"Kuzon?" Setsuya breathed, unable to fathom the sight before him. His eighteen year old lover stood facing him, bags in hand and fresh bruises crossing his exposed arms and face. He felt warm tears spring to his eyes as Kuzon smiled sadly, dropping his bags to take Setsuya into his arms. The younger teen gently stroked the man's hair, feeling sick to his stomach at the events he knew had taken place before the other had even spoken a word.
"My parents found the drawings," Kuzon whispered, blinking back the stinging tears that adorned his eyes. He wouldn't cry. He was strong. He would not cry. "I told them everything. Father disowned me, beat me, and Mother just stood by and watched. They told the university and I was expelled. I'm sorry, but I don't have anywhere else to go. Please, can I stay here for a while?"
"You can stay here forever," Setsuya murmured, bringing his lips to the other's cheek. "You know my parents positively adore you. I'm so sorry, my beloved."
"I knew this would happen eventually," the older teen whispered, clutching the other tightly. "I didn't think they would try to destroy everything that I had left. I don't have anything except you, now. Don't leave me… Please, don't leave me. I swear, you're the only thing I have left to live for."
"Stop talking crazy," Setsuya begged, his violet eyes filling with warm tears. "I love you. I would never leave you, not ever. Not after what you've sacrificed." He led the older teen into his living room where his parents sat. With a single pleading look from their son, they understood and retreated into the kitchen casting worrying glances back at Setsuya and his boyfriend.
"H-He burned them," Kuzon choked out, trembling in the arms of his lover. The younger teen eased him onto the comfortable sofa, trying to gently kiss away his heartrending tears. Never before had he seen the firebender like this. Kuzon was the strong, able-bodied protector who never cried or took a blow without retribution. Setsuya was anxious with the sudden role reversal. "Father burned my drawings, every single one. I would look at them just to keep myself from missing you too badly… They're gone."
Setsuya sighed in understanding as the older man tried to steady his voice. Kuzon's artwork, his drawings, were his life. Every emotion, every burst of passion could be seen with every powerful stroke of his paintbrush and every streak of ink. Setsuya truly wished he could show, or for that matter, feel emotions the way his counterpart did. "It's okay, my love. I'm here now. We can't replace what you've lost, but we can start again. I'm just thankful that you're okay."
"Why does this have to happen to us? What makes us so different?" Kuzon's eyes were demanding, insistent.
"Others don't understand," the pale teen whispered, caressing the other as he spoke. Setsuya had a knack for calming others, which came in handy having such a passionate, emotion-driven lover. "Our love is a little complex. It surpasses the boundaries of tradition, and that simply doesn't settle well with such an established community. Your parents just need some time to come to terms with everything. They love you, Kuzon. It doesn't matter that I'm your lover. They'll ask you to come home soon." Setsuya knew he was lying to his boyfriend, but the words flowed so smoothly from his lips, believable to the broken soul. The young man hated lying, and truly hated the fact that he was good at it.
Kuzon finally began to settle down, a sense of sanity overcoming his features once more. Looking up at his lover, he sighed and snuggled into the man's chest with a peaceful gleam in his eyes. "Setsuya, you've gotten taller, haven't you? It's only been a few months since I last saw you." The tanned boy smiled, running a hand up and down the violet-eyed teen's arm. "It's not good for you to get so tall and not gain any weight. You'll stretch out like a piece of grape taffy."
Setsuya smiled, whispering against the other's lips, "It's hard to eat when you miss someone so much. Besides, I thought you liked grape taffy." Kuzon didn't reply, merely sighed and brought his lover in for a deep kiss. They held each other throughout the night, and every night afterward. That is, until the one night Setsuya never came home.
Zuko sighed, brushing a single irritated hand through his hair as he lazed on Setsuya's sofa. After almost an entire three days of having been left alone, the silence was really starting to get to him. Setsuya hadn't returned from his 'obligatory duties' as Akane had so conveniently phrased it, and the teenager was being driven insane by his seclusion. His 'soul mate' was undoubtedly avoiding him just to irritate him, he knew it. After the night when he'd first watched Setsuya feed, Zuko was dying to speak to the older man and ask him a million and one questions. Of course, the vampire lord suddenly determined that a situation of utmost importance required his attention, and that Zuko would be sent to Setsuya's room to await him there. Three days later, here he sat.
There was only one difference this time: Zuko wasn't locked in. Determined to exemplify his full trust in the boy, Setsuya allowed him the luxury of wandering about the underground lair in any direction he wished, although the man had begged him to stay close to the main courtyard. Despite all of his resistance to being held in a room, Zuko rarely employed this luxury other than to bathe or relieve himself. He had made attempts to speak with the surrounding people once or twice, but he'd done so shyly and in a reserved manner. Sure, the people were kind enough to him, but he feared that his presence would make them uncomfortable and didn't wish to impose on their self-restraint.
He'd thought about trying to map out an exit in the labyrinth, but quickly dismissed the thought when he considered how much liberty Setsuya was allowing him. He would be patient for now and bide his time, at least until the bonding process was complete. He couldn't help but be curious. Setsuya could be a philosophical genius, or he might very well be a youth-lusting maniac. Either way, Zuko would find out the truth soon enough.
"That's it," he growled, swinging his legs over the ledge of the couch and straightening out his robes. There was no way in hell he was going to lay around and catch dust in-between his fingers. He was going to find something to do or so help him, he would go as insane as a lost porcupine-puppy in a pet carrier. He darted out into the dimly lit hallway as though waiting for someone to scold him for existing. When he found that his existence was perfectly legitimate, he slunk out into the main plaza, catching only a few disinterested glances.
Clutching a hand to his chest, he sauntered into the western hallway, slightly bemused by the look he received from one woman of elderly physical age who lingered by the mouth of the corridor, eyes glancing swiftly over a scroll. "I'd be careful going down this passage dear," she warned in a scratchy voice, shaking her head quietly. "If you run into trouble, come right back here and we'll make sure you stay safe."
Zuko nodded politely and thanked the woman for her advice, although he was very sure that he could take care of himself. He was a firebender after all, however unskilled, and that was just what his blood-feeding peers were most afraid of. Walking down the earthen hallway, he smiled shyly whenever he passed anyone, and the graceful beings never failed to return the gesture. This particular hallway seemed to house more vampires than the others. Akane had taught him to observe the lintel of any doorway in order to find out whether it was a residential or public area, just in case he needed to make a quick escape and didn't want to walk in on any unsuspecting victims.
He sighed as he came to the eastern central plaza, noting that the inscription tiled into the floor was different than the others he had seen. He frowned with a slight sadness catching sight of a seemingly young woman with her arms around a little girl to whisper in her ear, causing the child to giggle and nod fervently.
"Setsuya, do vampires ever form families?"
The vampire lord glanced at the teenager curled up on his couch, and set aside a book with a strange gleam in his eye. "It's possible for two vampires to fall in love and marry, though many don't care to trifle with such matters. I act as the minister, should a couple feel the need to secure their union. The marriages tend to break apart after a while, however. An eternity is an awfully long time for two people to spend together if they aren't soul mates."
"And what about children?" Zuko asked softly, wrapping his arms around his knees as though he was listening to something thrilling.
"We can't produce our own, if that's what you mean," he said slowly, raising an eyebrow at the curious young man. He sat next to Zuko, trying to understand why his young counterpart seemed so troubled. "Recall that a vampire's body is no indication of their mental age. I myself am an excellent example, one hundred and twenty years of existence and still appearing as a teenager. Yet if a young child is bitten by a vampire, suppose a four year old, and manages to retain his or her earthly ties, they are taken underground like all other vampires. The young are easily scared and difficult to communicate with. They don't understand what's happening and they're unable to control their ravishing hunger for blood because of it. Letting them wander the earth would be a disaster. It takes a mature mind and a strong will to survive as a vampire in such a young body." His voice faded as he spoke his next words, "Many end up having to be burned. It's a sick thing, having to murder your own kind. But if it saves more people from death or even a destiny of the undead, it must be done."
"You-" Zuko grew sick to his stomach as he comprehended the other man's words. "You kill them? You kill the children?"
"Yes," Setsuya whispered, his eyes growing cold with sadness. "We kill the children. Any who manage to retain control of their bodies still have a young mind, however. Adults will often offer to supervise the kids, especially newlywed couples. Families are rare, however. Most spend their time focusing on hobbies, talents, arts... Anything to take their mind off of blood. Of course there is normal socialization for most, but some tend to isolate themselves. It's just their own way of dealing with their condition."
"You speak of it as though it's a disease, being a vampire."
"It's more of a curse than anything."
"Hey! Check 'im out, it's the human kid!"
Zuko was jolted out of his reverie by a boy perhaps a few years younger than himself with messy brown hair, sharp russet eyes, and rather lanky features. He met the other's challenging gaze warily, although he sensed no threat from his sociable aura. A smile graced the pale boy's lips as he stepped towards Zuko in a wondrous sort of way. "Been ages since we seen a human. How old 're you exactly?"
"Nearing fourteen," Zuko said kindly, although his eyes traced the boy's every step as he came within two feet of him. He couldn't help but notice the two others, another boy and a girl around the same age, who stood a few strides away from them to observe their interaction carefully.
The young man laughed while tousling Zuko's unkempt hair, much to the teen's annoyance. "Really? We ain't too far 'part then. How'd ya like to join me 'n my friends in a game? That is, if ya ain't scared." Oh. This kid knew how to play his cards to get what he wanted.
"What kind of game?" Zuko asked with interest, tapping his foot expectantly on the ground. He glared suspiciously as the boy with the amusing accent snorted.
"Oh, dun't worry. We ain't gonna bite ya or nothin'." The boy's icy hand slid around the teen's wrist before he had time to protest and dragged him across the room to where the others stood, into what seemed to be a chalked rectangle drawn neatly in the dirt floor that stretched for about twenty yards in either direction of the bolded center line.
"Eh! 'Splain the rules to him, would ya Kaede?" the boy called, jerking his head towards the tomboyish young girl.
The girl by the name of Kaede winked at Zuko, who swallowed nervously as she began in a sharp voice. "It's a partner game, two on two. Team kicks the ball towards their goal..." She gestured towards the ratty nets that hung between two poles on either side of the field as the boy tossed the objective ball in the center of the field. "And defends their own goal, by trying to steal the ball and score their own points. Rules are plain and easy: No hands allowed, only feet. Keep the ball in-between the chalk lines. Violate those rules and the other team earns a penalty shot. Other than that, it's a free game. First team to ten goals wins. Questions?"
The three kids eyed him keenly and he smiled, shrugging off his outer cloak and tossing it to the side. "Sounds simple enough."
"It can get pretty messy," the tall, thin boy standing next to her warned. "We'll try to go easy on you."
Zuko suppressed a smirk, nodding politely as he spoke. "I'd certainly appreciate that." The one who'd first approached him immediately called Zuko as his partner and they readied for the kickoff at the center line. The golden-eyed teenager took a deep breath and waited for Kaede to count to '3' before side-swerving his two opponents and rounding their figures, kicking the dusty blue ball towards his awaiting comrade, who darted towards the net and easily shot their first point. Zuko smiled innocently at their shocked opponents, who were suddenly invigorated with this new challenge.
The game continued, Zuko working rather well with his assigned teammate. All he had to do was provide the fancy footwork and get past the defense before passing the ball to the other, who earned them a point with his spot-on aim. Zuko kept his breath steady and even, dodging in and out of the two players who insisted on ganging up on him, keeping the ball in short range until his companion was open. Genuine laughter passed by his lips as the game progressed, forgetting how glorious the sensation was to get your heart pumping and your adrenaline rushing. Having been so careful for the past two weeks, he was extremely open to the carefree behavior that these three vampires encouraged.
With the score settling at ten to three, Zuko caught his breath and moderated it in order to slow his pulse. Kaede and her partner stared in awe at the human who had so eloquently defeated them, while his own teammate nodded his head with pride. "We sure showed them, didn't we? You oughtta stop by a lot more." Zuko bowed towards them with gratitude, before stepping back and turning to head back to Setsuya's quarters only to notice that they had gained quite the audience while he had been preoccupied with the game. He felt a blush tinge his cheeks, for most of the vampires were staring at him, thoroughly impressed with his vigor at having outmaneuvered a team of two who neither had to breathe, nor became physically tired.
He slunk out of the room as quickly as he could, a smile still adorning his face as he walked. He passed into the dark adjacent hallway and sighed, hoping Setsuya had finally returned from his task. Even though he hated to admit it, he missed the vampire lord. "Well, wasn't that quite the performance?" Zuko froze at the gruff, unrecognizable voice and immediately spun around, eyes growing wide when he saw a burly, powerful looking figure who seemed to be glaring him down rather viciously behind his greasy brown hair.
"Can I help you with something?" Zuko hadn't meant for his voice to grow so cold, but he had a dreadful feeling about the man standing before him that made his blood churn frostily.
"You must like games." The man advanced on him, only for the teenager to pull cautiously away. "Why don't you come to my room and we'll play a different kind of game?" The man smirked, his arm making a quick lunge for the boy. Zuko easily dodged and twisted his body, slamming an elbow into the vampire's chest and sending him sprawling to the floor.
"Why you bitch!" The man made a move to spring up and pounce towards him, but he was stopped in his tracks when a pair of chilly arms wrapped tightly around the boy's midsection and held him close to a frigid body. Setsuya?No, this hold was much different than his.
"He may be a bitch, but I needn't remind you that he is Setsuya's bitch." The voice was as softly woven as silk, but steely and dangerous to the ears. "Any move against this young man will have you thrown in solitary confinement for the rest of your miserable eternity. Why don't you just move along and we'll pretend this never happened?"
"Stay out of this, Ryuichi!" the man warned, taking a fierce step towards the captive teen.
Ryuichi? He glanced up to find that the same scarlet-eyed man who'd once sarcastically labeled him a 'boy-toy' was defending him from this strange and rather repulsive man. Ignoring the irony of the situation, Zuko allowed himself to be pressed backwards as Ryuichi continued to treat the situation.
"I'm afraid I'm obligated to report you to Lord Setsuya," the raven-haired vampire sighed, raising an eyebrow at the man. "He would understand if you wanted the boy for his blood, but desiring another body for your own sick entertainment doesn't seem very explicable, especially to our Lord. Such a crime deserves the highest of punishments in his eyes. Now why don't you run along like a good boy, hmm?" Zuko blinked, nearly dazed by the man's beautiful voice. It was even more enchanting than Setsuya's.
"You'll regret this," the man finally snarled, backing away from the opposing vampire and treading down the hall in short, angry strides.
Glancing back at Zuko, Ryuichi whispered a single word. "Undoubtedly." He raised an eyebrow at the staring teenager, turning to face him. After a minute of silence he prodded, "You're welcome."
"I didn't need your help," Zuko stated clearly, the words simply slipping out of his mouth. He flinched, before trying to recover. "Wait, no. I'm sorr-"
"Don't be." Ryuichi sighed, a rogue strand of hair brushing daintily against his cheek. "I understand that you can protect yourself. You're a firebender, are you not? You have to recognize that these people, the very few who desire to hurt you, are the ones that can only be frightened by the cruel hand of Setsuya himself. Even if you fought them off, they'd only try again."
"Setsuya has never seemed that cruel to me," Zuko whispered, watching a tart gleam brush across those deep ruby eyes.
"You'd be surprised." Ryuichi drew his dark, slimming burgundy robes closer to him and sighed, the bitterness no longer present in his voice. The black, red-embroidered sash wrapped tightly around the man's waist looked to Zuko as though it might make it difficult to breathe. Then the young teenager reminded himself once again that vampires did not need to breathe, despite whether they chose to or not. For some reason, this concept was consistently difficult for Zuko to grasp. "You're a swordsman, aren't you?" he asked suddenly, tilting his head as he leaned closer to the teenager.
Zuko frowned at the sudden change in the man's demeanor. Where was the man he'd first met, who had taunted him and gushed confidence from his very smirk? "Yes. How did you know?" he asked carefully, trying to figure out when the vampire's eyes had become so captivating.
"The way you moved. I was watching during the game," he replied casually, removing his hair tie so that his indigo splashed hair could flow freely. "I can tell by the way you directed your feet while your arms gave you balance and control. Only a swordsman could have commanded the battlefield so skillfully." His eyes flickered upward as though trying to remember something, then he genuinely smiled for the first time at the boy. "I have something to show you. Come with me?" The questioning tone of the statement shocked Zuko slightly. Ryuichi didn't seem to be one to ask more so than demand.
"Are you going to try and rape me?" the teen couldn't help but tease, watching the man's smile twitch.
"I'll try to resist the temptation."
xXxBloodlustxXx
Setsuya sighed, slipping into his private bathing room after a quick glance to ensure that Zuko wasn't there. He suppressed a reflexive yawn as he quietly disrobed and slipped into the steaming pool of water, his eyes shutting in bliss. How wonderful it was, being surrounded with such comfortable warmth. It was nowhere near the soothing touch that his young soul mate offered him, but it was nevertheless enjoyable. Laying his head back at the edge of the spring, he allowed his mind the rest it desired.
The man had spent the last three days negotiating with a group of rogue vampires who insisted on feeding upon human blood, which had caused an unusual outbreak of new recruits in the underground city. Usually during a single year, only two or perhaps three of those who were fed of and passed away actually became vampires. This year alone, six had already joined the league. Convincing the small clan of vampires to join their civilization hadn't been easy, and Setsuya had grudgingly had to settle with allowing them to feast on human blood once every new moon under the conditions that they did not kill the human from which they fed, and must knock the human unconscious before doing so. He sincerely hoped he wouldn't regret allowing them to survive.
Setsuya groaned as his thoughts drifted to the teenage boy who was quite possibly lingering in his room at the very moment. He had to think of a way to deepen their connection, find something that they could bond over. He admitted that all he desired was for that boy to understand, to acknowledge him and care for him the way Kuzon once had. "But he isn't Kuzon," he reminded himself softly as he snagged the bar of soap from the pool's edge and lathered it across his arm. "You mustn't forget, he isn't Kuzon." How easy it would be to forget, to close my eyes and touch him as Kuzon. Setsuya's eyes shot open as an uncomfortable jolt ran down his spine. He knew how easy it was, to twist a man's intentions in one's mind. His keeper had done it every time he pushed young Setsuya onto the bed, pretending the mortal desired the unwanted contact.
"I'm doing something wrong, aren't I?" he asked the ceiling, as he washed his hair with his favorite strawberry shampoo that he would never admit he borrowed from Akane. Tracing the veins in one arm with the pale finger of the opposite hand, he sighed and shook his head. "I just wish the truth wouldn't hurt him." Slowly the façade that was the cold, established leader faded away. All that was left was a young teenager desperate for love.
"Setsuya." The seventeen-year-old refused to acknowledge the soft greeting, staring dully at the earthen wall with eyes that had lost their sparkle days ago. He could hear those soft footsteps approaching, but he made no attempt to turn and grant the vampire the recognition he desired. He closed his eyes as cold hands ran up and down his exposed arms and chest, while he made no attempt to hide the shudder that ran down his spine. The chains that bound his hands to the bed rattled as the man embraced him from behind with a gentle urging, "Setsuya, please. If you aren't going to speak to me, at least eat something. You haven't eaten for a week. You're going to starve. I'll bring you anything you want."
"I want to go home," he said quietly, clearly, and emotionlessly as the man kissed his neck. He shivered and tried to remain calm. He didn't want this; he wanted to be home with Kuzon, his lover.
"You are home," the icy voice breathed against his neck, as his shirtless form was gently caressed and fondled. His nipples were stimulated to get some sort of reaction out of the boy, although the teenager simply gagged from the sensation. "The sooner you accept me, the easier this will become." Setsuya cursed the chains that bound him as he tried to shirk away from the man's touch, only to be flipped onto his back and pinned against the silken bedding. His heart began to pound as fright suddenly came over his expression, though he tried to keep as calm as he could. "I have yet to hurt you, have I? I am good to you, am I not?"
"Please," Setsuya began to beg as the man's hands caressed his hips. "I want to go home! Let me go home. You have no right-" He was cut off by a pair of rough lips, silencing him swiftly.
"I have every right, you little slut." Setsuya winced as the chains were tightened along the headboard. The change in the man's demeanor was alarming, causing the young teen to silently sob. Home... Was wanting to be home with the ones he loved truly so terrible? Could the spirits not allow even this? "You belong to me, understand? You can forget that bastard Kuzon. You'll mean nothing to him soon enough. He won't want you, not after you become mine."
Tears ran down Setsuya's face as the man began to fully undress him. He begged for mercy, the only option he had left. "No! Please, I'll do anything for you; anything but this." He tried to squirm his way out of the man's grasp, but his weakness at having refused food for days was evident. "No! You can't do this!" He was immediately slapped for his poor behavior, causing him to wince as he was fully exposed to this stranger whose name he'd never even learned.
"You truly think your lover is going to want you after this?" the man asked, his golden eyes glinting as he surveyed his prize. "You'll be dirty, tainted. No one will have the ability to care for you after this, nobody but me." He began to undress himself, still straddling the frightened teenager, who was trembling beneath this threatening vampire. "You're worthless in every way but one, and you'll pay me for my kindness in the only manner you can."
"Pathetic bitch!"
"You should never have refused me!"
"Worthless whore!"
"Drown in your own dirty blood, you useless boy!"
Setsuya trembled as the memories of his past haunted his mind. One hundred years after his death, and still that man controlled him. That man, the first vampire, was undoubtedly sick in the head. No sooner had he raped Setsuya then carried him off to this very spring to confess his love for the ill, bloodied adolescent. Nevertheless, he had accomplished his goal. The teenager's will to return to his soul mate had been shot after that day. He couldn't return to Kuzon after being tainted with another's seed; he truly believed that his worth had been shattered.
"I'm sorry," he whispered into the air, his voice thick with regret. "Have I become just as bitter as him?"
xXxBloodlustxXx
"This is amazing," Zuko breathed, holding the weapon in his hands as though it was an ancient antique. His thumb gently grazed over the blade as he gently checked the balance of the weapon by shifting it to his other hand. "This is a rare metal, isn't it? There aren't very many lightweight weapons that are built this powerfully." He honored the weapon with graceful and delicate hands, unimaginably entranced by the cerulean-tinted blade.
"Do you like it?" Ryuichi's confident voice asked from where he sat on his bed, cross-legged and tapping his fingers on his thighs habitually. "I forged it myself. It's my favorite blade to handle." His eyes shone with pride as Zuko traced a careful finger across the flat width of the magnificent sword. Ryuichi had led the young teenager into his own one-room apartment, which wasn't too different from Setsuya's. The only difference seemed to be the endless amounts of weaponry, particularly swords that lined his room and hung on his walls with a certain satisfaction.
Thoroughly interested, Zuko's eyes glistened with admiration as he looked up from the sword and stared at the man in awe. "You forged this yourself? That's incredible!" He gently sheathed the weapon and offered it back to the man, who made no move to take it.
"I have to spend my time some way or another," he stated, brushing the hair from his eyes with a smile. "I live underground, after all. Materials for metals are easy to come by." He stood from the bed and tilted his head at the young man. "How would you like to spar with me? You can use that sword if you like. I respect people who revere fine weaponry."
"Really?" Zuko looked as though he'd been told that his birthday would come three months early. "You mean it?"
"Sure." Ryuichi's smug grin returned as he reached towards the sword above his bed and slung the sheathed weapon around his shoulder. "Don't think I'll go easy on you like those brats did. My weapons are my passion, and I won't allow them anything but the best effort."
"I understand," Zuko said, securing the borrowed sword around his waist. "Thank you." Ryuichi simply smirked, opening the arched door and nodding towards the dimmed hallway.
"I know a place we can practice undisturbed. From the looks of it, you get quite flustered when people are watching you perform." Zuko blushed, but failed to retaliate as the vampire urged him out of the room with a gentle hand on his shoulder. He led him down an accompanying stairwell not too far down the corridor, although the teenager began to get a bit nervous as the candles began to seem dimmer and dimmer.
Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. Ryuichi may have been pretending to be pleasant, while he really wanted to take Zuko down here and slit his throat to drink of his blood. His heart began to pound as he thought up dangerous, and sometimes ridiculous scenarios as they were furthermore encompassed by darkness, their footsteps echoing down the hallway.
"You don't have to be so nervous," Ryuichi whispered from behind him, putting both hands on the boy's shoulders. "I'm not going to hurt you." With these words he scooped up the boy bridal-style and continued down hallway undisturbed.
"Wha-What are you doing?!" Zuko yelped as his arms felt their way around the man's neck. He didn't feel very comfortable with this contact, not in the slightest. His form chilled and he shivered, trying to regain his body heat against the other's cold figure.
"It's pitch-black down here," Ryuichi murmured, taking every graceful stride down the stairs with ease. "I can see the stairs and you can't." He said it as though it was the simplest concept in the world, but he didn't quite see the evident blush on the human's face. "There's a chandelier in the training room, so you don't have to fight in the dark." He could tell that the man's voice was slightly strained, just as Setsuya's when...
Zuko fell silent, trying to control his heartbeat for the sake of the other man. It was very strange however, wondering why he suddenly felt so comfortable as this near-stranger held him close. As soon as a light was visible from the bottom of the stairwell, Ryuichi set Zuko down on his feet. The teen quickly slunk down the remainder of the stairs feeling rather strange as his heart skipped a few beats. This guy... He stepped into the objective room, amazed by the space of the area and the height of the ceiling. We must be pretty far down.
At the sound of Ryuichi's sword being unsheathed, Zuko spun around and smoothly drew his weapon, delighted by how it felt it his hand. Wordlessly, the vampire's eyes became powerfully focused as he lunged forward for the initiating strike. Zuko parried the blow, the clang of the steel making his heart leap with excitement. Side-stepping the young man swiftly, Ryuichi swung the sword around his torso and aimed a blow to the teen's waistline. Zuko dodged to the side and swept his feet from beneath him, causing the vampire to leap back in order to gain his balance.
The two men commenced with their duel and Ryuichi smirked once he knew he'd found a worthy adversary who could not only handle a new weapon on the blink of an eye, but could rival the movement of a vampire who'd been practicing with swords for over half a century. His blows became fiercer and less predictable, aimed for the more lethal regions of Zuko's body. The young teenager couldn't help but laugh as the battle continued, for Ryuichi was a mastermind at combat manipulation and he sometimes wondered if his opposing strikes were truly his own choice, or a forced plot by the man.
After an hour, sweat was forming at Zuko's brow and his lungs felt as though they we're inhaling fire. Still, he pursued his offensive stance in hopes that he might catch the other off-guard and claim the battle as his own. Ryuichi didn't look the least bit tired, but he did appear somewhat playfully frustrated with Zuko's inevitable persistence. Finally, the young teenager fell to the ground with a choked moan, and the vampire tapped the edge of his swords lightly against the other's neck. "Dead," he proclaimed assertively, before sheathing the weapon and offering a hand out to the teen.
Zuko winced as the sweat tainted his eyes and he put away the weapon strung across his lap, never once allowing it to touch the ground. He sighed and clasping Ryuichi's hand, his cool touch working wonders for his overheated body. Without thinking, he nestled into the older man's figure, panting softly as he relished the gentle chill caressing his form. The vampire's eyes widened with shock, before nervously wrapping his arms around the boy in order to keep him comfortable. He resisted the urge to moan at how wonderfully warm the contact was, seeing as how he hadn't touched a human since his 'death'. "We should get you some water. You're dehydrated."
Zuko groaned in response, his flushed cheeks never failing to show off their pink tinge. Ryuichi sighed, carrying the boy as he had before all the way up to his room. Laying him down on the bed to catch his breath, he grabbed an old canteen and darted out towards the pure underground lake about a half a mile west of his apartment. He returned within minutes, slightly anxious when he saw the boy had passed out. Maybe I was too rough with him. He knelt next to the teenager and roused him gently, holding the canteen to his lips. "Drink," he commanded, as the young man's eyes fluttered to life.
Zuko sat up and parted his lips, allowing the liquid to quench his dehydration. "Th-Thank you," he whispered, letting out a content sigh as Ryuichi put a hand to the boy's forehead. "I'm sorry. I wish I could have been more of a challenge for you."
"You know, you're the first person other than me to fight with that particular sword. I don't just lend out my best weapon that easily. I could tell you would handle it with the grace and veneration it deserved. You were the greatest challenge I've had in a long time. It wasn't really a fair match, after all. My body can't tire like yours can. I'm sure that if you were undead, we'd probably be sparring until the next moon. I thank you for your time. Next time I'll try to be more sensitive to your condition." Ryuichi winced as the words slipped from his mouth, as he was assuming that there would in fact be a 'next time'. He couldn't deny how exhilarated he felt fighting against the other. He was relieved to see Zuko smile.
"Thanks, Ryuichi. You're not such a jerk are you?" Zuko said the words almost deliriously, although he was quite serious.
"Sometimes..." The man trailed off with a sigh. "You can stop by anytime you like if you want to spar. I enjoyed your company, Zuko." Ryuichi hid a smile, enjoying the way the boy's name slid off of his tongue. "If I'm not in my room, just wait for me. I'm never gone long, and the door is always unlocked."
Zuko knew he should have been suspicious of the vampire's sudden kindness towards him, but he simply couldn't bring himself to doubt this man. Setsuya's company was frosty, but Ryuichi's was ironically warm. The change of pace was rather captivating. With a final expression of gratitude, Zuko trudged back to Setsuya's quarters to rest, with the bleak hope that the man was there waiting for him. He missed the vampire lord, pride forgotten.
xXxBloodlustxXx
Setsuya sighed, sitting on the couch in his room while restlessly playing with the sash of his robes. It wasn't like him to be so unproductive, but he simply felt the need to wait for Zuko. For some reason, he had a flutter in his stomach that meant the boy was longing to see him. Of course, staring at the door for the past half an hour hadn't exactly been the best way to deal with the urges, but he was determined to let Zuko know that he was trusted. Then, their bonding could commence flawlessly. He was relieved when he smelt his soul mate approach the door, but his nose wrinkled quickly. The boy smelled of sweat and... something else.
With a yawn, Zuko entered the room, intent on falling asleep on Setsuya's couch only to find the vampire sitting gracefully at the edge with the tiniest of smiles. "Setsuya!" Zuko zipped forward and fell into the man's arms, who let out a soft chuckle and stroked the boy's hair.
"You..." The vampire fell silent, inhaling slowly as though trying to remain calm. He let out a low growl from his throat, making the teen wary of his anger. "Zuko. Why do you smell like him?" The words were spat out like poison, holding venom that Zuko had never heard in his voice before. He pushed the teenager away from him and against the wall, upsetting the younger man.
"What?" Zuko asked hesitantly, watching Setsuya's expression grow furious. The vampire stood and slammed his hand into the wall right next to the teen's head, causing the human to tremble.
"Why do you smell like Ryuichi?!" he growled, putting a particular spiteful emphasis on the name. Setsuya's other hand trailed down to the teen's throat, easily in a position to choke him, so Zuko decided it was best to answer the question as frankly as he could.
"Ryu-Ryuichi intimidated some guy who was tr-trying to get me to come to his room. When I told him I was a swordsman, h-he asked me to spar with him. We were at it for an hour, but I fainted at the end. He carried me up to his room and let me rest for a while. That's all, I swear."The anger was no longer present on the man's face, but a strained sort of calm.
"Did he hurt you?" he asked quietly, stroking Zuko's cheek with care. For some reason, the question sounded a lot more like, 'Did he try to bed with you?', as though the man was some sort of sexual predator.
"No, of course not." The teen frowned, taking Setsuya's hand into his own. "Why would you ask me something like that?"
The vampire looked away, suddenly ashamed of himself. "I'm sorry if I frightened you." He walked forward and sat at his desk chair, putting a tender hand to his forehead. "I'm going to be blunt with you. Ryuichi hates me, with good reason. If he decided he wanted to hurt me, you would be the most effective target for him. There's a good chance that he hates you simply for existing. I just want you to be careful."
"He was very kind to me," Zuko murmured, curling up on the couch with exhaustion. "He won't try anything. He knows I'm your bitch."
"What?!" Setsuya choked out, thankful that he didn't have blood flowing though his veins or his entire face would be flushed. Unfortunately the teen was asleep and unable to answer his exclamation. There had to be a story behind that one. He would have to ask Zuko later. Sighing, the vampire thumbed through the paperwork on his desk, slightly disappointed by the lack of quality time he'd spent with his soul mate. Still, Ryuichi posed as a severe problem, even if he did rescue Zuko from some lustful threat.
"What are you after?" he asked softly, his eyes closing in thought.
"Setsuya!" the boy called out in a sing-song voice, darting into the man's office. "Setsuya, I made something for you!"
Setsuya smiled as the energetic teenage vampire skipped into his room and knelt at his feet. "You should be more quiet, Ryuichi. Some of the more elderly are starting to complain that you're disturbing the peace."
"Oh, what do they know?" The eighteen year old pouted, nestling his head into the vampire lord's lap. "They're old and cranky! Most of them don't even look past their thirties…"
"The mind still matures with time, Ryuichi," Setsuya murmured, petting the young man's hair absentmindedly. "They've been here for a while and feel they deserve a little peace and quiet. You'll understand when you get older." Even for an eighteen-year-old, this boy seemed to have the imagination and demeanor of one who was thirteen.
"You're never upset like they are," whispered the young man shyly, looking into the man's eyes. "You're older than anyone here, but you don't seem like any more of an adult than me." Sure his lord was quiet and stern, but he could be playful and kind should the circumstances allow it.
"Change doesn't sit well with me," he explained, a glimmer of humor dashed in those violet eyes. Setsuya was a being frozen in time, perfectly content with his mind set. "Now, you have something to show me?"
"Oh yeah!" Ryuichi pushed aside the first fold of his robes, pulled out a sword, and set it on the man's lap. "I've been working on it nonstop for the last two days. It took a long time to heat the metal to make it." His eyes were humble, but his voice was thrilled.
Setsuya smiled and unsheathed the sword, his eyes widening and lips parting in amazement. "Ryuichi, you made this?" It was a beautiful weapon, with a luxury hilt and a blade of light, azure-tinged steel.
"For you," the boy whispered, averting his eyes to the ground. "It's the best one I've made so far, and I'll never make another like it again. It's my favorite blade, and I want you to have it."
"You shouldn't have gone through the trouble, Ryu," Setsuya breathed, understanding the significance of the weapon and how close his young comrade held it to his heart. "You know I don't use swords very well."
"It's all I have to give you." The young vampire looked hopeless, a tearful glimmer shining in his gorgeous scarlet eyes.
"I'll tell you what," Setsuya whispered, stroking the teen's hair gently. "I want you to use it, and every time you do, you can think of me. It's a stunning blade, the best I've ever seen. It belongs in the hand of a truly extraordinary swordsman." He sealed the words with a deep kiss, causing the young one to giggle.
"Thank you, Lord Setsuya."
Ryuichi sighed, bringing a hand to his head in aggravation. As he lie on his bed, all he could think about was the teenager that Setsuya was so fond of. He couldn't blame the vampire lord for keeping the boy around. He was quite beautiful, after all. For some reason, that fact didn't quite soothe the pain he felt in his chest, nor the odd desire to cry his unbeating heart out.