Sayori: 'Ello! ^^ I got ahold of the chapter, obviously. Mwahaha! Hope you all have enjoyed the story thus far. I've enjoyed writing Shido and Cain ... and all of those kids I've given him.... heh heh.... Opps... Productive little beast, isn't he?
A note on everyone's reviews. I'm so touched I just had to thank you guys. They're so sweet. I'm overjoyed to see so many loyal readers. Because I am so touched that we hit 24 and I like that number, I'm putting the chapter up early. My co-author's going to kill me.. but I'm going to do it anyway. ^^; Pray for me.
Anyway.. My co-author is having computer issues, so she wants me to tell you that we need seven or eight reviews before you get another chapter. She sets the limits, I just don't refute them. ^^ Because of this computer trouble it may take a while for chapter six. Gomen nasai! We will put it up as soon as we have it or as soon as there are eight reviews, whichever comes first.
Enjoy the new chapter. No yaoiness, sorry. I'll try to squeeze it into the next one for you guys. ^.~ But to convince her I need good reviews! Come on guys; you can do it!! And keep your cheerleader comments to yourselves.. I'm hyper. I can't help my momentary perkiness.... -.-;; Have fun!
The Crimson Wave
Chapter 5 - Bypass The Blood and Soul
By Black Widow and Sayori
After three days the Elder had recovered enough to face the two Vampyres in the basement. He took Shido with him, more to know where he was then to make him face the thoughts and words of his 'siblings'.
The red eyes of the grizzled Vampyre peered down at the two with something akin to boredom. "Good evening, my guests."
The eldest, a creature painted in dark tones that were so much unlike his master, growled and gnashed his teeth together, fully aware of his surroundings still and just as angry as he had been the first moment he had been left in chains. Shido winced at the sound, hearing the hidden message of blame in it. The dark creature blamed him entirely. He did not fault the other vampire. He would have hated him, too, for this.
The young one, barely three years into his change and as light as the other was dark, lifted his head enough to look through his wavy bangs at them. He made no sounds and his Nordic eyes were flat, having resigned himself to his fate already. Had Shido been alone, he would have gone to the blonde and done everything in his power to ease the hopelesness he saw on that pretty face, but he restrained himself- miserable and confused.
Sparing not a glance at his lilac-haired lover, Cyric peered down at the eldest. "Though I doubt your Sire can rise above the levels of carnality, I believe you are capable of intelligent speech." His head turned to look at the blonde. "I shall not harm you while I have no reason to." Cyrics' face radiated lament at the thoughts of the youngest. He felt sorry for this one, and he felt that half of it was from Shido.
Capable of intelligent, albeit mostly strategic, thought, the eldest smiled at his father's favorite, all teeth showing and the growl curdling in his throat. Shido backed away a step, from the dark one, coincidentally towards the blonde. The younger vampire tried to move away from him, but was already as far as his chains would allow. Wanting to comfort the boy, Shido smiled reassuringly. It only confused him.
Giving up for the moment, Shido turned his turquoise eyes back to the dark one. Even his thoughts were dark. He could feel them at the edges of his consciousness, moving like a cesspool and as hot as magma.
After the days of sleep, the Elder's patience was fully restored. Taking a few steps back, he laid a hand on Shido's back, offering comfort. "Both of you will be staying here for the length of this feud, or till the time that my Children grow weary of your incessant growling and dispose of you."
Shido moved to lean against his master, taking the comfort offered. He decided he liked the harmless blonde. It was this one, the dark one, he needed to be careful of. The link to him was strongest, the youngest hardly being old enough to form one on his own.
The dark one jerked against his chains, rattling them. Shido jumped at the sudden noise when it broke through the feeling of quiet in the basement. Something about the lowest levels in homes made them always seem quiet, even if they weren't or noises from the street above leaked in. The elder vampire smiled at him, his intention too clear. Annoyed with his nervousness and the other's detection and blatant utilization of it, Shido grew slightly hostile. They glared at each other, gold to black, and sibling rivalry- the most common of hatreds, threw darkness in the colors.
"Your actions are not amusing, cur." Cyric stated, cerise eyes glowing with something other than deadly amusement. There was the barest glint of ivory fangs in the darkness of the extensive basement.
Breaking the combative eye contact with his brother, Shido looked up to Cyric, a quiet plea in his voice when he spoke softly to him. "Can we go, now, please?" He had seen enough of his sire's creations for now.
"Go on, songbird. I will be up after you."
He didn't move immediately, not sure he wanted to leave the irritated elder alone with them. Not so much for the reason that Cyric would get hurt, but for the reason that his siblings undoubtedly would. He nodded and turned finally, only to freeze and look over his shoulder barely a second later. The dark creature against the wall grinned in smug pleasure, his mind brushing its olive and silver tendrils across Shido's.
"...slut..."
Shock had stopped him, but he quickly moved out of the dilapidating emotion. "I don't care what you do to that one, just don't hurt this one. He's harmless." Shido smiled at the youngster, who had lifted his head at the exchange between his brothers. He had heard it too apparently. Shido was positive then that anyone near had, and his stomach sank at the thought.
No one could say that Cyric had no self-control and willpower. He was definitely exercising all of it to keep from lashing out in front of his lover. "Send Hysteria down here please, love."
"I will. Be careful," he added, though he hardly needed to. Both of them were chained to the wall. Neither of them were going anywhere.
Shido kept his composure until he was up the stairs and had relayed Cyric's message to Hysteria. He looked fine, but he could not bring his eyes to meet any of the other's. Once the message was out, he whirled and walked hastily down the first hall he saw. He needed to be away from all of his siblings, both sides. Having two bloodlines in his veins, touching his consciousness, was unbearable for him then.
Hysteria watched him go with a sympathy she mirrored. She was Cyric's child, but once long ago she had belonged to another, another she barely remembered. Sighing, she shoved her guns into their holsters and swung off the couch, tromping down into the basement to see what her Sire wanted.
~~
The hallway Shido had fled to led to a pair of double french doors, covered over with sheer white curtains. They fluttered in the breeze let in by the tiny opening, the air heavily spiked with the perfumes of a large garden. Along with the smell came the gentle sound of a myriad of fountains, all soothing to the senses.
Lured by the rich sound of moving water, Shido passed through the doors, his fingers grazing one of the pale, thin curtains. The combined assault on his sight, smell and hearing left him too preoccupied to concentrate on the turmoil that was raging within. Nature was a perfect balm for his emotional distresses, he had come to learn. He used to escape to the park near his office when the nights got too long. This reminded him of it, only there were no koi ponds. He hadn't been overly fond of the fish, though.
He turned in the perfumed air, the scents like palpable mists to him. Winding snake-like about his person, they were obstructing him from making attempts to think. So potent, overwhelming.
Trying to appreciate everything at once, he made a slow circuit, looking at everything he could.
Cyric joined him the oasis some hours later, much calmer and a lot more happier. "Do you like it, loveling?" He cut a rose blossom, a shade of white accentuated by the pink streaks running through it, from a bush and tucked it behind his ear with a smile.
He had spent the time pacing, though he hadn't realized it until he had stopped at Cyric's arrival. There had been too much to think about to know what his body had been doing. It had amused itself, as it always did when thought took over.
"It's beautiful," he murmured, meaning the flower and garden both. He tried to smile but it faltered near the edges, and caved in upon itself.
"Is something wrong?" The Elder tilted his head to the side, the smile pulling down into a frown. He didn't like seeing his lover unhappy, and he would do anything to see the true smile on his face.
Shido searched the vermillion eyes for the hundredth time that week. "What happened with them?" He would have felt them die. That was unavoidable, and since he hadn't, they were obviously still functioning. However, knowing Cyric, he had to have done something.
"I sent the oldest home, the younger is with Hysteria." The red-robed male took a seat at the base of a Weeping Willow, allowing his shoulders to sag. With the relaxation of his body came the headache from using his mental gifts too soon.
The younger vampire was comforted slightly, though why the eldest had been released he did not understand.
His dislike for that one had not been immediate. It wasn't until after he had mouthed off that he had started to dislike him. He had felt hatred for neither of them, but rather more than a healthy dose of pity. Guilt of course. He hated the entire problem with Cain, and wished to be relinquished peacefully. Had Cain any sense of democracy, he would have understood that their social contract had been broken, and he, having the inalienable right to form another, had indeed done so. Flinching bodily at the memory, Shido tried to ignore the comment his sibling had made earlier. It certainly did look like he was, didn't it?
The pattern of his songbird's thoughts made the pain in his head pound harder. "You think too loudly, lovely. And you believe what others say too easily."
Shido blinked, then laughed softly. No one had told him he thought too loudly before. "I suppose you are right." Now, he couldn't help but believe. He had been asking himself if what he was doing could slip him into that category for months. It was always the very last person you wanted to who picked up on your fears or insecurities. It never failed.
"Come here, songbird."
Unable to identify the tone of Cyric's words, he moved slowly, almost hesitantly. He was as skittish as he had been the first time they had run into his sire. A side effect of any hint of Cain, sadly. It didn't have to be carried by him. His children were enough to shake his sense of self.
Kneeling, he sat at Cyric's side, facing him so he might observe his master while he spoke.
No words were spoken for a few moments as the night breeze teased the flowers and leaves into a swaying dance. One pale hand reached out and cupped the Youngling's cheek with tender affection. His body, his face and eyes said more then any words could as he coaxed Shido into his lap. Nuzzling the soft hair, he held his beloved delicately, the heart that beat so slow in his chest pounding harder with the love he felt.
Startled at the show of emotion, Shido was still for a moment. The hands on Cyric's chest gripped the fabric tightly and a sound resembling a whimper left him. He was confused by his own emotions past the point of frustration, to have Cyric's baffle him as well was almost more than he could take.
"Shido..." The Elders voice was feather soft and was easily lost in the violet hair his face was buried in. Oh, how he wanted to tell him, it was right there on the tip of his tongue. He dared not say anything for fear of loosing the only thing in his life he cherished more then anything else.
It was rash, unplanned, decidedly reckless, and out before he could stop it. "A...Aishiteru...," he murmured at the cloth he was resting his cheek on. The second he released the phrase he felt as though a great, smothering weight had lifted from him. A blush covered his cheeks and a single tremor traced his spine.
Please let this be the right time to say that, he thought, waiting tensely for Cyric's response. Don't let me make a fool of myself..
Cyric raised his head from the Younger's hair, sanguine eyes wide with shock and surprise. Had he just heard what he thought he had heard? He couldn't have been mistaken, checking on the mental link, he knew he wasn't. "Shido..." He repeated, pushing the words off his tongue with something akin to alleviation. "I love you too."
Throwing his arms around Cyric's neck, he hugged his master tightly and sighed in poignant relief. No disaster. Not a one.
The hold was returned in kind, white hair mingled with lilac as the frost-skinned vampyre buried his head in his beloved's hair. He thanked every god and goddess he could name for the wonderful gift he'd been given.
The tender moment was ruined for him by an intrusion he had assumed he was safe from. The silver and green thoughts weren't his own, but somehow they were there with his. A rage was in it. One so strong Shido paled. Cain was reaching through his child, the one left here, and he had apparently found Shido's taste easily. The proximity between them must have helped. He hated the thought. He had left himself vulnerable, and was now paying for it.
Sensing Shido's discomfort and Hysteria's anger, Cyric plumbed the thread of gold and violet to find out why. His upper lip curled at the gall of the other Sire. Taking a closer look at the link between Child and Sire, he knew what would break that grizzled bond. "Shido?"
The creamy color of his skin had was gone, leaving the flesh nearly as white as Cyric's. The focus of his eyes was turned inward when he looked at his master, the pull his sire had distracting him.
"H-h..hai?" He barely got the word out. Cain was raving through the link, and Shido couldn't shut him out this time. Idiotically he had assumed his sire incapable of using the gentle blonde in such a way. He had not hesitated to trust him. A bad move on his part, but not one that would lose him the entire game, hopefully.
"I know how to stop him...but it's a risk." Placing a steadying hand on his lovers cheek, he laid his forehead on the others. "Will you Blood-Share with me?"
What?" He had never heard the phrase before. Closing his eyes for a brief moment, he pushed the voice down and away. It became angrier, even more insistent, but he managed to get his concentration back. When he opened his eyes they were focused, distressed, but focused."What?"
"Blood-Share, Bloodlet, Soullink." Cyric's own cerise eyes were heavy with worry and suppressed anger. "I believe those are some of the names for it. You're soullinked to Cain, lovely. A new one would be able to break it, as weak as yours is."
He had never heard of any of those, but from their names he was being to get a general idea. He and Cain had fed off of each other for centuries, every feeding when he had first been turned. He had thought it a common practice. If they ever spent the night together, there was usually blood involved, except on the rare occasions they had gone out with the intention of bring into check an unruly village. They had done that often too...
"If you do not want to, I may be able to keep him out with shields." The bleached vampyre prepared to throw his own shields across the link at the approval of the Youngling.
The lilac-haired vampire took a steadying breath before speaking. "I do not want to be closer to him than I am to you. It isn't... right. I don't want to belong to him in any way." Shido flushed at his own words, colors rushing back into his suddenly warm cheeks. He didn't want anything of Cain left in him. Didn't want the memory of his touch on his skin, nor the feel of his thoughts against his. He wanted to be free of the blonde, forever. It was all he had wanted for many years.
He nodded, clamping his shields back into place. Covering the Youngling's lips with his own, his tongue asked for entrance. He did not know what would happen after the sharing, nor if he would be able to stay conscious as the mental link became one of the soul.
Shido opened to him immediately and, though the matter was serious, purred softly. His skin tingled already from the small amount of contact.
The purr seemed to relax the Elder, and he was able to slide his tongue across Shido's fangs without hesitation. The open wound stung and he could feel the blood rushing out of the muscle in a way that sent shivers down his spine.
Shido recognized the taste and texture. Remembering his reaction to the dose the first time, he hesitated to let it touch the back of his throat. He quavered for an instant.
He was just being silly, he told himself. They were too close for him to reject any part of Cyric. He relented, but only after tangling his fingers in Cyric's white hair. The touch reassured him, enough so that he opened up his own tongue on the sharp edge of his fangs.
Tasting his own blood and the salty sweetness of Shido's blood mix together, the ghost-colored Vampyre swallowed. The cruor slid down his throat like the thickest honey, making it hard to swallow or breathe. When it hit his stomach, it burned like the fire of Hades. The burn was akin to having his nerves wrapped around at least twenty hot pokers. Steeling himself, he took another swallow around their tongues, this one wisely smaller. That was all that was needed to start the link, and the real discomfort started then.
It was one thing to take blood in small amounts, as they had before, but this was completely different. Even Shido, used to such exchanges by now one would think, was having trouble. Cyric was more than twice as old as Cain, and certainly more powerful. Instead of rejuvenation any other sharing would have given, the younger vampire felt drained, just as he had the first time. He was more familiar with Cyric now, though. The shock was not as powerful.
A heavy drape was settling over his mind, and just barely he could hear Cain's enraged protests. Funny how his voice was is getting lighter and lighter... Shido thought with a sense of inner ease. It was true, Can was receding, though not on his own free will.
Inside the blonde yearling collapsed from mental exertion, his sire using all of the resources in him to try and regain control of his errant brother.
Cyric stood on the edge of oblivion and reality as his body fought the Blood-Sharing. It was useless to fight however as the threads that were the mental link became violet and white, encompassing their minds and souls. Violet and white eradicated the green and violet of Shido and Cains' bond like a tree toppled by wind. This pushed Cyric over the edge and he fainted into the kiss.
Hysteria was there to catch the Yearling as he collapsed. She took from Cain his only other link to Shido just as her Sire had taken the aforementioned Vampyre from him.
Feeling both of his children slip away from him, Cain screamed an oath in rage. The children who had been near him ran to their rooms, most of them. The second eldest, a creature of earth tones and gray, only cocked his head to the side quietly. He and his elder brother, whose return he waited for, had been made within the same day, only a few minutes apart. He watched his angered sire with bored, gray eyes, not mourning the loss of Shido or Sai, the newest addition to the family, at all. Two less he had to worry about was how he looked at it. The fervent promises of vengeance fell on his ears and brought a curving smile to his lips. His sire might lose every one of them before he gave up.
The brunette stood and left the room, going to his bedroom and standing before the open window. A light breeze toyed with his long hair and moss colored robe as he waited for his brother. He could feel him close, but there was something strange in his energy, something that puzzled him.
The dark vampyre had made it as far as he could before loosing the rest of his sanity. Now he was only an animal, drooling and wary of anything that came his way. Instincts ruled him now. He knew only that there were creatures that wanted to hurt him. Large, strange creatures- the leader a monster with flaxen hair. He had to hurt them or they would hurt him.
~~ * ~*~* ~~
Okay.. My co-author demands another seven or eight reviews. For my sake comply. ^^;; Please?
A note on everyone's reviews. I'm so touched I just had to thank you guys. They're so sweet. I'm overjoyed to see so many loyal readers. Because I am so touched that we hit 24 and I like that number, I'm putting the chapter up early. My co-author's going to kill me.. but I'm going to do it anyway. ^^; Pray for me.
Anyway.. My co-author is having computer issues, so she wants me to tell you that we need seven or eight reviews before you get another chapter. She sets the limits, I just don't refute them. ^^ Because of this computer trouble it may take a while for chapter six. Gomen nasai! We will put it up as soon as we have it or as soon as there are eight reviews, whichever comes first.
Enjoy the new chapter. No yaoiness, sorry. I'll try to squeeze it into the next one for you guys. ^.~ But to convince her I need good reviews! Come on guys; you can do it!! And keep your cheerleader comments to yourselves.. I'm hyper. I can't help my momentary perkiness.... -.-;; Have fun!
The Crimson Wave
Chapter 5 - Bypass The Blood and Soul
By Black Widow and Sayori
After three days the Elder had recovered enough to face the two Vampyres in the basement. He took Shido with him, more to know where he was then to make him face the thoughts and words of his 'siblings'.
The red eyes of the grizzled Vampyre peered down at the two with something akin to boredom. "Good evening, my guests."
The eldest, a creature painted in dark tones that were so much unlike his master, growled and gnashed his teeth together, fully aware of his surroundings still and just as angry as he had been the first moment he had been left in chains. Shido winced at the sound, hearing the hidden message of blame in it. The dark creature blamed him entirely. He did not fault the other vampire. He would have hated him, too, for this.
The young one, barely three years into his change and as light as the other was dark, lifted his head enough to look through his wavy bangs at them. He made no sounds and his Nordic eyes were flat, having resigned himself to his fate already. Had Shido been alone, he would have gone to the blonde and done everything in his power to ease the hopelesness he saw on that pretty face, but he restrained himself- miserable and confused.
Sparing not a glance at his lilac-haired lover, Cyric peered down at the eldest. "Though I doubt your Sire can rise above the levels of carnality, I believe you are capable of intelligent speech." His head turned to look at the blonde. "I shall not harm you while I have no reason to." Cyrics' face radiated lament at the thoughts of the youngest. He felt sorry for this one, and he felt that half of it was from Shido.
Capable of intelligent, albeit mostly strategic, thought, the eldest smiled at his father's favorite, all teeth showing and the growl curdling in his throat. Shido backed away a step, from the dark one, coincidentally towards the blonde. The younger vampire tried to move away from him, but was already as far as his chains would allow. Wanting to comfort the boy, Shido smiled reassuringly. It only confused him.
Giving up for the moment, Shido turned his turquoise eyes back to the dark one. Even his thoughts were dark. He could feel them at the edges of his consciousness, moving like a cesspool and as hot as magma.
After the days of sleep, the Elder's patience was fully restored. Taking a few steps back, he laid a hand on Shido's back, offering comfort. "Both of you will be staying here for the length of this feud, or till the time that my Children grow weary of your incessant growling and dispose of you."
Shido moved to lean against his master, taking the comfort offered. He decided he liked the harmless blonde. It was this one, the dark one, he needed to be careful of. The link to him was strongest, the youngest hardly being old enough to form one on his own.
The dark one jerked against his chains, rattling them. Shido jumped at the sudden noise when it broke through the feeling of quiet in the basement. Something about the lowest levels in homes made them always seem quiet, even if they weren't or noises from the street above leaked in. The elder vampire smiled at him, his intention too clear. Annoyed with his nervousness and the other's detection and blatant utilization of it, Shido grew slightly hostile. They glared at each other, gold to black, and sibling rivalry- the most common of hatreds, threw darkness in the colors.
"Your actions are not amusing, cur." Cyric stated, cerise eyes glowing with something other than deadly amusement. There was the barest glint of ivory fangs in the darkness of the extensive basement.
Breaking the combative eye contact with his brother, Shido looked up to Cyric, a quiet plea in his voice when he spoke softly to him. "Can we go, now, please?" He had seen enough of his sire's creations for now.
"Go on, songbird. I will be up after you."
He didn't move immediately, not sure he wanted to leave the irritated elder alone with them. Not so much for the reason that Cyric would get hurt, but for the reason that his siblings undoubtedly would. He nodded and turned finally, only to freeze and look over his shoulder barely a second later. The dark creature against the wall grinned in smug pleasure, his mind brushing its olive and silver tendrils across Shido's.
"...slut..."
Shock had stopped him, but he quickly moved out of the dilapidating emotion. "I don't care what you do to that one, just don't hurt this one. He's harmless." Shido smiled at the youngster, who had lifted his head at the exchange between his brothers. He had heard it too apparently. Shido was positive then that anyone near had, and his stomach sank at the thought.
No one could say that Cyric had no self-control and willpower. He was definitely exercising all of it to keep from lashing out in front of his lover. "Send Hysteria down here please, love."
"I will. Be careful," he added, though he hardly needed to. Both of them were chained to the wall. Neither of them were going anywhere.
Shido kept his composure until he was up the stairs and had relayed Cyric's message to Hysteria. He looked fine, but he could not bring his eyes to meet any of the other's. Once the message was out, he whirled and walked hastily down the first hall he saw. He needed to be away from all of his siblings, both sides. Having two bloodlines in his veins, touching his consciousness, was unbearable for him then.
Hysteria watched him go with a sympathy she mirrored. She was Cyric's child, but once long ago she had belonged to another, another she barely remembered. Sighing, she shoved her guns into their holsters and swung off the couch, tromping down into the basement to see what her Sire wanted.
~~
The hallway Shido had fled to led to a pair of double french doors, covered over with sheer white curtains. They fluttered in the breeze let in by the tiny opening, the air heavily spiked with the perfumes of a large garden. Along with the smell came the gentle sound of a myriad of fountains, all soothing to the senses.
Lured by the rich sound of moving water, Shido passed through the doors, his fingers grazing one of the pale, thin curtains. The combined assault on his sight, smell and hearing left him too preoccupied to concentrate on the turmoil that was raging within. Nature was a perfect balm for his emotional distresses, he had come to learn. He used to escape to the park near his office when the nights got too long. This reminded him of it, only there were no koi ponds. He hadn't been overly fond of the fish, though.
He turned in the perfumed air, the scents like palpable mists to him. Winding snake-like about his person, they were obstructing him from making attempts to think. So potent, overwhelming.
Trying to appreciate everything at once, he made a slow circuit, looking at everything he could.
Cyric joined him the oasis some hours later, much calmer and a lot more happier. "Do you like it, loveling?" He cut a rose blossom, a shade of white accentuated by the pink streaks running through it, from a bush and tucked it behind his ear with a smile.
He had spent the time pacing, though he hadn't realized it until he had stopped at Cyric's arrival. There had been too much to think about to know what his body had been doing. It had amused itself, as it always did when thought took over.
"It's beautiful," he murmured, meaning the flower and garden both. He tried to smile but it faltered near the edges, and caved in upon itself.
"Is something wrong?" The Elder tilted his head to the side, the smile pulling down into a frown. He didn't like seeing his lover unhappy, and he would do anything to see the true smile on his face.
Shido searched the vermillion eyes for the hundredth time that week. "What happened with them?" He would have felt them die. That was unavoidable, and since he hadn't, they were obviously still functioning. However, knowing Cyric, he had to have done something.
"I sent the oldest home, the younger is with Hysteria." The red-robed male took a seat at the base of a Weeping Willow, allowing his shoulders to sag. With the relaxation of his body came the headache from using his mental gifts too soon.
The younger vampire was comforted slightly, though why the eldest had been released he did not understand.
His dislike for that one had not been immediate. It wasn't until after he had mouthed off that he had started to dislike him. He had felt hatred for neither of them, but rather more than a healthy dose of pity. Guilt of course. He hated the entire problem with Cain, and wished to be relinquished peacefully. Had Cain any sense of democracy, he would have understood that their social contract had been broken, and he, having the inalienable right to form another, had indeed done so. Flinching bodily at the memory, Shido tried to ignore the comment his sibling had made earlier. It certainly did look like he was, didn't it?
The pattern of his songbird's thoughts made the pain in his head pound harder. "You think too loudly, lovely. And you believe what others say too easily."
Shido blinked, then laughed softly. No one had told him he thought too loudly before. "I suppose you are right." Now, he couldn't help but believe. He had been asking himself if what he was doing could slip him into that category for months. It was always the very last person you wanted to who picked up on your fears or insecurities. It never failed.
"Come here, songbird."
Unable to identify the tone of Cyric's words, he moved slowly, almost hesitantly. He was as skittish as he had been the first time they had run into his sire. A side effect of any hint of Cain, sadly. It didn't have to be carried by him. His children were enough to shake his sense of self.
Kneeling, he sat at Cyric's side, facing him so he might observe his master while he spoke.
No words were spoken for a few moments as the night breeze teased the flowers and leaves into a swaying dance. One pale hand reached out and cupped the Youngling's cheek with tender affection. His body, his face and eyes said more then any words could as he coaxed Shido into his lap. Nuzzling the soft hair, he held his beloved delicately, the heart that beat so slow in his chest pounding harder with the love he felt.
Startled at the show of emotion, Shido was still for a moment. The hands on Cyric's chest gripped the fabric tightly and a sound resembling a whimper left him. He was confused by his own emotions past the point of frustration, to have Cyric's baffle him as well was almost more than he could take.
"Shido..." The Elders voice was feather soft and was easily lost in the violet hair his face was buried in. Oh, how he wanted to tell him, it was right there on the tip of his tongue. He dared not say anything for fear of loosing the only thing in his life he cherished more then anything else.
It was rash, unplanned, decidedly reckless, and out before he could stop it. "A...Aishiteru...," he murmured at the cloth he was resting his cheek on. The second he released the phrase he felt as though a great, smothering weight had lifted from him. A blush covered his cheeks and a single tremor traced his spine.
Please let this be the right time to say that, he thought, waiting tensely for Cyric's response. Don't let me make a fool of myself..
Cyric raised his head from the Younger's hair, sanguine eyes wide with shock and surprise. Had he just heard what he thought he had heard? He couldn't have been mistaken, checking on the mental link, he knew he wasn't. "Shido..." He repeated, pushing the words off his tongue with something akin to alleviation. "I love you too."
Throwing his arms around Cyric's neck, he hugged his master tightly and sighed in poignant relief. No disaster. Not a one.
The hold was returned in kind, white hair mingled with lilac as the frost-skinned vampyre buried his head in his beloved's hair. He thanked every god and goddess he could name for the wonderful gift he'd been given.
The tender moment was ruined for him by an intrusion he had assumed he was safe from. The silver and green thoughts weren't his own, but somehow they were there with his. A rage was in it. One so strong Shido paled. Cain was reaching through his child, the one left here, and he had apparently found Shido's taste easily. The proximity between them must have helped. He hated the thought. He had left himself vulnerable, and was now paying for it.
Sensing Shido's discomfort and Hysteria's anger, Cyric plumbed the thread of gold and violet to find out why. His upper lip curled at the gall of the other Sire. Taking a closer look at the link between Child and Sire, he knew what would break that grizzled bond. "Shido?"
The creamy color of his skin had was gone, leaving the flesh nearly as white as Cyric's. The focus of his eyes was turned inward when he looked at his master, the pull his sire had distracting him.
"H-h..hai?" He barely got the word out. Cain was raving through the link, and Shido couldn't shut him out this time. Idiotically he had assumed his sire incapable of using the gentle blonde in such a way. He had not hesitated to trust him. A bad move on his part, but not one that would lose him the entire game, hopefully.
"I know how to stop him...but it's a risk." Placing a steadying hand on his lovers cheek, he laid his forehead on the others. "Will you Blood-Share with me?"
What?" He had never heard the phrase before. Closing his eyes for a brief moment, he pushed the voice down and away. It became angrier, even more insistent, but he managed to get his concentration back. When he opened his eyes they were focused, distressed, but focused."What?"
"Blood-Share, Bloodlet, Soullink." Cyric's own cerise eyes were heavy with worry and suppressed anger. "I believe those are some of the names for it. You're soullinked to Cain, lovely. A new one would be able to break it, as weak as yours is."
He had never heard of any of those, but from their names he was being to get a general idea. He and Cain had fed off of each other for centuries, every feeding when he had first been turned. He had thought it a common practice. If they ever spent the night together, there was usually blood involved, except on the rare occasions they had gone out with the intention of bring into check an unruly village. They had done that often too...
"If you do not want to, I may be able to keep him out with shields." The bleached vampyre prepared to throw his own shields across the link at the approval of the Youngling.
The lilac-haired vampire took a steadying breath before speaking. "I do not want to be closer to him than I am to you. It isn't... right. I don't want to belong to him in any way." Shido flushed at his own words, colors rushing back into his suddenly warm cheeks. He didn't want anything of Cain left in him. Didn't want the memory of his touch on his skin, nor the feel of his thoughts against his. He wanted to be free of the blonde, forever. It was all he had wanted for many years.
He nodded, clamping his shields back into place. Covering the Youngling's lips with his own, his tongue asked for entrance. He did not know what would happen after the sharing, nor if he would be able to stay conscious as the mental link became one of the soul.
Shido opened to him immediately and, though the matter was serious, purred softly. His skin tingled already from the small amount of contact.
The purr seemed to relax the Elder, and he was able to slide his tongue across Shido's fangs without hesitation. The open wound stung and he could feel the blood rushing out of the muscle in a way that sent shivers down his spine.
Shido recognized the taste and texture. Remembering his reaction to the dose the first time, he hesitated to let it touch the back of his throat. He quavered for an instant.
He was just being silly, he told himself. They were too close for him to reject any part of Cyric. He relented, but only after tangling his fingers in Cyric's white hair. The touch reassured him, enough so that he opened up his own tongue on the sharp edge of his fangs.
Tasting his own blood and the salty sweetness of Shido's blood mix together, the ghost-colored Vampyre swallowed. The cruor slid down his throat like the thickest honey, making it hard to swallow or breathe. When it hit his stomach, it burned like the fire of Hades. The burn was akin to having his nerves wrapped around at least twenty hot pokers. Steeling himself, he took another swallow around their tongues, this one wisely smaller. That was all that was needed to start the link, and the real discomfort started then.
It was one thing to take blood in small amounts, as they had before, but this was completely different. Even Shido, used to such exchanges by now one would think, was having trouble. Cyric was more than twice as old as Cain, and certainly more powerful. Instead of rejuvenation any other sharing would have given, the younger vampire felt drained, just as he had the first time. He was more familiar with Cyric now, though. The shock was not as powerful.
A heavy drape was settling over his mind, and just barely he could hear Cain's enraged protests. Funny how his voice was is getting lighter and lighter... Shido thought with a sense of inner ease. It was true, Can was receding, though not on his own free will.
Inside the blonde yearling collapsed from mental exertion, his sire using all of the resources in him to try and regain control of his errant brother.
Cyric stood on the edge of oblivion and reality as his body fought the Blood-Sharing. It was useless to fight however as the threads that were the mental link became violet and white, encompassing their minds and souls. Violet and white eradicated the green and violet of Shido and Cains' bond like a tree toppled by wind. This pushed Cyric over the edge and he fainted into the kiss.
Hysteria was there to catch the Yearling as he collapsed. She took from Cain his only other link to Shido just as her Sire had taken the aforementioned Vampyre from him.
Feeling both of his children slip away from him, Cain screamed an oath in rage. The children who had been near him ran to their rooms, most of them. The second eldest, a creature of earth tones and gray, only cocked his head to the side quietly. He and his elder brother, whose return he waited for, had been made within the same day, only a few minutes apart. He watched his angered sire with bored, gray eyes, not mourning the loss of Shido or Sai, the newest addition to the family, at all. Two less he had to worry about was how he looked at it. The fervent promises of vengeance fell on his ears and brought a curving smile to his lips. His sire might lose every one of them before he gave up.
The brunette stood and left the room, going to his bedroom and standing before the open window. A light breeze toyed with his long hair and moss colored robe as he waited for his brother. He could feel him close, but there was something strange in his energy, something that puzzled him.
The dark vampyre had made it as far as he could before loosing the rest of his sanity. Now he was only an animal, drooling and wary of anything that came his way. Instincts ruled him now. He knew only that there were creatures that wanted to hurt him. Large, strange creatures- the leader a monster with flaxen hair. He had to hurt them or they would hurt him.
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Okay.. My co-author demands another seven or eight reviews. For my sake comply. ^^;; Please?