno's head back, exposing his neck. "Or not, it depends on my mood."
"Everything depends on your mood. It's sick." Reno tensed, hating the sensation of being played with like a doll.
"No, it's order. That's how things work, Reno. Those in power get to play with those who are not in power. If you ever become more powerful than me, which is highly doubtful, you will get to play with me instead. Until then, do what I say and it'll hurt less for you." Yazoo ran a gloved finger across Reno's neck, humming softly at the trembling pulse that was beating against his fingertip.
Reno shuddered and held the blanket. "I won't play with you; I'll kill you."
"Not until after you've been killed, Reno." Yazoo chuckled and removed his glove with his teeth, setting it on the bed neatly. "That's the problem; I get to kill you first."
Reno frowned and turned to look at Yazoo as best as he could, eyes narrowed over tattooed cheeks. "I'll definitely kill you."
"I doubt that." Yazoo turned Reno's face away and drew a thin red line into his neck with his fingernail, humming softly as blood started to well up from the slice.
Reno winced, feeling more than a little helpless as Yazoo began licking the blood from his neck, one hand holding his head in place and the other pressing against his scarred chest to keep him from wriggling away. Reno closed his eyes and did what he could to ignore the fact that he was being eaten at a very slow rate, but it was hard when Yazoo was sucking and licking at his neck.
Author's Note: Yeah, it's too short to explain the nearly three month lack of updates, and I apologize! I've been busy with school and work for the past few weeks and, once this semester is over, the likelihood of me writing more is very high. I am so sorry to keep you all waiting!