Chapter 37

Kyosta's body was on auto-pilot. What had he done? What...what had he started? No, that was stupid. This wasn't a one man screw up, there were many people to blame for the bloody war that was soon to be unleashed. A war that would go down in vampire history, for who had ever heard of vampires attacking their own kind when such were so scarce to begin with? The very idea of vampire against vampire made Kyosta's stomach feel rather uneasy.

But it was Light. He was the one that spoke to them about a new world run by immortals. The way God intended all his creatures to be. Strong, beautiful, and powerful. Top of the food chain. But, Kyosta thought with a sigh, he was beginning to have his doubts. What if this was all nothing more than a vampire gone mad? A dream that will remain nothing more than a dream. Could be ...Light, could he really be trusted?

"Kyosta,"

The sudden appearance of the tall brunette vampire made Kyosta jump. "Sir?" He replied instantly though his heart wasn't in it the way it usually would be. It was obvious that Light noticed this judging by the bemused smile on his kind lips.

"Daydreaming? Shouldn't you be assembling?" Light's deep brown eyes met violet and held. Suspicion was clear in both tone and features, but even so, Kyosta played it off as if it were a joke.

"Something like that, sir." But he couldn't keep down the grimace as Matt's words rung loud in his ears once more.

'But because you're damned. Only then can you really ask for forgiveness, when you're too lost to be forgiven.'

"Kyosta?"

"Apologies, sir. I guess the thrill of war would keep anyone's mind occupied." A light chuckle as he brushed past the tall vampire to continue on his way down the hall. To his relief, Light didn't question him further, nor did he follow him. Sure, he had his doubts about the vampire and he could easily get inside his mind and mess with it to his hearts content, but what of B and the others? No, Kyosta would be dead before he could even bat an eyelash. Their God was far too precious to let anyone get away with putting a scratch on him.

At the end of the hall there was a winding staircase that lead down to the main hall and entrance. He walked down the first few steps to stand on the empty platform situated between the West -where he had been- and East wings. Oh how this house flooded him with grief. It was torture to look about the walls and see the familiar paintings...the familiar faces in them. The faces of the Keehl family that had so long ago been slaughtered for the sake of revenge.

The revenge of the mad vampire he was working for now. His families murderer.

Kyosta felt the first signs of sobs shake his body, but he kept his composure and moved on into the East wing. The vampire 'dormitories' were here, and it was his job to get them all ready for the arrival of the New Orleans coven. Soon. So very soon, Kyosta thought in despair. A despair that seemed to grow with each step he took down the East hall. Light was acting as if this was all just a little game, but this was War. It was deathly serious.

It was revenge all over.

And suddenly, Kyosta questioned his own sanity. Light had slaughtered his family too, not just Mihael's, and yet here he was on the enemy side, wiping the enemy's ass so to speak and kissing the ground he walked on. Bloody fool he was, but what now? Mihael would never forgive him. The New Orleans coven would never accept him and so it was with a new determined step that he continued on down the hall, jaw set and eyes focused. He would die here and he would repent for his foolishness. For his family.

For his cousin and the mate he had taken from him all for the sake of a vendetta that had started the vicious cycle of revenge centuries ago.

Kyosta growled as he banged on doors on his way down. Banging and shouting. "Out! Get out! It's time, let's move, move, move!" The reaction was simultaneous. Doors opened with loud bangs as the vampires poured from their rooms, cheering, prepping themselves up as if it were a mortal game of Basketball and not the blood bath they would soon endure. And as he kept moving past the mob of vampires, male and female alike, he was avoided. All the vampires avoided him like the plague, giving him a wide berth as they passed him, for the expression on his face was one of pure cold hatred.

And no one dared mess with Light's right hand vampire. So, if Kyosta was angry, the others would scatter. "Move!" He shouted to the more hesitant vampires as he passed them, and it was all it took to have them scurrying on after the crowd. When the East hall was empty, he simply stood there, chest heaving with emotion and fists clenching in a futile attempt to keep composure. He simply stood there at the end of the hall, eyes fixed on the painting hanging there.

It had once been covered in cobwebs but Light had made sure that the whole mansion was scrubbed spotless when he moved in. So as to be presentable for when Mello arrived. Kyosta couldn't keep his emotions at bay any longer. He let out a sob as his eyes scanned the painting. It was an old painting of when he, Mihael, and two of their cousins -Dimitra and Tamary- were children. Mihael had a big smile on his face, and Kyosta couldn't help but stare at the two young girls in the painting.

They had never gotten the chance to marry and have children, like, Kyosta remembered, they had so wanted.

He felt like a monster. True, he was one, but it was now and only now, that he had ever really and truly felt like one. It was unbearable. In the painting, he wore a smug smile, being the oldest in that group. He loathed himself. So it was with a cry of rage that he moved forward and swiped at his young, smug face, successfully tearing the canvas there with his sharp nails, erasing his face to leave nothing but the torn gash in the material. Good! He couldn't bear to look at himself!

He was a monster.

- - - -

"Where are we going?" Mello's voice rose above the group in panic. This route, looked all too familiar, and it took everything he had not to just stop in his tracks and fall to pieces like he so wanted to do at the moment. Why this way? This was...No, maybe it was just his mind playing tricks on him. Surely, they weren't heading for his old home, right? Russia was so different now, so this couldn't be it.

Celestria was there to give him a soft reassuring smile, but it didn't help in easing his mind. Still, as they moved closer, the route became more and more familiar, and the more familiar it became, the more Mello shrunk inside himself. He could smell them. The other vampires. So this was why they were heading this way. They had all gathered at the old Keehl mansion. It was not just a trick of the mind. It was real and he knew he had to keep calm.

"They knew we were coming," Aaron said and the group all erupted into speech at the same time, voicing their concerns and opinions on whether or not they could talk things over with the Russian coven; try to come to some sort of agreement, but Aaron didn't reply, it was Mello who interjected with a tone so chilling that no one dared question it.

"We fight! You bunch of cowards, talking will do no good against Light." The group was silenced at this, but there was no doubt that the atmosphere had transformed into one of seriousness. They were ready. They would fight. And if push came to shove, die trying to win a War that if won by the right side would bring peace among the vampire and human race. Chances of that though were slim. Very.

Counting them now, Mello saw that there were only about Fifteen vampires or so on their side, and now that they had stopped at the top of the hill that looked down at the Keehl mansion, he counted the vampires lined at the front of it. Thirty or so vampires on Light's side, simply stood before the house in a long battle line, looking up at them with blood lust in their cold eyes.

None of Light's coven moved. They just stood there, poised and staring up at them. Mello growled low in his throat, and it was obvious that the vampires below had heard it, for there was an excited stream of movement from them. They were ready to fight in the name of their God. Ready to die.

Celestria reached over to touch her cool hand to Mello's shoulder, but he was too quick. He moved past the frozen group of New Orleans vampires to the front so he was at spear point beside Aaron. Upon seeing him, the vampires below let out cries of rage, excitement...Mello was who they had been waiting for. What their God had been waiting for.

Aaron shuddered beside the blond but he said nothing, merely turned to look at him and it wasn't necessary for the tall male to say anything for it was all there in his sea blue eyes for Mello to read. 'Give them Hell.' And Mello smirked.

- - - -

Light was ecstatic as he made his way down the West wing. The New Orleans coven had finally arrived and soon he would have won the game he and his lovely young Mihael had begun long ago. How sweet, really, he could already taste the victory. Oh, no, that was just blood. Mm, how delicious, he could smell it from here and he wasn't even in the room yet. Mihael's mate certainly did smell as tempting as he looked.

Pushing the door at the end of the hall open, he allowed himself in before closing it once more. "B, how are things?" He asked casually as he moved to the dark haired vampire's side, a satisfied smile on his lips. B turned to face his mate an almost maniacal smirk on his lips.

"Spectacular. See?" He gestured with his hand toward the broken teen hanging limply from the metal chains that still held him securely. The red hair was matted thickly with his own blood, his naturally pale skin was stained burgundy, gashes ran up and down his back, arms, chest, sides and stomach. Blood dripped down, no doubt, from the redheads lips, though it was hard to tell seeing as Matt's head was hung low, red fringe hiding his face from them. "Beautiful."

Light chuckled, amused and delighted. "Beautiful, indeed B. You're an artist." The brunette vampire placed a chaste kiss to B's blood coated lips, tasting the redheads blood there. "I'll need you at the front line." And his voice seemed to soften the tiniest bit, looking into B's deep red eyes. "Come back."

"You're not fighting?"

"'I will." Another amused chuckle. "I'll be waiting for Mihael."

The corner of B's blood stained lips curled up into a half smirk. "I will always come back." Then, his head snapped back to Matt who was actually laughing.

The redhead was actually laughing. Hoarse, strained laughter, but it was still laughter. Given the situation he was in, anyone would have thought him mad, Hell, B and Light sure did. The boy was beaten, broken and half dead and he was laughing! For some reason, it made B growl in annoyance.

"You stupid idiots!" Matt managed to choke out between laughs. "You're so full of shit! Guess who's going straight to hell?" More laughter, as if it had been a hilarious joke, but the vampires weren't laughing. They weren't smiling. In fact, all traces of amusement had gone from both of them at the human's sudden joy. "Me!" He shouted. "I'm going to hell but guess what! I'm taking you with me! If you kill me, I'll make sure to come right back for you!" And yes, maybe he was a little mad now, his mind had snapped somewhere between B's harsh intrusions, the whippings, the cutting, the bruises. He had snapped.

Matt was as good as dead now. He was like a broken music box, as soon as the music stopped they would never be able to wind it back again.

"B," Light said. "Go now. Keep them in order and don't make a move until the sun has set."

The dark haired vampire hesitated for about a second before nodding and walking out of the room. And as soon as the door had closed behind him, Light moved to pick up the blood stained knife from the blood splattered floor. He couldn't help but run his tongue along the blade, tasting the redhead's blood. It was incredible. "Matt," But the redhead was still staring down at the floor, shoulders shaking in silent laughter.

It wasn't until Light backhanded him that he finally looked up, a wide smile on his face. Laughter burst from his lips as he stared at the tall brunette. Yes, Light concluded, the poor boy was gone. He had snapped under the relentless torture. He couldn't even register the pain anymore. "Do you want to see 'Mello' again?" He asked quietly, watching the deep green eyes for any kind of human reaction.

There was none. And something deep inside Light almost felt disappointed.

- - - -

Growls filled the air from both sides, but neither group moved.

The sun was setting now, the sky was that blood red once more, splashed with pinks to soften it. Maybe God knew of the demon war that was about to take place, and he wanted to let the world know that things were okay. Mello chuckled darkly earning him a good worried glance from Celestria who had since moved to his side once more. "Darling?"

"I'm fine." He sniggered. "Lets go." With a quick gesture of his hand and Aaron's permission, he led the way down the tall hill, reveling in the high of being in command. Aaron was their leader, yes, but he was in charge of this army.

Light's coven looked fierce as they began to move as well towards the New Orlean vampires. Keeping to their straight line like back in the Revolutionary War days and so, wanting to keep up to date with apparent, current vampire customs, Mello ordered for his group to spread out as well, mirroring the vampires opposite them. And sure, it might look like the scariest thing ever, watching a large group of people walk towards you this way, menacingly, but Light's coven didn't falter in the least and neither did they.

"You're the one Light's been waiting for?" Someone from the other group called. It was B, he was at spear point the way that Mello was. "You're just a kid. A little unfair, but if Light thinks you're worthy of a good fight then hey, have at it." The group joined in laughter. They had stopped moving now, stopping just a few feet from the New Orleans coven who looked like they could rip open a few throats at the snap of a finger. It would be the case as soon as the sun came down.

Mello's lips were curled up over his fangs. "Where's Matt?" He growled. Obviously this vampire was close to Light and he would have information on their human prisoner. But the dark haired vampire simply smirked and met Mello's gaze evenly. "Answer me!" He shouted, forcing Aaron to place a restraining hand on his shoulder incase the blond broke from the group.

B's laughter was bone chilling. "He's dead. No doubt, I left him in Light's care but I'm sure the runt's been dealt with." He paused, stepping away from the group while the others watched on in silent shock. B made his way closer, closer till he was standing mere inches from Mello. Leaning in real close he whispered against the blonds' ear, a playful smirk on his pale lips; "He was so tight when I fucked him. It was amazing. And he was screaming for me, taking all my orders." He chuckled. "Great fuck, he was." And he pulled back just in time to miss Mello's sharp nails. as they swiped the air.

"I'll kill you!" Celestria and Aaron had a firm hold on the blond vampire, pulling him back but he kept thrashing and kicking, desperate to tear through B's throat. Kill him, make him suffer, anything! He wanted to sink his fangs into him, rip his stone flesh from his bones. "You son of a bitch! You'll be first!"

There was a collective gasp as Mello broke free from the arms of his friends, just as the sun hid behind the hills, and lunged straight for B. And it took only a second, for everyone else to join in.

The battle had started.

- - - -

Having successfully rid the semi-conscious redhead from his bindings, Light laid him out on the splattered floor. From the sound of things, it was obvious that the fight had begun and he only wished that B was okay. Looking back at the panting heap on the ground, Lights eyes softened the tiniest bit. If this were B...He shook his head and crouched down to grip a handful of the redhead's hair, pulling his head back so his neck was bent painfully. "Matt," He cooed.

Matt stared back blankly. He looked as though he were already dead the way he simply stared, unblinking, unseeing. Curiously, Light brushed his white knuckles against the redhead's cheek, gently, caressing, feeling..."I wonder," He mused. "what you would be like as a vampire?" A soft chuckle sounded in his throat as he shook his head as if the act would dismiss his musings.

He held the knife up, admiring the stains of dried blood on the steel. This human was to be used as nothing more than bait, and so, now that he had served his purpose, he was to be disposed of. Sure, Light was a little sad to see a good human candidate -for his new immortal- world put to waste, but, he was a man of his plan and so he would stick with it. Gently, he pressed the blade to the redhead's throat, slicing through the pale flesh with ease, though the redhead whimpered in his arms, he didn't make a move to free himself. He was too weak, and Light didn't mind the least that this would be an effortless kill.

For a few seconds he just watched the blood run from the wound and listened to the gargle in the redhead's throat as he swallowed his own blood. Matt finally fought. His body jerking in its efforts to keep itself alive, but Light saw that the teens eyes were still blank and emotionless, though the jerking continued and blood began to bubble from his parted lips and spill down his chin. "Shh," Light soothed. Guilt was jabbing at his stone heart, but only because he regretted not having the chance to turn him (into a vampire). Ah well.

Having watched the blood spill for long enough, Light latched his mouth onto the wound in the teen's neck, lapping up the blood he could get. Why waste perfectly good blood? He didn't need to use his fangs, just caught the blood that spilled into his waiting mouth.

- - - -

Snarls, growls, and the sound of stone smashing against stone seemed to be the soundtrack for their fighting. There were already a few casualties spread out along the lush green lawn, cold blood spotted the grass artfully. Despite being outnumbered, it looked as though they were winning. Light's coven had already lost half of their Vampires to the New Orlean vampires, but at the same time, their numbers were depleting rapidly as well.

Out of the fifteen vampires they had brought with them, nine or so still fought tooth and nail against the odds and the more experienced fighters. Light's coven was ruthless, but Mello's side was matching them, learning, advancing and surpassing.

He had no idea how long he had been fighting B, but it couldn't have been long. The dark haired vampire was still smirking as Mello dodged his kicks, and clawing, and vice versa. It looked hopeless, they were both evenly matched. Both had too much to live for and they were more than reluctant to give it up so easily. But still Mello kept advancing on B, forcing the vampire farther away from the large group, forcing him into the mansion. "Coward!" He screamed as B vanished with his speed. He was hiding somewhere in the house.

Mello stood at the Main entrance, chest heaving in effort and self control. He had to keep his head. Had to..."Come out and fight!" His fists were clenching and unclenching at his sides. Frustration radiated off him in waves. Suddenly, movement in the corner of his eye made him turn to his right, fangs bared. To his surprise, it was Kyosta, strolling casually towards him with a somber look on his pale face.

"Mih-"

Snap

"Agh!" Kyosta cried out as pain shot up his arm. Mello had closed the distance between them in the time it had taken him to part his lips to speak, and was now gripping his wrist in an iron hold, twisting it back and snapping bones as he did so, forcing the purple haired vampire to fall to his knees.

"Where is he Kyosta? Where are you keeping, Matt!" He growled. Mello jerked his own wrist, eliciting another satisfying snap from his cousin's wrist. "I'm sure you won't need your fuckin' hands when I'm done with you." And then he fell silent. Expression blank.

Kyosta yanked his broken wrist out of the blond's hand, groaning as the bones had begun to mend themselves. "Forgive me," He whispered before running off in the direction he had seen B go, his healing wrist cradled to his chest. The dark haired vampire had gone back outside, no doubt, to deal with the other vampires. None of them would be a match for B should they face him, it was a surprise to the purple haired vampire that Mihael had kept up so well.

Mello was left there in the Main Hall, eyes wide as he watched the horrors that unfolded before him. Deep down, the part of him still conscious knew that this was only an illusion drawn by Kyosta to trick his mind, but he couldn't help but stare. It was too much...

Somewhere, a woman's voice sang to him.

-

'Dancing bears, painted wings. Things I almost remember...'

No. He shook his head desperately trying to get the voice out of ihis mind but it was still there. Sweet and oh so familiar, as if he had heard it only yesterday and not centuries ago in a past life he hadn't known for just as long. In front of him, the room had transformed into a dance floor. Couples danced and swayed and spun to the rhythm of unheard music.

'And a song,'

Their faces were familiar to him and though their lips moved he couldn't hear a single sound come from them. Like watching a silent movie, apart from the voice deep in the back of his mind that kept singing and drawing up more painful memories.

'Someone sings...'

The singing becomes louder and it echoes pleasantly about the Main Hall. The couples stop their dances and turn toward the sound of the singer who is yet to be seen by the blond vampire and he finds himself moving, walking, no, running towards the sound wanting to see who was singing. Wanting to ask them who they were, what they were doing in a place like this, despite the reasoning in his mind that this was nothing more than an illusion. His curiosity was winning over.

'Once upon a December.'

And as the crowd moves to make way, a beautiful woman with long, golden hair moves toward him with a slow but confident stride. Her hair...it's the same color as his own and he can't help but look from hers to his own locks in comparison. She is still singing, even now as she continues to walk toward him; a smile on her ruby red lips.

'Far away, long ago, glowing dim as an ember.' She stops before the blond, her smile widens the tiniest bit as her hand -gloved in white silk- reaches up to caress Mello's cheek. 'Things my heart, use to know. Once upon a December.'

"Mother," And he doesn't hesitate to try and take her into his arms, but she holds up a hand, gesturing for him to follow her up the stairs as she moves on, lovely voice still floating behind her. Mello follows. He's confused, but this was his mother! He would follow her to hell and back as long as he could keep her face in his mind for a little longer.

'Someone holds me safe and warm,'

Mello is following behind her down the wide hall of the West Hall, listening to her lovely voice. She opens a door all the way at the end of the hall and steps in forcing Mello to hurry in after her. The room is empty, but the smell of blood is present. It's a smell he remembers so well, he remembers tasting it, savoring it. Confused, he watches as his mother lays herself down in the middle of the empty room, still singing.

'Horses prance through a silver storm. Figures dancing gracefully, across my memory.' And Mello moves to kneel down beside her, listening as he wraps his arms around her. The scent of blood is so thick! But there is none! There is no blood anywhere, and it can't be his mother's blood, no, it isn't. This blood is...unique, he had memorized the scent and taste a long time ago, but then why! Why couldn't he remember who it was? 'Things my heart, used to know,' His mother smiles at him, faintly.

'Things it yearns to remember.'

Mello feels so confused. Is she dying? But...she's been dead. Why?...This is just one of Kyosta's illusions. But none the less, the blond found himself holding her to himself. 'And a song, someone sings...' And his mother disappears right before his wide eyes.

-

The room is now dark, and blood covers the walls and floor. There was so much blood. That same familiar blood...His mother's voice echoes once more in his mind and he looks around frantically for her, though, there's still something, someone, in his arms. Feeling stupid, he looks down and he can't believe what he's seeing. In his arms, motionless and staring back at him with blank green eyes, is Matt.

'Once upon a December...'

"M-matt..." His voice trembles violently as he really takes the redhead in. "Matt?" Foolishly he calls the redheads name but there isn't an answer. He doesn't blink to acknowledge that he hears the blond, there's no movement, nothing. Matt's eyes just stare back at him almost accusingly, the blond notes with rising despair. "Matt!" Mello shouts and it takes him another minute of silence to finally realize that the room is eerily quiet. There's no sound but his own loud sobs.

He can't hear Matt's heart, because it was no longer beating.

A loud sound echoes in the small room, it was bone chilling and heart breaking at the same time. It was the scream of someone who had just witness the flames of their warm fire being blown out by the cold winds of an upcoming storm. The screaming of a person mad with hopelessness. And Mello's sobs come harder when he finally realizes that they are his own screams. "Matt!...Don't be dead!" But he was dead. The redhead was beyond following orders such as this, now.

Matt's body was limp and cold. No longer warm the way he had always felt in Mello's arms. His eyes were vacant and dark, like a light had been switched off inside him. No one was home. His thin lips were parted slightly, and the blood dribbling down his chin was still fresh. He could have gotten there sooner! FUCK! FUCK everything! He had failed Matt. He had broken his promises, he had failed completely.

Now he understood what Kyosta had done. He had lead him to Matt by using his mother as his guide.

More sobs shook his body. Without thinking, he slit his wrist open and held it up over Matt's still and parted lips, letting it drip into his mouth. "C'mon, Matt! Drink it, drink it, please! Live! Live!" Mello was screaming at the top of his lungs. But Matt just lay there, staring blankly at him. "Please..." He begged. Though the word came out in a soft, pathetic and defeated tone. There was no bringing Matt back now...he was gone.

Mello had died once more. He had been killed along with his poor redhead. Again. And this time around it was that much more painful. So, he held the limp body to himself, forehead pressed against the redheads and he sobbed. Whole body shaking, and Russian apologies falling from his lips. His gloved hands trailed over the deep cuts on the teens body and he remembered something B had said.

'He was so tight when I fucked him.'

He sobbed harder. The apologies turning into screams of misery. "I'm sorry. Forgive me!" B had raped Matt and tortured him. If it killed him, the dark haired vampire would die at his hands.

For Matt.

No...for Mail.


For those confused, Kyosta is behind the illusion of Mello's 'Mother' He uses her image as a guide to lead Mello to Matt in the hopes of repenting for what he's done. And if you remember the first chapter, you know that the song is what Mello's mother sang to him before he went to sleep.

A/N: So, feeling the slalp yet? I'm sure you are. I'm sorry guys, didn't mean to drop a bomb like this on you, but its necessary. Um, lets see...Point of views change like crazy, but again, I'm sure you can keep up. Oh! B did rape Matty, incase it wasn't obvious in the last chapter(36). I'm awful I know. And yes, Matt is out of it by the time he's killed by Light. By out of it, I mean off his rocker.

Next chapter will be the last. So, if you want the sequel, Review. Because I'm not just going to put it up for people to Favorite. I would like a little feedback, ya know? Thanks. Love Ya'll and be prepared for another good slap in the face next chapter.

~ Matt.