Disclaimer 1: I do NOT own Zoids.
Disclaimer 2: The characters Ibeyla, Obscura, Spectral, Rollo, Rabe, Salca, Playzia, Driacoul, Rika, Avea, Serrer and Libelle do NOT belong to me. They belong to ShadowRebirth37.
Disclaimer 3: The characters Atherin, Azel, Eiji, Tyme and Ryoko belong to ME as do the towns Redai and Jurei.
Author's Note: Hey everyone! I know this is a bit of a late update but at least it's up. Work cut into my time this past week as well as me not feeling so well. I know this chapter is short, but a little breather was needed for the characters ^^; Anyways, I hope that you all like this chapter!
This is a collaboration fic between ShadowRebirth37 and me. We that those of you that reviewed!!
Ͽ Theories Ͼ
Raven woke up at about nine in the morning. Ibeyla's medicine had fully healed the minor wounds he had sustained and the blood loss, so he was back to his normal self. Shadow was still asleep, curled around Avea. He quietly got up, not disturbing them. He went to check on Atherin, knocking quietly on the door. "Hey Dracula, you up?" All he received was a muffled groan and a whirlwind of clicks. Well...at least he had woken one of them up... Raven knocked again. "Atherin? You alright?" he asked again, opening the door and walking in, shutting it behind him out of habit.
It was dark inside Atherin's room, as Raven thought it would be. It was also much, much colder than when he had left it last night. He looked to where the bed was and saw glowing lavender eyes looking at him... But...as both Atherin and Azel had glowing lavender eyes, he couldn't be too sure which one was looking at him. Raven blinked. "Atherin? You awake?" he asked again, not sure if he was looking at Azel or Atherin's glowing eyes. Another muffled groan, before another pair of glowing lavender eyes revealed themselves. It was...kind of scary to Raven, who wasn't use to seeing such things.
Raven blinked again. He wasn't used to seeing glowing eyes. "Atherin?" he asked, looking between the two pairs of eyes. "...Hmm? W-What...is it....?" Atherin asked sleepily. "I was gonna ask if you were up, but that's pretty obvious..." Raven said, "How are you feeling?" He asked. "...B-Better... But...I don't th-think I'll....be moving....t-too much today..." Atherin answered.
Raven reached over and tried to find the light switch. After a few minutes of stumbling around and cursing, he found the switch and turned on the lights just bright enough for him to see. Atherin resisted the urge to hiss at the sudden brightness of 'his' room. He was a recovering vampire, the dark was his friend. He raised his hand slightly to shield his sensitive eyes from the light. He knew that Raven had only turned them on so he could see. He'd live with it...but if he tried to turn the thermostat up then there would be problems. Raven looked over when he saw Atherin do that. "Sorry Atherin..." he said. "...It's...alright.... You could have turned them....all the way on...but I'm t-thankful that you...d-didn't... I wouldn't have been...too happy..." Atherin replied. "I didn't think you would, which is why I didn't..." Raven said, "I liked my room dark when I wasn't feeling well, I guessed you were the same way..." "...I like it....dark...even wh-when I am...feeling well... I am...a c-creature of the....n-night...." Atherin replied. Raven rolled his eyes. "Should have seen that coming..." he muttered to himself, sitting down on the chair.
Atherin wanted to chuckle, but he knew that it'd hurt him to do that. He was glad that Raven didn't seem to mind how cold it was in 'his' room. It was probably a good twenty-five degrees colder in here than out there. Raven wrapped his arms around himself and started shivering. "Helkat Atherin... why's it so damn c-cold in here..." he complained, "I can almost s-see my breath!" "...D-Deal with...it... If...it's...t-too warm...my strength...g-gets sapped.... And in...my condition if that where to...happen....I c-could very well...d-die..." Atherin replied. Raven rolled his eyes. "You'll l-live..." he muttered. Atherin tugged at his blanket, it had been kicked down to his waist. He pulled it out of its place and then threw it over Raven's head. "Th-There...now s-stop complaining..." Raven wrapped himself in the blanket. "Thanks..." he said, not shivering anymore.
Atherin only nodded. The effort of tugging and throwing the blanket had hurt him more than he thought it would. "...Is there any other...r-reason w-why you d-decided to w-wake me?" He asked. "I just wanted to check up on you..." Raven answered. "I'm not accusing you of w-waking me just for the hell...of it... I...was just wondering...if the others....had g-gotten suspicious...." Atherin said. Raven shook his head 'no'. "I just wanted to make sure you were still alright... besides, I already told the others; they just haven't come to see you because I told them you need your rest to heal..." He said. "...Th-Thanks.... I...m-maybe...a social creature....but in this condition...the more people in this....small room the edgier I...get..." Atherin replied. "I figured..." Raven said, "That's why I told them to let you be until you were better..."
Atherin sighed quietly. He knew that since Raven had taken the medicine that Ibeyla makes he was in a good enough condition for him to bite again. And as much as he wanted to get the silver out of his system, he also didn't want to scare Raven like Tyme had. Raven looked over when he heard Atherin sigh. "Something wrong, Dracula?" he asked, not knowing what was wrong with his friend.
"...Do I...really need to tell...you what's wrong...?" Atherin asked quietly. He didn't know how to just tell him that he wanted to clear the remaining silver from his system without sounding....barbaric... Or scaring him.... Raven blinked and thought for a moment. He knew what Atherin meant, even if the thought still scared him. "....I won't take...unless....you're....okay with it...." Atherin replied quietly when he got no response from Raven. "I'm okay with it, Atherin..." Raven reassured him, "I know you need it..." After some help from Azel was Atherin able to sit up. After a few clicks, did Azel leave, worm holing his way out and back to the hanger. Raven got out of the blanket and walked over to Atherin's bed, sitting down beside him. Atherin shifted himself again to get into a better position. He could actually see today which made things a whole lot easier for him.
Raven took a deep breath to try and keep himself calm. After nearly getting attacked by Tyme the yesterday, he was nervous about letting Atherin bite his neck. But he knew Atherin needed it. He closed his eyes, waiting for him to bite... Atherin hesitated, not liking how nervous Raven was of letting him bite. He was afraid that Raven would pull back, which would cause his instincts to take over...which wouldn't be good for either of them... After another few seconds did Atherin get close to Raven's neck again and bit down...trying not to cause any pain or panic to him.
Raven cringed slightly, but didn't move. He knew him panicking wouldn't do any for either of them. He forced himself to keep from struggling, knowing it would only make things worse. Atherin continued to drink. He could feel his pain lessening and his blood thinning the rest of the way. He could also feel what remaining silver that was in his system clearing up. Raven was slowly getting weaker as Atherin continued to drink his blood. But he didn't make any moves to stop him. He knew Atherin needed it badly. He wouldn't stop him until he absolutely had too. Atherin was slightly aware of the fact that Raven was getting weaker, but once again, he wasn't making any moves to stop himself. He knew that the silver would be cleared from his system, but it'd take a while for the gash to actually heal... No amount of blood or sugar would make it 'seal' any faster. Raven was starting to feel dizzy, but he didn't stop Atherin. He was weakening further with every swallow of blood Atherin took from him, but he still had some strength left...
For some reason or other Atherin stopped on his own. Raven couldn't understand why. He hadn't said anything and was still willing to let Atherin 'feed' a little more. Raven looked over at Atherin. "What's wrong? Why'd you stop?" he asked, confused on why he had released him. "....Your blood...clotted...." Atherin answered. Raven blinked. "What?" he asked, not understanding why that had happened. Atherin didn't know why Raven's blood had clotted either. Humans were such fickle things. Not even their blood flow was constant all the time. "...I don't know....the reason either but....it's not...life threatening...." Atherin replied. Raven blinked. "Strange... that's never happened before..." he muttered.
While Raven was trying to figure why his blood had clotted, Atherin was seeing how many more times he'd have to bite Raven's neck. He knew that he still had some silver in his system, but it wasn't as concentrated nor as potent as it had been. His breathing was still a little difficult and his heart was still pumping a tad bit harder than what he was use to. All in all he figured that he'd only have to bite him one more time to clear it all from his system. "Are you feeling better, Atherin?" Raven asked.
Atherin nodded. "Yeah.... Though....there's still...a little bit of silver left in my system.... If your blood hadn't of clotted it would have been fully cleared..." He answered. Raven sighed. "That's okay... I'll be able to let you 'feed' off me a little bit later, after I take some of Ibeyla's medicine..." He said. "...It doesn't have to be later today.... I know you get really scared when ever I get close to your neck..." Atherin replied. "It's only because whenever you made a shot at my neck before this, it was your intent to kill me. And now with that incident with Tyme, I'm just a little uneasy..." "...I understand... I know I haven't given you the best of impression when it came to biting your neck..." The vampire replied quietly. "It wasn't your fault any of the times you tried to bite me..." Raven tried to reassure. "...But still....they made a lasting impression..." Raven nodded slightly. He couldn't deny that...
Before Atherin could say something again, Azel reappeared...right on the bed...causing it to groan and sink even more with all the weight it was trying to hold. Neither Atherin nor Raven could move. Atherin really couldn't and Azel sort of had Raven pinned. He didn't care though. He clicked happily before nuzzling and licking both boys, regardless of Raven's protests and attempts to get free. Raven tried to get free, but Azel had him pinned. "Azel! Let me up!" he shouted, trying to get up.
All Raven received was a whirlwind of clicks as Azel nuzzled him more. Atherin chuckled at him the best that he could at his situation. His Organoid was lying on top of Raven and reaching over to him to groom his hair and click at him. "....Sorry Raven.... Azel probably sees you as one of his 'hatchlings' now... You're just gonna have to get use to it..." Raven glared at Atherin. "You aren't funny, Dracula..." he growled, "Now get him off me!!"
Atherin shrugged. He wasn't trying to be funny. He was telling Raven what Azel was saying to him. "...Come on Azel...let him up...." Azel looked over to Atherin for a few moments...before going back to what he was doing.... He'd let Raven up when he was done. Raven glared at Atherin. He wasn't even going to try and fight against Azel. "...Why're you glaring at me? I told him to let you up... This is what he did to me...when I tried to get him to let me up.... It's why I learned to not struggle against him any more..." Atherin said. Azel continued grooming Raven, ignoring what they were talking about. Raven rolled his eyes. "Yeah sure..." he muttered, trying to ignore Azel. Azel clicked at him some more before letting Raven up. He nuzzled him some before turning to Atherin and nuzzling him. He was glad that he was doing better. Raven sighed. "Glad that's over..." he groaned. Atherin sighed, leaning back against Azel. Azel could still reach Raven so he was still nuzzling him as well.
A few minutes later, there was a quiet knock on the door. "Atherin? Raven?" Ibeyla asked, "You guys in there?" Atherin looked to the door. "...Yeah... We're here..."
Ibeyla opened the door and walked in. "You feeling better Atherin?" she asked as she shut the door, sitting down in the chair Raven had used earlier. "...Yeah...I'm feeling better... I'm still in pain, but I'll live..." Atherin reassured her. "That's good..." she said, handing Raven the small flask of medicine. He took a few sips unhappily, but soon was feeling better. He handed it back to Ibeyla, and she put it back in her pocket. "When will you be healed?" she asked Atherin. "...There's still some silver left in me... Just...one more....'session' and it'll be clear.... However....this gash will take some time to heal..." Ibeyla nodded. "I figured it would..." she said, "My best friend Strake, his little brother Scott was a vampire. He accidently cut himself on silver, and it took him a couple weeks to heal..."
Atherin nodded. He knew that it'd take a while for his wound to heal fully. He doubted he'd be able to walk for another day or two. Azel started clicking again before going back to nuzzling and licking Atherin and Raven, and now Ibeyla as she was now there. Ibeyla giggled, letting Azel do what he wanted. It didn't bother her at all, and honestly she enjoyed it. Azel continued on. He was curled around Atherin, but he had his tail around Raven, keeping him still. He clicked happily, licking and nuzzling Ibeyla more as she giggled. Ibeyla patted his muzzle gently, smiling as he licked and nuzzled her. Raven merely tolerated having Azel's tail around him, not trying to get free.
Atherin was getting tired again. But as his bed was occupied by his Organoid and Raven, he really couldn't just lay back down and go back to sleep. Oh well...he'd improvise... He turned slightly and pulled his pillow over to him, resting it on Azel before he leaned back again. He yawned before placing his feet over Raven's lap. He wasn't going to let his friend keep him from resting, and as Azel wouldn't let him go, he'd just have to deal with it. Raven looked over at Atherin. "Do you mind?" he growled in annoyance, not liking being used as a pillow. Atherin cracked open an eye to look at Raven. He crossed one leg over the other, still using Raven as a human pillow. "Nope." He said before closing his eye again. Raven glared at him. "I have half a mind to shove you off, but I'll stop myself..." he muttered, before Ibeyla handed him the blanket, seeing him start to shiver.
Atherin just ignored him. He was too tired to argue with him at the moment. He was starting to feel hot again, but he wouldn't turn the thermostat down any more. It would pass shortly before he'd become comfortable again. Azel was still paying attention to Ibeyla, every now and then tightening his tail around Raven and then relaxing it, just to make sure that he was still there. Ibeyla continued stroking Azel, scratching him behind his crest. Raven just glared at Atherin for a moment. He wasn't very happy at the moment.
Atherin was already asleep by the time Raven glared at him. He didn't even know he had drifted off. Azel was cooing at Ibeyla, but aware of the fact that Atherin had fallen back asleep. He growled quietly before he finally released Raven. After Azel released him and Atherin had fallen asleep, Raven decided to get up. He careful got up without moving Atherin too much, and stood beside Ibeyla. "C'mon Raven, let him get some rest..." Ibeyla said, getting up and opening the door. Raven nodded and followed her out, shutting the door and turning the lights completely off.
A couple of hours later had passed. It was now around four p.m., and Atherin was still sleeping. Azel was being a dutiful partner and didn't leave his side at all. He nitpicked at the blanket every now and then as well as groomed Atherin, but other than that he was watching over him; ready to get someone at the drop of a hat should something bad and unseen happen. Raven walked to Atherin's room. He'd been asleep a few hours, and he wanted to check up on him. "Hey Dracula, you up?" he asked, knocking on the door. A fury of clicks drowned out most of what Atherin replied but Raven thought he said something along the lines of '...do you want me to be...?' Raven opened the door. "I can't hear you over that dolphin of an Organoid..." he said, shutting the door behind him.
Atherin only mumbled something incomprehensible. Again, because it was so dark, Raven could only see one set of glowing lavender eyes looking at him. He could hear Azel clicking at him again, but other than that, couldn't tell who he was looking at. Raven turned the lights on just bright enough for him to see. "Is that you, Dracula? Or Flipper?" Atherin shifted away from the bright light. His eyes were still closed, so that only left Azel. Azel, for his part, reached over and started to lick and nuzzle Raven again. Raven tried to push Azel away. "Leave me alone Azel..." he groaned.
That wasn't happening anytime soon. Azel continued to lick him, purring and clicking all the while. Atherin had learned to ignore Azel when he got like this and so wasn't bothered by it at all. Raven wasn't going to have any of it. He kept trying to push Azel away, not wanting to get licked, again. Azel wasn't too happy with that, but backed off, not wanting to make Raven too mad. He snorted at him, totally messing up his hair, and ensuring the fact that Shadow would try to groom it back into place later. Atherin shifted back around and looked around with glazed over eyes. "....You just checkin' in on me again...?" Raven nodded. "Yeah... you were out for a good while..." he said.
"...Mmm... I could probably sleep for the rest of the day...and well into tomorrow..." Atherin yawned, trying not to stretch out so he wouldn't cause any pain to himself. "Well, I doubt you'd be able to with Flipper over there clicking at everything..." Raven said, indicating Azel, "And, do you need anything?" He asked. "...Azel only clicks when someone he knows comes to the room... If it was someone that wanted to cause me harm he'd be silent and attack them before they set foot in here.... He's just happy to see you is all..." Atherin explained. "...And...I am getting a little hungry... Perhaps an apple or some strawberries would keep me satisfied..." Raven nodded and left the room. He returned in few minutes with a couple apples. "Here you go Dracula..." he said, handing the apples to him.
"...Thanks..." Atherin replied as he bit into one of the apples. Raven took a moment to wonder why Atherin wasn't chewing....until he figured out that he was draining the apple of its juices... Raven sat down on the chair, pushing Azel's head away when he made another go at him. Azel huffed again, further messing up Raven's hair. He was dooming him to Shadow's grooming at this rate. Atherin soon finished his apple; it looked like he hadn't even touched it except a few seconds later it proofed into dust... And then he started on a second one. Raven shoved Azel away. "Leave me alone, Flipper...." he groaned, shaking his head to try and get his hair back to normal.
Azel waited for Raven to finish before he snorted at him again. Raven wasn't getting out of here with normal hair. Atherin ignored his Organoid's antics, and just continued to drain his apples. Raven glared at Azel. "Stop it Flipper..." he growled, pushing him away again. Azel just clicked rapidly at him. If he was going to be given that nickname then he'd live up to it. Atherin finished his apples and watched on, in amusement, at Raven arguing with his Organoid. Raven glared at Atherin. "Will you make him stop?" he said, trying to shove Azel away again. "Azel, come on... That's enough now..." Azel stopped what he was doing but he still kept an eye on Raven. He laid back down, clicking quietly.
Raven looked over at Atherin. "Thanks Dracula..." he said, shaking his head to get his hair at least somewhat back to normal. Shadow was going to get him no matter what though. "So... is my blood helping to get rid of the silver alright?" He asked. "...Yeah... It's helping getting rid of it... Why...?" "Just curious is all..." Raven answered. "...Why so curious all of a sudden? So long as its helping shouldn't that be all that matters?" Atherin asked. Raven nodded. "I know... but I can be a little curious, can't I?" he shot back, smirking.
Atherin narrowed his eyes at Raven. He was planning something that much he knew. "I never said that you couldn't be curious about it, but you've never shown an interest before..." Raven rolled his eyes. "So I'm a little curious about it? That doesn't mean I'm planning anything..." Atherin looked at him a little skeptically, but dropped it. He wasn't in the best of conditions to argue with him too much. "...But why the sudden interest?" Raven shrugged. "I don't know..." He replied. "...That's not very....calming.... I don't know what it is you're so interested in and at the moment I'm not too sure I want to find out..." Atherin sighed. "Well... I just remembered you saying my blood was different or something and I was just curious if that made it better or worse for helping you with the silver..." Raven said. "...Your blood's really sweet, not different. So in actuality, it helps get rid of the silver a lot quicker..." The vampire replied.
Raven blinked. "I still don't have a clue why my blood is so sweet to you vampires... but at least it explains why I keep getting bitten..." "I can't answer that either. There are theories about why some blood tastes different, but they're just that. Theories." Atherin replied. "Theories? What kind of theories?" Raven asked.
"There's one that says what humans eat in their diet affect how their blood tastes...but if that was true...then your blood would hardly have any taste at all... And there's another that says it depends on the heart of the person... If they're a truly good person it makes their blood sickeningly sweet, but if they're awful deep down their blood tastes bitter..." Raven stared at him. "Well... I'm positive the second one isn't true... and I don't think that first one sounds any better...."
"...You don't think you're a good person?" Atherin asked. "Well... I haven't exactly been a nice person..." Raven said. "Nice and good are too separate things..." The vampire pointed out. "Well... after Prozen took me in, I killed lots of Zoids and sometimes their pilots, so I doubt I have a 'good heart'...." Raven replied. "....Do you feel guilty about what you've done sometimes? I've killed a lot more people than you ever will... Does that mean that I don't have a 'good heart' either?" Atherin asked. "Well... the first few times I killed I did feel guilty, but after that I got used to it..." Raven said. "...But you still feel guilty sometimes...don't you?" Atherin asked again. "... Sometimes... but I haven't killed any Zoids or anyone in the last few months..." Raven replied.
"....Then let me ask you this... Do you actually enjoy killing?" Atherin asked suddenly. Raven blinked. He had never thought about that before. "No... I don't... not anymore, at least..." He replied. "Then I don't see why you don't consider your self a good person.... You feel guilty from what you've done before and would rather not do it again unless it's absolutely necessary... You may not be out there....'volumeteering?' but that doesn't automatically make you a bad person." Atherin said. Raven blinked. "You mean volunteering, right?" He asked. "Whatever... You get my point." Atherin replied. Raven nodded. "I guess you're right..."
Atherin noticed Raven's expression after what they had just talked about. "Oh, 'lighten up' will ya? You're 'good' to me...I think that your blood proves that." Atherin said, smirking slightly. Raven rolled his eyes. "I don't need to lighten up... you're the one sitting in a dark room all day..." Raven shot back, smirking. "Mmm...and that's how I'd prefer it." Atherin replied as he stretched out slightly, trying not to bother his wound.
Raven rolled his eyes. "Well... a little time in the sun wouldn't kill you..." "There's a possibility that it could." Atherin replied, smirking a little. "No it wouldn't... you've been out in the sun a lot..." Raven said. "Yeah, when I at least am at half of my strength... But at the moment....that's a different story." Atherin pointed out. Raven rolled his eyes. "Well, when you're better, you're getting out in the sun for awhile..." "Yeah, yeah... I hear ya 'mom'." Atherin replied, smirking slightly. "Oh shut up Dracula..." Raven said, rolling his eyes again. Atherin chuckled at Raven. He was unable to come back with something like he did back in Jurei. Raven sighed. "When do you think you'll be back to full strength?"
"....Umm.... The gash is pretty bad...so....I think it won't heal for about two or more weeks.... And then it'll take a day or two for me to get back at full strength...." Atherin replied quietly. Raven nodded. "As long as Rabe stays away, we should be fine..." He said. "Yeah... If he thinks that I'm dead...there's a good chance that he'll stay away... As I'm sure he thinks that you, Ibeyla and Karl will be easy to take out..." Atherin said. Raven rolled his eyes. "Easy? I won't just let him kill me..." "I'm not trying to be sarcastic. I'm just telling you what I think..." Atherin defended.
"Yeah well... I still just won't let him attack me... after all; I went easy on you last time you tried to get me..." Raven joked slightly. "I don't even remember 'last time'. So how does that count?" Atherin asked. Raven rolled his eyes. "I still held back..." Atherin just sighed, shaking his head at Raven. "Just keep telling yourself that Raven..." Raven narrowed his eyes at Atherin. "Don't start with me, Dracula..." Atherin chuckled. "Chill... I don't want to argue about this subject..."
Raven sighed and looked over at Atherin. "Why didn't you just eat those apples? Instead of biting them?" He asked, slightly curious as to why the vampire would do that. "I did eat them! Just....not how you humans do..." Atherin replied. "It didn't look like you ate them to me..." Raven said. "But I did! I 'ate' them. Apples are one of the only fruits that I can 'eat' like that..." Atherin defended. Raven rolled his eyes. "Yeah well... you better not eat apples like that in public..." "I don't. But as you all know what I am, I see no problem with it." The vampire replied. "Yeah... well... it's still weird..." "Oh well... I can't change my eating habits...too much... I've already done a lot to try not to stand out too much..." Atherin said, remembering what he had to change to try and 'fit in'. "Like what?" Raven asked.
"Apart from the differences in cultures, I've had to change what I wear, get rid of a number of accessories and weapons, and make sure that my eyes don't glow and that my fangs and claws are put away all the time..." Atherin answered. There were some other things as well, but he didn't feel like listing them all. "Yeah...because if your glowing eyes freak me out, imagine what it would do to someone who wasn't expecting it..." Raven said, smirking. "So I've already found out..." Atherin sighed. "Way to go, Dracula..." Raven said his smirk widening.
"I couldn't help it... I didn't know how to make it disappear....even at night sometimes...it just...happens... Especially when I'm hurt like this..." Atherin replied. "Well considering every time I've come to see you your eyes were glowing, I sorta figured that..." Atherin chuckled at him before growling tired again. He yawned slightly, trying not to stretch to worsen his wound. About half an hour later and he as out like a light again. When Raven saw this he got up, opened the door and turned the light of to let him rest and recover.
Author's Note: At least Atherin's feeling a little better and he and Raven are joking with each other again. I know this chapter was more filler than anything, but hey, a nice slow chapter with no one getting mauled is a nice change of pace! Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed reading it!! Please Review!!