My computer really, really sucks. I had Broken Souls finished, ready to be updated, then my computer decides to completely shows me how much it hates me so it deleted all my work! I WANNA' CRY! Anyway…..

Tainted Chapter 7: Temptation

The vampire prince let out a soft groan as he came to his senses. He slowly got to his feet, yet his legs were still weak from god only knows. He moved his head around, cracking his stiffened bones. As he moved, the throbbing of his head increased, but then slowly died down. He closed his eyes as he tried to remember what had occurred before he lost all conscience. The slayer suddenly came to mind. He remembered. She shot him with a tranquilizer and ran off with the book of vampires. He growled in anger, unable to believe that she had done something like that. Then he stopped; something the slayer said made him think.

"By then it'll all be over." He repeated the slayer's last words to himself. What had she done? The question occupied his mind. Sudden realization hit him. What if she went to face Trieze himself?

She wouldn't be that foolish…would she? He sighed as he remembered exactly who he was thinking about. He quickly rushed out the door, not knowing if his attempts to stop the slayer would be in vain.

Serenity paced back and forth in the sanctuary's common room, every now and then glancing at Amidamaru, who stared at her silently. Every time the slayer cut her eyes at him, his entire body stiffened, the realization that in a matter of seconds he could easily become a pile of dust hitting him. The slayer liked knowing that she was able to strike such fear in a vampire's dead heart like that. She gave him a sly grin and continued walking around the table with the book of vampires on top. She continued to survey her surroundings. It was the first time she… or any other vampire slayer…had been within the walls of the vampire sanctuary. She looked at the leather armchairs, black velvet curtains and marble floors that surrounded her. She stared at the far wall, which was adorned with a number of portraits in a straight line…portraits of previous vampire kings. The last three seemed to1 stand out at her. The first portrait was shredded and torn, the parchment hanging off the frame, unable to see the vampire king of the past. The second was a picture of Trieze in all his glory. The third was empty…probably where the portrait of Heero would soon be.

Not if I can help it, Serenity thought. The sound of a door opening and closing met her ears. She turned and found Trieze standing behind her.

"It's about time you got here." Serenity said, staring into his blue eyes. He grinned as he stared at her, allowing his eyes to roam her body.

"Leave us." Trieze demanded Amidamaru, keeping his gaze locked on the slayer. Amidamaru walked out of the room as calmly as he could, closing the door shut behind him. Trieze bit down on his lower lip as he stared at the woman in front of him as she ran her hand along the cover of the book.

"I understand you have a proposition for me slayer?" Trieze whispered, his voice seeming to hold a sense of longing. Serenity stared at him and smiled.

"Well actually…it's more like a revelation that you should enjoy."

"Oh really…please…enlighten me." Serenity began to walk towards HIM.

"Well… I realized… I need… no…I want more power. More than what I already have. And the only way I can get that is by joining forces with you." Trieze's eyes seemed to flash with a great desire.

"I knew in time you would understand slayer. No one can live without power. Yes… the greatest power in the world will come to you… now that you are with me." Trieze stepped closer to Serena. He lifted her chin with his fingers, leaned down, and kissed her. Serena shuddered as her body went numb with displeasure. The kiss was cold and had little feeling to her. Trieze grinned as they separated and wrapped his arms around the slayer, bringing her body into his.

"Now That you're here with me…you'll experience the greatest pleasure of your mortal and immortal life." As Serena listened to the king's sultry words, she felt herself go numb and her eyes go distant as if she lost all thought.

"Well Trieze…" She began her voice soft but cold, "…you won't be able to live out the rest of your immortal life to let me experience anything." Serena suddenly pushed herself off him, pulled out a stake from her inside pocket, and charged for Trieze. Trieze quickly threw out his hand in front of him, his palm facing Serena, who was suddenly stopped in mid-step, completely unable to move.

"Tsk, Tsk slayer. I thought you were smarter than that. You know you can't deceive me that easily." Trieze stepped closer to her and stared into Serena's eyes. Her eyes locked onto his, unable to tear her gaze from his own. The thought in her head began to disappear as she stared at him, leaving an empty void were her conscience was. Serena let the wooden stake drop from her hand as her aqua-marine eyes grew more and more distant. Trieze grinned at the slayer, who was now completely trapped in his mental hold, losing all control of her actions and conscience.

"you are mine to own now slayer. I am your master now." Serena stood upright and stared straight ahead of her with dull and dead eyes. Trieze's grin grew wider as the slayer whispered word that he could only dream of;

"Yes master….I am at your every command."

Heero silently crept through the sanctuary corridors, guards completely unaware of his presence. He peered around hallways and empty rooms, looking for Trieze, Amidamaru, or the slayer. As Heero quickly but quietly walked down one of the marble corridors, he stopped in front of a pair of large oak doors that were all too familiar to him; his bedroom. He pressed his body against the door, pushed it open, and stepped inside. His eyes scanned the room and he sighed in disbelief. The room was completely destroyed; the leather armchairs were slashed, the white cushioning was bleeding out of them. The black curtains were slashed as well as they hung of their rods. Items were scattered about on the floor, some broken into pieces. The only thing that was left untouched was his bed. On top one of the blue velvet pillows laid a single sheet of paper.

Heero made his way to the pillow and picked up the piece of paper. He immediately recognized Trieze's handwriting;

You've lied for far too long

Punishment is a must

Your power will be mine now and forever…..

Just like the slayer

The simple letter from Trieze seemed to ignite a fire within the vampire prince as he crushed the letter in his hands. He had had enough of this. Enough of the lies, enough of Trieze, enough of everything.

Heero threw the crumpled piece of paper on the floor and stormed out of the room. He knew where Trieze was, and he knew that the vampire king was waiting for him. The prince quickened his pace towards Trieze's quarters, trying not to think of what he could possibly be doing to Serena. Within minutes he stood in front of Trieze's room and stared at the closed doors. He turned the knob and tried to open it but found that it was locked. He pounded his fist against the oak door, the anger within him growing.

"Trieze…" Heero mumbled as he closed his eyes and bent his head toward the ground. "You evil bastard." He presses his palms against the door.

"I will kill you!" He yelled as he opened his eyes, which were now completely silver. He sent a force of mental energy towards the door, blowing it into pieces, causing dust to cloud the air as the door fell. Heero stepped through the rubble into the dimly lit room. He immediately saw a female figure in Trieze's bed. He ran to the side of the bed and saw Serena unconscious. He checked her pulse; it was faint, but there. Serena's golden-blonde hair covered her face, which had turned completely pale.

"You're a fool Heero." Heero turned and saw trieze standing behind him, a smug grin on his face.

"Let her go Trieze."

"Let her go? Why should I? It has taken me years to get her, and now that I have her…" Trieze looked past Heero towards the slayer "….I can't seem to let her go." The grin on his face widened as he removed his cloak from his side, revealing a long sword. Trieze began to walk back and forth in front of the prince.

"Do you love her Heero?" Trieze tried to look into Heero's eyes. " Or better yet… did you really think she could love you?" Heero began to tense up at Trieze's words. Trieze stopped pacing and began to finger the blade of the sword.

"You know Heero…you're just like your father. Stupid and naïve. You both had so many hopes, dreams, and desires, all of them never for the best of the vampire race. He thought of himself, just like you are now. That's why he died Heero… that's why I had to do what was right." Heero looked up at Trieze as the memory of him seeing his father with a stake in his heart filled his mind.

"You killed him?" Heero choked out as he clenched his hands into fists. Trieze grinned as he held up the sword.

"I did to him what I must do to you." Trieze gripped the hilt of the sword tightly.

"No Trieze… you will cause no more bloodshed." Heero whispered. Trieze began to laugh hysterically.

"Oh and I presume you're going to stop us?" Heero looked up at the king as he said 'us'.

"Hello Heero…" Heero quickly turned around to see Serena at her feet. Her eyes were cold and emotionless, something Heero wasn't used to; He knew that it wasn't her. She must be under his control, that bastard! Heero thought as the anger within him took over.

"I told you before… we have plans… and you've just in the way of them." Trieze said as he charged for the vampire prince, sword raised. Heero was about to dodge the attack but two slender arms wrapped around his chest and held him in place. Hero looked up to see Trieze bring the sword down on his body, slashing through his black shirt and very flesh. Serena let Heero fall from her grasp to the marble ground and walked over to Trieze's side. Hero placed a hand over the cut on his chest, which began to ooze blood that began to soak his shirt. He stared up at Trieze and Serena, who placed her head on the vampire king's chest. Trieze grinned as he raised the bloody sword above his head, ready to deliver the final death blow. With little effort, Heero jumped to his feet and sent his foot into Trieze's stomach, causing him to push Serena into a wall and drop the sword to the ground. Heero quickly picked up the sword and held it to Trieze's heart, threatening to plunge it through.

"Now…let her go." Heero demanded once more, breathing heavily. He pressed the tip of the sword's blade deeper into Trieze's flesh, who only grinned in response.

"Fine. You can have her back. But just for a little while. I plan on repossessing her soon…very soon." Trieze wrapped his hand around the blade and gripped it tightly, making it cut into his own hand. His blood began to roll down the blade as Heero stared into his eyes. "You may want to tend to her Heero…" he mumbled as he stared into Heero's eyes.

Heero looked past Trieze towards Serena, who was on the ground. She moved a little bit and slightly opened her eyes.

"Heero…" She whispered as she looked towards him. Heero could see that her eyes were no longer cold and distant; she was back. Heero quickly dropped the sword and ran to Serena's side and leaned over her.

"Serena…" He whispered in her ear, holding her head in his hands. He rubbed her cheeks with his thumbs and lifted her body up a little bit. He called her name again and shook her gently. Serena opened her eyes a little bit more and stared at him. She gave him a weak smile, as if she were glad to see him, before she closed her eyes and fell unconscious. He brought her close to his chest and held her as if he were hugging her. Heero picked up the slayer in his arms and turned around. Trieze had gone. Heero began to walk towards the door with Serena, heading back to the surface, but was stopped by a chilling voice in the air.

"Remember Heero…just for a little while…" He heard Trieze laugh before finally going to the surface.

Serena woke up with a cold sweat, sat up, and looked around. She was back in her own bedroom, in her own home. She removed the damp clothe from her forehead and placed it in the bowl of cold water that was on the nightstand next to her. She looked around in the darkness and soon found Heero seated in a chair, concealed by the shadows.

"You're up." Heero stood to his feet and walked over to the slayer.

"yeah…uh…what happened?" She asked, placing a hand on her head.

"For some strange reason…you thought you could stop Trieze so you went to the sanctuary, got yourself caught, and I had to get you out." Heero's Prussian-blue eyes stared into Serena's.

"Oh yeah… I remember. Well… the plan would've worked if…" Serena began.

"Serena you got yourself caught! He had you brainwashed to do his bidding! Do you call that working! Damn it! I had to go in there and save you! And that was only after I woke up from that tranquilizer that you shot me with!" Heero began to yell.

"The only reason I had to do that was to stop you from stopping men." Serena countered, getting out of the bed.

"Oh… so you wanted to stop me from stopping you from killing yourself! You're crazier than I thought!" Heero said.

"I knew you would try to stop me. And whether you like it or not…I'm going back to finish what I started." Serena said as she tried to push past him.

"Don't be stupid! What are you thinking? Are you trying to give yourself an early death?" Heero said, grabbing her arm and dragging her back to the bed.

"I'm thinking that somebody has to stop Trieze…and if you're not going to do it… Then I will… no matter what the cost." Heero stared into Serena's eyes, and saw hatred, anger, and a little fear. Serena tried to walk past Heero again, but this time her grabbed her wrist and pulled her close to him.

"Let me go." Serena choked out. She could feel his hot breathe on her neck as he leaned down to talk in her ear.

"I refuse to let you kill yourself for something that I must do." Serena looked into Heero's eyes as he let go of her wrist and stepped back. Serena then saw Heero's bloody shirt.

"What happened?" She motioned for the cut in the shirt.

"Nothing." He replied bluntly as he took a seat on the bed. Serena stood in front of him and held out her hand. Heero looked at he somewhat confused.

"Come on. Give me your jacket and take off your shirt." Serena demanded. Heero hesitated before taking of his jacket and handing it to the slayer. He then pulled off the ripped black shirt, revealing a large gash in his chest. The blood around it had dried and it stretched from his left shoulder to his right side. Serena stared at the cut as she placed Heero's leather jacket in a chair. She took the bowl of cold water out of the room and returned with a fresh bowl of hot water and some bandages.

"This is some wound for nothing to have happened." She looked up at him as she began to clean the dried blood. Heero said nothing as he watched her silently stroke his chest with the damp clothe.

"Trieze did this to you?" She asked as she began to cover the wound with bandages. She refused to look him in the eye as she concentrated on what she was doing.

"He had a little help." Hero whispered. Serena finally looked him in the eye and instantly understood what he meant. She remembered. Trieze had her under his control. It was as if she was in her body but she had no control. She remembered wrapping her arms around him so that trieze could kill him, all against her own will. How could she have done that when Heero had done so much for.

'It wasn't your fault slayer." Heero whispered, interrupting her thoughts. Serna stood to her feet and went to place the bowl back on the nightstand.

"I'm sorry…" She whispered, keeping her back turned. Heero stood to his feet and walked up behind her. He turned her around to face him, but Serena held her head down. Heero took his hand and lifted her chin so that she was staring directly at him. He could see a few tears begin to build up in her eyes.

"It wasn't your fault." He repeated, wrapping his arms around her entire body. Serena rested her head on his bandaged chest. She felt her fingers brush against the golden ring that was around his neck. He pulled her away from him and looked at her.

"Promise me you won't up back to the sanctuary. I'll handle Trieze alone." He stated firmly. Serena stared into the eyes of the vampire prince.

"But what if you…" She began.

"No… promise me." He said, cutting her off. He held her head in his hands as he continued to stare at her, Serena was hesitant, but then answered.

"I promise."

Heero breathed out a sigh of relief as he placed a gentle kiss on Serena's forehead. Then another on the tip of her nose. Before he could stop himself, he had placed a kiss on her lips. He quickly pulled back and looked at her.

'I didn't mean to do that." He said quickly as he began to gather his things and head for the window. He was about to climb out but felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Serena staring at him. She took his things and threw them in a pile on the floor, leaned up, and kissed him on the lips.

"And I didn't mean to do that." She whispered. They stared at each other creating an intense silence between the two of them. Serena leaned up and kissed the vampire prince again, this time making the kiss last longer than the two previous ones. Heero quickly responded as he found himself sliding his tongue into Serena's mouth. Serena wrapped her arms around Heero's neck as the kiss deepened.

"We shouldn't be doing this" Heero broke the kiss and took a step back away from the slayer toward the window.

"You're right." She let out a small chuckle. She retrieved a towel from the bedroom closet and headed for the bathroom. She stopped at the door, turned, and looked at Heero and gave him a smile.

'Seeing how you have the whole Trieze situation under control, I can get back to work. Be careful out there Heero." She said before stepping into the bathroom. Heero let out a long sigh before climbing out the window once the shower came on.

Twenty minutes later Serena came back into the bedroom with a towel wrapped around her body. She stared at her reflection in the mirror as she leaned on the dresser. Her black cat Luna jumped in front of her and stared into her eyes. Serena sighed as she began to scratch Luna's chin.

"What was I thinking Luna?" She asked the cat as she watched Luna lick her paw. Luna gave her master a questionable look before jumping off the dresser and going about her business. Serena stared into the mirror again and saw Heero's reflection standing behind her. She quickly turned around as Heero walked up to her.

"What are you.." She began but was cut off as Heero pressed his lips against hers. Heero felt the curves of her body through her towel as he pressed his body against hers. He picked her up and sat her on top of the dresser as he began to kick her neck and shoulder. He lifted his head and locked eyes with the slayer. Serena said nothing as she leaned forward and kissed him, wrapping her arm and legs around his body. Heero removed the towel from around her body and threw it on the floor. He felt her flesh against his bare chest as he picked her up and carried her to the bed. Heero had a leg on either side of her body as he removed her arms from around his neck and held them above her head with his hand.

"Fortunately for the both of us…temptation is to great for us to ignore." He leaned down and whispered in her ear before kissing her again. Serena gave him a sly grin before she whispered back;

"I hate to admit your right but…" she leaned up and kissed the vampire prince again. "…Temptation is too great to resist."

Serena began to stir in the bed as the soft sound of rain hitting the window woke her. As she opened her eyes, she noticed two arms were wrapped around her waist. She turned over and saw the sleeping vampire prince beside her. She fingered the gold ring that hung around his neck and stared at his face. This had been the first time she saw Heero look so peaceful. She placed a gentle kiss on his lips before breaking from his grasp and sliding out of bed.

She looked at the prince as she put on a silk robe over her naked frame. With one last glance, she headed towards the window and stepped out onto the fire escape. As pellets of rain began to decorate her skin and soak her robe, she tilted her head up towards the moon. The large white orb was beginning to turn red. She took a deep breath as she stared into the sky at the red moon.

Au Suair will be revealed, the slayer thought as she climbed back into the bedroom. She turned to looked at Heero. "And he will drink from the eternal fountain San 'Aui and become king." She whispered to herself.

"Then I'll steal everything away." A cold voice entered Serena's mind. Her entire body stiffened as she felt herself loose control of her own body.

'I told him he could only have you for a short time. Now it's time to reclaim you." Trieze's voice rang in her ears. Serena closed her eyes trying to get him out of her head.

"Why are you trying to fight it slayer. You belong to me." Serena could see Trieze's face in her mind. She tried to open her mouth and call out to Heero but couldn't. She felt herself go numb as Trieze somehow appeared behind her. She felt a tear glide down her cheek as Trieze placed a kiss on the back of her neck.

"You're mine slayer…and you will help me in my plan." She felt Trieze's hot breath on her neck as he pulled her closer to him. She continued to fight of Trieze's mental hold, as he only let out a quiet chuckle.

"Stubborn aren't we? How about this. Let me take you know…and I spare Heero's life right here." Serena stared at the sleeping Heero. No, she thought. I made him a promise.

"Make your decision slayer. Either I take you by force and kill the prince…or Heero's life is saved by you." Trieze whispered in her ear. Serena closed her eyes as more tears began to flow. She looked up at Heero one last time.

'I'm sorry Heero…" She whispered. Trieze grinned at the slayer's decision.

"Good my love…very, very good." He said as he wrapped both arms around Serena's body. "Everything will be perfect soon." He laughed as he brushed his fangs against her neck.

"Just perfect."