Die: Ugh, I really need to do something about this...
Jaden: What's wrong?
Die: Cali hasn't done ANYTHING on this since early in the month... and she's been doing little since early November.
Chazz: See? It's a sign that you need to stop working with us.
Die: NOBODY ASKED YOU! *hits him*
Syrus: Let's ask the readers for help.
Jaden: *cups mouth with hands* HEY EVERYONE, WHEN YOU REVIEW, TELL CALI TO GET HER ASS INTO GEAR SO THAT WE CAN SEE HOW THIS ENDS!
Chazz: *grumbling under his breath* Neither Die nor Cali own Yu-Gi-Oh! or Yu-Gi-Oh! GX.
Chapter Fifteen: Holy Shackle
Cienna woke to the sound of her phone. She jack-knifed into a sitting position, scrambling from the bed and Zane's grip to hunt for the device. Finally finding her pants, she dug it out of the pocket just in time, "Hello?" She waited for the voice to continue, "Yeah. I know. Wait... that's today? Dammit... Yeah, sure. When do you guys land?" At the reply, she turned, throwing a look at the clock with a sigh. "Totally. See you then. Yeah. Love you too. Bye."
"Who was that and why the hell were they so insistent upon talking to you this early?" Zane asked groggily, still buried in his blankets and clearly missing her warmth judging by the way his dark wings moved closer to his body.
She chuckled, crossing the room and laying down beside him again, wrapping her arms around his neck. A soft kiss was pressed to the tip of his nose. "Father. Today's Parent's Day."
"Oh yeah," he noted. "I never keep track of that since Sy and I are practically orphans." He opened his wings up to let her in again. "In all honesty, I likely should, Branwen and Chazz come up with the most hilarious plans every year…"
The blonde rolled her eyes. "Just remember when you meet my family that you love me. And they are only mean because they love me enough to try to protect me."
"And I don't?" he teased her gently. "I thought I proved myself worthy of your trust last night."
She giggled, nuzzling his chin. "You did. I'm just warning you. Dad and Daddy are going to be straight-up vicious. My uncles, Father, and Syl will be much better."
"Mmm," he hummed, happily accepting the caress. "I wonder what Branwen and Chazz will try this time… I hope it's the one where he gave her an STD and thus they both have to stay in the infirmary again."
"What?" She paused her actions, raising her eyebrows in surprise. "They who the what now?"
"Or the one before that, where he went hysterical because she managed to convince him that I had gotten them both pregnant," he continued, lost in the memories.
She sighed contentedly, burrowing deeper into his arms and tucking her chin into his neck. She pressed a gentle kiss there, where there was already a mark from the night before. She giggled. "I made my mark, eh?"
"That you did, tenshi," he agreed, instantly understanding what she was referring to. "And I on you."
Having not noticed, she immediately began hunting for the marks, curiosity leading the search more than anything else. "Hopefully Daddy won't notice..."
"I doubt it," he answered her soothingly, catching both her hands with one of his own, the free hand skating down to her hip, where an angry red mark almost wanted to protest his feather-light circling.
"Mmm..." She grinned at him mischievously, resisting the urge to react to his touch. "Yeah, he won't see that one." She pressed a gentle kiss to his lips, sighing quietly. "Y'know, in that case, we should probably get dressed and to breakfast. The helicopter lands in an hour."
He smirked right back at her. "And what are my odds to simply staying here with you and facing whatever hell your parents decide to give me for sleeping with their little girl?"
"I don't want a dead mate." She replied with a teasing laugh, hand sliding down his chest. "And as much as I'd love to stay," her hand skimmed tantalizingly lower, "we can't. I love you too much to lose you to my parents."
"And yet you tease me like we can," he lamented, leaning in closer, his breath hitting her bottom lip.
"It's too much fun not to." She whispered, leaning her lips in to catch his, hands winding around his neck.
In that instant, a whirlwind of black and silver burst into his room, none other than a panicked Branwen making herself known, a red sheath dress on her pale figure. "Zane!" she yelled, causing him to jerk away and bang his head against the headboard with a muttered curse. "Where's Chazz? I need to find him so that I can get out of seeing my dad!"
"Try my room." Cienna offered stiffly, reaching up to press a gentle kiss to the knot forming on Zane's head. "He undoubtedly spent the night with Bastion."
"Thank you!" She darted back to the door, her big ruby eyes looking up at the silver-haired angel who leaned there before he took her hand and followed her out.
Cienna stared after them for a moment before turning her attention back to Zane. She nuzzled his throat, "So what do you say we get dressed?"
"I suppose that would be prudent…"
Bastion gently traced the bone of Chazz's black-feathered wing with a smile on his face, the demon having curled up underneath his chin and across his chest after their lovemaking yesterday. The demon was inexplicably adorable when he slept, appearing far more innocent than he was. And to hell if Bastion didn't know that. A wide grin crossed his face at the memories of the night before.
"Chazz!" a familiar voice called through the door. "Chazz, I'm coming in, and you had better be decent in there!"
Bastion groaned, pulling the covers higher up their bodies for good measure. "We're covered." He called, noting sadly that his mate was stirring.
Branwen, who had just strode in, blushed at the sight of the angel, her gaze dropping to the floor. "Hello Bastion," she murmured shyly. "I take it Chazz isn't awake yet, is he?"
The demon in question merely snuggled closer to his captured mate, clearly not wanting to wake up anytime soon. "Not really." He replied with a quiet laugh.
She smiled forlornly at them. "It must be nice, having something so warm and gentle so close to you. Be sure to keep him safe. He's experienced a lot of pain in his past, and I don't think he deserves to be hurt again."
"I won't hurt him." The angel replied softly, curling his arm tighter around the demon.
"That's good," she started longingly. "If anyone deserves a chance at happiness, it's him."
Aster squeezed her hand as if to add He's not the only one. But Bastion merely nodded. "Did you need something?"
She breathed in, intending to speak, when she froze, catching a scent she hadn't expected to. "Are you two mated?" she asked curiously, cocking her head to the side.
Bastion flushed slightly. "Yes..."
"Then you can do nothing for me," she replied forlornly, turning to walk away then. "Thank you for conversing with me though."
"Wait," Bastion called softly. "Are you sure?"
She smiled at him sadly. "Unfortunately, a mating bond can only be concealed with another. I have none and thus cannot provide him any disguise from his brothers, no more than he can me from my father."
Bastion frowned. "I'm sorry, Branwen. I would help if I could."
Chazz stirred then, opening obsidian eyes. "Bastion?" he muttered sleepily, "who're you talking to?"
Bastion sighed, "Branwen."
He looked over at her, his dark hair falling over his head. "Heya Bran," he stated, too lazy to move from his position on top of the angel, even if he was disturbed by the holy aura of the other male in the room. He would have reacted had he not been so close to his mate, but Bastion's presence soothed him far more than anything else had in his entire life. "What're you doing here?"
She smiled softly at him. "Leaving. I'm gonna have to talk to Atticus before my father gets here." He frowned at the mention, well-aware of the abuse she'd suffered at his hands.
Another soft sigh left Bastion's lips. "Let us know if you need anything."
She shrugged. "Unless you can magically procure a demon who is willing to mate with me, I'm pretty sure neither of us can do anything."
"That, I can't do." Bastion replied softly, noting, where it seemed no one else did, that an outright frown mounted Aster's face at her words. He kept any comment down, however, just giving the angel a nod.
Chazz frowned. "Well, you stick close to me today," he urged her nonetheless. "If we're lucky, he'll still think we're together like we were last year."
Bastion was, oddly, all right with that. What was in the past was just that, and all Chazz was doing was protecting a friend. He approved. He suppressed a smile—that wasn't the time.
She groaned, putting her head back. "Yeah, but remember how suspicious he was? Though, in his defense, it was warranted. I wouldn't sleep with you if you were the last man on earth, no offense."
The Princeton chuckled at that. "None taken, I'm gay."
"It's better than nothing, though right?" Bastion threw in quietly, feeling rather out of place.
She stiffened, looking down. "Not necessarily. If Father gets even a hint that I'm pulling one over on him, he'll take me back home with him." Her arms wrapped around herself as if to hold herself together. "I don't want to go back, Haven Academy is my home…"
Aster pulled her closer to him, gently wrapping an arm around her, a single snowy wing sliding after it. "It'll be fine." He whispered gently.
"Maybe," she answered, "but I'll be glad when he's off the island. I want to mate for love, not power."
"You'll make it." The gray haired angel reassured her. "I promise you."
"Chazz," she added softly, "promise me you'll try to keep away from my family. I don't want anyone getting hurt today."
He nodded. "So are we going to do our usual unwind later?"
"Of course. We haven't done it in a while, and as if that's not enough, I think today's going to really call for it."
He pressed a gentle kiss to Jaden's lips at the door, smiling softly. "Your mom is coming today, right?"
He grinned. "Yep! She even said she'd bring me a whole batch of muffins!"
Syrus laughed softly, grabbing Jaden's hand as they left their dorm. "Your mom bakes?"
"If by 'bake', you mean 'set the entire kitchen and quite possibly the entire house on fire', then yes, she bakes."
She sounds just like him... "Is cooking the same way?"
"No. When she cooks, she lights me or my dad on fire." He grew sad at the mention, even though he was quick to perk up with Syrus's attention still firmly focused on him.
"Is your dad coming too?" He got a feeling the answer would lead to sad conversation, but he also felt it needed to be asked.
The demon shook his head. "He died when I was eight. Car accident. He was pronounced DOA when the paramedics got there."
"Oh, Jaden." Syrus sighed, squeezing his hand comfortingly. "I'm sorry."
"It's okay, Sy, really. Cienna's dads practically adopted me… and those guys are some real psychos. Did you know that one time, the eldest and the youngest once had a competition over who could make the other scream the loudest when they were screwing each other? They had me be the referee since she refused to do it."
Silence followed. After several moments, Syrus arched an eyebrow. "How the hell did she turn out sane?"
"You know, I'm not completely sure she did, to be honest."
"What's that supposed to mean?" The girl in question appeared at his side, throwing a lazy arm over Jaden's shoulder.
Green eyes widened in alarm and he darted around to Syrus's other side. "DON'T KILL ME!" he screamed, trying and failing to hide behind the smaller.
"I won't." She laughed, winding an arm around Zane's waist and grinning. "Your mom'd rip my face off for killing her Baby."
Syrus smiled softly at how his usually-distant brother allowed the contact, even encouraged it by wrapping one black-feathered wing around her. Zane didn't connect with others well, as evidenced by his rather unorthodox relationship with Chazz Princeton, but if he could manage to keep Cienna close to him, he'd be glad. His eyes widened, however, as something became apparent to him. "You two didn't?" he gasped in surprise.
Cienna smiled softly, knowing instantly what he was referring to. "Yeah. We did."
"Oh, I'm so happy for you!" he squealed, launching forward into a massive hug, which caused Zane to tense up defensively.
"Did what, what the hell are you all talking about?" Jaden grouched, pouting at the loss of his love interest.
Cienna laughed, hugging the small boy back. "Zane and I are officially mates." She placed a soothing hand on Zane's chest, offering him a loving smile.
He smiled back, relaxing under her touch. "And I wouldn't trade that for the world," he added softly.
"Hello Branwen," a soft voice murmured from the shadows of the girl's room, making her freeze in alarm as she tried to finish lacing up the back of her black lace corselet, her fingers dropping the black leather ties.
"I- I thought you weren't coming until later, sister," the girl murmured softly, her face downturned as she slowly gathered up the ties again and resumed her task.
Cold fingers brushed away warm slender ones, these ones a deal more sun-kissed than the pale ones of the smaller. "Since I could not manage to find someone willing to escort me here later, I kindly decided to accompany the two Princeton brothers when they offered to bring me here." The smaller girl was quiet. "Is this a problem, Branwen?"
"No, no problem," Branwen answered hastily. "I was just expecting to have a little more time is all!"
Seeing her flustered, Aster immediately crossed from the wall to her side. He eyed her sister carefully as he twisted her fingers through his. "Hello."
Branwen calmed slightly at the touch, even if the girl who could have been an older and more feral version of the doll-like girl bristled, midnight feathers spreading slightly in a threat. "And who are you?" the girl snarled, the grip on her younger sister's other arm tightening.
"Aster Phoenix. And you?" His gaze was cold, hard.
"Nix Ravenwood." Her dark burgundy eyes demanded answers from Branwen's light ruby ones. "And what is such a powerful angel doing with my demonic little sister?"
"Keeping an eye on her." He returned evenly.
"She is a Ravenwood demon," Nix stated, her head coming up proudly. "She does not need anyone's protection."
"I will leave the moment she protests." He replied, squeezing her hand gently. "But until she does, I'm here."
Nix's dark wine eyes narrowed dangerously. "I don't think you understand me, Phoenix," she snarled, stepping forward. "A Ravenwood does not need anyone else. That means my baby sister does not need you in any way, so leave."
"No. I promised her I wouldn't until she asked me to."
"You- You can go now, Ash," Branwen murmured softly, shyly, in a wavering voice. "I'll be okay."
Nix snorted. "Of course you will, Bran. You're a Ravenwood. Ravenwoods don't need anyone or anything but themselves."
He looked down at her concernedly, "Branwen, you're just saying that..."
"I'm not," she replied, her hand coming up to give him a gentle push on his shoulder. Can't you see that I'm only trying to protect you?
I can't leave her. "I...are you sure?"
The girl nodded. "Go on, I bet Cienna's waiting for you."
"She can wait if you want me to stay." I have to give her the chance to say yes. He looked her deep in the eyes, worry throwing itself at her.
She softened at the look he gave her, throwing herself into his arms and burying herself in his embrace. At the sight, Nix's eyes grew cold, calculating. "Oh Branwen," she called, making the younger girl freeze, "you know the price for if he wants to stay."
He pulled her closer to him, wrapping his bright wings around the both of them. "And what exactly is that?"
"The same way we Ravenwoods always pay for what we want," Branwen whispered fearfully, her body trembling lightly against his ivory feathers. "With a blood sacrafice."
He looked down at the fear in her eyes, expression firming. He lifted his wrist towards his lips, ready to tear the skin with his teeth if necessary. "Will my blood do?"
"Perfectly," Nix stated, smirking.
"Wait!" Branwen reached up, wrapping her pale fingers around his wrist. She spread one of her ebony wings, inspecting the feathers for a long moment before she pulled one of them from the bone, pro-offering it to him. "Use this instead."
He took it from her with a gentle smile. "Thank you, Darling." He slid the feather along his wrist, inspecting the cut carefully. He was unsure of how to deal with the sacrifice, cradling it in his hand.
She blushed, instead pulling it towards her. Nix watched with careful eyes as the younger demon slit her wrist as well before pressing it to his own, letting their blood mingle. The elder knew the repercussions of making a blood bond, especially when one or both parties already had feelings for the other, but unlike her father, she was more concerned with amusement than maintaining the purity of their bloodline. Aster Phoenix was a strong enough specimen to more than compensate for his original angelic nature when he fell and then fathered her sister's children.
Aster smiled softly at her. "Well that wasn't so bad."
"Maybe not for you," she whispered so quietly that Nix couldn't overhear her words, "but it is for me."
"What do you mean?" He asked quietly.
"I just became your Sire," she explained in an undertone. "That means that, any order I give you, you have to obey, even if it would kill you." A tear pricked at the corner of one ruby eye. "I don't want to hold so much power, not over you."
"It's okay." He whispered, tracing her cheekbones gently. "I don't mind." She sniffled, burying her face into the crook of his neck. "Hey," he whispered in her ear. "It's all right, Bran. I've got you. You're okay." She shuddered at the name, burrowing deeper. She hated being called Bran, it was something her family called her and thus not a term of endearment. "It's okay, Bren," he murmured, managing to decipher what was wrong with what he said and coming up with a different shortening of her name. "There's no one I trust more to hold me like that."
Nix smiled from where she leaned against the wall, her hands idly stroking the bat that she had let out of its black wire cage. Yes, Aster would make a most excellent addition to the family. All she had to do now was convince him to fall…
Cienna bounced anxiously on the tips of her toes, peering through the crowd for her family. C'mon Daddy, where are you? Her fingers, still twisted through Zane's, were strained with the effort of keeping her hand still so as not to jerk him around. Finally, she got sight of a fluffy white head and let out an excited squeal. "Daddy!"
Instead, a pair of tan arms yanked her towards a broad chest as a sultry voice whispered into her ear, "What, am I not as important as Kura is, Ci-pretty?"
She squealed, turning in the arms and throwing her arms around his neck. "Dad!" She hugged him tightly, standing on her tiptoes to get a better grip. "It's so good to see you!"
"Um, Dad?" A sharp voice cut in. "I want a turn."
Pulling from her father's embrace, Cienna looked down at her little sister. Peering up through locks of dark blue, Sylvia grinned. "Hey Cici."
"Sylvia!" a concerned voice called, a hint of panic in the tone, "Sylvia!"
"Relax, Yami, I bet Mariku's got her."
"Yes, but I'd rather be safe than sorry, Bakura. Exposing you two to the world is one thing, but if any of my enemies caught wind of Cienna and Sylvia, they'd likely end up dead."
"You worry too much, Yami," a white-haired demon crooned, wrapping his arms seductively around the still-moving demon with the tri-colored hair. "I know a good way to unwind those tense muscles…"
"Not without me you don't!" Cienna's captor cried, the tanned spiked platinum-blond demon darting over to tackle them both in a flurry of black feathers.
"NOT AT MY SCHOOL, DAMMIT!" Cienna shrieked as she hugged her sister. "And not in front of Zane."
Sylvia threw a glance at the male in question as she pulled from the hug, grinning at him. "Hi Zane."
"Aw, but why not, Ci-pretty?" the blond whined, pouting from his position on top of his tri-haired captive, Bakura perfectly content to remain on the ground with the other two.
"Hello there," the elder Truesdale replied, not entirely sure how to interact with people in general, let alone children. That was Chazz's forte, not his.
"Because we are at my school. I have to live with these people." She glared at them. "And I need to get my damn hugs from Father and Daddy. Aside from that, did the uncles come?"
Sylvia grinned as she watched Cienna slide her hand in Zane's. "You make her happy."
"Um, if I said 'yes', would you kill us?" Bakura asked, deciding to move so that he too was sitting on Yami, albeit in front of Mariku.
Zane cocked his head to the side. "So is she not normally this happy?"
"I want them here." She replied, eyebrow still arched. "I missed them too, y'know."
Sylvia offered a huge grin. "She was naturally a content person until Damian. But she's smiling again because of you."
"Then yes, Ci-pretty, they're here. They're just coming later because apparently Malik-pretty decided to buy some of that dynamite stuff and light it up in celebration."
Zane frowned. "Who's Damian? And what did he do to her?" His hand tightened on Cienna's protectively, even if he kept his wings folded against his back.
"Oh dear God." Cienna sighed, throwing a careful look at Zane, then Sylvia who shook her head.
As soon as Cienna looked away, she sighed. "Her last boyfriend. She loved him. He committed suicide. She can't stand it when anyone cuts."
"Oh," Zane replied, and silence fell over them.
"Excuse me," a cold voice asked, its owner, a demon with shaded blood-red eyes, a dark black suit, and short black hair, shouldering past them all with an expression of mild disdain on his face.
Cienna eyed him with disdain, instantly recognizing some of the features of high-and-mighty demons. Her grip on Zane's hand tightened, pulling herself closer to him and wrapping his arm around her shoulder. He's so cold... thank God my parents aren't like most demons...
"Hmm," Yami murmured, making absolutely no attempt to get rid of the two other demons sitting on him, "that was Mischief Ravenwood, head of the Ravenwood estate. I didn't know he had a child here at Haven Academy."
"Branwen. She's a sweet girl." Cienna sighed. "And for God's sake, Father, would you let the others get off. Please. There are some people you really ought to meet."
Yami raised an eyebrow. "Please refer all complaints to my two idiot lovers as I have given up trying to keep them under control at this point in time."
She sighed. "Dad, Daddy, if you want to have any information on my life and mate, you'd better get your asses off of Father this instant." Sylvia whistled, looking at Zane with newly-widened eyes. Cienna smirked at her parents as she waited for a reaction.
Yami was stunned speechless. The two demons on top of him, not so much. "SHE ABANDONED US!" Mariku cried, throwing himself into Bakura's arms, sobbing loudly.
"You did what?" the albino demon yelled, his wings flying out angrily in preparation for a fight.
She raised an eyebrow evenly against her father's anger, still bringing Sylvia around behind her so that she didn't get caught in the fight. "I mated. Is that a problem?"
"Damn right it is!" he growled back, arms wrapped around the demon in his arms. "You're sixteen! That's no time in your life to be making such lasting decisions!"
"Well too damn bad. I already did." She hissed, eyes narrowed. "And you can't change that." With a softer look at Mariku, she sighed. "It's not like I'm leaving you guys."
When Bakura opened his mouth to protest again, Yami spoke up as he placed a comforting hand on a still-hiding Mariku's arm. " 'Kura, it's not like she's pregnant, and besides, it looks like they're really in love with each other."
Cienna smiled softly at Zane, pulling her hand from his and wrapping her arms around Mariku. "Dad?" She whispered. "I'm not leaving. I still love you guys. You're still my parents. I'm not going anywhere."
"That's what Malik-pretty said when he mated with Yugi and Ry-fluffy," the Egyptian murmured sadly, "and I only see them once in a while!"
"Dad, I'm not leaving you. I'm never abandoning the family. You guys mean more to me than you know." She pressed a gentle kiss to his cheek. "You raised me, even though I'm not yours. I love you guys."
"Really?" The tanned demon's voice was so pitiful, it even got Bakura to soften and pet the crazy mess of spiked blond hair.
"Really." She affirmed, running a hand through her hair. "Now get your ass off of Daddy and come meet my mate."
"Okay!" He bounced off, grinning wickedly as he pounced on a rising Bakura, who was somehow strong enough to keep himself upright with the more muscular demon clinging to his arm.
She laughed, grabbing Zane by the hand. "Zane, these are Dad, Daddy, and Father. ...Parents, this is my mate, Zane Trusdale."
Yami held out his hand. "I'm Yami Sennen, and these two morons are my mates Bakura and Mariku Sennen."
He nodded, shaking the demon's hand. "As she said, I am Zane Trusdale."
Cienna smiled, laughing. "You're so damn formal, Zane. They're family. No need to be formal."
He shook his head. "How else am I supposed to greet the Demon King, tenshi?"
"Hey Mariku," Bakura murmured slyly, a wicked gleam in his eye, "what do you say to finding that little punk and reminding him exactly why you don't steal from the king of thieves?"
"I'd say FUCK YEAH!" the tanned demon shouted, dragging the albino off with the two of them cackling madly.
"Well the Demon King will eventually be your father in law." She reminded him absently, attention drawn by Bakura and Mariku. She turned to Yami. "Who are they talking about?"
"Remember when Jaden had all those cookies last visit?" Sylvia said. "Well, apparently he stole them from Dad and Daddy's secret stash."
Eyebrows high, she snickered. "Dumbass."
Zane: ... Why is it that all the weird ones find me?
Bastion: You're preaching to the choir here. I mean, how the hell did that girl manage to convince Chazz you got him with a kid?
Zane: *sighs* I've stopped questioning it a long time ago.
Bastion: I can see why.
Aster: If you review, we'll give you a hug from Mariku, Bakura, or Yami.
Die: And before you ask, they may or may not be with chainsaws! *smiles*
Zane: ...
Bastion: ...
Aster: ... Right. Anyway, until the next update!