Good Morning, Kiosun! Van chirped into Ki's mind. Ki smiled, eyes still closed.

Good Morning, Van. You're up early.

I'm hungry… Van trailed off, embarrassed.

Kiosun grinned. No surprise. Last night was…busy. Van blushed, thoughts becoming tinged pink with embarrassment.

I'm glad though. Now we'll always be together. Kiosun wrapped Van in a warm hug, opening his eyes. Van's pupils were a little over-dilated, but that was to be expected. He still had to adjust to the changes in his body. His teeth were longer and just peeped out under his upper lip. He'd learn to hide that, too.

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So what can I eat? I just have this huge craving for…blood. Van's thoughts were chaotic. Tinged with hunger and fear too. Van couldn't seem to control his cravings, and he was afraid he'd hurt Kiosun. Kiosun didn't seem worried though, so he probably shouldn't worry either. It was just that the hunger was so real…Van had never been this hungry before. As a prince, he'd had everything that he'd wanted. If he was hungry, five servants would be at his side offering food. Now, the hunger seemed like a sleeping dragon. It had been pacified before, but now it was awake, and angry. It wanted blood…and who was Van to refuse?

Don't worry, Van. We have just the thing for emergencies. Follow me. Kiosun stood smoothly up, drawing Van with him. Van followed silently. Ki, completely nude, walked outside toward the barn. Van's eyes widened, but he grinned and trailed behind. Inside the barn was a healthy cow, big and robust. Van could see an undertone of faint…heat lines, almost, where blood was flowing close to the skin. His vampire instincts screamed at him to rush at her and drink from those veins, but his training held him back. As did Kiosun's arm. Then Ki spoke, out loud, startling Van.

"Van, this cow is big. As long as you don't do as your instincts tell you to do and rip out her heart, you'll not kill her. So please, be rational and drink from this vein here…" Ki indicated a large vein on the side of her neck where the blood was pumping under the skin. Van shoved instincts to the back of his mind and nodded. Ki withdrew his arm and began to pat the gentle cow on the head.

Lowering his face to the cow, Van gently sank his fangs into her. There was a moment of pain, but glands in his teeth secreted a liquid. It seemed to be a mix of an aphrodisiac and an anesthetic. The cow's eyes drooped close in pleasure. Van was slightly sickened, but the blood was flowing out of the wound now, and into his mouth.

At the first taste of blood, all caution was blown to the wind. The dragon, barely contained before, was now free and rampaging through his body. The sweet metallic blood was flowing into his mouth, down his throat. He was gulping desperately, his nausea gone…his entire world was focused on his hunger.

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Kiosun watched Van with growing concern. He remembered the first time he had fed…killing that girl. And the second time…and the third, too. He hadn't had a mentor then, to stop him from ripping out the throat. He knew he had to stop Van from that much, and had apparently succeeded. But what now? Would Van stop by himself? Would Ki have to stop him? The cow seemed fine, eyes still half closed with bliss. Was she weaker though? Just as he thought this, the cow sank to her knees, head lowered. Ki stepped away quickly and went to Van's side. Van didn't look ready to stop anytime soon.

Ki paused for only a second, then grabbed Van's head and pulled him away from the wound. At his touch, Van spun around, teeth bared, eyes narrowed, arms ready to strike at this attacker.

"Van…Van, listen to me." Ki spoke quietly, reinforcing his words with a soft mental touch. "You are Van Fanel. You are my Vampire, my prince, and my lover. You must calm down."

Gradually the sanity returned to Van's eyes. Replacing it was horror.

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"Kiosun…I…is she alright?" Van looked at the cow, which had laid down her head and fallen asleep.

Look with you own eyes. Ki replied.

Van looked at the cow. Her veins still pulsed heavily with warm, vibrant blood. She was fine. He sighed in relief.

"How do you feel, Van?" Kiosun asked.

"I feel…fine. I'm not…as hungry, but…still I desire more. Should I feel hungry? I can't believe I lost control like that…" He was panting heavily, still fighting the hunger. Kiosun walked over and hugged him comfortingly.

"That's why I'm here, koibito. To protect you. To train you. You will lose control, the first few times. The instincts will recede as you deny them, so soon control will be no problem. I had none when I began to feed, so my victims died. When no one trained me, the instincts never receded as yours will, so I continued to kill my prey. With my help, that won't happen to you. Be strong, Van." Van nodded.

Of course. Thank you, Kiosun. With this, they walked back to the house, hand in hand.

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The next two days, Kiosun taught Van control. He let Van feed off the horses at the end of the second day, and was very proud when Van only took enough to last a few more days. When his metabolism slowed completely, that same amount would last a week at least. On the third evening, Laike returned.

"Ki, my brother! It looks like all went well." He was grinning broadly, an expression and attitude not often seen on his face. Ki grinned too.

"Far better than expected."

"Oh?" Laike queried. "How so?"

Ki smiled innocently and answered, "Hold on, let me call Van." Without saying another word, he called to Van in his mind.

Beloved, come here for a moment please. I want to show Laike our new talent.

Oh, is Laike back already? Van sounded disappointed. Not that Laike was back, just that they wouldn't be alone anymore.

Laike was looking puzzled when Van strolled in. "You called?" he asked. Laike shook his head.

"No, he…I…you…how?" Laike was astonished.

Van walked over and tucked himself in the curve of Ki's arm. "You didn't explain?"

Ki shook his head. "Not yet."

"Explain what?"

"Our little talent. We'll demonstrate. Ask anything of Van, anything I'd know."

Laike was confused but complied. "Alright…umm…what was the one thing I told Ki but never told Angelique about my time before I became a vampire?"

Ki thought quickly. He had a girlfriend, secretly, and when his sister turned him into a vampire, he left a rose on her pillow and a note explaining that he loved her but had to leave. He never saw her again, and didn't tell his sister because he didn't want her to feel bad for taking him away from their old life. Van faithfully repeated this.

"How could you possibly know that! Wait…mindspeech?"

Ki remained silent, but Van nodded. Laike took a step back. "The bond was that strong?" he asked. Van nodded again. Laike shook his head in wonder. "I can't believe you were so worried about it." Ki winced.

"Ano, well, Van wasn't exactly encouraging me…" Van raised his eyebrows.

"You were never really straightforward with me, either."

"Yes, but that was-"

"Different? I don't think so. You never really even told me how the ceremony was supposed to be."

"I was afraid you'd be disgusted and leave me…"

"Well that was pretty ridiculous, huh? I'd never leave you, you should have known that!"

"Well, how was I supposed to know that, you never even made it seem like you really loved me!"

Laike had been watching this with some amusement. "As much as I hate to interrupt a lovers' quarrel, I did bring the livestock back, and I do have to take care of them. Why don't you assist me?" As Van and Ki grinned ruefully and followed him out, he made one last remark to no one in particular. "They're almost as bad as newlyweds."

He caught the glance between Van and Kiosun… right before they dragged him to the barn and stuffed hay down his shirt until he laughingly apologized.

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Angelique and Folken returned the next day, to find the other three vampires laughing over really lame jokes around the never-used kitchen table. They were welcomed back and everything was explained to them. The gift of mindspeech, the plans for the farm, and the plans for taking care of the persistent Balgus. The latter plans were still in very tentative stage, nothing more than speculation, but Balgus was a problem that soon had to be dealt with.

Angelique and Folken explained that they had bought a stallion for the farm. Laike had already bought four mares, and they were gifting Van and Kiosun with the pair of horses that had carried them for part of their journey, Coral and Breeze.

Ki's eyebrows rose at the generosity. "Two stallions and five brood mares?"

Angelique blushed. "This simple cottage is all we wanted. With all the money we've made over the past hundred or so years, we never bought anything but cows and horses and food. We have quite a large nest egg that we never plan to use. Consider it…a gift for your new life. I know you have the money from Van's cousin, but why don't you use that to find a good sized bit of land in a forest somewhere? Then you only have to worry about solitude and exclusion, not price."

Van wrapped her in a hug, then walked to his brother and Laike and did the same. "I'll never forget your generosity."

Ki nodded his agreement. "We'll only be staying one more day. Then we'll be flying to Lokia looking for people willing to sell their land. We'll widen our search from there. After we've got our land, we'll come back here to collect the horses. After that, we'll secretly return to Fanalia and begin to make plans to get Balgus off our necks."

And so it was agreed. The next night they'd leave for Lokia.

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The next night, Van woke up with a heavy heart. He'd only just learned that his brother was still alive and been reunited with him. Now they were leaving again. Ki seemed to notice his distress, and correctly guessed what was bothering him.

You don't want to leave your brother so soon.

Of course not. I've missed him all these years, and now that we're finally together again, we hardly had a chance to talk to each other.

Do you want to stay longer? We don't have to hurry.

Well, I'd love to stay. But we have to take care of Balgus before we're ever safe. Which means we have to leave here as soon as possible and keep moving till we find our farm.

Our farm… Ki's thoughts were tinged with amusement. It still seems odd. Prince Van, working on a farm with a duke's bastard son.

Well…All that matters to me is that you are Kiosun, and I am Van. Not a prince anymore, I renounced that. And really, I could care less if you were a duke's half son. Rank doesn't matter.

"Thanks Van," Ki laughed. "Now, we're packed, let's go!

Van said goodbye to his brother and Angelique and Laike. He would miss them, but really, he was happy to leave. He'd get to be alone with his beloved. As he waved behind him at the vampires he'd grown to know so well, he blinked back tears, not entirely sure if they were happy or sad tears.

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"So, how much do you want for the land?"

Van and Kiosun sat across the inn's table from an old couple. The couple was about seventy or so, and had lived on the same farm for years. However, lately they'd been unable to care for it properly. Their granddaughter owned a house in the town, and wanted her grandparents to live with her so she could care for them. So the couple wanted to sell their land for the best price they could so they could give the money to their granddaughter.

"Fifty gold pieces." The old man spoke. "That includes the barn and the house."

"You've had it looked at?" asked Kiosun.

"Yes, my granddaughter's fiancée appraised it."

"That's not very much money."

"No, it's not. But we've had that farm for years, and it's mostly trees anyway. The house has fallen in disrepair, but the barn was rebuilt after a fire a few years ago." The old man's voice quavered a bit with suppressed emotion. "We barely got the horses out alive."

Kiosun lay a hand over the man's. "I understand. I was involved in a similar incident."

The man drew himself up a bit. "We are sad to see the farm go, but I know you two will take care of it. Brothers, you said?"

"Actually, half brothers. Same mother, different fathers." Van said. They'd planned the entire meeting out beforehand, so he knew what to say.

The old man sighed. "Used to be in my day, we didn't have that kind of disgraceful behavior going on." His wife made a noise of protest, and the man looked at her.

"Henry, it ain't these kids fault 'bout their mother."

"True. I'm sorry boys."

Kiosun spoke up. "We're both legitimate. Our mother remarried after bandits killed her first husband. Unfortunately, four years later, our entire farm was burned to the ground by the same bandits. My brother and I were the only survivors."

The wife softened visibly. "Oh, you poor dears. Losing your parents like that! Henry, can you imagine? That must be why you need the farm."

"Yes…" Van dropped his eyes. "Too many bad memories." He hated lying like this, but the old couple would never sell the farm if they knew Kiosun and himself were lovers.

There was a short silence, and then Kiosun reached into his pocket for their purse. He counted the fifty coins into a pile in the center of the table. The old couple looked on with surprise as he gently shoved it towards them.

"Here. Now, where is the paperwork?" In a flurry of motion, the coins were hidden in coat pockets, papers signed, sealed and witnessed, and hands shaken all around.

"Thank you, boys." The man and his wife made their stately way out of the inn.

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Van looked at Kiosun. We're going to follow them, aren't we?

Of course. We did business in a public area, so anyone could have seen the money. We're going to make sure they reach their granddaughter's home without getting mugged.

All right, let's go. Van put a hand to his sword and they strode through the door together.

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Four days later, Van stared about with wonder. "This is to be our home?" he asked, disbelief in his voice. Kiosun turned around to look at him, worried.

"I know it's not much Van, compared to the palace, but it'll be just us, and I'll fix it up…"

"No, no, Kiosun, you've got it all wrong. It's beautiful! Look at the trees…they're ancient! They're so huge…and this clearing, filled with flowers! It couldn't be more perfect! For fifty gold, we practically stole it!" Van flung his arms out to encompass the small valley in question. Ki smiled and dropped the reins of the horses to stand behind Van and wrap him in a hug.

I'm glad you like it.

Ki, it's perfect! Van's thoughts were tinged blue with happiness and contentment. And now it's all ours!

Forever.

Eternity, anyway.

Isn't it the same thing?

I don't know, is it? Van's thoughts were completely carefree. Does it matter?

Not really.

I love you, Kiosun!

I love you too, Van Fanel.

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Van stared with slight dismay at the house. He turned to Kiosun, who was equally dismayed. "Fallen into disrepair? Isn't that kind of…understating the matter?"

Ki grimaced. "Now we know why it was so cheap…"

The house was trashed. The roof was broken in quite a few places; the walls looked about to fall in, and the windows…well, there weren't any. Just gaping holes. Van and Kiosun carefully made their way to where the door was supposed to be. Inside was worse. The furniture was moldy and moth-eaten. The counters were scraped and scratched up, as if by the claws of mice or birds. The bedroom had just a frame of a bed, and there were plants growing between the floorboards of the entire house.

"Hmm…well, Ki, think of it this way!" Van said as they walked back into the moonlight. "At least we get to design our own house!" Kiosun just rolled his eyes.

"Van, I hope you don't mind if we sleep in the stables tonight."

Van just shook his head. "Of course not."

"All right. Then tomorrow night we can ride back to Lokia and find someone to build us a house."

"What will we do with this one?"

"Burn it, I guess."

Van nodded, picked up the horses' reins and led them towards the barn. Kiosun stared at the house for a moment longer, then followed Van into the barn.

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"Well, I reckon it'll take a couple months, but we can build her for ya." The grizzled carpenter glanced at the plans. "It'll be costly, though."

Kiosun nodded. "I never thought differently."

"Aren't ya gonna ask how much?"

"No, I can afford it. I want no expense spared. It must be perfect for my fiancée!" Ki gushed happily as Van rolled his eyes. This time, instead of being brothers, they were best friends. As for Ki's "fiancée," she was supposedly still with her family until the marriage. Despite the ridiculous tale, and Kiosun's continued sappiness, the carpenter believed every word. He also had belief in the gold that the pair flashed him when they walked in the door.

"All right then. Where will ya be staying while my team builds?"

"Ah, here and there." Ki gestured vaguely. "I have quite a bit of business to attend to before the wedding, so I'll be traveling a lot. I'll return whenever I can to be sure that everything is going smoothly. How much will I need to pay you up front?"

"About half. Thirty now, thirty when it's done. Plus any extra costs that come up."

"Of course. Here you go!" Ki handed over the money with a huge smile. Van valiantly tried to keep a straight face as Ki started extolling on the virtues of his wife-to-be to the carpenter, who was valiantly trying to keep panic from his eyes as Kiosun's words grew more and more flowery. Finally, Van could take it no more and carefully lay a hand on Ki's arm.

"Ki, we have to go pick out you clothes. For the wedding?"

"Ah, of course. I'm so sorry, sir, we'll have to continue our conversation later, ok?"

The carpenter nodded, and opened the door for them. "Yes, of course, later, goodbye!"

As soon as they were out the door and around the next corner, Kiosun burst into laughter.

"Did…you see…the look…on…his face?!" Ki wheezed. "Oh my…"

Van rolled his eyes. "Kiosun…you are too much."

Ki grinned, tears leaking from his eyes as he tried in vain to stop laughing.

"Not only that, but…sixty gold for the house?! Ki, are you nuts? The thirty you gave him was the last of the gold that Kuwaro gave me! All we have left are a few silver that should put us in an inn for maybe a week! What were in those plans you gave him? Marble floors?"

"No, not exactly…don't forget, we still have the gold that Angelique and Folken gave us. That's enough."

"How much did they give us?" Van asked curiously.

"Actually, they specifically asked me not to tell you because they knew you'd never accept if you knew how much it was." Ki looked at the ground. Van sighed and shook his head.

"They're probably right. Ok, now what? Where exactly are we going to stay?"

"At the inn with the other vampires. I'll get a copy of the list of criminals I was telling you about, and then I'll start training you. While we're doing that, we can also begin to plot."

"Plot?"

"Well…decide what we're going to do about Balgus."

"Balgus…" Van sighed to himself. "Why did he have to betray me?"

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In the Fanalian palace….

"Van…" Balgus sighed to himself. "Why did he have to betray me?"

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The couple who ran the inn was overjoyed to see Van and Kiosun again, especially since Van was now completely Vampire. They welcomed the pair cheerfully, and gave them the room that they'd had the first time.

What followed was a wonderful couple of months, full of love and laughter. Ki was outrageous, and Van suspected it was his true side showing through. They wandered the stores in the nighttime bazaar, went diving again, and sent packages of presents to Fanalia. Van also wrote a note to Balgus, explaining that he'd gone to the Dragonslaying early. He suspected Balgus wouldn't believe it for a minute, but appearances were everything. He sent a nearly duplicate letter to his cousin and Merle, along with Merle's gifts. They visited the carpenter every once in a while, to see how things were going. Van suspected that Kiosun bribed the man to finish it sooner, because it was completely done in two months, rather than the original projected three. The carpenter also furnished the house, for an additional fee, of course.

Finally, Van and Kiosun packed up their horses and set out for their new house. It took several days to reach their new land, but the house was everything Van could have wished for.

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The house rose in solitary splendor on the far edge of the valley. The old house had been burned down, and there was no trace of where it used to be. The barn had still been in perfect condition, and remained almost the same, with a new coat of paint. The flowers had all been replanted with night-blooming varieties. The soft white, yellow, blue, and pink glows lit the house. The house itself was a two-story house, made out of white granite. It looked like it could stand up to any test, be it wind, rain, or even the ravages of time.

Kiosun left the horses standing where they were and took Van's hand, leading him towards the house. The flowers they walked through released a subtle fragrance while fireflies took off, flashing annoyance at having been disturbed. Ki stopped before the door, and turned around.

"Close your eyes…" he whispered playfully. Van blinked once in surprise and obeyed. Feeling a gentle tug on his arm, he followed the guidance of his lover into the house. Kiosun positioned him to his liking, then stood behind him.

"Open your eyes," he breathed into Van's ear. Opening his eyes, Van was met with a stunning scene. Before him was a grand entranceway. The house was a great deal larger inside than it looked from the meadow, and it appeared to have been half built underground. Before him lay a double stairway, one set curving around on each side of the room and meeting in a long hallway balcony on the second floor. The balustrades were made of beautiful dark wood, shined to perfection. Heavy drapes in dark yet beautiful colors covered the windows, creating an atmosphere of mysticism. On the floor were exotic rugs in strange patterns, adding to the effect. To his right, there was a doorway, which was cracked open slightly. From what he could tell, it led to a set of stairs to the underground floor.

Van could say nothing, simply standing in awe. Ki seemed to understand, and took him by the elbow. "Come on, Van," Ki said, "let's go see the upstairs." Together they ascended the right hand staircase, their feet making no sound on the plush carpet.

The upper hallway was made of stone, which was softened by the occasional tapestry. Two doorways were set slightly in the stone, made of heavy wood like the stairways. Ki led Van to the first of these and opened it.

Inside was a bedroom whose elegance outshone even the entranceway. The focal point was the bed at the far wall. A large canopy above it matched the blood red coverlet. Two small dressing tables flanked either side and a set of closets and dressers mirrored each other on opposite sides of the room. Van stared around him, feeling tears prick his eyes. He turned to Ki and buried his face on Ki's shoulder, not quite weeping but close to it. Ki wrapped his arms around Van in surprise and anguish.

What's wrong? Don't you like it? I know it's not the palace, but I thought you would…

No, Ki, you've got it all wrong! I love it, it's perfect! It's just…I…

Van shoved images and feelings at Kiosun. His first impressions, his utter joy at having such a beautiful home to spend eternity in. He colored the images with his complete love and devotion to Kiosun, and told him exactly how he felt. Ki smiled brilliantly overjoyed that it met with Van's approval.

Besides, Ki…even the palace isn't this nice! It's all built along defensive lines. Small stone staircases and tiny hallways… The rooms are about the only thing at all rich, and some of those are downright primitive. Even mine wasn't this nice. Not only that…

Van tilted his head back slightly and gently bit Kiosun's lower lip, running his tongue along it while Ki shuddered slightly.

…I wasn't sharing my old room with anyone else as…absolutely gorgeous as you are.

Ki chuckled as Van pulled back slightly.

Ha…you can't lie to me! You weren't sharing that room with anyone!

Only once…

Van trailed off. The memory was not unpleasant, but still sensitive. Kiosun had no idea what Van was talking about, since his vigil during Van's life had not included access to Van's rooms when Van was in them. Ki remained silent for a moment, trying to sort out the emotions coming through their link. Van realized what he was doing and suddenly imagined the bubble around him.

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Ki stepped back, hurt, as Van practically threw him out of his head. Van turned away, unable to face his lover. Ki remained silent, then his face hardened in anger. He had shared everything with Van! His whole childhood, how he became a vampire…and now Van refused to tell him about his "one time." Had he not respected Van's privacy before? Had he not taught him everything he knew about being a vampire? What more did Van expect from him? He gave up everything to be with Van, and he loved him with every fiber of his being! Did Van even care? Ki's mood changed from anger to self pity in an instant. He could do nothing more to prove his love to Van. Years he had spent, watching and loving Van. Ki had given up so much in those years.

A small voice of reason pointed out their psychic link. Didn't that prove their love? Ki's emotional side argued back, what is love without trust? The small voice had no reply.

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Van berated himself for blocking Kiosun. He had no reason to; he'd just reacted out of habit. He'd been hiding for so long…from Balgus, Merle, and even his parents. He'd been open with his brother, but once he'd left…Van had just shut everything inside. It had been hard, to not tell anyone about how he felt. There had been so many times when he'd wanted to climb to the top of the palace and shout to the entire city exactly what he thought of their rigid minds and discrimination. However, duty had always kept him from it. Duty had kept him from taking any male lovers. Duty had kept him from running far away. Now…duty had no hold on him. He was kyuuketsuki! He was free from his inheritance as prince! Free from all the young women who'd plagued him for years! Free from his overly strict teacher!

He owed it all to Kiosun. Kiosun had been everything for him. He had been a stranger in the forest who revealed a startling secret. He'd been an understanding friend at the inns they'd stayed at. He'd been the responsible young man at the castle who worked everything out. He'd been like a brother at Lokia, treating his younger sib to a day of pure fun. And he'd been a lover, setting Van onto his true path that lead straight to happiness.

Van realized that he'd been acting like a real jerk. Like his feelings were all that mattered. But Kiosun mattered too. Van spun around, wrapping Ki in his arms. Ki stiffened, out of anger. Van opened his mind and poured everything out. All his feelings that he'd kept hidden, all his secrets, all his fears and insecurities. Ki was too stunned to react, absorbing the information as it invaded his mind. Van hugged him tighter and sobbed helplessly, reliving every memory as it left him. Before long, Kiosun was crying as well, though Van wasn't sure why. Before he knew it, Ki had guided them to the bed, and they were both sitting on it clutching at each other like children.

The flow of thoughts from Van slowed and finally ceased, leaving him feeling drained and exhausted. Ki's eyes were red and puffy from crying, and Van suspected he looked just as bad, if not worse. He sniffed and freed a hand long enough to rub his nose. Ki chuckled wetly.

Goddess Van…I love you so much! I can't believe I was mad at you. You had reasons for not telling me. I'm sorry for not understanding before. I should have, having watched you for all those years.

Oh, Ki, it wasn't your fault. I should have explained sooner. I'm just not used to…all of this. This complete trust…can you forgive me for not telling you?

You don't even have to ask…

Ki placed a gentle kiss on Van's forehead and pressed him onto the pillows. Van responded in kind, desperate for physical contact and reassurance. Kiosun was happy to comply, running his hands up and down Van's body, shedding clothing in their wake. Van moaned low in his throat as Kiosun's tongue invaded his mouth. Soon they were moving together on their new bed in perfect rhythm. At the height of their passion, Van let go all of his feelings with abandon and concentrated on pleasure, his and Kiosun's.

Finally, they collapsed together on the bed, sated and happy. Ki embraced Van warmly.

Oh, my koi…I love you so much! And we can be like this forever.

Van smiled sweetly, hair tousled.

Of course, Ki. Forever and ever.