Okay. You guys are a bunch of asses. xD; You didn't reply! I didn't get nearly as many replies as I did last time! Geez! Well, fine. Since no one is reading it, maybe I'll just stop it altogether. Why bother typing these when like four people read it? I'd like a reply, please. C'mon, it's not that hard. Seriously.

Chapter five: Symptoms

By:Alice

Warning: Slight LeonxCloud action.

I've got a book of matches
I've got a can of kerosene
I've got some bad ideas involving you and me

I don't blame you for walking away
I touched myself had thoughts of flames
I shat the bed and laid there in it
Thinking of you wide awake for days
Wide awake for days

Yes, maybe. Perhaps it wasn't quite appropriate at that time, but Riku couldn't help the feeling. He needed it, to feel Sora's lips upon his own. The rose petals pressed along his own rough ones. It was pure, perhaps for mainly only a minute or two, dry. He could feel the beauty between his lips… Pulling away in silence, he peeked open his eyes to fall upon Sora's own widened once. The vampire wasn't sure to sigh or scream or…

Try it again.

Sora blinked his ocean eyes, which traced over Riku's lips again. His mind had obviously gone astray in his own wonder, which was killing Riku to no end. But he could handle it, right? It was for Sora, after all… And it was worth it to see a smile spread along the brunette's mouth by a simple tug at the corners. Riku's grace was inevitable, and a smirk played along his lips. His fingers framed Sora's face, which was tainted a light pink. Eyes wide. Oh, how Riku wanted to plunge into the boy's lips again. To press again further, and explore the cavern of his mouth. If such a chaste act brought shudders of delight, he wondered briefly how greater it could feel.

Don't get him wrong, he knew that glaze in Sora's eyes weren't fear, but curiosity. It was the thought of fear which made him cautious. Doubt is contagious, so he smiled. He could smell the boy's blood blooming in his veins, and it enticed Riku. It took everything for the vampire to simply stare at Sora's eyes, and fall helplessly into them. To let his mind wander free of the differences he shared with this boy, with this love.

And I found you tongue-tied in my twisted little brain
You couldn't crack a smile
I didn't catch your name

I don't blame you for walking away
I'd do the same if I saw me
I swear it's not contagious
In four short steps we can erase this

"Sorry," He then laughed, "You're not going to scream again, are you?"

Sora blushed and closed his eyes, shaking his head in the negative gesture. He re-opened his neon eyes.

"Good." Riku said, pressing his forehead to Sora's, "Because I don't think I could handle loosing you now."

Sora blushed again. And a period of fragile, morbid silence lofted in the air.

"My headache went down a lot."

Grinning, he pulled Sora onto his lap, "Do you think it's me, or the medicine?" Sora just rolled his eyes.

But when Sora's eyes met Riku's, reality finally struck in the poor boy's mind. And Riku knew it, too. He could read the brunette's shudders of panic like a book. A fairy tale of disastrous outcomes—Another masterpiece awaiting its name to fall beautifully as bleeding ink. Brothers Grim, where are you? Your walking story is waiting.

"…Cloud told you." Sora stated in a dull tone, as if he was just remembering for himself which he most likely was. Shadows flourished over his eyes as he buried his head in Riku's chest. Riku let out a rough sigh, and combed his fingers through his silver hair. He grunted. The vampire knew there was no beating around the bush with this, this gentle topic. In fact, he dread the moment Sora even brought it up at all. Though it was a little late for that, right? Riku almost snorted.

Step one –

Slit my throat
Step two –

Play in my blood
Step three –

Cover me in dirty sheets and run laughing out of the house
Step four –

Stop off at Edge brook Creek and rinse your crimson hands

"Yeah." Riku finally answered. "He did." Oh, how blunt, stupid.

His green eyes fell onto Sora's face, to read his emotions, but the boy's features were buried in Riku's chest. The vampire sighed.

"Don't feel ashamed." He offered, "I don't think any less of you. It's not your fault."

"I...I'm sorry." The brunette's words like rose petals in the air. Riku frowned.

"Why?" Confusion. Perhaps, maybe, guilt? Though the cause was unknown, a simple glance in the vampire's eyes diagnosed the disease.

"…Because I lied." Riku rolled his eyes at this. He was getting all frightened over nothing. It could have been so much worse. At least it wasn't for pity or attention. In fact, he was hiding the pain, the story. Why did Sora feel so guilty? Obviously Sora was the type to plant his faults against him till they bloomed into ugly, ugly flowers with blackened petals. Riku chuckled a bit, soothingly caressing the boy's neck and resting his chin on Sora's head.

"Oh, darling," He cooed, "Just that?"

Sora's furrowed his brows, so Riku continued.

"I'm not mad at you. I could never be, especially not over something as silly as that."

"But—"

"Sora, sweetheart." Riku almost half chuckled, "You couldn't loose me if you tried."

And Sora just sighed, deciding that he couldn't convince the man further. Not that he wanted to. He leaned his head again on Riku's chest. Waiting, patiently, for the rhythmic hideous noise, buried deep within Riku's flesh, ribcage. He frowned. Flat line… Heart sank low. There was nothing there. Nothing. No cry, no beat. No feeling of slowing down, not to speed up, not enough. No ugly pulse, killed. Killed well. Not stopped, not told. No pulse.

"Riku…?" Sora asked quietly, "You don't… have a heartbeat."

Riku's smile faltered, just for a moment's grace. His mind threw some colorful words which totally knocked him off balance mentally for a little while. He tossed a sheepish chuckle into the air. Albeit no relief rinsed the brunette, for the disorder continued to glaze his eyes.

"Oh…Don't be silly," Notwithstanding Riku's words sounded convincing even in his own mind, "Of course I do. You… Just can't hear it very well."

You took me hostage and made your demands
I couldn't meet them so you cut off my fingers, one by one

I'm like a broken record
I've got a needle scratching me
It injects the poison of alcohol I.V.

"You do have really bad ears, Sora."

Riku snapped his head up, visibly tense at the words aloft in the air. Cloud. The vampire eased down, presenting a weak smile. Oh how strange it must been to see Riku so disgrace. However, Sora, on the other hand, blushed madly; cheeks tainting a shade of pink. He became flustered and tried his best to push away. Not to offend Riku, of course… But not to offend his brother, either. Sora scooted to the other end of the couch, quite flustered as stuttered words fell from his lips at a quick rate.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Cloud said, half laughing, "Calm down!"

"But—B—"

"I was the one who invited him here, silly." Cloud explained, mirth still laced in his words. "Last night I did. And, oh, pa-lease, I know your mind isn't that clean."

Riku smirked at this, and Cloud continued.

"You've walked in on Leon and I at least once or twice to know that I don't have to explain the birds and the bees."

Sora blushed again and grabbed a red throw pillow, with little tassels on the four corners that matched his couch, and hugged it to his chest, pouting and blushing all the same. Riku muffled a laugh at that, using the hand he had cupped his chin in and had perched on the arm of the cough, and watched his little darling fidget with embarrassment. But Sora only felt more flustered as his mind fell into a memory he suppressed away within locks. And Cloud's words made a mighty fine makeshift key…

Sora could barely see the apartment doors with the number of grocery bags in his arms. He fell up the stairs a total of eight times. Genius. He stood with his arms aching, feeling around for the doorknob, biting his lip. Then, once he found it, his eyebrows rose and he slowly turned the knob, hip-checking the rest of his way in, kicking the door closed behind him. He sighed, setting the bags on the kitchen table. He was home early— Two hours at the least. Two of the stores Cloud pushed him out towards were closed, which totally made things easier.

He ran a hand through his dark locks, his sleepless rimmed eyes scanning over the refrigerator. See, Sora had a habit of staring blankly into the fridge, often falling into deep thought. Then Cloud would yell at him, then he'd yell back, then they'd kind of just not care about each other for a while, then something stupid would happen and they'd forget about it till Sora did it again. A basic routine. Sora drummed his fingers along the handle, letting out a soft sigh again.

He finally reached in for an orange soda, letting it swing closed as he popped the top. Then he just stood with his melancholy-glazed eyes gleaming out the window, one hand dug deep into his pocket and the other gripping his can. Moisture crawled down the smooth edge, often flooding his hand. Then he'd take a sip, and the build-up would begin again. No, he wasn't really fascinated about his pop, although. His eyes were too involved at watching the rain fall in pallets along the city street.

Drenched, the city was, but only in rain. It was a grief. Draping over the city in black, black sheets, tinged a shade of grey, perhaps, where the sun seemed to flood. But that began to dissolve too, as the gloom drank away the sweet, sweet light. He wondered, was this city no different than the human itself? And.. God. He wondered about God, too. Republicans are against anything which God has given someone. Abortion, this act against Alzheimer's Disease and Down Syndrome. Fragile X. God may have given it to them, yes. But does that mean it has to stay that way?

Maybe God gave us these challenges, not for us to be thankful, but for us to overcome them. They say we're God's children, and children need to be taught.

Then, as he took another sip, Sora heard a strange noise coming from Cloud's room. Now, Cloud may have been home.. Well. He had to be home. Where else was he going to go? Terror struck the brunette. Did something bad happen? A burglar? Cautiously, and as he looked back on it he realized how stupid he was not bringing a weapon to defend himself with against the psycho, but cautiously he stumbled to his brother's room, in which the door was cracked open.

Sora peeked inside, his brows knotting together. He could barely see anything at all even if he did cram his eye against the crack. But he saw someone else.. With this mane-like dark brown hair, and a muscular frame. But Cloud was whimpering and moaning.. Could he be hurt? Sora didn't know who the man was, but he was near Cloud, and obviously doing something to his dear brother. Oh no! Without thinking, Sora burst in the door, crying, "Get your hands off my brother!"

And then, his defense immediately dropped. The man wasn't hurting Cloud…He was making out with him! Sora paled. Cloud was obviously very flustered as he absent mindedly felt around for his shirt, though the man, Leon, didn't move. He just quirked a brow at a flustered Sora, who eventually blacked out and collapsed on the floor. From embarrassment? Maybe. But that was how Sora was introduced to the intimacy with a lover…

And then later found out that Leon and Cloud just kept making out and didn't check if Sora was alright for another hour later.

I don't blame you for walking away
I'd do the same if I saw me
I swear it's not contagious
I swear to God it's not contagious

Cloud chuckled, poking his brother's cheek. "Remembering something?"

"N-No!" Sora stammered, but that wasn't what made him so uneasy. Soon, Riku snaked his arm around Sora's waist, and brought him into another warm hug, grinning. He planted a kiss on the boy's pink cheek, which made Cloud smile in approval.

"Sora did say you were good looking."

Sora glared, "H-Hey! Don't say that in front of him!"

Cloud laughed, "Well. Actually, you said he was ho—"

"Cloud!" Sora whined.

Riku just chuckled, "I was what?" Then he paused, "Though. Knowing you, and Sora… I don't want to know."

"Don't want to know what?" Came a voice, followed by a quick fiddle of the doorknob.

"..Leon!" Both Sora and Cloud chimed, leaving Riku to just raise and eyebrow at both of them. And that's when this "Leon" emerged. Dark, dark hair framing his narrow face. He was brawny, though lacked a bit of the regal Riku carried with his grace. He looked rusty, with this sort of motorcycle-punk look to him. Clad in shades of gray and black, he came in with a masked grin on his face. A coffee in one hand, and what seemed to be a strawberry shake in the other. You can probably guess which is for who.

But as Riku glowered into those gray, stormy eyes of his, he knew everything was going to fall downhill. Neither of them showed their shock towards each other, leaving Sora and Cloud clueless. Riku growled maybe, Leon glared. He knew something was going to crumble. He knew… That this was going to bring something bad. Just by a simple glance in the eyes, the diagnosed acknowledgement of what Riku himself was gave it away. Curse. That's how quick each other could tell. Riku's grace, Leon's faltered appearance.

Leon was a Vampire Slayer.

This could be love

Love for fire

This could be love

For fire, forevermore.