Part Three

Yusuke put the finishing touches to his outfit with jewelry when he felt the tingle of his change go through him and he was soon on all four paws. He looked up at Hiei who gazed down at him.

"You look awesome," he said. Yusuke's body was covered in soft black fur with firm muscles under his fur and skin. His tail, ears, and muzzle were long and delicate. His gold eyes were bright against his fur and numerous gold chains adorned his neck. Each leg had a gold cuff on it and simple lightweight earrings hung from the points of his ears.

Yusuke ventured over to a mirror and looked at himself, head tilted. His tail wagged back and forth. "I do look good. The only thing missing is a crown."

"That will come when we wed," Hiei said, coming to stand beside him. Yusuke blinked at what he saw. Clearly, vampires do have a reflection despite what I overhear humans say.

A knock sounded and the door slid aside to reveal Yukina. "The guests are waiting for your entrance."

"We're coming, sister." Hiei and Yusuke left the room and headed down the hall, side-by-side to the throne room, Yukina ahead of them. The girl vampire entered the room, passing Mukuro who stood outside.

"Wait here and I will announce you properly." Mukuro entered the room, leaving the pair outside. Yusuke took the opportunity to admire Hiei's attire. He wore black trousers, a blue shirt with flowing sleeves and a black vest over it, a pair of knee-high boots and a sheathed sword hanging off his left hip. Numerous chains hung around his neck, rings adorned his fingers, and a gold circlet sat on his head.

"Why are you wearing a crown?" Yusuke asked, head cocked.

"I am Mukuro's heir and am expected to wear some kind of headpiece. I will receive an actual crown at our wedding as will you." He smiled at the wolf. "I was against our betrothal. I was convinced you were nothing but a mangy stupid dog. However, as we spent the day together and learning more about your race, I realized I was wrong. You are a handsome, friendly wolf and I am glad that I will marry you in three days."

"I too was against the betrothal. I preferred marrying a wifewolf, but then Dad explained what was to happen and it caught my interest when he said I would become Alpha of the werewolves as a result of our marriage. When I saw you this morning, I thought you were cute. Right now, you look handsome and I am thrilled to be engaged to you."

Hiei smiled and scratched under Yusuke's chin, making the wolf whine in pleasure. The fanfare of trumpets in the room sounded and Mukuro's voice said, ""My subjects, as your queen, it gives me great pleasure to present my heir, Hiei, and his betrothed, Yusuke of the werewolves."

The doors opened and both stood tall as they entered the room to another trumpet fanfare and the claps of the guests. Yusuke couldn't believe the number of vampires in the room. There seemed to be a hundred of them and it re-enforced the fact that he was in the very small minority. He felt his heart thumping hard as he walked beside Hiei and stood before an ornate throne to face the room. A sea of pale faces looked at them and the tip of his tail twitched slightly. He felt nervous of the crowd despite assurances that he was safe.

Hiei calmly faced the room and the fifty or so vampires that lived in the castle and made up the entirety of the population in the territory. He knew them and looked forward to ruling them. He caught Mukuro's eye who was at the doors and she gave a tiny jerk of her head, indicating that he should speak.

He cleared his throat. "Thank you for your support of our betrothal. Some of you have curiosity about werewolves and I invite you to ask my fiancée those questions. I have already done so and have new respect for our counter parts. Now let the celebration begin." Hiei took his seat and Yusuke did the same as music started up and vampires started to dance, talk, laugh, and drink.

Yusuke watched the group celebrate his upcoming union and, aside from what his senses told him, they acted like humans would at a party. Two vampires approached the thrones, bowed, and asked a couple of questions to Yusuke who answered. As they left, the black wolf said, "I have a feeling I'll be answering the same questions about a hundred times tonight."

"Sixty-two, I would imagine," Hiei answered. "Maybe less."

"Sixty-two?"

"There are only about sixty-six vampires including Mukuro, Yukina, Kurama, and myself. That's not counting the one not yet born."

"Oh, so you don't turn humans?"

"We do actually, but our territory prefers to birth new vampires rather than turn."

"Same thing with werewolves. There are almost ninety of us back home."

"Ninety? Wow."

Yusuke nodded as a vampire came over to present a goblet of blood to Hiei and a plate of flesh and organs to Yusuke. The werewolf was pleased to see that he was presented with the juiciest organs and the choicest flesh. His mouth almost watered at his dinner. It was placed on a tall table in front of him with a bowl of water beside it. He eagerly ate delicately as he had been raised, not knowing he had been engaged to a vampire who lived in a castle. The flesh was tender and he guessed it came from a child as the young's flesh is tender. It didn't bother him as he had eaten flesh of all age ranges.

"Good?" Hiei asked with no disgust.

"Delicious," Yusuke answered, licking his chops. "And yours?"

"Pleasant. It's fresh and warm."

"Warm?"

"Yes. That's why we prefer t attack humans as the blood is warm. The blood tonight was bled from humans and kept in a cauldron over a gentle fire. Don't werewolves prefer their flesh a certain way?"

"Not particularly. We like our flesh raw and we're not picky about where we eat it."

"I see." He watched Yusuke put his paws on one side of a kidney to keep it in place and chew on it while he drank more blood. Hmm, seems he likes the kidneys the most. Definitely something to keep in mind. I need to know everything I can about my husband and after tonight I'll only be able to during the day.

Yukina approached the pair and extended a hand to Hiei. "Brother, let's dance." Hiei nodded, took her hand, and allowed himself to be pulled onto the dance floor.

Yusuke swallowed a mouthful of flesh as he watched his mate dance among his subjects. This was a fun party, but he wasn't comfortable at the idea of getting down and mingling. He saw movement and someone heading his way. He looked to see Mukuro and bowed his head in respect. "Mukuro."

"Why don't you get down and join us, Yusuke? I'm sure they would love to know you up close."

"They probably would, but I'm afraid I'm not comfortable with the idea. Sorry."

She reached out and ran a hand down his head and back. "I'm sorry, too. I really didn't think how difficult this is for you: Leaving your family, friends, and other werewolves; moving into a new home; being engaged to someone you never met. I shouldn't expect you to adjust in one day."

"And I should conform to your already established routines and practices. Dad would be ashamed of me if I didn't."

Mukuro continued to stroke him. "Yusuke, with you here, we need to establish new routines and practices. The humans we bleed for parties are usually cremated and the ashes scattered on the wind, but that sometimes causes problems. With you here, there won't be as much of the body to burn and less ashes."

"True and I'm not picky about what I eat."

"That's good to know." She scratched behind an ear. "You don't need to mingle tonight. Perhaps you will at the wedding reception."

"Yeah, perhaps." Yusuke sighed at the scratching as the party continued.