Black Widow Note: Hello~! I'm so glad that you've liked this story and have been kind enough to give us reviews! If you're wondering, this isn't the end of Cyric and Shido's story. We still have two more Arcs to go through before The Crimson Arc is complete! ^_^ We hope you review those too, I promise they'll be exciting. For those loyal reviewers, Sayori and I are making a smutty fic, but we need suggestions. Please drop a few! Please!

The Crimson Tide
Chapter 4 – Velvet and Blood
By Sayori and Black Widow

The door to his office opened, the bleached vampyre walking in. He wore his normal red clothes with the heavy velvet robe and in one hand he carried a decanter of blood. "Bored, petling?" Closing the door behind him, he set the crystal decanter on the desk with a smile.

Guni was the first to stir as she heard the door open. After discussing this Vampire with Shido, she knew better than to snap off at the mouth like she always did. Drawing her wings about herself, she remained silent and watched the display between the two.

At the sound of the voice that was steadily growing so very familiar, Shido dropped the pawn he had in his loose grip and looked up with his bright eyes.

"You..." It was neither shock nor outrage, simply awareness in an exclamation.

"Yes, 'you'." He produced a goblet from his robe, putting it down beside the container. "I brought you substance." One pale hand gestured to the desk and he perched on the edge.

He hadn't brought it in a living organism... it was in dead, unmoving glass, or crystal rather, from the angles and the internal shine. This was rather unexpected...

"Why?" Shido asked, standing and pushing his chair back away from him. He stayed between it and the wooden chess stand one hand on the arm of the old chair and the other on the edge of the board.

"Because I wanted to." One eyebrow was raised. "Are you refusing my offer?"

"Uhn uhn," Shido answered softly, shaking his head. His lavender colored bangs hid his eyes after that quick motion, even when he approached the desk. His senses were on high alert. He was nervous, though he had no reason to be. Guni could feel it, and she drew further into the minute protection of her glossy wings.

Cyric watched him, his posture relaxed. He was after all, Shido's protector; he wasn't going to poison him. Just make sure that he kept himself fit.

His hands shook when he filled the glass. "Are you going to watch?" his voice hesitated at the last word, it coming out softer and slower then the others. He was embarrassed, and it was obvious.

"Watch you drink? Or appreciate you?"

"Neh?" Shido turned to look at the vampire he had struck such a reckless bargain with. He held the half-filled glass in both hands, his mouth open a bit in surprise.

Cyric smirked. "Feed, lovely. Don't stand there with your mouth open." He reached out and pushed his jaw up, closing his mouth.

Shido hid behind the sections of hair that never stayed in his orderly ponytail, trying to keep the blush from the other vampire's view. He smelled the contents of the glass first, and shuddered. There was no guilt in glass or crystal. Tilting the cup up slightly, he tasted the red fluid. The sheer pleasure of it made him shudder again. Drawing in a panting breath, he lowered the goblet, then tilted it up again. Heaven was his only thought. He was always a sucker for cliches.

A slow smile curled the elder vampyres lips. Not only was that blood human blood, a mothers blood as well, but it was mixed with his own blood. He wanted to purge Shido's system of Cain's blood. The violet-haired vampyre oozed the smell of that other one, and it disgusted him. It was a foul smell.

When the glass was empty Shido set it back down on the desk, not noticing Guni staring up at him with wide disbelieving eyes. Gold had overtaken his tropical-hued eyes completely and a smear of red decorated his bottom lip like cake frosting.

"What was that... who?" His voice was very soft, incredibly so.

"If I told you, you'd start putting a name on every bottle I would bring you."

Shido blinked twice, nodded, looked down at the ground. He felt odd, suddenly lightheaded. His skin tingled, especially his fingertips. He was so distracted he let the room go silent as he stared at the floor, trying to get a hold of himself. He felt as though he was shaking, but he obviously wasn't moving at all.

A hand rested in the small of his back, urging him to sit down. Red eyes watched the Youngling intensely, gauging his mental and physical reactions to the new blood.


Finally he convinced his eyes to close. He had to rest his head upon his hands; it was suddenly too heavy to support on his own. He shuddered again. Internally his body and its old blood fought the new. He Shuddered again, and flushed from a sudden, burning heat. It hurt worse than he would have thought a simple feeding ever would. He felt as though he were being torn apart, literally. His head hurt terribly and just as he thought he might boil, his skin cooled to the temperature of ice. A dull ache thudded rhythmically in his brain, but not as painful as it had been a few seconds ago. He shivered slightly, opening his eyes and raising his head to focus on the things before him.

"Are you feeling better?" A pounding started in the Elders temples, the pain transferring over the link. It didn't hurt him as badly as it hurt his Youngling. He had shields, Shido didn't. "You need shields."

"Ne? The drained vampire muttered, looking up at the Elder. He had denied every instinct and progression his life as a Nightwalker had brought him. He knew nothing, and it was beginning to become painfully obvious. Guni had disappeared; he could no longer see her. She had probably scampered away to his bedroom. It was the only room not visible from the office. He had specifically selected this place due to the fact that half of it was an office, and the other half was divided into two separate sections by a door and its wall. Three rooms, no bathroom. He didn't exactly need one, after all.

Cyric sighed, pulling his Youngling into his lap. "I will be teaching you how to shield."

Still at a loss as to what had happened and slightly dazed Shido didn't fight back, but laid his head against Cyric's shoulder and waited for the pounding to go away.

"I know nothing," the dazed vampire sighed into the other's neck. With his eyes closed, he had no idea how close he really was.

A little tendril ran down the Elders spine, making his thigh muscles jump. Every sense became hyper aware of the vampyre in his lap. His eyes traced over the high profiles of his face, framed by the lavender hair. Shido was a beautiful man, too beautiful, too distracting. Damnit!

Turning his mind elsewhere, he reached down the link between his Youngling and himself. He erected shields around his mind, making sure that they would stay when he left. One hand poured another goblet of blood, putting it in Shido's hand. This time the pain would be less, and the blood more nourishing.

Shido cracked an eye open, eyed the glass then lifted his head from Cyric's shoulder to look at him. He didn't even have to say anything, his face told his concern.
". . . . .?!!"

"It won't hurt this time."

He looked at the cup suspiciously, not quote believing the elder. After that, he found the words hard to believe easily. I should consider myself lucky, he thought as he reminded himself that the glassware was hardly going to be in pain when he drank from it. I don't have to kill anyone this way, and no one will hate me with all of their last dying breath. Lucky me, lucky humanity.

His love for humanity was dwindling ever so slowly. They had wanted him hanged from the gallows, if at all possible. Had hunted! Had worn patches of paper to ward him off! Of all the absurdity.. he had fought for them, and they had never known. He hadn't done it for the glory- of course not!- but it had been a smiting blow to him, nonetheless.

Drinking what was offered to him, he stiffened himself against the less-than-pleasant sensations he suspected would follow.

Cyric threw his shields behind the ones he built for Shido, blocking the sensations and channeling them to himself. He handled them better then Shido had, not allowing the pain to show in his body. Three more nights of feeding on his blood, Shido would be his.

Shido sighed, brushing his fingertips across his lips. The dark smear across them interested him when he pulled them away. This was very thick, and dark. Something was very odd about this blood..

The bleached vampyre remained quiet, one arm sneaking around the others waist to pull him closer. He pulled himself out of Shido's mind, a odd echo rebounding his mind from Shido's last thoughts. He didn't care if Shido found out or not, it would save time if he did.

Giving into an odd impulse, one that had no founding and no explanation, Shido brought his fingers up to his face and breathed in the scent of blood deeply. Stiffening suddenly, he repeated the action. He jerked around slightly and stared at Cyric. He had only just caught on..

"You're the darkness.. your smell is in the blood. I didn't realize it before.." He muttered his last sentence, glaring from the darkly stained pads of his fingers, the up at the other. He hated being tricked. Cain always tricked him into taking his blood, though in much less innocent of ways.

"I didn't trick you, pet. You never asked." He slid off the desk, red eyes boring into gold. "This is your first lesson under me. Ask before you feed."

A scowl marring his pretty face, Shido was quiet. His hands were fisted at his sides, and the languid, easy grace that infected his motions unbeknownst to him had completely faded as he body took on rigidity.

Slender fingers clasped the others chin, thumb stroking the soft skin. "I am teaching you a valuable lesson, lovely, if you take the job I will be offering you."

"What job?" Shido asked through gritted teeth. He was flushed again, and was fighting himself to bring it away. He would not acknowledge it, if it stayed or left.

"A treasure hunting job." The skin around the red eyes crinkled as he smiled. "You are bored, ragazzo, and this job would entertain you. You would be fighting other Vampyres."

"But.. but why? You were so adamantly against that," the violet-hued Youngling said, obviously puzzled. His brows knit together and those lovely golden cat eyes faded to their normal shades of aquamarine and turquoise.

"For useless killing, yes. These vampyres would be in your way." He brushed his lips over the others, blowing on them. "So you are perfectly within rights to kill them."

Freezing at the simple physical contact, his eyes grew twice their normal size, and his blush darkened to a shade twice as deep. He immediately opened his mouth to say something, anything.

Seizing the chance and knowing he was probably going to regret it later, he sealed his lips over the others. Dipping his tongue into the warm pit, he tasted his blood, the woman's blood, and the taste he quickly catalogued with Shido. Pure, sweet innocence, and cinnamon.

Startled the younger vampire gasped slightly. Dazed again- so often this was happening in Cyric's presence-, he fisted his slender hands in the velvet at Cyric's shoulder. He was seeking a handhold as the room spun, or at least that's what he felt sure it was doing. Gravity, what was gravity?

As quickly as he had kissed him, he withdrew. He took a step back, not bothering to remove the others hands from his robe. He wasn't -for the first time in a long time- sure he should have done that.

Shido withdrew his hands hastily, dropping his suddenly unfocused eyes to the ground. He pressed his cold fingertips against his warm lips and shuddered slightly, nearly invisibly.
You knew this might be a part of the deal, his mind hissed at him, anger in the tone. It was directed only at him, not knowing then Cyric had made his link.

"I.." Words failed him miserably, and he fought to make a sentence. "This is part of our deal?"

"No." Cyric shook his head. "That wasn't part of our deal."

Looking back up in confusion, every working sense having taken a hiatus right then, and admitted once again, "I don't understand."

Now...this was awkward. Searching for an explanation he opted for the truth. "I wanted to. You were too much of a temptation." He let his hand cup the mans cheek.

Shido stood absolutely still for a long moment. It looked as though he might wither as an aging flower would, but he did something he would blush furiously about later. Pressing his hand against Cyric's, he nuzzled it. The purr came without him thinking about it. He realized the delicate sound was his own after the fact, and blushed again. He was prone to that.

Cyric smiled, fingertips rubbing against the soft skin. "You are very much a temptation, my little nymph."

Having made his boldest move, Shido didn't move again, only nodded as he stroked the flesh beneath his hand with his fingers rhythmically. His eyes had deepened to a shade of cobalt that was quite fetching in the low light. The fire threw orange slices against the blue to offer a strange but interesting contrast.

This was Cain's fascination, innocence, strength and beauty all in one. A very tidy package indeed.

And Cyric was beginning to find out just why Cain wanted him back so badly. The violet-haired bishounen was intoxicating like this. Carefully, he laid his lips on the other.

Shido leaned up into the kiss and parted his lips at the easy pressure. There was not thought behind his gestures, only a need he hadn't felt for many years.. not since Cain had last appeared and claimed him. The need blotted out his thoughts

The older vampyre pulled the other closer, wrapping his arms around his waist possessively. He feasted on the others lips, a desire building in the pit of his stomach that burned hot. He wanted this Youngling, had wanted him since he saw him.

Not as naive in some areas as others, the violet-haired vampire swept their tongues into a half-frenzied dance. Another purr emitted from him as he put a hand into the other's hair to cup the back of his neck. The fingers he kept there never laid still, but rather moved in unpredictable patterns.

The heat in his stomach grew more and more intense with every brush of those fingers. Cyric may be a Ancient but he was still subject to the normal feelings and bodily reactions of his immortal body. And that body wanted Shido. NOW.

Pulling away only enough to talk at Cyric and not into his mouth, Shido found the breath required to speak, though it came in slightly panting intervals. "Will you be staying..?" The same flush that crept over him everytime had stolen the cream coloring from his cheeks. His fingers had yet to stop, and the other hand was resting on Cyric's red sleeve.

"Yes, ragazzo." Cyrics voice had dropped to a husky, sultry tone. One of his hands snuck under the others shirt, mirroring the patterns of Shido's hands. Soft skin..

Shido shuddered and his eyes closed to thin slits. Had he the mind to he probably would have made some sort of noise, but at the moment he couldn't think very clearly. The grip on Cyric's sleeve tightened.

He had to fight to find his voice this time. "There's a room for this, around the corner." The office didn't seem to be a very fitting place for such.. activities, in his mind. He did have to work there occasionally, after all.

The Elder bent down and nibbled on the Younglings earlobe. "That would be lovely..." He breathed into the others ear.

He nodded minutely, but hesitated to move. "This way," he muttered, finally backing out of Cyric's arms and gesturing towards the room with the fireplace. Walking ahead a few steps, he brushed some of his hair away from his face. He could feel himself blushing, and lowered his head slightly to hide it. What was a natural reaction for him, he hated.

Cyric loved it and he smiled. Shido was beautiful when blushing, the red strokes brought out the color of his eyes and skin in a tantalizing way. He kept a hand on the others waist as he followed him, feeling the muscles flexing under his hand.

The chessboard before the fireplace barely got a second look as he passed the thing. At the back wall there was a door partially open. Shido could have sworn he had closed it, but was not very sure. He often forgot to close the door. He hesitated again, but pushed it open. Laying his hand over the one on his waist, he led the other in.

He hadn't realized how much plum and royal purple was in his room until he looked at it now. There as one old painting hung near the door, and that besides the wooden bed frame, was the only things not one of those shades. He had gotten rid of many of his possessions. All that was in the room was the painting and a bed. Granted a large one. No coffin for him. Cain had forced him into one far too often for him to comfortably tolerate them anymore. He swallowed nervously. Things didn't look too bad in here. He hoped.

One brow was raised as the Elder looked around. "Purple, loveling?" Well, he shouldn't complain, his own bedroom back in Cairo was all shades of red but with more wood tones then Shido's room. He was already unconsciously picking out the spare pieces of furniture that he had at home that would look very nice in this room. It was a habit for him, ever since he had become fond of interior decoration.

His free hand unconsciously sought out and grasped the end of his ponytail. "I'm overly fond of the color."

"I wasn't complaining, Mon chere." The bleached vampyre chuckled, rubbing his thumb against Shido's hip.

"oh.." He looked over into the blood colored eyes and smiled slightly. "I'm glad."

"Now..." The vampyre's lean body pressed up behind Shido's, a warm breath caressing his neck. "Are we going to continue standing here?"

Shido leaned back, shuddering ever so slightly once again. He shook his head when he couldn't find his voice. Turning about quickly, he brushed his lips across Cyrics only to pull them away abruptly.

A slight frown creased the thin lips of the Vampyre at that action. Was Shido teasing now? He persued, not to be denied that kiss.

The faint blush dusted so delicately across his cheeks darkened five or six shades as Shido froze his motions entirely. "Oh...shit..." He looked mortified. Something stirred behind the elder, whatever it was fell to the floor. Shido leapt away and dove for the thing. It was his little urban faerie. The creature had fainted.

Cyric stood there for a minute, confused until he saw the faerie. He threw back his head and laughed, a happier sound then what Shido was used to. That was very funny, so the little thing had been watching? Oh poor her.

Talking quietly to the creature, he took her out of his room. He returned shortly, blushing still and looking very embarrassed. "I ..uh.. am sorry about that. I didn't know she was in here.." That's why his door had been open; Guni had hidden there to avoid Cyric. Much good it did her obviously.

The laughter subsided to quiet giggles and he waved away the apology. "It's alright, lovely." He smiled, eyes glittering with amusement.

The younger vampire sighed, still blushing. "I think she's going to be okay in a little while. It was the fall that stunned her.."

"That's good to hear." The Elder sat down on the edge of the bed. White hands smoothed out the wrinkles in his robes as his red eyes stayed on Shido.

He fidgeted with the end of his ponytail, staring at his hands for a second. He had never been so embarrassed, and poor Guni...

He could feel the pair of eyes on him. Looking up he smiled slightly. That need still blotted the edges of his consciousness, spurring him forward as though he was a stubborn ride. Where he got the courage to straddle Cyric's lap when he reached the other vampire he had no idea. He was minutely irritated to feel that heat in his face that could only be his blush again, but ignored it and concentrated on what he was trying to accomplish.

~~*~~


The sheets cacooned the vampyres body, holding him trapped in the web. His fingers danced through the tangled white and violet hair, working the strands out of the mess. He had gladly given Shido what he wanted and then some. Making love was something he rarely did, though he preferred it over the other artforms of sex out there.

Hazy eyes watched the nimble fingers work through the series of tangles in both colors of hair. The sated vampire was quite content to let his elder do whatever he wanted at this point. Abstinence did not suit anyone very well. There had been nothing after Cain. After such a drought he was pleased to feel true pleasure again. As pleasant as visiting an old friend.

The tangles were getting on his nerves, and he bared his teeth in frustration. He had to remember to braid his hair when he did this again. The bleached vampyre did not look good with short hair.

"Here.." He had experience with this. As the owner responsible for the violet portion of the chaos, he felt he should help. His slender fingers easily picked out a few of the knots.

"Mm...maybe if you hadn't been thrashing so much, we wouldn't be in this position." The tone of his voice was light and teasing, with a small smile curling his lips.

Working one of the last knots out, he looked at Cyric reproachfully, or at least tried to. "If you hadn't been so adamant about making me scream you wouldn't have had that thrashing problem," A smile curved his lips prettily.

He had to laugh at that. "You sounded so pretty screaming."

He worked the last one free and smirked a bit. "All those years of practice." He slid his fingers like a brush through his hair to work the tangles out, repeating the action a few times.

Cyric quickly braided his hair, piling it on top of his head in a way that didn't need pins. "I believe you."

Yawning, the young vampire let his hair lay where it fell. It rarely tangled, and when he slept he always wore it down. He settled back into his pillows once more, but looked over at his companion suddenly. He had a question, and it had been bothering him for quite a while.
"How many ....children do you have?" Something told him the number was much more than the eight he had seen.

"213." Came the instant reply. Cyric wasn't afraid of Shido's reaction, he'd dealt with it before with his other Children.

"And how old are you?" He turned slightly on his side to look at the other inquisitively. He didn't seem upset.

"How old do you think I am?"

"Very." He smiled when he said it, trying to lighten the conversation somewhat.

Cyric arched a brow. "I am 5,908 years old, Shido."

"And yet you've held up amazing well." The sentence came after a slight pause. The initial shock had to wear away first.

He smiled and kissed him. "It's part of being a Vampyre. One day you'll be as old as me."

A soft purr came from that little gesture. "Everything will be mechanical then, if the human race survives itself that long." Shido yawned again.

"They will, they're too stubborn."

Shido let a pause drag out for quite awhile. When he spoke again he sounded half-asleep. "Will you be here when I wake? Or will you be gone with dusk?" It would be perfectly acceptable if he left, but Shido wanted to know to avoid surprises. Oops, he forgot, and had been forgetting since the rule was spoke, something. "Master."

"I will be here." Cyric wrapped his arms around the other, snuggling with him.

Smiling a little, Shido settled into the embrace. If business deals between his kind were this pleasurable, he would have to make them more often. This wasn't what he had expected when he had agreed to "belong" to Cyric. He drifted into the numb darkness of sleep with that thought.