"…Cye Mouri. And this is Kento. He doesn't really have a last name. Or at least, he never told me it." Duo nodded.
"Well, anyways, sorry about that. That's the third time I've seen the guy, and our last meeting was non too pleasant. Let's just say you weren't the only one bitten." Cye winced.
"Well, it doesn't hurt that bad…" He muttered as Duo laughed.
"Hurt like hell now didn't it?" Cye nodded, rubbing the wound on his neck.
"Well, One of my friends is a healer, and I'm sure that he could patch you up. No wait, he's hurt. Well, this really hot guy I'm traveling with is an herb healer, and maybe he could fix your neck up." Cye smiled.
"That would be wonderful. It really is bruised up a lot." Duo grinned.
"Well, the inn we're staying at is just over there, so why don't you guys come with me and meet him? And the others of course?" Cye smiled brightly.
"That would be great!"
"Well, I gotta warn ya though, there's more in our group then just those two. Ok, why don't I name them all on our way there, alright?" Cye nodded.
"Well, there's Fei, who's the first guy I met. See, I'm on this journey, and we ended up meeting, so he came along. Well, he's a really cool Summoner, and he can summon dragons and stuff. He's really cool, but I said that already, didn't I?" Cye nodded as Duo grinned impishly.
"Well, anyways, then there's Ryo, who Fei is SO in love with. Anyways, he's a shapeshifter, and everyone he's ever cared about has died, so I feel sorry for him. Well, he joined when we saved him 'cause everyone was trying to kill him because they thought he was sent by the devil or something ridiculous like that." Cye continued listening intently.
"And then there's Quatre and Trowa, who are also lovebirds and SO obsessed with each other. They're inseparable. Well, Quatre's a Healer who likes to beat people up if they mess with his boy toy, and Trowa is the leader of the Black Knights. They're pretty cool, and it's because of them that I got to meet hottie Heero." Cye smiled at the boy's words.
"Well, Heero, he's everything and nothing. He's an Earth elemental so he can make anything grow, and he has the coolest gardens. And he is Ryo's last friend from when he was younger. Anyways, Heero is one hot thang." It was then that Duo realized they were at the inn. He blushed.
"Well, that's all of them. Let's go see Heero, but first I should tell Fei that I'm back." Duo stated as he raced up the stairs and into his living quarters.
"Fei, I'm back!" Wufei rolled his eyes.
"I see that Maxwell."
"And I brought guests!"
"Am I sure I want to ask?" Duo rolled his eyes.
"One was bitten by that vampire, so I brought him to Heero to get healed with herbs." Duo stated. Wufei gasped.
"What is this? Maxwell doing something out of the good of his heart and not to get closer to what his hormones wa… Wait, never mind. Poor Heero." Duo stuck his tongue out at the other man.
"For your information I wasn't just thinking about that!" Wufei rolled his eyes.
"Don't you have guests to tend to?" Duo's eyes widened.
"Crap!" Quickly the boy raced out of the room as Wufei laughed softly.
"Sorry!" Duo exclaimed the moment he made it down the stairs as Cye sighed in relief.
"I thought that you weren't coming back." Duo shook his head.
"I'd never do that." Cye smiled.
"Well, where is the healer?" Cye asked as Duo smacked his forehead.
"Forgot about that. Well, why don't you come up to his room? I'm sure he and Ryo won't mind." Duo stated as Cye nodded, taking Kento's hand in his own.
"Come on love." He murmured as Kento nodded, following after his lover. Silently they ascended the staircase, the only noise being the silent creaking of the wood beneath their feet. Finally, they arrived at the top, as Duo led them to the room farthest away from the stairs, and opened it without knocking. Ryo looked up from where he was on Heero's bed. Duo couldn't help the feeling of jealously that raged over him as he realized the two had been hugging.
"Heero, can we borrow you?" Heero looked down at Ryo who nodded. Turning to Duo and the group, Heero nodded as Ryo pulled away from him and he rose to his feet. Giving Ryo a last glance, Heero turned to face Duo.
"What do you need?" He asked as Duo pried his eyes away from Ryo, who was currently curled up in a fetal position, clutching a pillow. Duo gave Heero and odd look who sighed.
"He misses Solo." Heero stated as Duo nodded. Quickly all the jealousy flowed away and was replaced with pity.
"Poor thing." Heero nodded as he looked back and forth between Cye and Kento, Cye's hand covering his wound protectively.
"Oh yeah. Do you have anything to heal a flesh wound? Cye was bit by the vampire that seems to find me and my friends amusing, and he needs to be healed." Heero nodded as he quickly ran over to the small bag he had brought with them, and pulled out a handful of herbs, along with a bandage. Using his index finger, he beckoned Cye over to him, as both the new entrants walked over to him, Cye's free hand never leaving the palm of Kento's. Heero quickly soaked a washcloth in the basin they had been provided with, as he cleansed the wound. After it seemed fit enough to be considered healthily clean, he placed some herbs on it then wrapped the wound. Cye smiled in thanks as Heero nodded, placing the remaining herbs in the bag once more.
"Thank you very much Heero." Cye stated with a bow of his head. Kento nodded his thanks as well, as Cye turned to Duo.
"Well, thank you for telling us where we could get help." Duo grinned.
"Any time."
"Is there any way that we can repay you?" Cye asked as Duo thought for a moment.
"Well, you could stay here and travel with us! You seem really nice, and sister Helen always taught me "The more the merrier"!" Cye laughed.
"Are you sure that we wouldn't be a burden?" Duo laughed at the notion.
"Your boyfriend seems strong, and you are so friendly that who wouldn't want to have you around? You'd be the perfect additions to our group!" Cye laughed, as he turned to Kento.
"Is it alright with you?" Kento shrugged as Cye turned back to Duo.
"Fine then! It's a deal!" Duo grinned.
"Well, why don't you guys go and rent the last room available?" Cye nodded as he and Kento headed out of the room. Duo grinned at Heero.
"Well, thanks! Now, why don't you get back to Ryo? He looks like he could use a friend." Heero nodded.
"That was a very kind thing you did Duo." Duo shrugged.
"Just being me." Heero laughed softly, as he sat back down next to Ryo, stroking his friend's back in a soothing gesture. Glancing at the scene, Duo realized that it was time for him to take his leave. Waving a quick goodbye to Heero, he left the room.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Stupid braided boy…" Kicking a stone, the vampire grumbled to himself, as his stomach growled.
"Didn't let me get enough blood. Now I need to hunt again." Tossing his azure hair to the side, he turned his direction towards that of a deer that had taken resident in the nearby forest. He knew that boy… that god child. He had seen him before, but for the life of him he could not remember where! Eying the grazing creature, he couldn't help but lick his lips in anticipation. Animal blood may not be as good tasting as that of a human, but the chase was always fun for the weary traveler.
With inhuman speed, he bolted after the animal, as the deer attempted to run in fear. With a snap of his teeth, he dug his canines into the neck of the deer, which fell limp in fear in his arms. He wouldn't kill the animal. He didn't have to. Meaningless death was stupid in his opinion. His old master had always killed her prey, yet he chose to let them live.
After drinking an adequate amount of blood, he stopped the blood flow, and let the terrified creature flee. Licking his lips to get any blood residue off, he decided that he would wonder around the forest for a bit, until morning came and he could follow that god boy. Boredom had led him into following the braided boy. Not as if he had anything better to do, he was a vampire with eternal life after all. What was a few days stalking someone going to hurt? And maybe he'd find something even more interesting.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Wufei sighed to himself, as he glared at the sleeping form in the bed next top him. For some reason Maxwell would not stop snoring, and the noise was driving him crazy!
"Even in his sleep he's inconsiderate…" Wufei muttered as he covered his head with the pillow failing to muffle the obtrusive noise. Groaning, he removed the pillow from his head and pulled it into his arms, as he stood up. Slowly, he walked over to the door and opened it, heading down the hallway to Ryo and Heero's room. Gently he pushed open the door and realized that Heero was asleep, but Ryo was far from it.
"Hi Fei. You can't sleep either?"
"Maxwell's snoring…" Ryo laughed softly.
"Heero can sleep through anything." Wufei smiled.
"Maybe he and I should switch rooms."
"Maybe you should…" Ryo murmured as Wufei looked at him oddly.
"Do you wanna join me, seeing as you can't sleep, and I can't sleep?" Wufei nodded as he walked over to Ryo and sat on the bed next to the other onyx-haired boy. Ryo turned timidly to his comrade.
"You can get under the blanket." He stated, a faint blush on his face.
"Umm… alright." Carefully Wufei slid under the blanket with Ryo, blushing as their bare legs met.
"Why can't you sleep Ryo?" He finally asked, trying to make any form of small talk. Ryo hung his head.
"It was just seeing Solo and all. I mean, I loved him. Not just in the brotherly way, but a more then that. And I never got to tell him that I loved him. I guess seeing his grave… and the feelings you make me feel, are all just adding up. I guess I couldn't take it emotionally." Wufei nodded, until it finally struck him.
"Feelings I make you feel? What kind of feelings do I make you feel?" Ryo blushed fiercely.
"I… I like you Fei. You're so nice to me, and you understand what it feels like to be the last of your family. And you know what it's like to always be on the run…" Wufei smiled faintly.
"I… I like you too Ry." Ryo tried to hide his grin as he leaned closer to Wufei, letting their lips slowly meet. Wufei gasped at the contact as Ryo quickly pulled away.
"I'm sorry, did I…?" Wufei shook his head rapidly.
"No! It was nice, really." Brashly Wufei pressed his lips to Ryo's as Ryo wrapped his arms around Wufei's neck. Finally, for lack of air, the two pulled away from each other.
"Fei… Thank you. I feel a lot better now." Snuggling up to Wufei's chest, Ryo pulled them both to the pillow.
"I think I can sleep well now. Night Fei." Wufei smiled, kissing Ryo's cheek softly.
"Good night Ry."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Umm, excuse me, but is there anywhere to pass the time by except the bar?" Treize asked as the woman shrugged.
"Not really. I mean, that's where all the action is, but if you want to, you can go see the movies that human's have yet to create. They're so primitive, they don't' even have cars yet." She laughed at the thought.
"I mean, you'd think they could have at least figured that one out by now. But nope, they're centuries away from even discovering electricity and phones." Treize stared at her in awe. She knew so much.
"Are you related to Knowledge?" He finally asked as the girl laughed.
"Nope, I'm Tranquility. Obviously not my best quality, but I got the part anyways. Had to do with what I did when I was human I guess. So, have you heard about the incident with Darkness and Light? I mean, you seem new around here, so I wasn't sure if you'd know or not." Treize nodded.
"I know a little about it."
"Stupidest thing, isn't it? I can't believe the head god didn't realize what happened until recently. I mean, what was he doing?"
"Uh, sleeping with Beauty." She laughed.
"Sounds right. That blonde boy can get whatever he wants from whoever he wants." Treize laughed.
"You've got that right." She grinned.
"Huh, how long have you been here? I mean, I've never seen you before? What's your name?" Treize panicked. Who hadn't he named yet, who hadn't he named yet…?
"Honesty?" She smiled.
"Well Honesty, it's nice to meet you." Treize smiled as she took his hand, shaking it vigorously.
"Well, I have to get going, I've got places to be and people to calm down. Well, I'll see you some other time Honesty!" And with a snap of her fingers, she was gone. Treize shrugged. Nice girl. A little disrespectful, but she did have a few good points. He never did leave his home. Shrugging, he decided to head to the movies.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sage did not want to be here. He had to escape here somehow. Pulling a small pick out of his long braid where he kept it hidden, he opened the door, sneaking out, his body pressed against the wall. Glancing around and knowing that no escape he could get to was up, he decided to head down. Never in his short life had he gone down, for there was nothing he feared more then utter darkness.
Slowly descending the stairs, his fear grew with each step. Gods he hated darkness with a passion. The moment he reached solid ground, a group of voices began to speak, as he leapt into the shadows, trying to hide his naturally bright colored form.
"Merien, pray as you might, Fei is not coming. He can't get past their defenses, and it's best that he keeps the stone from their reach anyways."
"But, I want to see Fei!" A feminine voice complained as someone nearby sighed.
"Merien, would you rather be here and have Dorothy have the stone, or would you rather be here and have the stone still away from her evil doings?" With a groan of protest, the girl stopped complaining. Waiting for a few moments and hearing no one speak, curiosity got the better of him as he crept down the hallway to where the voices were. Finally, the hallway lit dimly, and Sage was able to see once more. It was then he realized that he was in an even lower prison then the one he was stuck in, and inside the cell were a bunch of tired, ragged, and worn people.
"Are you alright?" He asked, getting gasps of surprises from the unsuspecting people.
"Why do you care?" A man asked as Sage gave him an odd look.
"Why wouldn't I? You were talking about a stone. What kind of stone are you talking about? Does Miss Dorothy have it? I could sneak out and steal it for you. Wait, first of all, who are you? I would really like to know." It was then a familiar voice piped up.
"We're the Summoners. One by one we were captured, until only one remained, the one bearing the stone that gives us power. Now we have no powers for Dorothy to abuse, and Wufei is free with the stone, protecting it with his life. He is the only one of us left free." Sage looked at her in shock.
"Well, I know Miss Dorothy is mean, and she even has had me since I was a newborn, but I didn't think she'd do something that awful!" Sage exclaimed as he pulled the pick back out of his hair.
"I was going to escape. I shall take you with me!" He exclaimed as he set to work on the lock that held the girl named "Merien" in it.
"Light, what are you doing down here? You stupid child, you will not set them free!"
"But Miss Dorothy, you cannot just keep them down here in this hellhole!"
"That's it! I've tolerated your escapes, your feeding all the animals that get into the castle, I took your questions, but freeing other prisoners is where I draw the line!" With a slam of her fist, the blonde was sent reeling back, landing with a resounding "crunch" as he fell limply to the ground, immediately unconscious.
"Stupid Summoners, trying to get this stupid, naïve child to help you."
"Hey, he helped us because he wanted to! We thought he was sent by you!" Dorothy laughed.
"Why would I send a child to do a mans job? Or better yet, why would I send a god to do a mortals work?" With a laugh, she hauled the unconscious boy into her arms.
"You've had far too much freedom recently." She muttered. It was time to do more about it, including speaking with Relena.
End of Chapter 5…