"Back in the sixteen-hundreds, my family and his were rivals; both of us had claims to royal blood, but the only way one of us could truly claim the throne was to marry the last daughter of the previous ruling family.
Unfortunately, my family's hopes were shattered when news spread that she had fallen in love with her Grandfather's adopted Grandson, Kai Hiwatari and that they were to be married.
Now to my family, marriage was not about love; it was about power. So, they issued Kai with an ultimatum; either he agreed to dual their chosen suitor, or they would plunder his lands and take his bride by force.
Kai had no choice to accept, and despite the fact that he was obviously superior, his rival used dirty tactics that eventually led to Kai's defeat.
To make sure that he could not get in their way again my ancestors murdered him, and to cover up their crime told Elizebeta that he had killed himself.
Their plan to take her into their care, and take the throne by claiming regency while she grieved failed when she also killed herself.
Also Kai somehow defied death and has haunted my family through the centuries, seeking revenge for his murder and waiting to be reunited with his bride."
A deathly silence descended on the room, and Tala buried his head in his hands while Tyson gazed at him in amazement.
Finally, Rei broke the silence. "Then what does that have to do with us?"
"Are you a fool as well as you are blind?" Tala's eyes immediately came back to life and blazed with outraged fury. "You only have to look at your beloved to see for yourself!"
"What do you mean?" Despite his confusion, there was a nagging suspicion in the back of his mind that Rei didn't even dare admit to himself.
"Look at him! A blind man could see his resemblance to Elizebeta!"
"No way! It's impossible!" Tyson burst out.
"My dear child, by now you should have learnt that nothing is impossible anymore." Tala sighed resignedly.
"So that's it?" Rei was now beyond plain fury. "We just sit back and wait for that monster to take Tyson away from me?"
"What else can we do?" In the few minutes since Tala had unburdened himself of his horrifying secret he had aged what seemed like years.
"I say we destroy him! Weren't you listening?"
"I have had more encounters with that monster than I care to remember, and I have tried everything, stakes, crucifixes, holy water, you name it!"
"But you've never fought him on his own soil I suspect." Rei smirked as an idea formed in his mind, and Tyson, seeing the light in his eyes, was suddenly afraid for his prince.
"What could you possible think of that I haven't already tried?"
"Rob him of his shelter." Rei smiled triumphantly as Tala paused to consider it.
"I suppose you know where it is?"
"Of course, I sold the place to him!"
"Then we will need a priest." Tala got up and walked purposefully towards the phone.
"What on earth for?" Rei frowned dubiously.
"Destroying the place is not enough, we have to purify it." Tala was already punching the digits as he spoke.
Rei brought his attention back to Tyson, who was staring at the fire intently, and for some odd reason, shivering. "Don't worry koi, we'll get the bastard!" He hugged Tyson fiercely, not noticing the tears that crept into the younger boy's eyes.
Tokyo, Japan: 13th July 2004
Tyson looked up at the barred windows of the old Tokyo Mental Asylum uncertainly.
"Do I really have to stay here?" He pleaded with Rei.
"Yes koi, it's the only place you'll be safe."
Tyson shrugged defeatedly and allowed Kenny to lead him through the doors.
The sight that met his innocent eyes brought a sensation of crawling flesh twisting its way up his spine, causing the hairs on the back of his neck to stand on end.
One man in particular caught his eye, and ignoring the shrieks and laments of the demented people around him, he pushed past the nurses and peered through the iron bars of the cell.
The man within was a shrunken skeleton of his former self, and Tyson recognised him as Boris Reinfield, one of Kenny's old tutors from their days at school.
"Hey Boris." He smiled nervously, not wanting to patronise the old man.
"Ah so my master's whore has come to gloat!" He cackled manically.
"What do you mean?" Tyson started to shiver, tasting metallic fear on his tongue.
"You stole what he promised me!" Boris lunged towards the bars, and Tyson took a few steps back, shying away from the clawed hands, poised beneath the filthy straight jacket that reached for him.
"I haven't stolen anything!" Tyson protested weakly.
"Yes you have! He promised me eternal life and now he has chosen to give it to you instead!"
Boris curled into a corner and began to mutter to himself incoherently.
Tyson stared in shock as Kenny gently pulled him away.
The room they had made up for him seemed cosy enough, he supposed, at least if it was at all possible to ignore the barred windows.
He groaned, bored already.
Eventually there was nothing left but to go to sleep.
As he felt the coiled tendrils of darkness pulling his eyelids down and beckoning his consciousness into twilight, his thoughts drifted into a clouded dream; a dream of a youth with blue-silver hair, pale skin and shining ruby eyes...
The wind carried the blue foggy mist through the bars of the open window, pooling through the gaps like tentacles and merging again on the floor.
As the last wisps sailed through the bars, a youth approached the bed, smiling tenderly as he gazed down at the sleeping angel-like boy under the thin cotton sheets.
Tyson's head lolled from side to side in his sleep, his peaceful sleep turning to a troubled nightmare as he saw himself and Kai separated by a chasm of burning ice.
He tried desperately to reach his prince, stretching out his hand and blinking back frightened tears.
Just as he thought he was within reach, he leapt from the block of ice he was balanced on and reached out for Kai's outstretched hand, seeing the horror in his eyes when they both realised they were mere inches to far apart, and Tyson saw himself tumble into the surging depths below, hearing nothing but Kai's anguished screams.
...the sacrament of love,
the sacrament of warmth is true,
the sacrament is you...
Unfortunately, my family's hopes were shattered when news spread that she had fallen in love with her Grandfather's adopted Grandson, Kai Hiwatari and that they were to be married.
Now to my family, marriage was not about love; it was about power. So, they issued Kai with an ultimatum; either he agreed to dual their chosen suitor, or they would plunder his lands and take his bride by force.
Kai had no choice to accept, and despite the fact that he was obviously superior, his rival used dirty tactics that eventually led to Kai's defeat.
To make sure that he could not get in their way again my ancestors murdered him, and to cover up their crime told Elizebeta that he had killed himself.
Their plan to take her into their care, and take the throne by claiming regency while she grieved failed when she also killed herself.
Also Kai somehow defied death and has haunted my family through the centuries, seeking revenge for his murder and waiting to be reunited with his bride."
A deathly silence descended on the room, and Tala buried his head in his hands while Tyson gazed at him in amazement.
Finally, Rei broke the silence. "Then what does that have to do with us?"
"Are you a fool as well as you are blind?" Tala's eyes immediately came back to life and blazed with outraged fury. "You only have to look at your beloved to see for yourself!"
"What do you mean?" Despite his confusion, there was a nagging suspicion in the back of his mind that Rei didn't even dare admit to himself.
"Look at him! A blind man could see his resemblance to Elizebeta!"
"No way! It's impossible!" Tyson burst out.
"My dear child, by now you should have learnt that nothing is impossible anymore." Tala sighed resignedly.
"So that's it?" Rei was now beyond plain fury. "We just sit back and wait for that monster to take Tyson away from me?"
"What else can we do?" In the few minutes since Tala had unburdened himself of his horrifying secret he had aged what seemed like years.
"I say we destroy him! Weren't you listening?"
"I have had more encounters with that monster than I care to remember, and I have tried everything, stakes, crucifixes, holy water, you name it!"
"But you've never fought him on his own soil I suspect." Rei smirked as an idea formed in his mind, and Tyson, seeing the light in his eyes, was suddenly afraid for his prince.
"What could you possible think of that I haven't already tried?"
"Rob him of his shelter." Rei smiled triumphantly as Tala paused to consider it.
"I suppose you know where it is?"
"Of course, I sold the place to him!"
"Then we will need a priest." Tala got up and walked purposefully towards the phone.
"What on earth for?" Rei frowned dubiously.
"Destroying the place is not enough, we have to purify it." Tala was already punching the digits as he spoke.
Rei brought his attention back to Tyson, who was staring at the fire intently, and for some odd reason, shivering. "Don't worry koi, we'll get the bastard!" He hugged Tyson fiercely, not noticing the tears that crept into the younger boy's eyes.
Tokyo, Japan: 13th July 2004
Tyson looked up at the barred windows of the old Tokyo Mental Asylum uncertainly.
"Do I really have to stay here?" He pleaded with Rei.
"Yes koi, it's the only place you'll be safe."
Tyson shrugged defeatedly and allowed Kenny to lead him through the doors.
The sight that met his innocent eyes brought a sensation of crawling flesh twisting its way up his spine, causing the hairs on the back of his neck to stand on end.
One man in particular caught his eye, and ignoring the shrieks and laments of the demented people around him, he pushed past the nurses and peered through the iron bars of the cell.
The man within was a shrunken skeleton of his former self, and Tyson recognised him as Boris Reinfield, one of Kenny's old tutors from their days at school.
"Hey Boris." He smiled nervously, not wanting to patronise the old man.
"Ah so my master's whore has come to gloat!" He cackled manically.
"What do you mean?" Tyson started to shiver, tasting metallic fear on his tongue.
"You stole what he promised me!" Boris lunged towards the bars, and Tyson took a few steps back, shying away from the clawed hands, poised beneath the filthy straight jacket that reached for him.
"I haven't stolen anything!" Tyson protested weakly.
"Yes you have! He promised me eternal life and now he has chosen to give it to you instead!"
Boris curled into a corner and began to mutter to himself incoherently.
Tyson stared in shock as Kenny gently pulled him away.
The room they had made up for him seemed cosy enough, he supposed, at least if it was at all possible to ignore the barred windows.
He groaned, bored already.
Eventually there was nothing left but to go to sleep.
As he felt the coiled tendrils of darkness pulling his eyelids down and beckoning his consciousness into twilight, his thoughts drifted into a clouded dream; a dream of a youth with blue-silver hair, pale skin and shining ruby eyes...
The wind carried the blue foggy mist through the bars of the open window, pooling through the gaps like tentacles and merging again on the floor.
As the last wisps sailed through the bars, a youth approached the bed, smiling tenderly as he gazed down at the sleeping angel-like boy under the thin cotton sheets.
Tyson's head lolled from side to side in his sleep, his peaceful sleep turning to a troubled nightmare as he saw himself and Kai separated by a chasm of burning ice.
He tried desperately to reach his prince, stretching out his hand and blinking back frightened tears.
Just as he thought he was within reach, he leapt from the block of ice he was balanced on and reached out for Kai's outstretched hand, seeing the horror in his eyes when they both realised they were mere inches to far apart, and Tyson saw himself tumble into the surging depths below, hearing nothing but Kai's anguished screams.
...the sacrament of love,
the sacrament of warmth is true,
the sacrament is you...