Heart of the Beast
Part Five: The Vampire Erik




"W-who... who are you?" Yugo growled, his hands balled in tight fists. It was easy to see that Yugo was afraid, since he's used to dealing with zoanthropes, humans and the occasional uppity lycanthrope.

"Just your friendly neighborhood Methuselah with a knack for Obtenebration, nothing more." The german vampire smiled, his hands still in his pockets. "Nice Glass Walker you got there."

"G-glass Walker?" Yugo did a double take, then watched as the handsome vampire began walking away. "Hey!! Wait a minute! I thought you were gonna fight!!"

"Silly mortal. Don't you know anything? The Ventrue DON'T pick fights. We leave that to the Brujah." The vampire vanished around the bend.

"What a pompous ass..." Yugo groaned, then looked at Fang. He knelt down and tried to get a hold on Fang's collar. "Glass Walker, eh? That means you have a human form."

Fang tore from his leash and backed away from Yugo, whimpering. Frowning concernedly, Yugo took three steps forward in hopes to snag the wolf. "I'm not gonna hurt you, Fang. I'm not angry."

The wolf dashed off, Yugo fell flat on his face. Getting up and spitting garbage from his mouth, Yugo shouted for Fang to return to him. "FANG!!!!"



*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*



"This is a good a seat as any!"

Alice giggled, still clutching Uriko's hand, they sat at a corner booth just as Long was bringing out the tea kettle and cups. He saw the giggling girls and moaned loudly and very noticably. "You two again..."

"What's wrong, Master Long? No one crooning over you anymore?" Alice giggled and winked at him.

"We came here to see the handsome guy!" Uriko giggled and went to pour some tea.

"..." Long half-heartedly set the tea kettle down and folded his arms in an angry fashion. This got a startled reaction from the girls.

"W-what's wrong?"

"Oh nothing." Long frowned and turned away. "Considering how INCONSIDERATE you two are... Brad's lover's brother was killed last night so he's took some time off to help him cope. THAT's why I'm wearing black today."

"...I see." Uriko frowned sadly, then looked at the spilled tea on the table. "I didn't mean to..."

"You didn't mean to? Your intentions of coming here are the same everyday." Long's voice was bitter and angry. "But you never consider that that 'cute guy' has feelings and he has a lover with the same feelings and now they're in mourning."

"..."

"Now, what would you like to eat?"

"Oh... just soup will do." Alice said in a low voice.

"Me too... I lost my appetite."



*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*



"Ashes to ashes, dust to dust...." The priest buried the remains of Squall into the ground, unaware he sanctified a vampire.

Basara held onto Brad, crying on Brad's shoulder. The handsome arch-mage held his lover tightly, resting his cheek on Basara's forehead. Seeing his brother finally put to eternal rest, Basara felt more at ease, but the grief kicked him back into sorrow. Brad's hand rubbed up and down Basara's back softly, his touch comforting and soothing.

After the funeral, Basara walked over to the black Rols Royce Phantom III, Brad close behind. A voice spoke up from behind them, causing Brad to turn around. A man stood there with short black and red hair and shades. He wore a black business suit, like Brad, except he wore a necktie clip of a fox instead of the Amethyst Cross.

"Hello Tanaka." Brad began, then gently kissed Basara's forehead. "Meet me back at the car, beauty."

"I won't be long." Tanaka started. "He can stay."

"Alright." Brad pulled Basara back into his arms and held him close. Basara held him just the same, his head on Brad's shoulder.

"There's an uprising in the Kin-Jin ranks." Tanaka spoke softly, careful that no ears hear him.

"What's that got to do with Squall being needlessly killed?"

"Think, Brad. This is KUEI-JIN territory. No Kin-Jin... sane Kin-Jin mind you, would enter Kuei-Jin territory without some form of desperate motivation or something."

"So the Cainites are entering Cathayan territory for some kind of desperate motive..."

"Don't you speak English? Aren't you from America?" Tanaka frowned, his silver eyes narrowed.

"I know I know. But you don't think that this mass embracing has something to do with the uprising in the Eastern Seaboard of the USofA, right?"

"But..." Tanaka spoke. "Squall wasn't embraced to handle the crisis in America. This was the work of a desperate Toreador trying to get back what was lost to her by one of her own."

"... I see now." Brad's anger rose to sky high heights. "So Squall was the product of a fallen Toreador's hope to reclaim her fame."

"His death and your ranks in Magedom is the major threats to Janus's re-rise." Tanaka put his hands in his pockets. "Watch yourself, Bradley... you're worth more to Basara alive than dead."

"That's the problem..." He watched Tanaka leave. "...I CAN'T die."




-Continued-