What's up everyone? I'm going to try and make this chapter to your liking. Please enjoy!

Final Preparations

Zephon had awoken at dawn. Tossing and turning plagued him, but sleep did not. He did not know the reason why this was so, no evidence to support his theory. The only thing he felt in his body was anxiety and fear. The days for war were slowly fading away, time was ticking. Before he knew it, Zephon would be out there with his men, blood thirsty and ready for battle. Well...blood thirsty for the most part. Somehow apart of him wanted time to slow down, postponing his inevitable fate: a war between man and vampire; an outcome that was in either sides favor. In past battles he had always won, but that was because his brothers fought along side him. Their absence would be an obvious pit in his heart.

Zephon rubbed his eyes tiredly and sat up slowly, careful not to wake his beloved that slept so soundly next to him. He stared at the wall in front of him in thought, recollecting what it was that needed to be done today. At that moment, a headache had formed. He knew the stress that was to arrive, therefore allowing the aches to come and go as they have always done. There were many things that were to be done today: preparing the troops, reviewing the plan, asking Raziel-

'Hmph. Yes. Asking Raziel,' he thought. "Bastard," he whispered, standing up slowly, letting out a long, tiring yawn. Zephon shook his head in distress. The more he thought of the first born the more he detested him. The arrogant imbecile would somehow haunt his mind when it came to important events, such as war. Although, Zephon had to admit, the man was a true warrior. The only thing wrong with being a true warrior was that glory, excellence and respect came along with it. All of which Raziel possessed, all of which Zephon hated. He would never be able to top anything his older brother was good at, except...

A smile crept upon Zephon's face. Intelligence. The man possessed very little of it, his egotistic self would always end up asking Zephon for aid on tactical strategies. This, Zephon was very good at. It was the one thing that Lord Kain would praise him for on a successful victory on the battlefield. But of course in the land he lived in, power would always overshadow intelligence.

The sun had gotten brighter in the sky, and it caught Zephon's attention suddenly. He almost got sidetracked by his thoughts. He followed the path of sunlight to the outside balcony and looked down. Many soldiers as well as servants crowded the Cathedral grounds.

"Well it seems everyone is doing everything on task as ordered," he smirked. How long would it take his men to prepare when war was only days away? It took nearly a month or so to round everyone up and give them a job to do. Of course, that was in a months time.

Zephon firmly rubbed his neck, removing any knots that were present. Last night had been wonderful. Regina made it one to remember. Zephon would have to thank her somehow when all this mess had been sorted out. He smiled. It would be a surprise.

Knowing he had about an hour to spare before departing for Raziel's domain, Zephon decided he should get in some training. The least he could do for now was get some physical workouts out of the way. The man was thin enough, not too much muscle. Not enough to make him buff in a sense, but enough to make him lean. If he knew Raziel, he'd be asking why in the world he'd let himself go. Though time and time again, Zephon would try and convince him that that was the way he was built. End of story. As arrogant as Raziel was, the first born insisted that if Zephon trained as hard as he and Dumah did, the results for a more muscular physique was certain. Zephon never believed his theory of fitness, eventually leading Zephon to forget about it. Over time, he did completely stop working out altogether. But not all was absolutely lost.

Zephon decided to start off with one-thousand sit-ups. At number three-hundred, Zephon began to feel a little tired. He stopped momentarily to catch his breath.

"Damn I'm out of shape," he said, shaking his head in disbelief. "That bastard Raziel is always right. I have let myself go." He smirked at his words. "Five-hundred it is." His workout continued until he reached five-hundred. Push-ups were followed. Even that was a bit too much for Zephon. The vampire Lord only reached one-hundred and fifty, only able to barely keep himself up.

'I really have to ask Raziel to help me,' he thought. 'As much as it kills me to ask others, especially him, for help, I am in desperate need.' Zephon made his way to the balcony once again, looking up at the sun. He covered his squinted eyes with his hand, observing that the sun had gotten higher. Since he and his brood lived on the eastern part of Nosgoth, the sun always provided enough information to tell time. Zephon really did not have a thing for clocks. Time itself was far too distracting. Which was why he did not possess any. The sound of a clock ticking only meant that life was being threatened. It only served the purpose of allowing those to be born and allowing those to die. And Zephon had no intention of acknowledging either.

He realized that it was time now to visit Raziel. Though it was still quite early, Raziel would most likely have been up way before Zephon had. Hell, he probably didn't even sleep last night. But no one ever said being first born was easy.

Zephon had finished dressing in his room, clad in casual clothing: a black, long sleeved tunic and his usual black leather bottoms. The metal boots were quite out of the question, especially when he was only going to ask a simple request of his elder brother.

"The leather boots it is," he sighed. Slipping them on quickly, he made his way to the balcony for the last time. (A/N: Damn that balcony!! LOL). Looking down, he carefully searched through the crowd below. He smiled finally discovering the man he sought. Zephon cupped his hands together to try and amplify his voice.

"Erik!Erik!" The man who's name was called looked around suddenly, confused as to who was calling him. "Erik!" Zephon shouted once more. Still no response from his soldier. This irritated Zephon. He was not that far above the ground. Another soldier who stood by, heard his Lord's calling. He nudged Erik's arm and pointed up towards Zephon, who smirked in return.

"Oh," he heard Erik say.

"Idiot. Open your ears, man," Zephon heard the other say.

"I'm sorry my Lord. My hearing hasn't been that well lately. Please excuse my disability, sire."

Zephon smiled. "That's quite alright, Erik!" he shouted back. "I need you to get me a carriage right away. It is most urgent!"

"What!?"

"A carriage!"

"I said-"

"He said a carriage you imbecile!" shouted the other soldier below. "Lord Zephon needs a carriage!"

"Oh I see. Yes. Right away sir!" he shouted back. As Erik took off to take care of the carriage, the other soldier shrugged his shoulders at Zephon and continued his work. The spider only smirked in response and went back inside. He did not want to leave without saying goodbye to Regina, but he did not want to disturb her either. A note would be best, he thought. He finished with his signature, the note read:

Dear Regina,

I have traveled to Raziel's land to request your stay in his territory. I should be back by mid-day. Do NOT leave the room until I return. I hope to see you soon. Your love, Zephon.

P.S. I'll have to repay you for last night.

Zephon smiled. Everything was taken care of. He kissed Regina's forehead and went downstairs to meet the carriage.

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He at last arrived in Raziel's territory. It was all in good time too. As he made his way through the large gate, the guards acknowledged his presence, momentarily letting their eyes cross Zephon's. Zephon made no attempt to even look their way and proceeded on finding his brother. Many stares, followed by whispers, were directed at Zephon. He ignored them and walked on. A Razielim noticed Zephon's arrival and confronted him, despite his fear of the vampire Lord.

"Good morning, Lord Zephon. How may I assist you, sir?" The servant bowed. Zephon was going to really tell him off, because of how he was. But he was in no mood to cause any trouble, especially when he wished to be in Raziel's good graces.

"I wish to speak to your master. Is he in?"

"Of course, sir. Please follow me, I will take you to him."

Zephon nodded in reply. The servant led him through a maze of hallways and doors before finally stopping at one large one. Zephon waited outside as the servant went in. He could not hear voices inside. The servant came out not ten seconds later.

"He is waiting for you, sir."

"My thanks," he replied dryly. Zephon opened the door casually, revealing Raziel along with Rahab within.

"Ah. So the rat comes out of his hole at last. You look awfully pale Zephon. Have you been feeding properly?" Rahab chuckled. He always liked to ruffle Zephon's feathers.

"Welcome, Zephon. What can I do for you?" Raziel got up and shook his brothers hand. Rahab followed behind.

"Good Morning Raziel, Rahab," he nodded. "It seems that you're well aware of my troubles. Must you always assume that I need something from you?"

Raziel chuckled. "I know you well, Zephon."

"Perhaps better than he knows himself, brother," Rahab added. "But really Zephon, we both know you came for a favor did you not?"

"Have a seat brother," Raziel offered. Zephon obeyed and sat on the chair across from the other two.

"Indeed, Rahab. It seems that you are more of a prodigy than you ever were. Perhaps a better time streamer than the great Moebius, knowing my future before it even occurred. I'm impressed," Zephon mocked. Rahab hardened his gaze but made no reply. "Yes I am here to ask Raziel a favor." He directed his attention to Raziel. "Raziel, you of all people know I am off to war in a few days. And...well...it is not like me to ask favors...but would it be possible if Regina could stay here until the war has ended?" Raziel raised a brow.

"Really, Zephon? I am honored that you would choose me out of everyone else."

"Don't get full of yourself, Raziel. Regina just preferred you over the others because she feels safer with you, that's all."

"It's true, who wouldn't feel safe with Raziel? I mean he has the best looks and only has...oh I don't know about a dozen whores at his side. Who he says that they come on to him, but that expression says otherwise," replied Rahab sarcastically. Raziel crossed his arms.

"I gave that up long ago, brother. I will be honest, yes on occasion this will occur but I am far too busy to meddle with such fledging affairs. Besides, I don't hear you objecting to any encounters that come your way during my "special" celebrations. Don't go pointing fingers, brother, when you're at fault as well."

"Yes, yes. You've got me." Rahab paused for a moment, a sly smile upon his face. "But you get more girls than I-"

"Alright!" shouted Zephon. "I came here to get an answer from Raziel not discuss how many times you got laid in the past week. Raziel, what is your answer? I have much to do today and, unfortunately, I cannot waste any of it speaking to you two. Now what will it be?"

The first born did not reply immediately. He brought a finger to his chin and tapped on it lightly in thought.

"Hm. Yes or no. Which one to choose."

Zephon sighed. "Please...brother?"

"Hmph. I never thought I would hear you say those words to me, Zephon. You must really need assistance."

"More than you can ever fathom. But I will not ask again. Tell me now."

Raziel chuckled and put his hands up in defeat. "Alright, alright. She may stay here as long as she needs. No need to get your panties in a twist."

"I didn't know Zephon wore panties. Shows how much I've been paying attention," Rahab added.

"As if Rahab." Zephon got up to leave, Raziel following him out. "Your in my debt, Raziel. How can I repay you?"

Raziel smiled. "I'll think of something, Zephon. Now go, you have a woman to attend to." Zephon nodded and turned to leave.

"Oh and Raziel." Raziel popped his head back out just before closing it to answer to Zephon. "Um...would it be possible to...um help me with my training after this whole bloody war is over? I'm starting to believe your theory of a healthier body. And I want to impress a certain someone," he smiled.

Raziel rolled his eyes. "Yes of course, Zephon. I will help you. But in time-"

"Of course I'll repay you back, anything. Oh I could kiss you." He stopped, realizing what he said.

Raziel smiled. "Tongue or no tongue, Zephon?"

"Uh...Well...I...you don't mean...what?"

"I'm kidding, brother. You need not do that. I would surely think something wrong of you if you did. Go on now, we'll talk later."

Without further conversation, Zephon disappeared out of the Razielim territory. Raziel had closed his door and turned his attention to Rahab.

"Well, did the fool get what he wanted?"

Raziel smirked. "You have no idea."

That concludes this chapter folks. Hope you liked it, and I hope it wasn't bad. Please review and tell me what you think. Thanks! Lil V.