Black Widow: Ok, I guess y'all have earned this chapter ~_~. To Lara Sinvatha, I greatly appreciate your review, but this story isn't about Cain and Shido, it's about Cyric and Shido. It's OcxShido but I hope that you'll grow to like them together. They just seem to fit together.

Sayori: I had nothing to do with the delay!! I swear!! ^.^;;; Don't hurt me… please. I lost power from natural catastrophe. Nothing I did, swear! Moment aside: I know Shido seems so very different than himself from the series. You all must be thinking one, I've never watched the series, and two, I'm a complete twit. I assure you number one is not the case, though two is distinctly possible! ^.~ I don't do Shido the way he is in the series. I've corrupted him. He's so adorable, I just can't help myself. Please, no flames for my corruption of him, or the shoddy portrayal of Cain; I know those who like to make him kinder than I do, but later on you shall see he is a much better compliment to Shido when that cruel. ^-^ Thank you very much for listening to my ramble. Please, read on.

The Crimson Wave

Chapter 2 – Rub-a-dub-dub, sex in the tub

By Black Widow and Sayori

Torn between curiosity and desire, Shido looked from Cyric to the door, then back again. A miniature imitation of a sigh escaped him. Curiosity would nag him long after passion's heat had cooled. With no further debate on the difficult subject, he went into the cabin only to stop short at the door. It was quite lovely, with light, sun-bleached woods and dark upholstery everywhere. The large windows were open to the night, and he could still see some of the stars from the view and much of the street.


The Elder followed a few feet behind, wanting to see his lover's expression. He hadn't started to consider the violet-haired vampyre as his lover until just a few weeks ago. He had forgotten what having a lover was like, how sweet it was. A small smile spread across his face, unbeknownst to him.


Curiosity beckoned Shido forward into the middle of the room. His eyed skimmed the carpet and the few sculptures made of natural artifacts. On either side of the room there were doorways. The simple fact delighted him with possibilities. They could lead to anything, after all, and he was very easy to amuse.

He looked back at his master, cerulean eyes bright. He hadn't been expecting anything like this. In all honesty he hadn't expected a hotel in this town to be so pretty.

The smile grew wider, beckoning Shido to explore. "Go on, lovely." From the description the clerk had given him, this suites' bathroom had a full length marble countertop and glass wall shower besides the whirlpool tub. Though the thought of Shido and the tub excited him, it was the bedroom he wanted at. The images in the woman's mind had also described the room to him. A large queen-sized feather mattress, desk, bay window and wet bar. This suite was obviously supposed to be for a vacation, but it suited his purposes.

Determined to not scamper, Shido had to walk carefully to the doorway on the right. He poked his head through, and laughed. It was a kitchen. This place had to be intended for extended vacations. They wouldn't need the kitchen, obviously. But it was amusing to have it. He would have to explore it later. It looked to be a pleasant place.

He chose a comfortable chair, leaning back into the cool fabric with a sigh of pleasure. Now that he had Shido happily amused for a while, his thoughts went back to Cain. Brow furrowing in anger, he ran through a list of possibilities and ways to counter it. He wasn't stupid; otherwise he wouldn't be here today. In the Vampyre community it was kill or be killed, a more cruel reality then the ones humans had. And they thought they led hard lives.

Deducing the other room to be a bedroom, the curiosity within him eased. He looked the kitchen over once more before turning around to look for Cyric. He smiled wryly at the expression on his master's face. Cain, no doubt, was on his mind. Shido himself often found that same irritated look on his face when thinking of the blonde. Crossing his arms over the flat plain of his stomach, he watched quietly.

Lulled into relaxation with the familiar plans for killing a Sire, he laid there. The furrow in his brow eased away slowly as the plans slowly transferred over to Shido. He was confused, something that didn't happen often to him, and he didn't like it. He loved all his Children, like a parent loves their children but he never slept with his Children. That wasn't the only thing bothering him, it was his emotions. It was the spike of fear and blood-curdling rage that had driven into his heart when Cain had slammed his songbird into the fountain that bothered him. And it also scared him...

The changing expressions on that flawless white face, the same one he had observed so many times before, distressed him. Forgetting the rest of the cabin, silently, so as not to disturb the elder's thoughts, he joined Cyric at the chair. He knelt by the sides of it, a hand resting on Cyric's knee. The sudden bout of contemplation worried him. Vampires spent too much time thinking, he had often been told, though by no one he would admit listening to. Guni vacated her spot, taking herself into the kitchen. She wasn't about to watch again, and there just might be something there for her to eat.

The hand on his knee jerked him out of his thoughts, red eyes opening. The black pupils of his eyes shrunk then resumed their normal size as they moved over to Shido. He could pick out the worry from his face and thoughts. Smiling briefly he stroked the soft violet hair. "Do you like it, Shido?"

He nodded, his gentle grip tightening momentarily on Cyric's knee. "Are you well?"

"Of course, koi."

The younger vampire nodded again, quiet for a moment from thought. When he looked back up he was smiling and a gleam had caught his blue eyes as water catches the sun. "Are you going to show me what's in the bathroom now?"

A matching smile was on Cyrics face at the question, though it carried traces of desire. "Gladly, my pet." He got up and stretched. Popping a few joints with a groan, he guided his younger lover into the bedroom and into the attached bathroom.

Amused and delighted, Shido eyed the tub. It was the first thing he had laid eyes on. At a second glance the marble and glass pleased him aesthetically, but his eyes returned to the tub. Quite an interesting piece of machinery, he had the feeling.

"It's a whirlpool, lovely." Cyric moved around the other and perched on the edge of the tub. His bleached fingers circled the controls for it. "Do you want to try it?"

"Of course." His curiosity was far too peeked to die away now. He had never seen a tub so... large. Humans had the most useful imaginations, and they always proved so again and again.

Feeling the curiosity of his lover, Cyric couldn't help but smile. He had a whirlpool back home, a little larger then this one but he loved them all. The jets felt good on his aged body. Flicking the water on, he set about disrobing, showing off with knowing it.

Untying the ribbon tie at his neck, Shido lowered his head to let his violet hair shield his face. He would watch Cyric from there. He was blushing already; openly admitting he was studying his master's body would have withered him. So awkward.. even after all they had shared already, much of it as his insistence.

The clothes were folded and put on the marble counter after they were taken off. Cyric had a lithe body, pale and slender, but with a light musculature underneath. Long legs and long arms with sinewy hands topped by short claws that mirrored his fangs. The red eyes swung to Shido, seeming to smile. "Are you going to bathe fully clothed?" Checking on the tub, he braided his hair.

Shido blushed a few shades darker as he folded his ribbon twice and set it on the counter.
"Certainly not."

Unbuttoning his vest and high-collared shirt, he folded them as well, lying them together beside the ribbon. The pants, their knees smudged with the light colored dirt that had covered the fountain, joined them quickly. He took his time tying his hair back, though.

He hadn't the first clue on what to do with it, and actually had to think about it. Finally he took the dark red ribbon out, only to gather his hair, double it over, and tie the ribbon back in. The bothersome lavender mass still passed his shoulder, but left to its own devices it would have been twice as long and thrice as bothersome.

Cyric watched him undress with a appraising eye. He had seen many bodies in his lifetime but he loved Shido's most of all. He wanted him and he didn't hide the fact. Reaching over, he turned off the water and turned on the jets.

Startled from the noise the moving water created, he jumped a bit. He had been skittish before, but he was twice as so after running into Cain yet again, once he had felt somewhat safe and capable. His sire always stripped him of that, his feeling of capability. Of course his illusions of safety faded. They practically raced away on their silver feet at the sound or smell of the familiar darkness.

"It's alright, lovely, it's the jets." He took his lovers hands and guided him into the tub, sliding in with him. The pressure of the jets on his body made him sigh and purr. That felt very very good.

Pleased by the water himself, Shido smiled at Cyric's purr. How cute. Encouraged by the elder's familiarity with them, he did his best to relax. It was indeed a pleasurable experience.

And made more pleasurable by the slim fingers dancing across his back, massaging him. The bleached Elder wanted to feel his Youngling, in more then one way. His mouth kissed across the slim shoulder.

Shuddering in delight, the heat only accentuating his senses, the young vampire ran the wet tips of his fingers down his master's cheek. For some reason he was unenlightened to, the heat from the water and even the water itself intensified every sense he had, but mostly touch. Even the steam felt palpable and drew pleasure out of him.


He nuzzled the fingers, nipping them lightly. His own digits traced the spine of the Youngling in circles, dipping below the water to reach the skin there.

The infamous blush that was ever present, lately, upon his face deepened an shade or two as his blue eyes slid to half-mast. He made a mental note to invest in a tub, later. They were quite interesting and useful; he was coming to see. The teasing nips stirred things deep within his body. There was just something about a well-placed nip or bite that drive him mad everytime. Shido's purr was slightly demanding when it slipped from him.

Cyric smiled at the purr. One of the many things he liked about his Youngling was his purr. It was arousing on it's own, especially when he didn't know he did it. His free hand 'massaged' Shido's chest, taking the liberty to brush across the pink nubs.

His hand, having dropped to lay on Cyric's leg milliseconds before, took a stronger grip as his body responded immediately to the touch, well groomed for activities of this nature apparently. His eyes shut and his head fell back, exposing the unmarred, creamy column of his neck. There was a silent plea to remove Cain's touch from him. The mental wish passed as quickly as it came, dancing through the passion-clouded connection as surely as a ballerina.

The blood-eyed vampyre read the thought as soon as it appeared. His own feelings mirrored Shido's. The violet-haired vampyre was his, no one else's, and Cain would never touch him again. Pale lips moved to the others neck, brushing across it softly with well-placed nips, resuming what he had done earlier outside.

Never the unwilling partner, Shido moved without hesitation. He purred again, a long, low sound, as he turned about to face his master. Brushing his lips against the corner of Cyric's mouth, he darted his tongue out to taste the minor indentation. A kitten to cream.

Cyric smiled, sinewy fingers running up the others back to leaf through his hair, massaging his scalp. Leaning back into the tub wall, he pulled him into his lap. "Eager koneko..."


His purr deepened. His scalp was a sensitive area and the pressure of Cyric' fingers was pure bliss. The blue eyes slid closed a ghost of a smile on his lips. "Hai."

A chuckle slipped out of the Elders mouth as he leaned forward to lip at the others ear. "I've learned kittens like to be stroked..." One hand dropped out of the mass of violet hair to his hip and then to his thigh.

"Oh...we do," Shido said, his fingers rubbing the back of Cyric's neck in tight circles. Smiling, he added affectionately, "We love it almost as much as we love to play."

Now it was Cyrics turn to purr and it was deeper, huskier then Shido's. Like the purr of a tiger. He nipped on the earlobe, drawing a tiny spot of blood quickly cleaned away. Fingers rubbed in circles the smooth, hairless flesh of his inner thighs, steadily working their way upward.

The younger vampire moved into the touch, lips parted, muscles tense. He felt like an orchestral instrument tuned far too tightly. Stroking his long fingers across the white chest before him, he followed the damp path with his tongue. Milk and sugar, together on his taste buds. The thought pleased his momentarily poetic soul.

Drinking in his thoughts like ambrosia, Cyric sighed against the red-tinged ear. His lover came up with the most interesting comparisons; his taste had never been called milk and sugar before. Finally his fingers found what they had been working towards. Gently, he ran the tips of his pointed fingernails, affectionately called claws, over the head of his lover's ardor and down the underside.

He hissed, the simple touch sending fire through his tightened muscles, and nipped the skin near his index finger. He drew no blood, but came as close to it as possible.

Tightening his touch, the slender digits curled around the flesh, moving up and down with firm strokes. The second hand in Shido's hair trailed down his back lightly to trace the curve of his buttocks.

Seeking his master's lips, Shido pressed his own against them, suddenly demanding. There was a shake in his shoulders, a tremor quaking along his entire spine. His eyes had become hazy with desire's mists, dulling their blues. With every stroke he moved accordingly, insistent.

Cyric gave Shido the kiss, understanding his body language. Prepping him quickly, he swiftly sheathed himself in the warm body. The Younglings desire was starting to swamp his own mind through their link, darkening his eyes to almost black.

Head falling back, Shido cried out and arched his back. The empty ache was gone, but that tuned-far-too-tightly feeling was still there, strong as ever if not more so.

Taking advantage of the neck at his disposal, the Elder leaned forward, placing bites along his jugular. Any blood drawn was quickly cleaned away with an apologizing kiss. Paused only for a minute the pale man pumped upwards. Each thrust was carefully calculated to bring only pleasure, never pain to his lover.

He moved into each thrust, lips parted in wordless delight. Each wickedly wonderful bite brought him closer to a climax, and he sincerely hoped Cyric wasn't far behind. That liquid heat, pooled in his gut, could not build for much longer.

By now his songbird should have known that whenever Shido came, he was not far behind. The link wouldn't let him postpone it and the beautiful sight of his lover in ecstasy was about enough to make anyone spill over. His hand moved faster over his length, letting a little more strength into his thrusts.

Rigidity entered his long limbs, and as passion's minion- undoubtedly a cherub with gilded footwear and stubby wings- pushed him unceremoniously over the edge, he sank his elongated teeth into the top of Cyric's shoulder. Gold had overtaken his blue eyes as the waves swarmed his senses. After the last of his fitful shudders had died away, he licked the area apologetically.

But it was the pain and pleasure mixed that sent the Elder over the edge at the same time Shido did. Laying his head against the cool rim of the tub, he let the jets and the hot water unwind his muscles and keep him anchored here in reality. He had a bad habit of doing that, when others minds returned to their bodies, his kept wandering.

"Koneko...daijoobu..." Shrugging the bitten shoulder, he smiled.

Stealing for himself a quick kiss, the violet haired vampire nodded. Pleasure and pain were perfect companions, a side of the same coin. Enough pain there is pleasure; enough pleasure there is pain. Resting his head on the healed shoulder, he didn't move from Cyric's lap, too content to make his limbs function. Warmth had spread through his entire being.

Absolutely content to stay right where he was, Cyric curled a arm back around Shido's waist. His mind was quickly slipping into a dozed state when he heard the first crunch of gravel under someone's boots outside. And he had a pretty good idea who it was. "Damnit...Hysteria, couldn't you have picked some other time?" He mumbled under his breath but he still poked the Youngling. "We have a visitor, lovely."

Shido blinked, waking. He had dozed off for a moment, far to content and sated to be cognizant. His first thought was Cain, and his body stiffened with dread. His connection to his sire, though dulled, was still strong, and now, searching, he could not sense him close. Confused, he looked at Cyric. "Who..?"

"One of my children." Cyric pulled himself out from under him, grabbing a towel to dry off with. "You can stay in there if you want." Dropping the towel unceremoniously to the floor, he pulled on his pants and shirt.

"…oh god..." he muttered, blushing and rubbing his forehead. He didn't have fond memories of any of Cyric's children, any of the ones he had met thus far. Hoping for the best, he left the water and dried off as well.

Flicking off the jets and draining the tub, he ventured downstairs. Right when both entered the living room, a knock sounded and a woman stepped into the room. She looked like a biker chick, spiked collar and bracelets, leather outfit and heavy black boots. Her skin was almost as white as Cyrics and her white hair was cropped short, brushing against her shoulders. Her eyes were hidden behind black sunglasses, but they were rose quartz in color. "Hey pops!" She smiled and bounced across the room, dropping a kiss on the Elders' check. "Heard ya had some trouble today." Scanning the room quickly she claimed the couch, propping her feet on the coffee table.

"I will get into that later, Hysteria." Cyric gestured to Shido. "This is Shido. Shido, this is Hysteria, my second oldest."

"Oi." Hysteria gave Shido a thumbs up.

Blushing slightly still, he smiled politely and nodded in recognition, ever aware of protocol. While he found Hysteria interesting, he stayed somewhat near the door they had just left, prepared to be seen and not heard.

Cyric took a seat in the chair from earlier, crossing his legs. He discussed a few polite topics with his Child, asking her about her life since he last saw her, the latest models of bikes, and the stock market. After those subjects had been breached, the serious talking began. It was spoken in a different, ancient language, long dead. The tone of the words were all a listener needed and Cains name was said plenty enough to guess the subject.

Shido was quite content to stand and watch quietly while the subject stayed within polite limits. The second the conversation changed gears, he became uneasy. He scolded himself for being sensitive, but ended up leaving the room anyway. He returned to the bathroom, amusing himself by straightening up. There hadn't been time earlier.

Cyric noticed his songbird's departure but plowed on in the conversation. His child had noticed as well and arched a brow, tilting her head. Ignoring the inquiry, he switched over to English again. "I want you to take at least 5 and watch him. It'll be safer knowing what he's doing."

The albino nodded, raking a hand through her hair. "Si si, padre. That's easy enough, though we all know ye'll kick his damn fool ass anyway." She gave him a thumbs up with a bright smile. "He's gotta be dumb."

Cyric chuckled, a small smile gracing his lips. "Thank you, my Child."

"Well, I better get going, daddy dear." The younger Elder stood up and stretched, riding up her Lycra tank top. "I'll make sure I get ya updates whenever I can, k?" Without waiting for a answer, she bounded out of the house, followed by the sound of squealing tires.

In the short amount of time he had been alone up there, the bathroom was spotless and dry once again. He was surveying his work when he heard the biker's departure. He jumped slightly at the sound. He was surprised that he actually heard it this time.

Sighing, Cyric sank into the chair. For once he felt the weariness of his old bones and body. Claws sank into his mind and pulled him downwards, trying to swallow him. He resisted, not letting him win this time. Cyric was insane, and it clearly showed in his personalities. Cyric was the wise, calm, in control leader that most knew, but there was also Akuma, the suicidal maniac and Cest, the depressed introvert. Akuma was the one trying to prevail this time, refusing to give up the mental battle.

With nothing left to do and curiosity winning the best of him, Shido hesitantly returned to the doorway he had so quickly abandoned. The room to him seemed to have darkened, though laws of time and shadow forbade that from being possible. The door was closed and Cyric's other child was gone. He nearly didn't see his master in the armchair until he looked around again. The moody silence that hung over him like a veil brought a twinge of worry into Shido.

Cyric was not going to let Akuma win this time. He needed a clear head right now, and Akuma would just seek out the younger Vampyre and let himself get killed, business deal or no. The thought of the business deal and what had followed helped him push Akuma to the back of his mind once more. When he opened his eyes, they were no longer just plain red, the white sclera surrounding his irises had bled red during the fight.

Startled at the change in his eyes and immediately worried, Shido approached his master. "Cyric..?" Once again he knelt by Cyric's legs, a hand on one of them. He searched the white face and red eyes with his own, looking for something.

"Yes, lovely?" His voice was dry and cracked, sounding as old as he really was. The red eyes slowly receded into normal as they watched the Youngling.

The words that followed were quieter than he meant them to be. "Are you feeling

alright?" There was a genuine concern in his voice, and he was startled by the depth of it.

"Yes, yes." The Elder reached out and stroked his lover's soft hair. A smiled turned up the sagging corners of his mouth. "I'm just tired, you wore me out, songbird."

"Gomen nasai." Shido laid his head on his maser's leg, his cheek against his hand. Still worried, there were lines from the emotion on his forehead.

He chuckled softly, the dullness of his eyes fading away to be replaced by a glimmer of faint amusement. "That's a good thing, love, nothing really wears me out."

He smiled at that, brightening for a moment. Unfortunately he was unable to deny the nagging concern growing within. Like spilled ink the darkness spread through his chest, leaving only a hollow feeling behind. Ignoring it wasn't working, and silence only accentuated it, so, with some minor hesitation and a deep breath, he ventured to ask, "What are you going to do about him? About... Cain?" He faltered at the name, the encounter hours before fresh in his mind though faded from his skin.

The amusement in his eyes was gone instantly, a weird maniacal gleam there now. "I'm going to make sure he never touches you again." Unknowingly, he was baring his fangs and flexing his hands.

He wanted to ask how, but instead tried a gentler side of the topic. "And if he does not return?" There was a chance Cain might retreat.. or maybe not. Shido doubted his sire would give up so easily. He shuddered to think of what he was doing now, what he was planning. Had their link been as strong as it once was, he would know, he would hear it, but things were not as they used to be, for the better he assured himself.

Cyric smiled, baring all his teeth. "It won't matter if he doesn't come back or not."

Eyes on Cyric's face, on his mouth more specifically, he responded slowly. "What are you going to do?" He didn't believe Cain defeatable. Floutable? Of course, and he often did so, but defeatable? How he wished.

The other petted his hair, reading his thoughts. "I don't know yet, but it will teach him his lesson."

Silent, contemplative, Shido gnawed on the knuckle on which his cheek had rested moments before. He searched his memories for anything useful, going over practice sessions, outings, the once in awhile massacre. He ignored anything even mildly associated with their more pleasurable time together. He rarely thought of Cain as anything but a monster, looking back upon the time he had willing followed that very same monster's direction was not fun to him.

The Elder sat quiet, suppressing his anger and delight to hunt once more. His hand never stopped moving over the silken strands of his lover's hair, listening to the humming of the gold threads in his mind. That was how he pictured the link with Shido, a fine-spun thread of gold rimmed in violet running between them. The violet, a fresh spring violet, had darkened to a amethyst with the mentioning of Cain. He remained stoically silent, in control and waiting for Shido's words.


A smirking remark his sire had once made to him stood out as he rifled through his memories as he would the old files in his cabinet at the office. The insinuation behind the remark had startled him, as it did now when he mocked the words. He was incapable of mocking the tone. Only Cain had that haughty, knowing edge to his voice that dripped with the influence of Transylvannia. The very sound of it stirred odd things within the soul and left one thinking back to the worn-out vampires flicks of the early years.

"He told me that he was never alone, and never has been, once, after I called him a solitary and destructive monster. I think he has others at his disposal. Other.. children." An odd twinge reverberated through his chest, but he ignored it, driving it away from his thoughts and consequently, he believed, from him altogether.

"Of course..." This was nothing new to him. An angry Sire more then likely brought his children together in effort to overpower the opposition. If it was a petty matter, the Sire and the offender, usually another Sire, would duel on their own. A valuable object meant a war between blood-families. Shido was blood-family to his Children now and they were answering the new tie by rising to the new challenge with eager fierceness.

"I am not sure how many of them there are." He hated to think there was any, actually. Something about being replaced, as it essentially was, bothered him. Cain had called him a toy once, a porcelain doll may have been the exact wording, and the blonde was holding to his deduction. Shido felt thrown away, cast aside, though the entire struggle coming up was over him. The ramifications of this hit him in their entirety just then. Lifting his head from Cyric's leg, he searched his master's eyes with his own.

"You don't have to do this. I can handle him on my own." In his tone there was a level of guilt he hadn't reached until then. He felt as though he had thrown the bleached elder into this conflict, with no warning whatsoever and without asking.

A soft chuckle permeated, the red eyes dancing with mirth. "That is sweet, songbird. I would rather face him then have you face him. This confrontation is between us, not you and him. He has broken honor in our agreement."

"He agreed to handing me over..?" An unidentifiable color had crept into his voice. He had never quite understood the agreement between his sire and his master. The details had not been divulged to him, and shock had stopped him from questioning that night of confrontation at the docks.

"He agreed to pay any price I deemed fit for my services. I did what he wanted of me," The hand on the violet hair dropped down to cup the Younglings chin. "He never set boundaries for what I wished." Cyrics' eyes gazed down into the tropical ones of his lover, no longer shining with mirth but a mix of desire and a unreadable emotion. "And I would not give you up for anything." He murmured softly.

A smile eased the tension from his face momentarily. He would leave his other questions for another night. This one had been too full of them already. Besides, the sun would rise soon, the heaviness in his limbs told him so.

"I see," he responded after the smile, that color gone from his voice. In a sudden motion, he caught Cyric's wrist in his hand, still looking up at his master with deep blue affection.

The heated blue gaze held his own though surprise flickered across his face. "Yes, songbird?" He asked, voice still soft, an underlying current of stupefaction running through the casual words.

Sliding his index finger away from the others, he dipped his head and ran his tongue across the triangle of white flesh between the digits. An edge of his teeth grazed the skin, without the pressure necessary to scratch behind it, He purred against the same miniature expanse of flesh, his lips the barest of pressures there.

A small gasp escaped the thin lips of the Elder in surprise. He echoed the purr, the fingers on the captured hand flexing. The sensual actions drove him to forget everything but the younger vampyre and what he was doing.

The wrist still in his grasp, Shido made his way from the floor to Cyric's lap, sitting mostly on the elder's knees, in his lap but not quite. The Younglings other hand ran soft, cold fingertips against the back of Cyric's, while his lips whispered across the palm facing upwards.

Cyric supported him easily with his legs. He leaned back into the chair, the cool fabric prickling his skin along with the sensations Shido induced upon him. His eyes had narrowed to slits, revealing only a slice of cerise and white to watch him.

Shido nipped the tip of his finger, drawing a dot of blood. Licking it away, he purred again. He nuzzled Cyric's palm before lowering it. There was a content affection in his advances, the ease of second nature. Leaning forward, a slender hand on Cyric's chest for balance, he kissed his master softly, that purr slipping out again.

Accepting it, he pressed back, the malleable flesh of his lips molding to the others. Both hands played with the tail of Shido's hair, twining and twirling it around albino fingers. His slow-beating heart thudded faster against his rib cage at the proximity of the other, something that was happening more and more often, making him feel lightheaded and aware of everything around him.

Following the curve of his elder's lips with his tongue, he sought entrance. The free hand found its way onto the back of Cyric's neck, his fingers kneading the flesh there as they usually did. Shido had habitual gestures, but could always be counted on for some measure of surprise.

The white-haired male's lips opened for him, for once playing the submissive. He didn't usually play the receiver, but it was easy to when Shido was the dominant one.

He sought out Cyric's tongue, enticing it into a sinuous rhythm with his own. The old dance brought out a deeper longing, one he dared not think about. He pulled away, flushed and breath tremulous as it emerged from him.

The heaviness was growing stronger; it was later than he had thought. "I need to retire, rest. Will you be coming?" He watched Cyric as he spoke, both hands still but the same affection radiating from limbs and eyes. Business deal or no, he was fond of Cyric. A blush spackled his cheeks, the uneven, rosy tones complimenting the pastels of his hair. He was fond of many things, though, he reminded himself.

"Yes, I will." It took a minute for him to reply, as his mind had needed to be shaken out of the affection-induced lethargy. "Go on, I will be right behind you."

He nodded once, smiling slightly. Extracting himself from the chair and lap he had taken over, the younger vampire left his master there. It took all of his self-control not to look over his shoulder before he left the room completely. All the way to their room he argued against himself about the nature of his fondness, and just how deep it went. He might as well have been bickering with Guni, who had yet to emerge from the kitchen he realized then, for all the headway he made.

Cyric removed himself from the plush chair, moving to stand in the entrance. Once opened, the morning breeze blew into the cabin, playing with the strands of his hair and the folds of his robe. There was one thing he made sure he saw and that was sunrise, no matter if he was in a city and the view wasn't that good. It was a ritual he kept everyday.

~~T.B.C~~

Authors Note: Ok, people! Reviews! March to the review box and write us little comments. Get a move on people!