Title: Blood of the Snake

By: retroelectric

Warnings: Mature themes, Vampirism, Horror/Supernatural, Yaoi, Alternate Universe

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Get Backers. This is a Get Backers fan fiction, ideas purely fan-made speculations based off the relationship between the Get Backers duo and infused with several elements inspired – and not stolen off the Vampire Chronicles Universe by Anne Rice. It is also important to note that this does not contain ANY of her characters, thus this is strictly NOT a Vampire Chronicles/Get Backers crossover. In this way I do not breach any of Anne Rice's policies regarding fan fiction on her work.

Chapter 6

Both of them lay sleeping in each other's arms after their passionate lovemaking that day, limbs tangled together. It was only a few hours after that Ginji stirred. Feeling pleasantly sore, Ginji padded over to the bathroom to clean himself up.

Noticing a piece of paper stuck to the bathroom mirror, Ginji looked at the elegant writing confusedly, not able to read the foreign language. Removing it, Ginji shook Ban awake. Opening his sleep-fogged eyes, Ban noticed Ginji waving a piece of parchment about.

"What is that, Ginji?"

"I don't know, Ban-chan. It is written in another language which I cannot read, and is probably from Cadmus-san as well," Ginji replied sheepishly, shoving the paper into Ban's hand.

Recognising the language written on the parchment as English, Ban read it quietly.

Dear Ban and Ginji,

My, haven't the both of you worn each other out today. I have told the servants to prepare a feast for the both of you in the dining room. Be there by 8 pm.

Cadmus

Colouring slightly at the first sentence, Ban deftly translated the message to Ginji, omitting the little irrelevant comment Cadmus had made. "Oh. But, but, Ban-chan, it is already past 8 pm, and we're late in meeting Cadmus-san!" Ginji pointed out.

"Shit," Ban cursed, pulling on the discarded pants from the floor, Ginji doing the same. Running his fingers through his long, spiky hair quickly to make himself look more presentable, Ban flung open the door and motioned for Ginji to pass through and the pair rushed to the direction of the dining room.

Cadmus sat on one of the velvet chairs, dressed in a casual silk shirt, waiting patiently. He wore his gloriously wild white blond hair long and free that night, the very picture of elegance to Ban and Ginji. Ginji gaped for a moment before grinning at the vampire boyishly. He smiled as he laid his eyes on the disheveled duo when the large doors of the room flew open.

"Ah, Ban, Ginji, you're late," Cadmus said lightly.

"W-We're really sorry, Cadmus-san," Ginji stuttered apologetically, moving to take a seat in one of the lush chairs. The aroma of the delicious food sang out to him, and his stomach growled loudly in response. Giving a longing look to the food laid on large silver platters the table, Ginji swallowed back his hunger to give a polite smile to the man before him. "So, you said you wanted to talk to us..." Ginji trailed off.

Giving an amused laugh at Ginji's nervousness, Cadmus said, "That can wait for later. Now, I believe you must be hungry. Help yourselves!" Ginji nodded gratefully, and proceeded to do so.

After the meal, both Ban and Ginji leaned back into their seats contentedly. Ginji patted his stomach happily, and said, "Thank you so much, Cadmus-san! The food was delicious, as usual!" Ban flashed Cadmus a sensuous grin in agreement, and got up from his seat, pulling the blond vampire by the hand up gently. "Come," Ban whispered in his ear.

To say that he, Cadmus, was shocked from the sudden contact that Ban instigated would be a huge understatement. The heat from the strong arm Ban had wound loosely around his waist permeated through the silky fabric of his shirt and into his flawless marble-like cold skin. A surge of heady lust came and overtook his ancient body, and for a short moment he couldn't think. To think that this powerful mortal beside him was touching him like this -- it very nearly rendered him weak in the knees. Cadmus let Ban lead them to the living room, Ginji following behind bouncing excitedly on the balls of his feet.

Staring into Ban's unreadable azure eyes as he seated him on the black leather sofa, Cadmus couldn't help but lift a hand to stroke the soft skin of his cheek. The beautiful and mysterious man before him coloured slightly at the touch. Marveling at the smoothness of his skin and the way the corners of his lips lifted in a coy smile, Cadmus couldn't help but to be entranced by the blueness of his eyes, and the way the black round pupils gradually transformed into snake-like pupils.

Pushing violet glasses higher to cover the dangerous eyes before they released a Jagan, Ban spoke gruffly, "Don't look into my eyes like that, Cadmus."

"You're beautiful," Cadmus aspirated, finally regaining his voice.

Releasing his hand from around Cadmus abruptly as though he was burnt, Ban scowled at the honest admission, the blush on his pale cheeks raging. "Why, you! I am not 'beautiful'-" Ban started.

Ginji giggled and interrupted Ban's rant. "Cadmus-san is right! Ban-chan is beautiful, isn't he?" Cadmus nodded in agreement and chuckled as Ban blushed harder. Damn his European genes which lightened his skin colour and made his blush all the more obvious.

Frowning at the two blond men who were chuckling at his expense, Ban crossed his arms impatiently and looked pointedly at Cadmus.

"Well?" Ban urged.

"I must apologise for laughing at you, Ban. I also believe that I've stalled my introduction to the both of you long enough."

"Damn right you have," Ban muttered under his breath. Cadmus smiled at that, and he began his tale of his long life.

"I was born near the end of the 17th century in Herakleion, Greece. I lived as an vagabond orphan on the streets, and my life was basically a living hell for me. That was, until I was twelve years old when I was taken in by a kind man named Briareos. He was a carpenter, and the both of us lived in a tiny house, but I was grateful for him putting a roof over my head. Briareos was a poor man, but he had such a vast wealth of knowledge that he handed over to me. He taught me philosophy, religion, language, arithmetic, subjects which were popular at that time. His lessons never failed to capture my imagination, and I found myself looking forward to them every single time. His presence was a comfort to me in such hellish conditions."

"But Briareos died when I was seventeen due to an illness of the heart. Once again, I was a vagrant, left all alone in a world which only the fittest survived. I was crushed but I moved on. I suppose that's something in my nature to lack the appropriate emotions at the appropriate times?" Cadmus said questioningly, but continued when there was no response from the duo. "Another man came into my life, and he was a vampire whom I shall still call a secret. It was truly peculiar the way we met."

"Of course, I hadn't known of his true nature the first time I met him, passing off the unnatural pallor of his skin due to a skin condition. The first time I stepped into his home, I thought it was a palace. He seduced me utterly, and it was pure love that I had felt for him. I knew he wasn't any normal human being. He was always gone by day, and never ate or drank anything. But I was in love, and that was all that mattered. The night he made me into one of his kind was one of the most painful nights I had ever lived through."

"Right after giving me his powerful Blood, my Maker threw himself into a fire. 'Scatter my ashes,' he said to me right before he killed himself. He left me all of his treasures and gold, but I was left numb with the loss of my Maker and the added burden of the vampiric condition with no mentor to guide me through. It was painful - yet I put it all behind me again, like every other thing I seem to do with the most important aspects in my life."

Exhaling slowly, Cadmus banished the bitter-sweet memories from his mind and gazed intently to the Get Backers. "For the past three-hundred years of my life, I've lived amongst mortals like this. Have you ever noticed how repetitive life can be? How in the end, all of us, immortal or mortal - seem to revert to doing things that are deemed 'safe' for us, until we finally break and come out of our shell. That's what I'm doing right now; I am finally letting mortals into my life, something I have never done before. They are no longer just nourishment for me. Both of you are no longer just human to me, not just that. You're both extraordinary, there is simply no other word for you."

"And no matter how hard I find, I could never find an immortal the same as I. Could it be possible that I'm the only of my kind that's alive? Or I haven't been looking hard enough?" Cadmus rose abruptly in anger and slammed a fist into the table.

Ginji nearly jumped in his seat from shock. How had he...? Cadmus was sitting on the sofa one instant, and he had his fist buried in the broken table in the next? "Cadmus," Ban started, rising and wrapping his arms around Cadmus's hard body from behind, instinctively clasping a hand on Ban's interlocked arms around him. "Don't take it all on yourself. We'd hate to see you like this. You have us, now. We do not care." About other vampires, that bit was unspoken, but Cadmus knew.

A blood tear fell from an eye. Ban released from his hold, and gently grasped Cadmus's face in a palm. A finger wiped that lone tear away -- and the next thing he knew was that both Ban and Ginji had enveloped him in their arms.