:Part Nine: Realm of the Damned

A sudden knock upon my door one evening, only a few moments after the sun set, came as quite a shock. I sat up quickly, just as Raziel burst into the room. His voice frantic as he informed me to change my clothing, that we had somewhere important to go. I did as I had been told and followed Raziel out of the house and into the woods, my long dark cobalt dress snagging a bit upon random items. I questioned over and over where and why were had been rushing off into the night, Raziel remained silent. Soon, after what seemed an eternity of walking, we arrived at our destination. Raziel turned to me and closed his eyes, his hand quickly jammed into a pocket in the dark pants adorning his body and pulling forth from them a small silver amulet dangling from a thin silver chain. He grasped my hand and pushed the cold metal into my hand. My eyes looking down from his face to the small item, a round pendant, to me it resembled a sort of flower of sorts. Unsure why Raziel had walked me to a rather large spooky castle in the middle of no where just to hand me a piece of jewelry had completely baffled me. I began to spoke and he shook his head. "I'll explain later…" That seemed to be a running theme here didn't it? I never could seem to get a straight answer from Raziel, it was always…"later" but when was this later to come? And what was the purpose of this adventure?
I found the answer to my last question a lot sooner than I'd predicted. As I clasped the silver chain around my neck the large door leading into the massive building opened and Raziel began to enter with me directly at his heels. There were people scattered about, glaring and watching as we walked through the room. Raziel had hurried his pace a bit and I was trying desperately to keep up while still eying the many around me. Soon, we'd exited into a long dark hallway in which Raziel turned a sharp corner into a room. I followed, as I had assumed I should have been. As the vampire entered the room and approached the front, I stood in the doorway frozen. My eyes had fallen upon something that frightened me, the glowing eyes from the white haired man I'd seen the very night I met Raziel. As our eyes met he let out what sounded to be a snarl. "So, this is what you have been doing in your free time Raziel? Raising a little pet?" The white haired man's voice rang out above all else in the room. A few others ushered me into the room, and pulled me towards the white haired man. Frightened, I entered and was thrown to the ground in front of the mans feet. Laughter seemed to fill the room and the white haired man who they all called Kain questioned Raziel of my existence. When a score of lies spilled from Raziel's lips, I sat shocked. He'd not told him that I'd saved his life…of course they would have all laughed at me for trying to save the life of a man who was by most standards already dead. Raziel explained to the man before him that he'd deemed me already dead by the fire and did not question my lifeless body. He also explained how when he left the town and had begun his journey home, he'd noticed someone following him, a young woman. Although he'd thought she'd been dead, it seemed that she was only passed out. Kain then questioned why had Raziel not taken her life at that moment? Why had he spared the woman who had obviously come after him for revenge. To this Raziel replied, "She is completely harmless, after spending the past month caring for her I have come to the conclusion that she makes a good pet." My entire life came crashing down hearing those words, after all that had happened between us, I was his pet? So this is why I had been locked away pushed aside from the rest of the world. I was nothing more than a vampire's toy. I tried to hold back the tears as they quickly rushed upon me. A smirk crossed Kain's face and he nodded advising Raziel to take his creature home. Laughter exploded from the room as Raziel grasped me by my arm and drug me from the room into the dark corridor. His eyes fixated on the ground in front of him as he let go of me and began to walk. I stood stern and watched him walk away, knowing that if I followed him now it would only prove the ownership over me. Raziel stopped, took a deep breath and in an instant had rushed back grabbing hold of me and pulling me through the hallway. His voice low and quiet he whispered. "Just…follow me damnit." I could sense the anger welling within him and I obeyed. Perhaps there were worse things out there than being his pet? At least I didn't belong to that foul Kain man. Chills whirled down my spin as visions of the man blew into my head. Raziel and I exited the castle and began our trek back to his mansion. Complete silence overwhelmed the two of us as we walked side by side through the night. Finally arriving at our destination, Raziel escorted me to my room where I entered silently. As he began to exit the room his voice spoke to me softly. "I am sorry Yumiko." I stood with my back to the door staring down at the burgundy carpet, tear drops falling down my face. Sorry? For which part? Not only had I began to befriend the man, but…God forbid, I'd actually started to feel more than just the longing for friendship. Now, to find out that to him…I am nothing more than a pet. I breathed deeply and spoke quickly, "Your apologies mean nothing to me." I stood awaiting the door to slam and for the man to disappear back to his friends, the abominations of this world. A touch upon my shoulder and a voice from behind caused me to jump a little. "I lied to them and I am sorry. If I had told them the truth, they would have just had you killed." Speechless as I was at the moment, my mind raced with thoughts. Raziel lied so they would not kill me? So many things still made little to no sense to me. "Raziel…I" Quickly I turned standing face to face with the vampire. "I don't understand any of this." Raziel knew that I had become too confused by everything, although as time went by he had explained my new life as a vampire in great detail, I never said I liked it but…he at least explained it. However, there were all of these questions he'd left unanswered and now…had become that "Later" So thus began the explanations of his ways, his words came slowly and thoughtfully as he sat down on the edge of my bed and began to detail his intentions for keeping me locked away. "Yumiko." He started, "I want you more than anything to know that I do not see you as a pet, and I do apologize for having told Kain such lies. You don't know who he is, or what he is capable of and I was only doing what I believed would save your own life. Just as I have done all these other things for you. If I had not made you vampire…you would have died right along with your mother and father, and friends. Is that what you had wanted? I gave you life because you had the intention of saving mine. Kain would not understand such things, Yumiko! He would have thought it to be, silly and childish and instantly had you thrown into the Lake of the Dead. I was only trying to protect you. I lock you here, in this room so you will not run off. Not because I want you here as a prisoner but because I fear you don't understand enough about being a Vampire yet. There are so many things you have yet to learn, and I want to teach you. I do not want you to hate me, or call me your master because I am not. If you chose to leave here tonight…I would not stop you." I sat in awe as the man spoke to me. His words and face so different from the way I had perceived him before. For once, he actually seemed caring a friendly, before he'd always come across as evil and demanding. As tears continued to fall down my face, I sat down upon the bed near him and closed my eyes. "Raziel, I don't want to leave you. I mean…here." I quickly corrected myself. As I gazed up at the man through teary eyes his hand had come forth gently grasping the amulet around my neck. "I wanted you to have this, because I want you to always remember me. No matter where you go." My hand raised slowly and falling atop his. "I could never forget you Raziel." Our eyes locked, my heart beating quickly and wildly. I could feel it so intensely. How did I allow this to happen? As much as I wanted this feeling to leave me, I wanted it to develop. My hand quickly moved from his, my face turned away. I felt the amulet fall back onto my chest as he let go, his hand slowly grazing my face. Closing my eyes tightly as the vampire stroked the side of my face, tears began to develop again and I tried so hard to stop them. A failed attempt, the began to flow. Slowly down the sides of my face, cool wet tears sliding down my fair skin. Without a moment of delay, Raziel wiped a way a stream that had fallen to where his hand lay. He called my name gently, yet I would not turn to him. Was a power of vampires to read the minds of others? My mind wondered of that very thought, just as the man leaned forward gently placing his lips upon my cheek where yet another tear had fallen. My eyes fluttered open at the kiss, my head quickly snapping towards him. His name were the only words that flew from my lips, as I reached my hand to the very spot in which he'd just placed his lips. Slowly, he moved again this time our lips connecting together. Was it possible? Had Raziel been feeling for me the very things I'd come to feel for him?