Chapter 4: Better the Light Found You





Ta da! Chapter four, all done and ready for the press. ^_^V Umm. . .as all my readers should know, the same warnings apply as the previous chapters. I really appreciate the feedback so far and hopefully I will get some more. I will be working on this fic probably pretty fast (although do take in account that I am now in school) so chapter five shouldn't take that long to come out. Hmm. . .other than that there's really nothing else except please r/r and on with the story. . .





Chapter 4: Better the Light Found You

As the dusk broke over the horizon and the morning sky lit with the various hues of red, purple, and orange, silver-blue orbs sleepily fluttered open.

Rai blinked a few times before slowly sitting up and staring out into the peaceful world illuminated by the fresh day's sunlight. Smiling, the necromancer breathed in deeply a waft of chilled morning air, savoring the cleanliness of it before gracefully scaling down from the roof and dropping onto the balcony.

"I was wondering where you had gone to."

The elf nearly jumped at the sudden intrusion of sound and spun around on his heels to find Derek watching him intently. He couldn't resist the flush that stained his cheek and ducked his head. "I was only on the roof."

"The roof?" Rai could practically *hear* the smirk in the blonde's voice.

"A habit of mine when I was living with Wufei and I have continued it with my return here. It helps to relax me." The brunette still refused to look up and instead turned to look out over the railing.

"I see."

Silence fell then, both not knowing what to say to the other. Finally, Rai cleared his throat and as he turned back around to face Derek, he also shifted his appearance back to his human form. "Well, I'm gonna shower and then I'll be out to make some breakfast. You may want to get ready as well because we need to go collect your belongings after we eat."

Without waiting for an answer, Rai swept out of the room, for this one time he was glad that he had a habit of leaving fresh clothes in the cupboard near his bathroom. They had been there ever since the elf thought that he may need in them in an emergency and while this wasn't exactly one, he had no urge to remain in the room alone with Derek any longer than he had too. It was already hard enough to keep his control when they were in public; it was torment on his soul to do so in private.

Grabbing a towel and his spare clothes, Rai adjusted the water to his liking before removing his clothes and tossing them carelessly to the floor. All the while, his eyes were clouded in thought and Rai was almost shocked when he found himself unconsciously entering the shower stall and into the warm spray. /These thoughts are ruining my concentration but what can I do?/ He sighed as he shut his eyes and leaned wearily against the tiled wall. /I guess I'll just have to see where this goes./

* * * * *

"Maxwell?" Wufei's voice called through the door.

Just then, the brunette was shutting off the faucet and stepping out of the shower. "What is it?"

"Yuy and the others are here for a surprise visit." Somehow Wufei didn't seem too thrilled about this and Rai couldn't suppress the snicker as he threw on his clothes and opened the door. Standing in front of the mirror, Rai picked up his brush and quickly combed out his hair. "They've also brought breakfast."

Rai grinned. "Guess I don't have to cook this morning then. Are they setting up in the dining room?"

If possible, the Chinese man's scowl increased. "No, they are setting up in the living room." Wufei crossed his arms, as no doubt thoughts of food stains on his couch and carpet danced through his mind.

However, he visibly calmed when Rai patted him on the shoulder. "Be nice Chang. They're just showing that they care about us. I'll make some tea for you, the way you like it, alright?"

"I suppose." Wufei managed a small smile of gratitude. "Thank you Rai."

"No problem. Now you may wanna change out of your pajamas before you join us for breakfast." Rai tossed a cheerful wink at his partner before slipping out the door without so much as a whisper of movement. He moved, unnoticed, past his assembled group of friends and raised an eyebrow when he saw that Derek was among them. Brushing that aside though, Rai vanished into the kitchen and set a pot on the stove to boil water before leaning back against the counter.

Not a moment later, there came an intentional shuffle to his right and Rai didn't even need to look up to know that Heero had joined him. "Ohayo 'nii- chan."

"Good morning Rai." He took up Rai's pose, standing nonchalantly across from his lover's younger brother to face the American. "You should be eating breakfast with us."

Shrugging, the wintry-eyed man twisted around so that he was leaning against the counter with his stomach as he stretched up to grab the box of tea bags from the cabinet. "I'm not really that hungry and I need to finish making this for Wufei." Rai stiffened before relaxing when he felt arms embracing him in a brotherly hug.

"What's wrong Rai? What happened between you and Derek?" Heero mumbled, his chin resting on his friend's shoulder. It was rare that he showed any type of emotion aside from matters concerning Duo and Rai treasured the times that his self-adopted brother did exhibit his feelings.

Rai sighed, allowing himself to unwind and his eyes to slide shut. "He broke up with me."

Heero growled deep in his throat, not liking the idea that someone had hurt Rai. "I'm. . ."

"No Heero. We've solved that problem already and his reason was a valid one. Just let me handle this okay? It's a lot more complicated than a simple break up between us." Rai pleaded, turning so that he could look up into the cobalt depths that were slightly above his own. They stared at each other for a long, tense moment until the brunette saw that his companion was going to relent. "Thank you Heero."

The Japanese man chuckled. "How are you and Duo always able to get me to give into things?"

"Because we're both so adorable." Rai grinned wickedly, placing a kiss on his friend's cheek and backed out of his arms to prepare Wufei's tea. They spoke idly as the American filled a steaming mug and tentatively followed Heero out to join the group of his friends.

"I thought you weren't hungry."

Rai raised an eyebrow. "I'm not but I still have to give this to Wufei." He smirked at the roll of eyes and set down the cup in front of Wufei before dropped onto the couch on one side of Duo.

"Hey itouto-chan. Long time no see. Why weren't you in the office yesterday?" Duo remarked as soon as he little brother had settled beside him.

The brunette was glad for the conversation, since it saved him from having to speak to Derek and eagerly responded to his brother's questions. Rai even went through describing some of the hunting he had done the night before, calming Duo when the other frowned in concern. However, as the morning wore on, he knew that he wouldn't be able to avoid his blonde ex- lover much longer and with a sigh, Rai turned to him in a break in his discussion with Duo. "We still need to get your clothes, correct?"

Derek nodded. "Most of them are still in our home. The rest, I'm afraid, is in my old quarters with my people."

Rai hummed in thought. "I hope you won't be missing those clothes then." Standing, the American stacked some of the empty plates and carried them to the kitchen, soon after, Derek and Quatre followed with the rest of the dishes. "Thanks. You guys can stay here if you want Quatre. Derek and I shouldn't be long. We just need to pick up a few of his things."

Quatre smiled, cleaning his hands on a washcloth. "Thank you Rai but do you or Derek need any help."

Chuckling at his friend's ever thoughtfulness, the elf patted Quatre on the shoulder on his way out of the kitchen to grab his coat and car keys. "No thanks. We'll be fine. It's our day off today anyway. Just relax and have fun. We'll be back soon."

"If you're sure." The Arabian answered, watching as his two friends stepped out the front door.

"We're fine Quatre. We'll see you in a bit. Tell the others we left if you can." Rai only lingered long enough to hear Quatre reply before shutting the door and led Derek over to the elevator. "I assume that you have a way of protecting yourself just in case we are attacked."

"I do." Derek pushed the button for the bottom floor and the elevator started with a jolt. "You?"

Rai smirked, glancing at his companion out of corner of his wintry gems. "Always." He continued to keep his eyes trained before him as he exited the lift and only briefly looked to Derek when they climbed into his car. /How are we going to do this? I know he's hurting and I sure as hell am to. It's agony to be near him and not be able to touch him because of some goddamned vampires!/

Meanwhile, similar thoughts were running through the vampire's mind. /How could the Council do this? I know that they would never bother some issue like this. Is it just because Rai is a necromancer?/ He snorted mentally. /Probably and it only adds that he is the one that has slayed the most of my people./ Derek winced, his chocolate eyes grazing over the other's profile. /All the same though, I do miss him and I really do want to just hold him in my arms again. I would give anything to be able to do that./

"Derek?" Rai's sweet voice broke through his reverie and said vampire's head snapped up as he noted that the vehicle had already pulled to a stop. Eyes flickering to the necromancer, Derek offered a sheepish smile as he realized the other was already standing outside. He quickly unbuckled his seatbelt and clambered out of his seat. Together, the two silently trekked up the short path that led up to the front door and into the house.

"I'll go grab the duffels, you can take whatever you need out and lay it on the bed, alright?" The brunette said as they entered the house. He saw Derek nod in agreement and they separated; Rai going into the storage closet near the bathroom close to the end of the hall and Derek upstairs to the bedroom.

Rai was digging through one of the many boxes in the closet when he felt a surge of unknown dead magic crest over him and cause his neck hairs to rise. Silver-blue eyes narrowing, the necromancer cautiously held an enchanted scroll in his hand as he scanned the hallway for any sign of an intruder. Although as abruptly as the energy had come, it was gone. He stood stock still and tense for a moment longer before deciding to dismiss the occurrence as a trick of his mind. /I guess I'm just a little edgy./ Rai told himself but even those words sounded self-convincing in his ears. The American replaced the parchment with the others in his pocket and hastily fished out the travel bag from the box he had been searching through before nearly sprinting up the stairs.

Reaching the bedroom, Rai couldn't help the sigh of respite that escaped when he saw that Derek was safely sorting out some clothes. The vampire looked up and locked eyes with Rai. A flash of confusion coasted through his eyes as he detected the obvious relief in the icy orbs that were fixed with his. "What is it Rai?"

Rai's quickly replaced the appearance of concern with indifference and forced a smile. "Nothing. Let's just hurry so we can get back." He assisted the blonde in placing everything in the duffel that was necessary before they both made their way down the stairs. Wintry gems swept across the house one last time as Rai turned off the hallway light and shut the door behind himself; therefore, missing the dark figure as he stepped out of his hiding place in the shadows.

The man silently crept his way over to the window and watched as Rai and Derek drove off before his eyes hardened with resolve. He had a necromancer and a master vampire to meet.





T.B.C.





Who's the dark figure? What does he want? Dum dum dum. . . Hehe, I know I'm being weird. I haven't had much sleep and I'm getting really sick of calculus. Anyway, what'd you think about chapter four? Any good? I think I sorta liked how this turned out but I still need some public opinion. Anyway, thanks for the reviews so far and chapter five should be out as soon as I can get to it.