Isabelle strode proudly into Spica's Emporium and was again selecting various things from the unknown generation gypsy. Isabelle spoke with Spica herself often and they would give each other fortune readings on Saturdays.
Isabelle though today asked specifically if the young gypsy had anything on soul mates.
"Soul mates, Isabelle?" Spica asked thinking.
"Yes, it is for my adoptive brother… He, has become enthralled with it," Isabelle explained.
"Maybe, Is'belle. Perhaps… Come, back here is where the books are kept."
Sarah watched out of the corner of her eye. She knew that Spica often traveled and when this Isabelle came in for the first time to this branch, her employer was ecstatic. They were old friends Spica had told her. Isabelle left with two books and a basket full of her normal 'supplies'.
Sarah was worried about her son and was questioned by her boss that afternoon as they were closing.
"What troubles you Sarah? You have a darkness following you," Spica said.
"My son came out to us a couple of weeks ago… My husband didn't take it well… Ritchie's avoided coming home since. I just worry so much about my baby…"
"Sarah, isn't your baby as you put it, almost seventeen?"
"Yes but, he is still and will always be my baby," Sarah replied.
"Here," Spica said pulling out a pouch and putting a crystal and a few herbs in it before tying it up. "Take this, and pray. It should bring you luck and understanding of your son…"
"Thank you Spica… Thank you very much…"
==============
Ritchie was sitting at the track watching the track team run before suddenly he felt as if someone were watching him. He looked over to the large oak and saw Virgil standing there smiling at him. He grabbed his newly packed bag and jogged over. "Virgil… hey," Ritchie said blushing slightly.
"Hello Ritchie…" Virgil said with a slight smile. "Weren't you practicing for this when we met?" Virgil asked nodded to the track team.
"Yeah, but this time when they turned me down I figured I'd give it a rest till next year." Ritchie looked unhappy at the comment.
"Why do they deny you? You're talented as a runner."
"Thanks," Ritchie said blushing more, glancing at the team before locking eyes with one of the star athletes who glared at him and cracked his knuckles. "I guess I'm not fast enough," Ritchie said rapidly turning away from the team.
"Does he threaten you often?"
"It's not that big of a deal Virgil…"
"I don't want some lowlife idiot threatening you, Ritchie… You don't deserve it," Virgil said taking Ritchie's hand. "Come, let's go home…"
"Okay," Ritchie smiled tightening his grip on Virgil's hand.
Ishtar sighed as she watched them. "Do not worry so, Ishtar," said a voice as a young woman picked her up. "You as well as the Family (this is sounding kinda godfather-ish) shall see that this is not something that could be stopped, nor can it be stopped," she said. Ishtar looked up at the young woman holding her. She was distantly related to Isabelle's friend Spica. Only this woman chose to follow the clan distracting the hunters from their prey then slipping away into the darkness.
"I know Camellia… I know but this is just horrible… What if something happens to Ritchie? Will Daniel get over it?"
"Did he ever get over Richard?"
"I see your point…"
--------------------------------
Not too long after Ritchie and Virgil had arrived at the large house someone, a cousin Virgil had said, came and insisted on speaking to the dark boy privately. Ritchie had stayed in the room waiting for Virgil to get back. He looked out of one of the windows into a large garden. Living on the edge of Dakota obviously had some perks. His eyes followed a cat playing in the flowers before leaping into the arms a tall feminine man. He looked up and locked eyes with Ritchie who blushed a deep crimson and stepped backwards letting the curtains fall back into place.
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"Do you realize what is going on here?" a dark haired youth asked Virgil.
"What do you mean 'Duke'?" Virgil asked using his fingers for the quotation marks.
"Hey, lay off the street name okay?" Duke asked glaring at him.
"Well then what is going on? And if it's that important why aren't you or Camellia talking to Father?"
"Because it's about you…"
"Again… What do you mean?" Virgil asked glaring at him.
"Camellia sensed it first… Someone is on to you Virgil… Or soon will be… You have to stay away from that blonde you're becoming attached to," Duke told him solemnly.
"Over my dead body," Daniel said baring his fangs causing Duke to sigh loudly.
"Look. I love Camellia and if it weren't for her my abilities would have gone on being some cheap trick in a game. If this is what she wants me to do I'll do it… I'm trying to help this clan Virgil… And there is something about the blonde that could cause all of us to be exposed!" Duke told him.
"Listen to me Otogi! I don't care who you think you're helping but I'm falling in love with Ritchie and I'm not going to let him go at any cost! This time, I'm going to protect my lover till my very last breath!" Virgil seethed.
"He reminds you that much of Richard does he?"
"Shut up! Speak not of things you don't understand and that is definitely something you don't understand nor do you know anything of!"
"Virgil… Don't take my warning seriously. That's fine by me, but! Take caution…" Otogi said before leaving.
Daniel sighed raking a hand through his hair before dashing back upstairs to Ritchie.
"Virgil!" Ritchie blinked at the somewhat upset look in Virgil's eyes. "What's wrong, V?" Ritchie asked as Virgil sat down on the bed placing his head in his hands.
"I'm not sure I want to talk about it Ritchie… I'm sorry…" The blonde smiled sadly to himself before crawling across the bed and placing his hands on Virgil's shoulders giving them a gentle massage.
"That's okay… if you don't want to talk to me about it. I just worry about you… because I really care about Virgil…" Ritchie said soothingly placing kisses along Virgil's neck and shoulders. Ritchie began to wonder why this whole scenario felt so familiar, as if it had happened, while Daniel wondered why this was happening almost the same way that things had happened before he told Richard about what he was… If the two teens had sex within two days of this…Daniel was going to have to seriously talk to Otogi and Camellia about if Ritchie might actually be Richard's reincarnation.
Virgil began to shiver under Ritchie's touch. He turned his head and captured Ritchie's lips in a kiss, which Ritchie hungrily returned.
"God Ritchie…" Virgil said turning around quickly and pinning the blonde to the bed kissing him deeply while trailing one of his hands over the blonde's chest while the other was tightly intertwined with the other's.
Ritchie gasped at how natural this all felt. Usually when another guy cornered him something didn't feel right as if the only thing there was physical attraction. But, with knowing that there was definitely something between him and Virgil, it felt like something he'd done for so long, but hadn't been able to in what felt like almost a thousand years or something.
"Ritchie," Virgil growled out claiming Ritchie's mouth with his own mapping it out and memorizing a taste that he unknowingly longed for.
Ritchie pulled his hand from Virgil's and began to work the other's shirt up and off. Virgil complied before working on Ritchie's shirt then attacking the creamy skin of his love's chest.
"Virgil!" Ritchie said squeezing his eyes shut and arching towards the darker teen. Virgil understood Ritchie's unspoken plea. The blonde was still unsure of things so he pulled the blonde tightly into his arms and started kissing behind the blonde's ears, which he found was a sensitive spot by Ritchie's giggling and squirming.
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"Camellia, Otogi, what brings you here?" Duzell asked looking up from his scrolls.
"It's about Daniel…" Camellia said looking down.
"A vision?"
"A strong one," Otogi said quietly. "It wiped her out for over an hour."
~'Daniel, please… Come to my study…now.'~
~'But, Father Duzell,'~ he started through the telepathic link that the clan shared.
~'NOW!'~ Daniel opened his eyes to see Ritchie in a happy sleep. He kissed the blonde's forehead and got up pulling on a robe and going to see his father.
--------------
"WHAT?!" Ritchie was awoken by Virgil's voice. Only Virgil wasn't by him.
---
"You heard me Daniel, please… I can't bear the thought of watching you die!" Camellia said her arms wrapped around herself.
"I'm not leaving Ritchie!"
"Daniel!"
"NEVER!" he yelled. "I love him Father! Please! Don't tell me you agree with this madness!"
"It's not madness… I've left lovers too…"
"I won't leave him!"
"Is this still about Richard?"
"FATHER!"
"Look, Daniel… If we can find out what about the blonde would cause your death, such as if someone follows him without his knowledge and finds you, that would be different and we'd be able to protect you both but we don't know right now!"
"SHUT UP! ALL OF YOU!" the young vampire said tears stinging his eyes. He was enraged about this. "I LOVE HIM! I'm not going to leave him!"
---
Ritchie heard everything that Virgil said. He was fighting his own tears. Ritchie quickly dressed and threw a few things back into his bag and headed down the stairs. At the bottom waiting by the door was a teen, a bit older than Virgil with blue hair, and a Chinese symbol tattooed on his arm.
"I take it that you're Ritchie," he said silver eyes locking with Ritchie's making him uneasy.
"Yeah…"
"I'm Lee… One of Virgil's brothers… You can't leave him like this…" Lee said still blocking the door.
"I never left him," Ritchie said softly. Lee blinked and then understood.
"I'll tell him you're sorry…"
"I can't stay if I'll cause a rift in your family…" Ritchie said. "Goddess knows that I have one the size of St. Andres in mine…" he murmured.
"Be careful… Don't ask why, just be damned careful," Lee said when Ritchie gave him a weird look. Lee opened the door for the blonde and they both shared a small smile. Not even ten minutes later Daniel came down the stairs and seeing as how the only other person in the house was Lee, his elder brother got a slap across the face.
"What did you do with Ritchie?" he demanded.
"He said he was sorry," Lee said casting a glance to the door.
"He…. Ritchie left?" Virgil asked looking about like he was going to hyperventilate. And well, he did. Lee tried to calm his brother down but he was about to go out and kill something if that poor thing couldn't give him information on Ritchie's whereabouts. Lee did the only thing he could at that time; he bit his brother and pinched a nerve causing the irrational one to fall asleep in his arms. Lee sighed and a tear ran down his cheek.
---
"RITCHIE! Where have you been?" Tabitha asked pulling the other blonde into the house and setting the sobbing boy down as Evan (who had come in that morning), Pietro, and Kitty started trying to calm him down at once. Pietro hugged Ritchie and whispered that things were okay and that his boy would forgive him, he could just tell. The blonde boy looked at the ashen tress teen oddly before hugging him back tightly. Evan rubbed Ritchie's back as he cried and Kitty went to run him a nice hot bath.
'Virgil can't forgive me now… I LEFT HIM!' it seemed to just sink into his brain and he sobbed harder.
