Rai hadn't slept for the rest of the night. He didn't need to, but it hadn't made the night any better.

How had he never realized that Frankenstein wanted to kiss him and hold him and make love to him? Hiding his affections was one thing, but how had his companion managed to hide such strong desires for so long?

Rai squirmed under the covers. And… how had he never realized that he wanted that, too?

He wondered what he would do if his companion was here in bed with him right now. But there was no way Frankenstein would ever do something like that unless his Master asked him for it... insisted, even.

Rai sighed into his pillow. That meant there was no point wondering what he would do with Frankenstein in bed unless he could get his companion to willingly come to bed with him in the first place.

Was he just supposed to ask? Just like that? Just… ask Frankenstein to come to bed with him? That seemed awfully forward...

He was suddenly pulled out of his thoughts when someone knocked on his bedroom door. Was it morning already?

"Master? It's time to wake up. May I come in?"

With a jolt, Rai realized he wasn't wearing anything under the blankets. He swiftly got out of bed, going into the bathroom and throwing on the robe Frankenstein had given him to wear after bathing.

"Yes. You may come in."

Frankenstein entered the room, but upon catching sight of Rai in his bathrobe, he stopped and stared.

"Would you like me to draw you a bath, Master?"

Rai hastily closed off their mental connection… He had to find a way to wash his dirty clothes without Frankenstein finding out that what he'd done. There had been a moment when he'd considered destroying his dirty pajamas so Frankenstein wouldn't see them, but he couldn't just throw away a gift like that… That would be disrespectful to everything Frankenstein had done for him.

"I… yes, please. I would like to take a bath."

Frankenstein nodded and went into the bathroom. Rai smelled a pleasant aroma coming from the bath as his companion poked his head out.

"It will only take a few minutes for the bath to fill. Shall I get your clothes ready for the day?"

Rai stared at him. Frankenstein was always so eager to please him, to take care of him. He knew Frankenstein cared for him just as he was… but he also knew Frankenstein felt guilty about all the sacrifices his Master had made for him.

Trying to tell Frankenstein that he wasn't responsible for his Master's decisions was a futile endeavor. Not to mention the fact that his companion had a bad habit of taking on every single responsibility that was thrown his way. Even when they had first met, Frankenstein had already taken on too much.

Perhaps that was why he'd been so drawn to Frankenstein. He'd just recognized too much of himself in his human companion.

"Master? Are you feeling well? Would you rather go back to bed?" Frankenstein said, looking at him with concern.

"No, I will take a bath," Rai said hastily. "Thank you, Frankenstein."

"Of course. Let me know if you need anything."

Frankenstein left the room and Rai went into the bathroom. He hadn't really thought about how beautiful Frankenstein's home was recently… The bathroom was large and airy, the tiled floor had an intricate pattern on it, and all the silver fixtures had been polished to perfection… Frankenstein had clearly spared no expense when it came to constructing a place for his Master to come home to.

Rai wandered over to the to the tub. Frankenstein had filled the tub and added what seemed like aromatic oils to the water. He shed his robe and hung it up before going to dip a hand in the bath. Naturally, the water was the perfect temperature.

After turning the faucet off, Rai climbed into the large tub. The bathtub was so big, two adults could have comfortably gotten in it together.

He wasn't sure if it was the heat of the water or his own feelings, but Rai felt his entire body burning like it had last night. He was undressed and Frankenstein was just a few feet away in his dressing room, laying out his school uniform for the day.

How would it feel to sit right here in this tub... in Frankenstein's lap... with those strong arms around him? He'd never actually seen Frankenstein completely naked before, but he suddenly found he wanted to.

That was a normal thing to want… right?

Rai took a deep breath. It was only Tuesday, and the dance was Saturday night. Including today, he still had five more days to go until he found out if Frankenstein truly loved him.

Frankenstein wouldn't refuse him… would he? Rai knew his companion wanted to be with him, too… And Tao, Takio, and M-21 had promised him that it wasn't wrong for them to be together.

Hopefully that meant in just a few short days, he could ask to be accompanied to the bath. He could ask to be held and kissed. He could ask to be taken to bed…

It was definitely much too hot in here.

He never should have spied on Frankenstein's personal thoughts like that… Not only did he feel guilty for invading his companion's privacy, but now his head was full of all kinds of unfamiliar and yet very desirable thoughts… Things he'd never considered doing before in his life…

To distract his wandering mind, Rai quickly took to washing himself using the plethora of soaps and toiletries Frankenstein had provided for him. He needed to finish and get ready for school...

Rai was halfway through washing his body when he felt a wave of crackling power rush over him. Startled, he bolted upright out of the water, knocking into the shelf above the tub, sending bottles crashing into the bath with him. The now empty shelf clattered to the floor.

"Master?!" came the immediate and expected response from outside. "Are you all right?"

No, no, no...!

A flood of horrible memories cascaded into his mind.

He was lying broken on the ground, blood pooling in his eyes and pouring out of his mouth... Then he was staring at a sinister crimson moon as the lid of his coffin slammed shut above him, trapping him inside... His calls for Frankenstein had gone unheard, and his consciousness faded into darkness.

Rai's hands started to shake.

"Master?" Frankenstein called anxiously.

"Y-yes… I'm all right… I... I only…"

"Do you need me to come in?"

"No, I'm fine," Rai said hastily. He was soaking wet and covered in bubbles. "But I may have made a bit of a mess…"

"I'll clean it up while you're getting dressed. Please, don't feel the need to pick anything up."

Rai knew better than to go against Frankenstein's wishes. His companion might burst into tears if he saw his Master cleaning. So he quickly rinsed himself off (which was tricky with all the bottles floating in the water with him) and got out of the tub, wrapping a fluffy towel around waist.

His hands refused to stop shaking.

That power was just… so familiar. It had to be him.

Should he tell Frankenstein? There could be no doubt that Frankenstein had felt that surge of power, too…

But if Frankenstein found out what had happened eight hundred and twenty years ago, he would be… well, 'upset' would be a massive understatement. And if he found out who was responsible for his Master's disappearance, Frankenstein would never rest until he'd ripped that person into tiny pieces.

Rai would like to think otherwise, but… Frankenstein was a vindictive person when the people he cared about were hurt or wronged. When Rai had first walked into Frankenstein's office, he had sensed that his companion was more than willing to hunt down the person who had hurt his Master so badly.

But Rai couldn't let him do that. Frankenstein would get hurt, or worse. He was the most powerful human alive, but even Frankenstein couldn't handle the Lord of the werewolves.

Aware that he was going to end up running late for school, and unwilling to disappoint a certain chairman, Rai hastily started drying himself. When he was done, he shrugged his robe back on to make his way to his dressing room.

Frankenstein was waiting outside, his face tight with anxiety. As soon as Rai emerged from the bathroom, his companion immediately connected to his mind, searching for any pain...

"Frankenstein..." Rai said softly. He poured a small dose of calming energy into the man's head. "I'm all right. I was merely startled."

"I... yes. As you say."

"I apologize for the mess I made."

Frankenstein leaned forward and peeked into the bathroom.

"Ah, that's no problem at all, Master... I'll have that cleaned up in no time."

Rai patted his shoulder.

"Thank you."

"Of course. But, Master... Was it that surge of power that startled you...?"

"Might we discuss that later?" Rai interrupted, a little more sharply than he'd meant to.

His companion bowed his head submissively. Rai sometimes wished he wouldn't... he preferred the bold human he had met all those centuries ago.

"Certainly. I apologize, you need to get ready for school."

Rai nodded, relieved that he'd avoided the issue for now... but he would have to talk about it eventually, or Frankenstein wouldn't trust him anymore.

Still hiding his shaking hands inside in his robe, Rai retreated into his dressing room.


Frankenstein hadn't slept that night, either. After giving himself the release he needed, he couldn't help but feel like something about that sensation had been... different. More intense. It was hard to be sure of what he'd felt since it had been over a decade since he'd last pleasured himself, but still...

It had been a mistake. That was for sure.

Though his body was satisfied for now, his heart was not.

Frankenstein normally had no trouble suppressing his feelings for his Master. He'd practiced it for decades. But… Raizel was just so lovely. Especially when he was glistening with water from his bath…

To spare himself the agony of being alone with his wet, naked Master... and in his bedroom, no less... Frankenstein had left Raizel alone to get dressed. To put even more space between them, he went into the bathroom to clean up the mess his Master had unintentionally made.

Master had said they would talk about the power surge that had startled him later, but… they both knew the truth.

Lord Muzaka was here in Korea… and he was not happy.

A sinking suspicion was growing in Frankenstein's mind. For centuries, he'd wondered what power on earth could possibly be strong enough to force his Master into sleep for all that time… Realistically, it was a short list. And Lord Muzaka definitely fit the bill.

The idea wasn't appealing, but… who else could have hurt Raizel so badly? It certainly hadn't been the Lord of nobles… and those six family leaders, though he knew them to be traitors, wouldn't be strong enough.

But Muzaka had been Raizel's friend. Frankenstein himself had served tea to the werewolf Lord's young daughter. Why would Muzaka try to murder Raizel? And how had that led to his Master being trapped in his coffin for so long?

Frankenstein clenched his teeth as he reattached the shelf to the bathroom wall.

And why would feeling Muzaka's energy startle Raizel so much? Frankenstein assumed Master would be happy to see Muzaka again… Unless he had something to fear from his old friend…

And why wouldn't Raizel talk to him about it?

Frankenstein?

He looked up from his cleaning. Master had called for him from the dressing room. Frankenstein got up, wiping his hands on a towel before going to see what Raizel needed.

Upon entering the nearby marble-tiled dressing room, Frankenstein saw his Master had changed into the uniform that had been left out for him. He was standing by his plush chair with one of his white cravats in his hand.

"Master? What can I help you with?"

Raizel turned toward him, and Frankenstein saw his hands were shaking again. After a moment's hesitation, his Master held the tie out to him.

Would you mind…?

All of Frankenstein's anger had immediately disappeared upon seeing Raizel's trembling hands. That could wait until later... Raizel was more important.

"Of course…"

As Frankenstein stepped forward, he couldn't help but notice how nice Raizel smelled after his bath… like lavender extract. Frankenstein tried to make sure he smelled nice as well, but sometimes he knew he smelled like sweat and blood and dirt… especially in the past.

Raizel tilted his head.

Worried about your scent now? Is there anything you don't worry about, Frankenstein?

He chuckled as he took the cravat from Raizel's trembling hand.

"You know I hate the idea of offending you, Master…"

Your scent does not offend me. When you sweat, it merely means you have overexerted yourself. When you are dirty, it reminds me of the garden you tended for me. And when you bleed… it means I need to take better care of you.

"You are much too kind…"

After carefully arranging the cravat, Frankenstein swiftly wrapped it around Raizel's collar, neatly tying it at the base of his throat. As he tucked the ends of the tie inside Raizel's jacket, it took all his willpower to stop himself from thinking about placing a kiss on that ivory neck… or perhaps several kisses…

"There… How's that?"

Raizel glanced at himself in the mirror.

Perfect. As always. Thank you, Frankenstein.

But Frankenstein couldn't help but notice that his hands were still shaking.

"Master… if you would like to stay home today…"

No. It will pass. I would like to go to school.

"As you wish. I'm sure Seira has tea and breakfast ready. You should go have something to eat before the children stop by to get you."

Yes. I will do that.

Frankenstein waited for his Master to move past him and go to breakfast, but he stayed right where he was, watching his companion. Those crimson eyes seemed to look right through him… until Raizel reached up and put a trembling hand to his ivory neck.

Oops… Had his control over his thoughts really slipped that much…?

Raizel was trying to hide it, but Frankenstein was sure he wasn't imagining the redness rising in his Master's cheeks or the desire building in his heart.

He had to defuse this situation before he did something he shouldn't be doing… again.

"Ah… Is there anything else you need from me…?"

Raizel bowed his head, his hand still at his throat.

Will I see you this afternoon for tea?

"Certainly. I have no other obligations or meetings today. Unless you have other plans…?"

No. I would like to come for tea.

"Master… are you worried about something? We've had afternoon tea in my office almost every day since you started coming to school…"

Raizel finally looked up, the confusion clearly visible in his gaze.

I am fine, but I… I still do not understand your feelings. You ask me for time to collect yourself… And yet the things I see in your mind tell me something else entirely.

Frankenstein swallowed. He wanted to explain, but… not yet…

"I will explain everything, Master. I promise I will… Saturday night, all right?"

Frankenstein briefly closed his eyes as a pale hand reached out to brush his long, blond fringe behind his ear.

Very well. Saturday night, then…

Raizel smiled at him… Some days, Frankenstein could hardly believe that such lovely looks were being directed at a possessed monster like him.

"Now, you really should go get your tea before your friends get here. I have to finish cleaning up in here, all right?"

His Master nodded, walking past him toward the kitchen.

I will see you at school.

"Of course. Make sure the children don't get into trouble."

He sensed Raizel's amusement as he withdrew contact from his companion's mind.

Exhaling in relief, Frankenstein left the dressing room and went back into the bedroom.

He just had to hold out a little longer... just a few more days. On Friday night, Lascrea would be arriving... and perhaps Raizel's affections would be redirected toward her. Frankenstein fully intended to explain himself to his Master if that didn't happen, but he had to at least give his plan a chance to work. He needed to present his Master with the option to be with a more suitable lover.

But if that didn't work out, then he'd just have to explain why they couldn't truly be together. Frankenstein never wanted to hurt Raizel, but it would be better for his Master to have a broken heart than try to love him. How was he supposed to live with himself knowing his lust was slowly killing his Master?

He just... couldn't... No matter how much he might want to.

Frankenstein looked around the room. Raizel had certainly made a mess of the bed… He supposed he should wash the sheets since it was likely to be a while before he convinced his Master to sleep again. But he needed to finish cleaning up the mess in the bathroom, too. It just wasn't in him to walk away from messes in his house.

"Hey, Boss, we were wondering…"

Frankenstein looked up as his three kids entered the room.

"Perfect," Frankenstein interrupted. "Just who I needed to see."

"Um… why?"

"One of you… and I'm not saying which one… has been allocating my funds into other accounts, and that person somehow thought I wouldn't notice."

All three of them turned white as chalk.

"It wasn't me," M-21 said swiftly.

"Or me!" Takio put in.

"What?!" Tao whined. "How could you both sell me out so fast?"

"Oh, please…" Frankenstein sighed. "I knew it was you, Tao. So, you're going to help me clean Master's bedroom. And then you're going to help me sort through my paperwork once we get to school."

"All right…" Tao said in a resigned voice.

He pointed at Takio and M-21.

"The two of you can head to school and tell the secretary that we'll be a little late."

"Uh, but we wanted to ask you something..." M-21 began.

"We'll talk at school," Frankenstein said firmly. "I need to have a word with Tao. Now get going."

Both Takio and M-21 left in a rush.

"Good, now that they're gone…"

Frankenstein stepped up to Tao, who took a nervous step back.

"Open your mouth. Wide, please."

"Uh… you're not going to stuff anything down my throat, are you?"

Frankenstein pulled a disgusted face.

"No. Now open up."

"I haven't brushed my teeth yet…"

"I said open your mouth!" Frankenstein growled. "How many times must I ask?"

Tao opened his mouth wide and stuck out his tongue. Frankenstein peered at his teeth, gums, and the back of his throat… and thankfully, everything looked fine.

"All right. Close your mouth. You have morning breath."

Tao closed his mouth and gave him a funny look.

"Um, I know you're kind of eccentric, but what was that about?"

Frankenstein tapped his child's forehead.

"That was because you annoyed me by moving my funds around without asking." He paused, taking a deep breath. "And because… you were having nightmares last night."

Tao suddenly looked embarrassed. He cleared his throat, averting his eyes.

"I didn't think you'd notice something like that… It took you a minute to notice Takio was being attacked by the dark spear…"

"Yes, well… I know my own nightmares. Yours were unfamiliar to me... you were likely subconsciously reaching out for my help."

"Oh… um, sorry. I didn't mean to keep you up."

Frankenstein shrugged.

"I'm used to it, for the most part. I just had to make sure you were all right."

"By checking the inside of my mouth?"

"One of the first signs of being overwhelmed by the dark spear's power is having your mucous membranes start to bleed," Frankenstein explained. "You might cough up blood or have nosebleeds…"

"Oh…" Tao said thoughtfully. "Come to think of it, I did see you looking at Takio's mouth and nose down in the lab…"

"Mhm. If he had suffered more serious side effects, we would have seen blood coming from the membranes in his nose, mouth, or throat."

"I see," Tao said, nodding. "Um, so... how do you deal with the nightmares? Do you have a treatment for it?"

Frankenstein felt a stab of pity in his heart. He still regretted this... He sincerely wished he hadn't let his children share his pain, no matter how much they'd begged him for it. But now that he had, it was his duty to do what he could to help them cope.

"If you find you truly cannot sleep anymore… I can give you a light sleep aid. But you should know that the nightmares never truly go away."

"Yeah… but how do you deal with it? How do you make it so that you feel… functional?"

"It's a bit different for me. As I said, I carry the bulk of this curse… but I am also bonded to the Noblesse. I share his power… and his mind. When it becomes too much for me, I can retreat into his consciousness. Even when we were apart, some part of his essence remained connected to me and helped me stay in control."

"So what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that you will either have to train your mind to tolerate these nightmares… try using my sleep aid… or find a noble to bind yourself to."

Tao's eyes widened.

"Are you serious? Bind myself to a noble?"

"It will help, yes. You know that nobles are quite powerful. You would essentially be borrowing their strength when you needed it."

"Isn't it kind of, um… invasive?"

"For you or them?" Frankenstein laughed. "You can think of it that way. In theory, you would only bind yourself to a close friend. But in practice, the bond can be as close or as distant as you and your noble want it to be."

"Yeah… I doubt the 12th Elder was really that close with Locktis."

"Yes," Frankenstein agreed. "That was a situation of greed, clearly. The 12th Elder wanted power, and for whatever reason, Locktis agreed to the contract. An arrangement made for those reasons would merely be uncomfortable for both participants."

"Right," Tao said, nodding in agreement. "So... who would I bind myself to? If it came to that?"

"How should I know? If you're worried, go make a new friend."

"Geez, you're no help," Tao said sarcastically. "Well, you've given me a lot to think about, Boss… But thanks for looking out for us. Should I tell Takio about this, too?"

"If you'd like. Or I will speak to him separately."

"All right. And, um… I won't move your money around anymore. I just thought you could be making more if those funds were in other accounts…"

"Yes, yes… To be honest, my only interest in money is having it to take care of my school and my family."

"And buying those suits," Tao pointed out, grinning.

"Well, everyone has a vice or two, I suppose… You have your gadgets… and I like it when my family looks presentable. We are representing our Master, after all. You should take pride in that."

"Our Master?"

"Yes... our Master," Frankenstein said firmly. "Raizel has taken your blood and awakened you to your power. I'm certain he thinks of you, M-21, and Takio as his own."

"Heh... thanks."

"It's the truth. But let's get this cleaning finished so we can get to work."

"All right."


Tao grinned to himself as he watched his Boss wander back into the bathroom to keep cleaning up. Frankenstein might act like an asshole and a madman sometimes... but he really cared.

And he certainly didn't mince words, either... So he only had three options? Either deal with the nightmares, take drugs... or share his soul with a noble.

Frankenstein hadn't said so, but Tao knew that binding himself to a noble would come with consequences other than simply easing his pain. Consequences like drastically extending his life... Would he live to see a thousand years pass him by while he remained untouched by time, just like Frankenstein?

Tao shook his head. He could worry about that later. Right now, he had to strip the bed and get to school.

He quickly grabbed the blankets and yanked them off the bed before pulling the fitted sheet from the mattress. All these blankets and sheets were going to take a few loads of laundry to wash.

As he was shaking the pillows out of their pillowcases, something under the bed caught his eye. Reaching under the bed, Tao pulled out a pair of soft pajama pants. That was odd... why would Sir Raizel try and hide his pajamas under the bed? Did he think that was where the dirty laundry went? No, even he wasn't that ignorant.

Tao was about to toss the pants into the pile of sheets when he noticed that this garment happened to be stained in a certain area...

"Ah..." Tao complained quietly to himself. "I did not need to see that."

"You didn't need to see what?"

Tao jumped. Frankenstein had apparently finished cleaning up in the bathroom. He hastily tossed the dirty pants into the laundry pile.

"Nothing. Just saw M-21's hairy ass when I was getting dressed this morning."

"Was there a reason I needed that image put in my mind?" Frankenstein said sardonically. "Perhaps you'd like to mentally scar the entire household?"

"Hey, you asked."

"Well, I sincerely regret it. Now, if you'll take all that to the laundry room, I'll start washing it after school."

"Okay."

Tao swiftly gathered up the sheets and marched down the hall, his mind churning as he went.

Now that he'd seen the evidence, he couldn't just ignore it or pretend he hadn't seen it. Despite encouraging Sir Raizel to confess his feelings to Frankenstein... it seemed like things hadn't worked out. But why? He'd already seen the two of them sharing a sweet kiss together yesterday... What had gone wrong? Why was Frankenstein still making his Master spend his nights alone?

Tao sighed as he piled the sheets into the washing machine. It was shaping up to be one awkward morning.


My Comments: So… I'm curious why Frankenstein thought a high school was the perfect gift for his Master. It doesn't seem like Rai pays attention in class or does homework. (I mean, maybe he does, but we just don't see it.) If Frankenstein just wanted his Master to be around other people, then he literally could have built anything else for Rai to come home to. At first, I thought it was just a funny joke/scenario that Rai wakes up and Frankenstein is running a high school. Then we find out that Frankenstein built the high school for Rai and I was like… really? Frankenstein really thought Rai would love being signed up to learn geometry and write term papers?

Maybe Frankenstein could have built Rai a peaceful vineyard in California's wine country… Or a beach house on a sparkling blue sea… or a penthouse at a prestigious university that Frankenstein owns and runs… But, nope! Frankenstein really thought Rai would want to go to high school. Except that doesn't seem to be the case, considering Rai spends quite a bit of his time hanging out with Frankenstein in his office. (And I'm no expert in men's clothing, but I think the old-timey tie that Rai wears is called a cravat. I think...)

P.S. Hello again, cursed queen! I'm glad you like Lord playing wingman LOL. I thought it was funny. And apologies about the delay in posting new chapters... I got a new full time job in addition to my part time job, so I am currently in my own tiny hell. But in my precious spare time, I am busy editing this story to make it work! I have quite a bit more written, so I'm eager to get it all out!

P.P.S. Dear guest reviewer: THANK YOU! That's exactly what I said about Muzaka supposedly being Rai's only friend from the past. And it was Frankenstein who said that line, which makes it even weirder! I mean... Frankenstein... what the fuck?! Did you forget about yourself? You're Rai's friend from back then, too! And Frankenstein was arguably a much better friend to Rai than Muzaka was! I mean, come on... don't straight up bullshit us like that, authors...