Tainted But Beautiful

Part 1: The Hunters

3. Incubus

Pairings: AkuZeku, Zemyx, AkuRoku, AxDem

Rated: M

Warnings: Vampires, vampires, vampires...uh, yaoi, AU-ish-ness, abuse (if it has AkuZeku, it has abuse in it), noncon, graphic scenes, overall weirdness.

Summary: Axel is a powerful vampire slayer who's captured Zexion, a vampire, as his pet. What Axel doesn't bargain on is Demyx, his former student, developing a strong attraction to Zexion...

Notes: Wow! Fast update! I can't promise the others will be this quick, but for now I'm really on a roll with this story! I've even started on the fifth chapter! So I'm happy. Really, I love this story to pieces and I'm overwhelmed by the response to it (cough usually my pieces never get that many reviews...) So I'm on cloud nine right now.

This chapter contains more strong Zemyx moments--including a sex scene! Wowza! So early, too! So I'm scared, because I'm kind of bad at writing lemony scenes (at least this is what I feel). Though this story will only have more lemony scenes in it, so I guess I'd better get used to it.

Funny, how Demyx had left Axel's villa last night swearing he'd never return (at least until Axel got rid of that vampire...)--but less than twelve hours later he was standing at the gates of Axel's expensive abode again, this time arguing with a smartly uniformed butler.

"Please, sir, if you do not leave within fifteen minutes I'll be forced to call security, and believe me, that would be a most unpleasant experience for both of us," sighed the butler, running a hand through his hair. He seemed exasperated, but Demyx was too.

"Please let me in," insisted Demyx. "Believe me, I am a friend of Axel's. I was at the party last night, don't you remember?"

The butler swept his eyes skeptically over Demyx, and Demyx knew that the butler was taking in Demyx's shabby appearance, his ragged coat, his beaten-up suitcase, and failing to connect that to the well-dressed party-goers from last night. "Are you accusing me of stupidity, sir?" snapped the butler, a flash of anger in his voice.

"Look, I mean it," said Demyx desperately, trying to peer beyond the butler through the gates. He saw the same courtyard where he'd been attacked by Zexion last night, looking quite different now in the full daylight, and beyond the courtyard the imposing edifice of the villa. There was no one in sight besides a gardener hard at work trimming a few hedges.

"And I mean what I say too," said the butler. "Now, if you don't mind, sir, please leave before I'm forced to take more drastic measures."

Demyx felt his exasperation grow, to the point where he would have liked nothing more than to grab the butler by his starched uniform collar and slam him into the nearest wall. He managed to keep his more violent instincts under check, however, and said, biting down the urge to swear, "I...I'm a vampire slayer, you know. Like Axel. Here, I'll show you my license..." He set his briefcase down and began to fumble through his coat pockets, but the butler interrupted him.

"That won't be necessary, sir," he said haughtily. "Even if you are a vampire slayer I won't just let you in. Please try to understand, sir. I can't just let in random riffraff from the streets. The vampire slayers the master knows are all of the highest caliber, the most accomplished. Simply because you're a ragamuffin with a license doesn't mean--"

Whatever else he was going to say Demyx didn't get to hear, which he supposed was a good thing because it prevented Demyx from exacting his plan to grab the butler by the collar and pummel him. Instead, the butler was cut off mid-sentence by a very familiar sardonic voice issuing from the intercom by the gate, "Aww, just let him in, will you?"

"B-b-but--" stammered the butler, looking beside himself with indignity and confusion. He cast another evil look at Demyx's ratty coat, an evil look that Demyx returned with little reluctance. "But this--this urchin--"

"Relax," Axel's voice said. "Look, he's a friend of mine. Name's Demyx. Got it memorized?"

Yes Axel, I have it memorized, thought Demyx in irritation. Many things about Axel were irritating, but few could match his catch phrase when it came to being annoying. Demyx had heard that catch phrase enough times during his days as Axel's student--vampires are weakened by sunlight, got it memorized? A well-placed blow to the head will stun but a strike to the heart will definitely kill, got it memorized? Most vampires can summon familiars, got it memorized?--to have become utterly sickened by it. Sometimes hearing echoes of it in other peoples' speech--even innocuous phrases like "Got it?"--was enough to make Demyx want to clutch his head and start screaming. Thankfully, he'd never been driven to the point of that before.

"Of--of course, sir," said the butler although he still seemed somewhat doubting. "Very well then...if you please, sir...enjoy your stay." Although from his tone of voice it was obvious he didn't mean it.

Still, Demyx didn't mind. Let Axel's butler be rude. The gate soundlessly swung open, and Demyx stepped inside into the courtyard. He cast a brief glance around, eyes lingering for a moment on the flat reflective pool where he and Zexion had had their little...confrontation...and then tore his eyes away and began striding down the courtyard, ignoring the strange look the gardener cast him, up to Axel's front door.

Axel was there to greet him, leaning casually against the door frame with that all too familiar smirk on his face. He wasn't wearing the formal tuxedo he had been last night but a plain black shirt and matching jeans. "Morning, Dems. What brings you here?"

"How'd you know I was out there?" said Demyx, evading the question for the moment.

"Oh, I saw you and Saunders--that's the butler--talking from the top floor. I didn't say anything earlier because I wasn't sure it was you, but then I figured only you would dress so rattily. No offense," said Axel with a disarming grin that was almost a smirk. Demyx sighed.

"Gee, thanks for the compliment," he said.

"Hey, I already said 'no offense', didn't I?" said Axel with a shrug. "Well, come on in, Dems. Visiting me now that you know where I live?"

"It's not a 'visit', exactly," said Demyx as he followed Axel into the villa. He only cast the briefest of glances around the ornamented interior, trying to act like he didn't care how fancy Axel's place was at all.

"Oh? And how's that?" said Axel, casting Demyx a sidelong glance, although--maybe this was just Demyx's imagination--his eyes lingered for a moment on the battered briefcase in Demyx's hands.

"Well...I hope you don't mind..." hedged Demyx. It was bad enough, imposing himself on a friend (friend? Ha, said that nasty voice in his mind) like this, but when the friend happened to be Axel of all people...once more, Demyx found himself reluctantly flashing back to that incident last night, where Axel had been unrecognizable in his rage. He wondered just what Axel had done to Zexion...

"Yeah? Get to it," said Axel, although he didn't sound impatient. They scaled a flight of stairs. "Why have you decided to pay me this 'not-visit', eh, pupil?"

"I'm not your pupil anymore," said Demyx with a heavy sigh.

"Yeah, yeah," said Axel distractedly. He pushed open a door and stepped inside, and Demyx followed. The room they had arrived in seemed to be a study located on the very top floor of the villa. The walls were paneled with oak and several bookshelves stuffed with heavy, leather-bound, and very dull-looking tomes lined the room. The curtains had been pushed wide open, letting in streams of bright mid-morning sunshine. In the middle of the room was a heavy oak desk covered with an assorted clutter of books, papers, pens, and, lost in the middle of it all, a sleek computer.

"Sorry, it's a mess," said Axel. Demyx shrugged.

"That's okay," he said. He was used to Axel's messiness, having been Axel's student for so long. It was one of the few things Demyx had directly inherited from his mentor.

"So, just what are you doing here again?" said Axel, perching on the edge of the desk. Demyx had wandered over to the window, and looked down--from his vantage point he could see the entire courtyard and even the street beyond.

"Oh, right...about that," said Demyx, now feeling somewhat nervous. "Uh...I was just wondering...um...I'd like...if it's fine with you..."

"Oh! You want to stay here?" said Axel, catching on immediately. Demyx actually jolted in shock and almost fell from his surprise, but managed to catch himself and turn around, more than a little reluctantly, to face Axel.

"...yeah," he said rather sullenly.

Axel, to Demyx's surprise, didn't seem irritated or angry at all at Demyx's request. In fact, he seemed practically delighted, what with the way his smirk was now almost eating up his face, and there was no mistaking the maniacally amused light shining in Axel's eyes.

"Oh, come on," said Axel. "Don't be embarrassed. Happens to the best of us. Let me guess--you were evicted?"

Demyx decided there was no point in evading the issue, and jerked his head in a glum nod. "Yeah. I wasn't able to pay my rent--but whatever, never mind." Axel didn't have to worry about rent, so why was Demyx bothering to tell him this...? He wouldn't sympathize...

Axel didn't help things along by throwing his head back and laughing. "Ha! Well, that's too bad for you, Dems. But really--make yourself at home here. I won't mind--and it'll be just like old times, won't it?"

"Hey, I'm not your student anymore," said Demyx, unable to keep a twinge of irritation from entering his voice.

"But you'll still be living under my roof, hmm?" said Axel, the trace of a laugh still shining in his eyes. He'd maneuvered behind the desk so he was standing beside the computer. "Then it's pretty much the same thing."

Demyx was about to protest it wasn't--but at that moment several loud knocks sounded from the door. Axel looked annoyed at the interruption, but strode to the door anyway and threw it open. His butler, Saunders, was standing there, looking very self-important.

"You have a visitor, Master Axel," he said, making a conspicuous point of not looking at Demyx at all.

"Huh? Who the--" began Axel, looking irritated, but then understanding dawned on his features. "Oh, it must be the guy from the blood bank--"

"Blood bank?" said Demyx, following Axel as the older slayer exited the room, not even paying any attention to a very affronted-looking Saunders. They swept their way down the carved mahogany steps, Axel humming a jaunty tune as he walked with his hands in his pockets.

"Yeah, Dems," said Axel, his tone slightly impatient. "How else do you think I'm keeping my little pet fed?"

"Oh..." said Demyx, realizing what Axel meant and deciding it made a lot of sense. But all the same...he couldn't banish a faint feeling of disquiet. "But what about the people who, uh, really need transfusions--"

They'd reached the front door by now, and as Demyx spoke Axel paused in the doorframe and threw Demyx a long, piercing look. It was a look the younger slayer recognized, with a sharp jolt in his heart--that same look of scornful condescension, of a teacher's frustration in a student unable to grasp a concept he considered basic. The trip down memory lane was, needless to say, highly unpleasant and unwelcome.

"Who gives a fuck about them, Demyx?" said Axel, and the condescending look left his face to be replace by a wide smirk. "Come on, now--oh, hey, there. Thanks. Now get lost."

The boy who'd delivered Axel something in a plastic bag obeyed and scampered off the instant Axel had given the imperious command. Demyx sighed inwardly--that was Axel, as rude and callous as always. Even back then he'd often wondered what had driven Axel to become a slayer, when he himself didn't give a damn about the common people who were most often the victims of vampire attacks.

Axel's answer had been simple: "I'm a slayer because my parents were slayers. Got it memorized?"

Shitty reason, but hey, if Axel was keeping the streets safe at night, his intentions didn't matter, did they...?

They had started up the stairs again, though this time instead of heading to the very top, they stopped on the second floor and Axel ducked into a room that must have been the kitchen. It was nothing like any kitchen Demyx had ever seen before--not a falling-apart-at-its-seams communal tenement kitchen; but a wide room with a floor laid in elegant coral tile, and with polished granite countertops and sleek, shiny, silver appliances. A young woman stood at a counter, neatly slicing vegetables--Axel, however, ignored her completely and strode straight across the room to a back counter. Demyx trailed after Axel, watching as the redhead opened the plastic bag and pulled out a hospital-issue IV bag--filled with deep red blood.

A sudden irreverent part of Demyx wondered what the person who'd happily donated the blood, feeling that they'd done the world a great service, would think about the use it was being put to...now.

Axel continued his work intently, pulling a knife out of--where? His pocket?--and slitting the bag open in a single neat motion. He then tilted it, emptying the dark substance into a coffee mug. The blood splashed into the mug and some of it sloshed over the edge, but Axel didn't seem to care about the mess he was making. Demyx's head started to spin; something about seeing the blood, congealed slightly and smelling not only of copper but of hospitals, made him feel ill.

"What're you doing?" he said, as Axel slid the mug into the microwave and started pressing buttons. Axel turned to flash Demyx an imperious smirk.

"My little pet won't drink it if it's cold, so I'm doing him a favor by warming it up. Aren't I thoughtful?"

No, thought Demyx sourly, you're the farthest from "thoughtful" I've ever seen a person be. But Axel mentioning Zexion had started Demyx thinking about the beautiful vampire who had tried seducing him last night and been caught--and presumably punished--by Axel. Demyx gulped, wondering what kind of "thoughtfulness" Axel had displayed to his vampire after that incident.

The microwave beeped, and Axel reached in to remove the now steaming--and even more sickening-smelling--mug of blood. Demyx's stomach was churning uncomfortably, and he berated himself inside for it--what kind of vampire slayer became sick at the smell of blood? Just as Axel removed the mug, though, his pocket let out a very loud series of beeps.

"Huh?" said Demyx, confused, whipping his head around wildly and wondering where the beeps were coming from--surely not Axel's pants? But Axel solved the mystery for Demyx by yanking a sleek, top-of-the-line cell phone from his pocket and flipping it deftly open. Duh. Demyx might not have had a phone, but Axel most certaintly possessed the most advanced kind out there. It was just the kind of person he was...

"Hey, Luxord," said Axel. Demyx jerked in recognition at the name--Luxord was a prominent banker who provided much funding to vampire slayers and slayer societies. "Oh--what? What the hell? All right, all right...hey, look, I do take care of my finances--! All right, all right, I'll be down there later, how 'bout four...huh? Right now? C'mon, can you be any more impatient? Fine, fine, I'll be there. Damn it, you bring up my father again and I'll--! Okay, okay. I'm coming, don't get your panties in a bunch. I--okay, I'll come right now, happy? Yes, I do mean it. I'll be there! See ya! Geez."

"What is it?" said Demyx, frowning suspiciously at Axel. The conversation had not sounded like a pleasant one... "What did Luxord want?"

"He said that there was something wrong with my finances," said Axel, scowling heavily. "But what the fuck, it's probably him reading the computer screen wrong--you know that old fogey. Still, better safe than sorry."

"What--you're going?" said Demyx, taken aback.

"Yeah, yeah, I know, it's sudden, but Luxord made it sound really urgent so I...I can't get out of it," said Axel, and he unleashed a heavy sigh. "So I gotta go now." And sure enough, he'd already started for the exit.

"But--hey--!" called Demyx indignantly as Axel began taking the stairs down two at a time. "What am I supposed to do with--"

Axel didn't let Demyx finish. Instead, he called as he reached the first floor, "You take it to him! Here's the keys to the basement--catch!"

Demyx caught the keys Axel had lobbed him, somewhat awkwardly. By the time he'd stopped fumbling to make sure the keys didn't fall to the floor, Axel had already swept out of the front door. Demyx had half a mind to follow Axel, but decided against it--why the hell was he trying to convince Axel to stay? If it was urgent, then Axel had every right to leave...

The only reason he wanted Axel to stay, Demyx decided uncomfortably, was because he was selfish. After all, if Axel stayed it meant he would bring his "thoughtful" little treat down to his vampire--and Demyx wouldn't have to smell the blood.

Nor would he have to see Zexion.

With a resigned sigh, Demyx turned and headed back to the kitchen, keeping one hand pinched to his nose. He couldn't do anything about Zexion, sure, but at the very least he'd make sure he kept his breakfast in his stomach.

Below the villa were the rooms that Axel had euphemistically labeled the "basements"--but would more accurately be termed dungeons. For one thing, they were dark and gloomy, and Demyx could barely see his way down the stairs--not that he needed to. His early training, though not in this house, had taken place in one very similar and that house had had dungeons too. Axel had taught him very early on how to maneuver in the utter darkness without any light, with just his other senses--after all, Axel reasoned, a slayer would often have to hunt prey in the dead of a moonless night.

It was somewhat difficult to maneuver given that Demyx was trying not to spill the steaming mug of blood, at the same time he was tightly pinching his nose. He didn't want to dwell on the fact that he was still sucking in blood fumes from his mouth, but at the very least...he wasn't smelling them. He made his way down, anyway, and found himself in Axel's dungeons.

The basement had been divided into four different cells, two on each wall, with a small walkway between them. Three were unoccupied, but one, on the far side of the room, glimmered with a faint halo of light--from the feebly flickering bulb dangling from a string above the cell. And in that dim light...

Demyx approached slowly, letting both arms fall to his sides. He no longer registered the smell of blood. Now, he was only focused on one thing--the slim figure hunched in the farthest cell. The basement was silent, so Demyx's every step echoed unnaturally loud through the gloom, echoing and then slowly fading away into silence. He was sure they were loud enough to startle the prisoner, but the figure in the cell didn't move, let alone look up, at the sound of Demyx's steps.

And then Demyx was in front of the cell. Zexion's cell.

Demyx couldn't help it--his first reaction was pity. Huddled in the cell like that, his head down, his slate-colored hair obscuring his face, Zexion looked small, fragile, easily breakable. Silver cuffs gleamed around his wrists and ankles, and long, thin silver chains led to bolts on the wall--there was no way he could escape. He was still wearing the black turtleneck and slacks he'd been at the party, but the shoulder of his sweater was torn, exposing pale skin and--dried, crusty blood over several deep gashes. Demyx had the nasty suspicion that Zexion only had more injuries on his body.

Axel's "thoughtfulness", indeed.

"Uh..." he said nervously. Zexion didn't respond to this--in fact, a small part of Demyx started wondering if Zexion was asleep. But no, he remembered what Axel had taught him long ago...vampires didn't sleep.

"Um," said Demyx again. "Uh, hello...I brought you...uh..." He tried to figure out what time it was--it'd been about ten in the morning when he'd arrived. "Brunch."

At first, there was no response to this--Zexion remained as still and lifeless as ever. But then, he slowly lifted his head, and said, in a quiet voice that rasped through the dark silence, "I know. I can smell it."

"Er--" Demyx took a startled step back--sloshing a bit of the blood. "Ah--uh--"

"Tongue-tied on top of everything?" A faint hint of amusement had entered Zexion's still-quiet, still-rasping, voice, but the look in his one visible eye was dark and hardened. Several large bandages shone white on his cheek and forehead. "Enter."

"Er--okay, okay," said Demyx quickly. He started fumbling for the keys, but his fingers felt strangely numb and it took him the while to find the right one and stick it into the lock. The lock didn't click so much as squeal, for need of oiling, and he slid the barred cell door open, with another hideous squeal. Zexion never once removed his eyes from Demyx's face, his expression completely deadened, his hands folded in his lap.

"I would ask you to have a seat," Zexion continued, the hoarse and rasping quality leaving his voice as he spoke and his tone becoming more clipped, normal, "but as there is no suitable place for you to sit down here, I will have to bid adieu to common courtesy for now. The blood?"

"Uh..." Demyx remembered what Zexion wanted a second late, and handed over the mug with a shaking hand--causing more blood to slosh over the edge. Zexion eyed Demyx disapprovingly, but accepted the mug anyhow, cradling it in his pale and thin hands and examining its contents with a look of bored disinterest.

Demyx felt like he should make some conversation--the silence was starting to bother him. He leaned against the opposite wall, hands by his sides, trying to think of what to say to break the uncomfortable silence. All he managed was a choked out, "Well...um...er...um...hey, why aren't you--why aren't you drinking?"

"Hmm?" Zexion cast Demyx a brief, disinterested glance, and then looked down at the mug again. "Oh, well. It is too hot."

"Really? But he said--" began Demyx.

"Yes, I did protest when he tried to feed it to me directly out of the hospital freezer--so he went in the opposite direction and heated it up too much for my liking. That man redefines 'contrary'."

"Redefines 'contrary'". That was as good a description for Axel as any.

"Yeah, ha ha..." said Demyx, laughing weakly. What else was he supposed to do, though? He'd never before been in a serious conversation with a pureblood vampire--hell, he'd never before even seen a pureblood vampire! This time, though, he vowed he'd keep his guard up...no more letting Zexion take advantage of him...

After that, the two of them fell into an uncomfortable silence. Zexion kept his gaze determinedly away from Demyx as he waited for his--brunch--to cool, keeping his eyes fixed on the wall. Demyx, conversely, couldn't keep his eyes off Zexion. There was just...something...about the vampire, something that enticed Demyx in the strangest way. Even under the bandages, his face was as elegantly beautiful as always, and his hair, though somewhat mussed up, still seemed impossibly delicate. And the curve of his pale neck, visible even underneath his turtleneck...

Demyx flushed bright red and coughed to distract himself. Again, he felt embarrassed about staring at Zexion like a voyeur. Who cared how pretty he was--he was still a vampire! Hell, his beauty was a part of his image. Demyx could not, must not, forget that Zexion was an incubus, and used his looks as a tool to get people to do whatever he wanted...

Lost in the midst of his thoughts, Demyx hadn't noticed that Zexion had started sipping his blood--short and tentative sips, as if he didn't enjoy what he was drinking. Certainly the look of subtle distaste on his face seemed to suggest that. Demyx was confused; didn't vampires all just delight in the taste of blood?

He voiced his confusion aloud. "Hey--what's the matter? You don't like it?"

Zexion shot Demyx a look that strongly implied that Demyx was a total idiot. "Tch. You honestly think I would like it?"

"Huh?" This just confused Demyx even more. "Well--of course--I mean--you're a vampire, don't you drink blood--?"

"Idiot," said Zexion, his tone sharp. When he looked back at Demyx his expression was admonitory. "Here's an analogy for you, so that you can understand in your simplistic human terms--would you enjoy eating food that had been dropped on the floor, stomped on, covered in dirt, and then burnt to a crisp?"

"Of course not!" said Demyx, but seeing what Zexion was trying to imply, hastily added, "But it's not like--I mean, that blood was in a blood bank, they'd be treating it good--"

"Well, not good," snapped Zexion. "And anyway, it hasn't been treated 'well'. It tastes of formaldehyde and hospital cleaner and all other sorts of disgusting chemicals. Do you know what they put in this blood to make it last longer--? And it must be at least several months old." He wrinkled his nose in disgust, and the sudden gesture caused his entire face to seem much younger. "We vampires prefer blood that is fresh...gushing out of our victim just as it dies...that's the best kind of food. That's when it's at its sweetest."

Demyx was beginning to feel disconcerted at the direction this conversation was taking...unconsciously, he pressed a hand to his neck, where he could feel the vein throbbing beneath the skin. Zexion noticed the gesture, and let out a low, satisfied chuckle.

"Don't worry so much, Demyx," he said, his slight smirk revealing the hint of fangs. "I will not eat you. I cannot eat you." And to prove his point, he lifted his wrist; the silver chain dangling from the cuff jangled.

"Um, all right," said Demyx, though he took a step back just in case. Zexion responded to this with another insidious chuckle. "Say, um...after yesterday..."

"Speaking of which," said Zexion, a little too quickly--Demyx realized that Zexion wanted to divert the subject from the uncomfortable tangent Demyx had been trying to bring up. "What are you doing here, exactly? I thought you left after last night."

"Well, um yeah, I did," said Demyx. "But I came back...I wanted to live with Axel again, and he offered me a place to stay, so..." He trailed off, unable to think of anything else to say.

"Ahh...I see. So I suppose I will be seeing more of you?" Zexion cast Demyx a querying look.

"Er--" Demyx hadn't thought about it that way, but hell, it was true. "Yeah. I guess I'll be seeing more of you, too."

He couldn't explain why, but that thought made him almost...happy. Happy that he'd get to spend more time with Zexion, with the mysterious pureblood Axel had captured...as if in a dream, Demyx watched Zexion, taking in the vampire's every detail--how deathly pale his skin was, how he shook his head slightly at times to keep his delicate slate-blue hair out of his eyes. How he drummed his clawed fingers on the sides of the mug as if just wanting something to do, how thin he was, how he conspicuously avoided putting any strain on his injured shoulder...

And without really thinking about what he was doing, Demyx found himself moving closer, and closer, and closer, to Zexion...until he was mere feet away from the vampire. He settled to his knees by Zexion's side, not caring or noticing how close he was, and Zexion didn't seem to care either--he just lifted an eyebrow, looking faintly surprised, but bored at the same time. And still not fully realizing what he was doing, Demyx lifted his hand and rested it, with infinite gentleness, on top of Zexion's.

Neither was surprised at the gesture, not even Demyx. Demyx was faintly aware of how cold Zexion's hand was beneath his, but more than that--he was aware of Zexion. He felt like he was truly seeing Zexion for the first time--almost as if Zexion had been cast in a new light, in a refracting mirror that scattered the jumbled pieces of himself yet made them come together in a new, strange, but--beautiful--whole.

The vampire practically seemed to be glowing as he lowered his head to Demyx's hand, his dark blue eyes alight with a light Demyx couldn't quite identify, his thin lips pulled back in a faint smile that revealed his pointed fangs in all their entirety. Somehow, though...Zexion's fanged smile seemed to make him all the more beautiful. He pressed his lips to Demyx's hand, briefly, but an electric mix of sensations flooded Demyx from where Zexion had kissed the vein jumping on the back of his hand--

Beautiful, was the only coherent thought running through Demyx's head. He leaned closer to Zexion, wanting more of the vampire's electrifying presence, and Zexion obliged, taking Demyx's shoulders in his hands and pressing his lips, with utmost gentleness, on Demyx's neck now--again where the vein twitched and leaped. Much like last night, but different; this time Demyx felt no fear, just a blazing exictement running through his veins and--

"You're an easy one to train," murmured Zexion, almost flowing onto Demyx's lap. The silver chains clinked around him, but he seemed to be ignoring them, and Demyx ignored them too. Zexion's every motion was practiced, graceful, filled with an elegant poise that excited Demyx far more than any vulgar gyrating or dancing could have. Zexion's face was only inches from his, and his presence was everywhere, surrounding Demyx, drowning him in a din of sensations he couldn't quite comprehend--silver moonlight, dark shadows, a faint hint of violets, bitter vanilla, black coffee, blood and lust, love and loss--

"You're beautiful," he whispered.

Zexion dug his fingers into Demyx's sweat-soaked hair, pulling the slayer's face even closer to his so that they were almost touching lips, and all Demyx could see were Zexion's eyes, the darkest shade of blue he'd ever seen before.

"I know," replied the vampire in just as low a whisper--and he slowly removed a hand from Demyx's face and reached for the waistband of Demyx's pants.

Demyx didn't protest. In fact, he did his best to help Zexion, sliding out of his pants when Zexion finished undoing the zipper. Zexion let out a low little laugh at Demyx's eagerness, which just served to excite the slayer more. He didn't need any prompting to reach for Zexion's shirt, and he lifted it slowly, savoring the pleasure of seeing Zexion's pale skin being exposed inch-by-inch...

White and red. Brown. Pink. Black, blue. Cuts, scrapes, bruises, dried blood, standing out starkly against Zexion's snow-white skin. Demyx paused, startled by the sight of so many injuries across Zexion's otherwise flawless body, but the vampire snatched Demyx by the wrists and made him pull the shirt up as much as it could go--not entirely off, because of the restraints around Zexion's arms. Still, it was enough to excite Demyx. Another laugh from Zexion, and then he was returning the favor, unbuttoning Demyx's shirt while Demyx reached for Zexion's pants.

Nothing mattered now. He didn't stop to think about the logic of his actions, about the consequences of what he was doing. Nothing mattered except Zexion--lithe, beautiful, so wonderfully skillful, and he would stop at nothing until he had Zexion.

Zexion was kissing him now, planting kiss after exquisite kiss on Demyx's neck, on his collarbone, on his chest and stomach--suddenly, alarmed, Demyx felt a surge of embarrassment. How could he compare to the inhumanly beautiful creature before him? But Zexion didn't seem to care--he was kissing and sucking on Demyx's skin with an eager intentness, occasionally scraping his fangs against the skin--whenever that happened, Demyx jumped in surprised pleasure.

And then Zexion lowered his head and kissed Demyx right on the tip of his erect shaft.

Holy fucking God! And all coherent thought flew straight out of Demyx's head through the window. He squeaked out loud from pleasure, prompting an answering laugh from Zexion, and thrust his hips forward, desperately trying to get more of himself into Zexion's warm and wonderful mouth--

"Oh--God--Zexion--" he groaned. "More--"

"As you wish, Demyx," said Zexion, his voice a low, enticing, whisper, and he deftly slipped the rest of Demyx's length into his mouth.

Pleasure beyond any Demyx had felt before coursed through the vampire slayer's body, setting his every nerve on fire. Screw those "karaoke girls"--anything they could do was pale, drab and lifeless compared to this. Compared to the pleasure that Zexion's wonderfully warm and sweet mouth could do--Zexion was ducking up and down Demyx's erection now, sucking with an unabashed pleasure, his eyes tightly closed. The combination of sensations--of Zexion's warm and supple tongue carressing his length, of Zexion's fangs scraping the delicate skin--was more than Demyx could handle. He gasped and arched further into Zexion's mouth, wanting more, more, more--the pleasure was pure gold--

He came with a startled shout, his entire body tensing as he flooded Zexion's mouth with his essence. Zexion kept his eyes closed, his face perfectly composed, even as Demyx jerked and writhed in his orgasm, seeing, for the briefest of flashes, pure white.

It wasn't over, yet. Just as Demyx relaxed with a sigh, feeling his erection deflate, Zexion suddenly leapt back on him, smashing his lips with a ferocious hunger on to Demyx's--and flooding the slayer's mouth with his own semen. Demyx choked and gasped in surprise, but Zexion's unrelenting lock on his mouth meant he had no choice but to swallow. He did, and was surprised--he didn't taste that bad.

"Forgive me, Demyx," said Zexion, pulling away, a faint laugh in his voice and a smirk on his face. "But there are certain things..."

Demyx just cracked a weary smile. He suddenly felt very tired but he didn't know why--it was as if Zexion had sucked away not only Demyx's semen but something else, something baser to his nature. The excitement hadn't disappeared entirely, but it had calmed down, from the overpowering roaring wave into a faint throb in his blood. Now, when he looked at Zexion, he no longer saw the exhilarating beauty he'd seen before, but a boy that while attractive, was nothing terribly special; and all of Zexion's injuries were suddenly thrown into sharp relief against his death-white skin. The cell seemed to have become darker and more cramped, and the scene of decay--dark water stains on the wall, the mug overturned and thick blood flowing on to the floor--

His vision was beginning to gray at the edges, and his head was beginning to feel heavy. He let it droop to the crook of his neck, and fought to keep his eyelids open, but it was a losing battle. Darkness flickered across his vision. He could do nothing to fight it, so he allowed himself to slump against the cold wall, stretching out his limbs and relaxing. Zexion remained on the opposite wall--he couldn't go further because of the chains holding him back--watching Demyx, his dark blue eyes unreadable but intent.

"You made it too easy, Demyx," he said, his voice quiet.

"I think I did," mumbled Demyx, his words sleep-slurred and senseless, and he stopped battling the heaviness in his head and let the world of dreams take him prisoner.

"Fucking idiot."

The words were harsh and loud, slicing through Demyx's mind like a hot knife through putty. He groaned out loud, throwing his arm in front of his face to shield himself from the harshness of the voice and the sudden bright light cutting across his vision--where the hell--where was he--it was soft--

"You fucking moron," said the voice again, and Demyx recognized it--Axel. "Seems I can't leave you alone for even a fucking second."

What was Axel saying? Why was he being so mean? Wait--what was he doing, hadn't he left, no, unless he came back--why was the bed so soft--

"You're not even a very good student," continued Axel as meanly as ever. "I thought you would have remembered that lesson seeing as you giggled throughout the whole fucking damn thing. Hello, Demyx--does the word incubus ring any bells?"

Oh, snap.

A sudden feeling of mortified shock descended on Demyx as it all came crashing down--where he was, what had happened, what--oh, he couldn't bear to even think about it. He knew now that he was lying in Axel's bed, in Axel's room, and that was why it was so soft, and that Axel was sitting by the side of his bed glaring at him with a look of perfect fury shining in his brilliant green eyes. And he knew what had happened before...

Why the fuck hadn't he realized? No, he did at the end, but that was too late...that was after Zexion had already been through with him. No wonder Zexion had appeared so beautiful, so enticing...he was an incubus; it was part of his gifts. He lived by seduction. How could Demyx let even a basic detail like that escape him?

"Oh, God...Axel, Axel..." he groaned, shaking his head over and over again. "I'm the biggest--I'm the biggest idiot ever, aren't I?"

Axel did not help his self-esteem by saying, "Yeah, you are."

"I didn't...oh God I didn't..." Demyx threw his head to the side, burying his face into the soft pillow. "Why the--I'm so embarrased--"

"Be glad he didn't do anything else to you. He could have--he could have turned you, like he tried to last night," continued Axel, his voice harsh--but was there a touch of concern to his voice? No, of course not... "Or worse. Seems he just settled for the old 'nightmare' routine tonight, so consider yourself lucky."

Nightmares... Demyx shuddered, remembering the dreams that had plagued him during his sleep. Dreams of racing across a roof on a dark and rainy night, dreams of a pasty-faced, blood-splattered monster chasing after him, dreams of wandering through long and dark hallways while his mother's sobs echoed through his ears...

"I can't...I can't believe it," Demyx half-groaned, half-sobbed. "I...he was so beautiful...I just wanted him..."

"A natural reaction," said Axel, in the dry manner of a teacher dispensing knowledge. "Believe me, when I first saw him--let me tell you, my heart just stopped. He is a beautiful little monster, and of course you'd want to have him. But you have to have him, not the opposite way around."

"How...how do I do that?" said Demyx, lifting his face from the pillow to eye Axel suspiciously--but hopefully as well.

"Simple. Well, it's not so simple," said Axel, jerking his shoulders in a shrug. "Not really. I'd have to teach you--but the principle is simple enough. You have to master him."

Master. Demyx swallowed the word in his throat, tasting it, how dry and harsh the sound was. "Like...like you did."

"Yeah. Like me. It's not easy, let me tell you. Especially if he's an incubus. He knows how to seduce and he knows how to screw with your mind," said Axel, his tone falling into the old, familiar lilt of teacher-lecturing-student. "But it can be done. His powers are weaker now, especially if he's in the prison. Silver chains and whatnot, right? But it'll mostly take effort on your part. It'll be hard, but it can be done. But--hell, I'll show you myself."

"Really?" said Demyx, his eyes widening. He felt hopeful in a strange way--he'd be able to have sex with Zexion! But in another way...he couldn't help the disquieted little squirm his stomach gave. He remembered Zexion's utter terror that night in the courtyard, how he'd practically flung himself at Axel's feet and begged for mercy...all because Axel had been the one to "master" him.

Did Demyx want that to happen? Did he really want to break Zexion's will and turn him into a frightened slave? Or...did he want the vampire as he was now?

Yeah, but "as he is now" is the most dangerous to you, Demyx told himself darkly. He shook his head to clear his head, and said to Axel, "So...um, when are you gonna...?"

"Soon, I promise, pupil," said Axel, and a slow, insidious smirk cut across his face, his eyes gleaming with a light that Demyx didn't...quite...like. "Soon."

A ha ha...actually, the whole "mastering" deal will only start to be touched on in the fifth chapter, so sorry to those of you hoping for some nice lemony goodness in the next chapter.

What the next chapter does do is introduce Roxas, though! That's right, Roxas is gonna be in this story. And here's the preview--

But he was fighting. As the vampire lunged at him, its blood-stained claws gleaming, the boy lashed out with the pipe and hit the vampire on the arm. The vampire bellowed, sounding less hurt than annoyed, and its pasty face twisted into an unpleasant snarl, saliva and blood dripping from its fangs. It tried to grab the boy again, but he rolled out of the vampire's way and again swung the pipe, catching the vampire's ankle. The vampire stumbled but did not fall, and unleashed a roar of not just bloodlust but frustration, a roar that seemed to cause the clouds themselves to tremble.

As you can probably infer, the fourth chapter ("Roxas") will be fairly action-packed. I hope. I suck at action scenes, so...*slink under rock*

Do please review! Every review makes my day! I know that sounds pathetic, but... Whatever, just keep sending reviews, okay?