Bastard!! Fan Fiction / Gundam Wing Fan Fiction / Macross Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Shades of Humanity ❯ Chapter 5

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

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Chapter 5 0x01 graphic
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Nerouki was curled up on the couch in the lobby when the double doors
burst open and the two Elementalis Airiad and Ice came dashing in,
cradling a mangled corpse, withered and gray in their arms. Nerouki,
intrigued by the sight, followed them as they rushed down the hall
towards Phoebe's healing suites.

Phoebe looked up from a book on herbal healing when the four people
burst into her rooms. She stood, her white gowns swirling about her
like a fine mist as she snapped at them. "What in the Nine Worlds is
going on here?"

"We found this in Foresta." Ice panted.

"An intruder, so what?" Phoebe shrugged, watching as they lay the
desecrated corpse on one of her tables. The body had curled in on
itself and it had long fangs and sharp features. Veins stood out all
over the now naked body and Phoebe winced, seeing a telltale scar
across the man's concave in chest. "Dear Gods, that's Freedan!"

The Elementalis nodded.

Nerouki felt weak, seeing the High Lord's hair long, white and stringy
like an old man's. She saw his hands, curled into claws, buried in his
chest where he was trying to do something, but what, was undetermined.
She stepped forward as the Elementalis stepped back. She laid a hand
to the High Lord's forehead and his eyes snapped open. Phoebe leapt
back with a scream very unbecoming of her and Nerouki flinched. Then
she forced a cheerful smile.

"Morning High Lord."
His eyes narrowed. "I feel weird," he rasped, his throat parched.

"You look weird!" Airiad snorted before Nerouki sent him a scathing
look.

"What happened to me?"
"Nothing High Lord." She nicked her wrist, letting the blood drip onto
his white lips. "Care for a drink while you rest? You've had a long
and hard journey, you must regain your strength."
He eagerly brought the wrist to his mouth, barely able to lift his
head. She pressed it to his mouth, letting him drink until the room
began to spin. Then she withdrew it and examined him. He looked the
same but he had regained some of his strength from her powerful blood.
He climbed to his feet and then froze, his eyes focusing on his bare
flesh. He looked up at her, his already ashen face paling further.
Tears sprang into his eyes and he gave her such a pleading look,
telling her that he wouldn't believe this, tell him it wasn't true, it
was a dream, all a dream. She shook her head, she couldn't.

"Humans," he rasped, wincing at the grating sound of his own voice,
once such a smooth seductive tenor.

"I'll fetch some." Nerouki left in a flash, forgetting he had her
necklace and her map. She dashed through the streets, bare foot,
unaware of the rocks digging into the flesh of her feet. She didn't
care that the people were all staring at her, she could only think of
Freedan. She came to a Portal and she slashed her hand against the
corner of it until she tore flesh. She pressed it to the Human icon
and fled through the streets there, towards Hilry's mansion. She burst
through the doors and came face to face with the Ruler herself.

She was a leggy, voluptuous blond, her hands on her hips as she glared
at her unexpected guest. Her sapphire blue eyes narrowed with hatred,
recognizing the woman who had taken both her parents when she was but
a child. She flicked her wrist slightly, a dagger sliding smoothly
into her hand.

"My name is Crisjanis Takashi, Queen of the Dead," she leaned forward,
hands on her knees as she caught her breath. "My fiancée is dying, I
need some Humans, please. Expendable ones, criminals."
"Who is your fiancée? Who would marry the dead?"
"The High Lord! Please!"
"You know I have much to gain with his death." She mused.

Nerouki straightened and touched Hilry's temple. "Clair, what you see
is him. He's weak and starving and the sight of his own body withered
like this is what is killing him the most. You either help him, or
when I succeed his throne, you will suffer at my hands. You will live
your life as ugly as he is now, and then, when you die, you will
suffer my wrath tenfold! Get me some prisoners!" She hadn't realized
she was yelling, or that tears were streaming down her face until a
pale Clair rushed away to do as she said. Nerouki wiped at her cheeks
as she waited, thinking, worrying.

Three bulky men stood before her suddenly, grinning toothless grins.
They were slightly shorter than Freedan, but heavier and more
muscular. Clair gave her a sneering smirk. "I'm sure these men will
feed quite nicely. Journey safely and give the High Lord my regards."
Nerouki's eyes narrowed. "If these men do anything I don't like, you
will suffer the aforementioned fate." She grabbed two of the men and
gestured to the third with her head that they were to follow her. She
sliced their hands and then her own in the same crude manner as before
and they boarded the Portal.

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Freedan sat with his knees drawn to his chest, his arms wrapped around
them tightly, hands clasped at the wrist. He sighed, resting his bony
forehead on his knees. His life was turning into a living hell. But
Nerouki promised she would save him, so he had to hold on. He had
promised he'd hold on.

"You're in love with her, aren't you."

Freedan looked up at Ice who stood with his hands in his pockets. At
last, Freedan nodded slightly.

"I am. I healed her father."
Ice raised an eyebrow. "You're dying for some stupid act of kindness?"
"She will love me for this." Freedan sighed.

"I think she loves you anyway." Airiad said, poking his head through
the door before coming all the way. "I can see it when she looks at
you."
"She never throws up a wall over her eyes, no matter what she's
feeling." Ice had observed. "You should do the same when you're with
her. She knows you fairly well, she'll realize why you're doing it.
She'll realize your eyes are purple."

Freedan frowned.

"Freedan," Phoebe smiled. He looked at her, his eyes the only youthful
thing in his face, and that was rather comparative, I might add. "Get
some rest, my dear brother." With a sigh he placed the cup she had
given him down and curled up in a fetal ball, fall-ing swiftly into a
restless sleep.

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Nerouki was walking up the hill, the three men trailing behind her
when they made small gestures and attacked, coming from three
different directions. She spun and kicked the one on the left with her
foot, punching the one coming dead on in the face. She was tackled by
the third and fell heavily to the ground beneath his sweaty, panting
body. She tried to get away but he pinned her down, his meaty hands
encircling her wrists. She felt his body moving against hers as he
fumbled to unbutton his pants. She kneed him in the groin and when he
recoiled in shock she sent a blast of Mercurial Dream Magicks over the
three, immobilizing them. Then she used her Gyft to make them hover
behind her as she continued trudging up the front walk.

She entered Freedan's chamber where he lay curled in a tiny ball,
asleep. She awoke him and he started. He looked at her with those
black eyes and she smiled, gesturing towards the three stunned men who
stood beside her, unable to move. She bowed with a flourish as she
spoke. "Care for a drink kind sir?"
He stared at the men with such open lust. "Leave me with them." He
rasped. She bowed again before she left, leaving her spell in place.

Freedan stood, stretching to his full height. The men cowered beneath
him. He placed one hand on the side of the shortest man's neck, the
other cupping the back of his head. Freedan grinned, his teeth had
yellowed, his fangs looked wicked as they curled into gnarled tusks,
almost. Then he jabbed them through the man's neck, tearing several
veins and drinking until he felt the man come to the verge of death.
Since Vampires drink the blood of the living to keep themselves alive,
it wouldn't make sense to drink after the man had died. His fangs
straightened, his teeth whitened and his hands and feet lost their
withered appearance, becoming youthful once more. Freedan was annoyed
he was still naked. He moved onto the second man.

When he had moved to the third, his stomach was once again hard and
muscular, his chest and shoulders broad and his arms powerful once
again. His legs were youthful and sturdy and, he no longer wobbled
when he walked. All that remained to heal was his organs, both
internal and external. He was feeling frisky now and he released the
man from Nerouki's light spell. The prisoner stood cowering, his eyes
wide with fear as he gazed at the High Lord. The High Lord's flesh was
black with the rotting organs, and as the prisoner's gaze flicked
downward he paled considerably.

"What was the first one's name?" Freedan asked, his voice returning to
its normal soft tenor. He gestured with his chin towards the man who
had given Freedan his life first as he hung limply, his skin ashen
with the mask of death.

"Remy. Charles Remy." The man stuttered.

"And the second?"
"Nicholas Ford."
"And yours?"
He paled further, seeming as white as the sheets. "Chris Robledo."
Freedan bowed with a flourish, pulling clothes on. "Tell me, did any
of you give Takashi, the Queen of the Dead who led you here, a hard
time?"
"We wanted her dead so we could escape," Chris said quietly. "We
attacked her on the front lawns, but she beat us all and threw spells
on us. Powerful spells. We don't have Magick, so we were trapped. Then
she brought us to your disgusting rotting corpse and we knew we would
die."
Freedan nodded. "What was Remy's crime? Why was he sentenced to life
in jail?" Freedan's hawk-like eyes settled on the blonde man with
frightened black eyes. He was handsome and strong looking, but trapped
within the spell, he was helpless. And now he was dead.

"He wasn't sentenced to life, but he was expendable. He was caught
during a drug bust in east Santa Monica."
"Where's that?"
"California, USA, Human World." Chris replied, facts helping his mind
wander from the dire situation at hand.

"Ok. And Nicholas? What sins did he commit?"
"Serial murder with rape charges. He killed according to the movie
Seven, patterning himself after Kevin Spacey's character."
Freedan laughed. "And you?"
He sighed. "I was framed."
Freedan's eyes narrowed and then glazed as he called on his Magicks,
still rather weak. "Tell me, and do not lie or you will die as your...
companions have."
"I was framed! I'm telling the truth! Gideon Dire killed my
girlfriend, my fiancée actually, and framed me for it!"

"The Crow."

"What?"

"Sounds like The Crow: Salvation. Crummy third part in The Crow
series. The first one was the best because it had the marvelous
Brandon Lee, but I digress." The glaze left his eyes. "And I sense you
are telling the truth. Tell ya what. You tell me why you attacked
Takashi and then do me a favour, and then I'll let you live."

"I attacked her because the others were. She was leading us to a
horrible death, and believe me, this is horrible! I wanted to escape
as much as the other two, so if we disabled her, we could escape into
the hills we past on our way here. It was as simple as that. What's
the favour?"
"I'm asking to drink from you. My organs," his hands flicked down his
body, "are in rather poor condition. It won't kill you and it won't
hurt if you don't struggle. And if you do me this favour, Takashi, you
and I will hunt down this bastard and kill him."
Chris stared at him for a long moment before nodding.

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Nerouki felt a hand slide over her mouth and she fought back her
panic. Then she was dragged down the hall, backwards. A door kicked
open and she was slammed into a wall and a mouth pressed against hers.
She felt a wave of relief wash over her and she returned the kiss,
wrapping her arms around his neck. With his knee, he spread her legs,
allowing his hand access to her--

"Nerouki?" It was Phoebe. Nerouki awoke with a start and yawned,
looking up at Freedan's twin sister.

"Yeuh?" She asked groggily.

"The High Lord would like to see you."
"Where is he?"
"He's waiting in your room."
"Thank you. I'll head there now." She got up from the couch in the
healing chambers and headed through the twisting halls to where their
suites were located. Freedan was holding the map in one hand and the
necklace in the other when she walked in. He was sitting on her bed,
one of her books in his lap. He looked up and smiled. "What are you
doing?" She asked, gazing at the novel as it lay open in his lap.

"I was reading the back of the book, waiting for you to wake up."
"I'm up. What is it?"
He looked hurt and she sighed, wiping her eyes and kneeling in front
of him. "I'm sorry Freedan. I'm just very cranky. What is it?"
He gave her a sheepish smile. "I just wanted to tell you I missed
you."

She stared at him and then she laughed. "Freedan, what's different
about you? Something's changed."
He looked at her, his black eyes glittering as he gave her a lopsided
grin. He pulled her up on him, making her straddle him. He gave her a
provocative look. "I could show you..." he said, looking at her neck.
She was worried he was still hungry but when he moved in, he stroked
the cord in her neck with his tongue. She sighed as he slowly moved
back until he was lying down. She stared down at him as his hands
stroked her thighs. She smiled and leaned forward, her chest pressing
into his. She kissed his mouth gently, feeling his hands slide up her
back to grip her shoulders, he massaged them gently, slowly moving
down to his neck, sucking gently. He let out a soft sigh before
rolling out from underneath her. He propped himself up on an elbow as
she looked at him, her eyes black, as they so rarely were, and this
worried him but he cleared his throat.

"You remember the prophecy speaking of doom?"
She nodded.

"The first step has been taken." She frowned and he sighed, this time
wearily, pushing himself off the bed to pace before her, his form
black on black as he passed by the window overlooking the shadow
gardens. She bit her lower lip in consternation as she listened to him
talk, his hands shoved deep in his pockets and his eyes narrowed, a
habit he had acquired from Truisch. "We're at a crossroads and the
outcomes of each path are drastic but... well, it'll be difficult to
decide which path to take."
"What's the crossroad?" Nerouki asked.

He looked at her, his dark eyes gleaming. "Fight against Necris, the
Keeper of the Dark--" He held up a hand when she opened her mouth in
protest, "Or kill Camille, Sage Luka's daughter and already a
brilliant oracle, and thus plunge us into darkness and give Necris the
upper hand."
"She's seven! How good of an oracle can she be when she hardly has the
insight or the experience--"
"Luka was a worldly woman who spent all her time with her daughter if
not with customers wishing to know the answers to questions!" Freedan
snapped. "She taught Camille well and I refuse to kill her. We fight."
She jumped to her feet. "But is Necris a Mage of the Blue Dragons!"
His eyes flashed with irritation. "Yes. And it takes a Dragon to
battle a Dragon, does it not?" He raised an eyebrow and she paled.

"You know?"

"We had noticed something unusual about you and just recently we got
Truisch to confess. He told us about Plichaeus and how you fought to
save him since he was a babe. Now you're bonded by blood," which he
dismissed with a flip of his hand, "We need you to help us battle
Necris and his minions."
She glared at him so viciously that he wondered whether he went about
this the right way. He reached forward, saying her name gently,
sympathy in his eyes. She smacked his hand away so hard his arm flung
hard in its socket and he winced slightly. He watched as she grabbed
her cloak from the bed and fled from the room. He raced after her,
thinking it safe to remain a distance behind. In the kitchen,
harassing a maid, was Truisch. He looked up, his eye wide with
surprise as Nerouki fastened a small hand around his arm and dragged
him down the halls, Freedan tagging along, but now accompanied by
several people he didn't know, Airiad, Ice and Flaem. She stormed into
the lobby where she threw spells that sealed off all the exits but
one.

"Get out." She said quietly, her eyes locked with Freedan's. Freedan
gestured slightly to his men and they left reluctantly, and then
Freedan gave her his own look and calmly refused. Her eyes burned into
his and he shuddered, disgusted at his own weakness. There was
something terrible within Nerouki and he kept trying to bring it out.
Maybe this wasn't the best idea in the world. Maybe I'm an idiot. You
know what? I'm an idiot--His thoughts were cut off as Nerouki angled
her shoulders between Truisch and the High Lord and began to speak
quietly, but her voice carried and Freedan bit his cheek as he
listened to Nerouki's threatening and eventually pleading.

"Why did you do it?"
"Do what?"
"You told them. I told you not to tell them!"
Understanding darkened the oak green of Truisch's eye and he sighed,
running his fingers through his thick, flame red hair. "Nerouki, you
don't understand the position I was in--"
"The position--" She began incredulously. "Your position was remain
loyal to me NOT betray me! You were specifically told not to tell
anybody about what I did to the Forbidden Race immediately after I had
recovered from the blood rites. It's been ten years! Did you
conveniently forget you were warned just to satiate the High Lord's
curiosity!" She stamped her foot, her voice rising with her anger. "I
was desperate to save an endangered species and in doing so I was made
one of them. I was ashamed to be a tribreed, as we were warned of them
as little kids, and your sole purpose in living with me was to protect
me from the band of tribreeds that roamed the Realm of the Dead! Now I
am one of them, my real mother will disown me and my father will be
hurt at my betrayal!"
"The fact that you betrayed him will not vanish with his ignorance!"
Truisch yelled, displaying temper for once and Freedan leaned against
the wall, impressed by the performance.

"Truisch! Tribreed! Does that word mean anything to you?!"
"It means you're ignorant! Not all tribreeds are evil and you're
certainly not evil!"
"I'm associated with it," she said with disgust, apparently flicking a
glance towards the High Lord, as Freedan met Truisch's gaze. Freedan
shrugged, splaying empty helpless hands but the man was turning back.
He gripped Nerouki's shoulders and she suddenly looked so small and
helpless.

"You will hold council. You will tell your people and you will create
unity, or lose support. Then you will decide whether you will fight or
not and who will back you up." Truisch said, searching her eyes.

"It's not that easy." Freedan said, coughing when their undivided
attention settled on him ominously. "Being able to control the dead is
a rite passed down from generation to generation. It was passed from
Natalya using Janis as a catalyst and into Nerouki via intricate spell
work with power not even I could fathom. The bond by which she is
attached to the Dragons is by blood so they can't disown her. She's
screwed."
"Fuck you Freno!" Nerouki yelled and Freedan shrugged, giving her a
boyish grin before returning to his lazy post at the wall.

Nerouki whipped around towards him and he glared at her, about to
protest he hadn't done anything, but her eyes were focused past him.
He turned and saw Phoebe standing there, panting. Nerouki lowered her
shields and the woman rushed into the room. "Sorry to interrupt!
There's a fork in the prophecy here."
"Yeah, we know. That's what we're discussing."
"No no no no no! A new one! There's a third alternative. This is an
intersected prophecy."
"What's our other choice?" Nerouki asked, her eyes big and wide.

Phoebe looked uncomfortable. "It's been prophesized that you and
Freedan would meet, you know that right? Ok, good. Well, it also says
you tangle with the Gods and create a bond stronger than the Gods
combined."
"Do you have the prophecy with you?"
"Camille wrote it down as it came to her; she said she was just
doodling in her notebook." Nerouki snatched the paper from Freedan's
twin before she finished speaking.

"'And it will be done, irreversible damage to one and something
glorifying to another while an act of contrition by the third. Love
will be lost but love will be gained and thus a shield of power of
something stronger than emotions, than faith, but of something unreal
to both of them, they will create an ultimate force to be reckoned
with and thus complete the Quartet. The Quartet, thrice united, will
rain sulfur down upon the sinners and thus send them to Hella where
they doth belong.'"

"She can spell contrition?" Freedan asked, surprised. Truisch shot him
a look that could freeze over Hel and the High Lord shrugged.

"Yeah, she did," Nerouki said, scanning the paper. Thank you Phoebe.
Could you leave us?" After checking with Freedan to see if she need
obey this pale and furious woman, Phoebe curtsied and left.

Freedan rolled his eyes and Nerouki glared at Truisch who shrugged
helplessly.

"I think we know what the irreversible damage is," Truisch mumbled.
Suddenly looking very old and tired, Nerouki slumped down onto a couch
and gestured for both Freedan and Truisch to sit on the couch opposite
her, with only a jade coffee table separating them. "But if Freedan's
the third, then he must think something is glorious about this whole
situation and I can't, for the life of me, figure out what it could
be!"

Freedan glared at Truisch. "It's something I'll discuss later. What's
this bond we're supposed to have?" He asked, returning his attention
to Nerouki who shrugged.

"Perhaps you two are supposed to hate each other's guts?"
"What's stronger than emotions, the power of the Gods, faith and
wouldn't seem possible to either of us?" Nerouki asked Freedan,
talking more to herself as she stroked some invisible goatee.

"The Quartet of the Gods?" Truisch asked, puzzling over the paper
before turning to Freedan who sighed, running through history lessons
in his mind until he found what he was looking for, releasing a wave
of fear and dread when he pondered it further. When he felt Nerouki's
eyes fall to him he took a deep breath and repeated the lesson as best
he could remember.

"The Quartet of the Gods are Guardians of the Universe, put together
by the Creator Herself. They serve justice and justice alone and are
only called forth in great times of need, when all existence is
thought to be in peril. The first Guardians created were Plaeysata,
Hella, Jemis and Marshè They rid the Universe of evil and thus created
an immeasurable number of dimensions. We have the Nine Worlds,
separated for the good of mankind, or us, and then there is us, and
we've got maybe fifteen dimensions, total?"
"That only explains the beginning. It said thrice united. That means
the Guardians come together one more time - and then now." Nerouki
said, leaning forward, forearms resting on her thighs as his hands
hung limply between his knees.

"The second time, well, Revellia was discovered by Plaeysata before
the second time came but when it did, it turned out Jemis was sent
down here to wait for the Mercurial Dreams prophecy, now fulfilled
while Marshè was doomed to Hel in the Nine Worlds for treason or some
such. The only one strong enough of will to maintain balance and
instill fear into the inhabitants of the Nine Worlds, was Hella, who
is there. That leaves us with two Guardians and imminent doom, neh?"
They nodded and he continued, happy to see they were following without
hitch.

"By now both were Gods and Gods to be feared due to their incredible
pasts. But they need two more to help them form the non-elemental
force that the Guardians imply. One Guardian would have to represent
an element and then the missing element would be the one that is
created from sheer force of will. The first time we had Marshè as
earth, Plaeysata as spirit, Hella as water or ice and Jemis who was
predominantly wind. Once together they managed to substitute something
miniscule to make the fire element come forth and all was good.
Revellia, who really had no Gyft to speak of, showed signs of being
able to wield that which creates Death. This is powerful in its own
and it closely related to water and ice, which is why Hella was named
Queen of the Underworld in the Nine Worlds. His death was more
powerful than Plaeysata's spirit and her latent talent for air came
forth and she was that ever since.

"They came across Natalya who was of Fire and she brought with her
Cristofer who held not only fire but earth due to some weird lineage
or something. Thus when they needed to substitute, they used something
closely related to water."
"If Death is so close to water, then why was a substitute needed at
all?" Nerouki asked, looking annoyed and a little bored by the
lecture.

Freedan looked at her as if she was an idiot. "Because this is also
based on the Five Base System, which is pretty much thought of as a
pentacle these days. You have the four points and then the fifth,
which is a combination of them all, and ultimately spirit. Depending
on which was strongest in the individual would determined where they
would stand during the Guardian rite. Everybody in this chart is
related." He said, quickly drawing up a map of everybody and their
element on the back of the paper torn from Camille's notebook. He drew
a chart that was three boxes across and four down. In each of the top
three he wrote Plaeysata's name and then continued with some sort of
random pattern. Finally, he put down the pen and looked at his
companions.

"Plaeysata remains at the top because she's the only original, that's
the only connection there is with her. In this second row I have
Hella, Cristofer and Nerouki. What's the connection?"
"Death," Truisch said without hesitation.

"Right. Hella and Cristofer both Rule the Dead and Nerouki has taken
over for Cris. In the third row there's Marshè, Revellia and me.
Connection? We'll save it for last. And the fourth row has Jemis,
Natalya and Revellia."

"The fourth row has a connection with me directly. Natalya hired Jemis
from prophecy and he agreed and thus left his position as Guardian to
join the Elv'n tribes until he received a sign that I was here. But
why Revellia?" Nerouki asked.

"In order for this to work there has to be balance, two men, two
women. What they didn't know when Lorelei, the Creator if you will,
got them together, was that Marshè was really a man masquerading as a
woman. When Jemis was removed, Revellia came in and took over as the
male, and Cristofer took over for Marshè when she met her demise. Now,
when the Quartet is united for the third time, it will be the two
Gods, Nerouki and me." He sat back and watched as horror washed over
their faces.

"Dear Christ!" Truisch breathed, sitting back as well. Nerouki seemed
to pale further and Freedan wondered if she was thinking at all, what
with the lack of blood flowing to her brain.

"This is the bond?" Nerouki asked, angrily waving the piece of paper
before the men who looked somewhat impassive.

"No, the bond is stronger than that." Freedan said quietly, lowering
his gaze to the floor. "Truisch, can we talk alone for a moment?"
Truisch nodded and left, walking back to harass the maid from before.
Freedan got up and sat beside Nerouki who tensed, the paper floating
lazy to the floor. He stretched an arm along the back of the couch and
already Nerouki didn't like where this was going. He was looking at
her and she couldn't help but look back.

His lips brushed hers briefly and she gasped, startled. "Nerouki,
remember how when we met? We hated each other, but you were so unlike
any other woman I had met. You're absolutely amazing, you're
remarkable. And that's why I chose to make you."
"Make me?"
"The bond between us will be of blood, Vampiric blood. I told you I
would make you one and now is the time."
She glared at him. "Do not think this tenderness and sympathy will
erase my anger and hatred towards you High Lord!"
His eyes narrowed suddenly and he gestured her to stand up. She
refused and he stood, yanking her up violently, ignoring the cry that
fell from her lips as he did so. "Remove your shirt."
"No!" She gasped, indignant.

"Do it, or I will do it for you, Lady."

Her eyes smoldering with rage, she let her shirt fall to the floor.
She wore nothing but a sports bra and he turned her so her back was
towards him. Then, with the nail of his index finger he traced a line
just inside her shoulder blades. A wave of sensations flooded through
her and her wings snapped out, the High Lord having flexed the muscle
that released them from the folds in her skin.

"This is why I found it glorifying. These wings are beautiful,
Nerouki," he said, his voice thick with awe. She turned to face him,
her cheeks red with rage but when she saw the light blue colour of his
eyes she found it hard to maintain her anger, though she fought with
all her strength to hold on.

"Are you happy my shirt is off, High Lord?"
He flicked her comment aside casually. "I think they're graceful yet
deadly," he said running a hand over the thick, gelatinous fluid that
coated her wings. As she watched his face, so youthful and innocent as
he looked at her as if she were some thing of beauty. His eyes met
hers and he managed a smile, weak though it was. "Fuck you Takashi."
She blinked. "What?"
He stepped back and smoothed his clothes as he arrogantly said,
"You've managed to strip me of my cool indifference, my domineering
disposition and my powerful façade." He gave that meek smile again.
"They fascinate me. I noticed them before and I dragged the truth out
of Truisch shortly after we first met."
She stared at him.

"Can we fulfill the prophecy?"
"What?"
"The blood. Vampires," he gestured to his own exposed neck and her
eyes fastened on two, swollen puncture wounds. She winced and nodded.

He moved forward swiftly and gripped the back of her head in one hand,
the other angling her neck to his desired position.

"Does it hurt?" She asked. He saw cords in her neck move when she
spoke and fought back a wave of arousal.

"It stings but briefly. If you don't struggle then it's actually...
quite... enjoyable."

She hesitated and he wondered if she could sense it, his lust. I'm
like my parents, he thought with disgust. And she'd fight the entire
time and God knows I'd probably like it. His eyes glinted with anger
but snapped wide when Nerouki spoke.

She sighed against him, her soft body moving against his in all the
right places. "I don't see why you have to keep reprimanding yourself
so. If you were truly like your parents, you would have had your way
with me by now and I'd be as helpless now as you were back then."

He froze, pondering her words before a cold wall set in. "I'm sure
you're right," he said without emotion as he fastened his mouth on her
neck. She felt something slowly press into her neck to the point of
being uncomfortable. Then there was a sudden but brief stinging as the
fangs instantly sharpened and punctured the flesh. The hand that
supported her neck removed itself and moved between them. It rested
gently against the hollow of his neck and then there was a small spot
of pain on her chest. She opened her eyes as the burning pain touched
her lips and she found herself drinking the High Lord's blood. It was
thick and black, and acidic by touch but it washed down her throat
without pain and was sweet yet oddly tasteless. He pulled away a
moment later and spoke something in the Olde Tongue.

"... And by the Vampires before us and the Ancestors of old, it is
done." He gave her a brief smile that didn't touch his eyes, bowed and
then left.