Nightwalker Fan Fiction ❯ Everything I've Ever Known... ❯ Chapter 3

The sun slowly descended down between the V created by a pair of two tall mountains in the foreground of Cain's estate. The sunset had been a glorious display of red turning pink merging into lavender and darkened as the sun sank into a deep violet. Just as the last light of the sun winked over the silhouette foreground evening came and Cain woke.

Cain pushed open the top of his coffin and stood, stepping down the footstool placed at the foot of his coffin. He walked up the stone circular staircase from his sleeping chambers and pausing long enough to pull down on a torch style sconce for a wall to slid aside, Cain stepped into his bedroom. It was monstrous in size, bigger then two large family rooms placed side-by-side, with twenty-foot high ceilings and six narrow lancet arched windows with the glass panes painted black to keep out the sunlight on the opposite wall of the secret door that lead down to Cain's crypt. Dark stained hard wood floors with matching wall paneling and beautifully detailed crown molding. The wallpaper was a dark red with a jacquard ivy and a Fleury cross motif. There was a cal king size canopy bed with heavy drapes that matched the wallpaper, two end tables on either side, a wall length wardrobe, a writing desk and chair in the center of the room, a large marble fireplace with a couch and two armchairs placed in front of it. In front of the bed was linen chest.

Cain walked through his bedroom heading towards the connecting bathroom, removing his clothes and entered the room. The bathroom floors were covered with large white marble tiles, the walls covered in white wallpaper that had the same jacquard motif that was on his bedroom walls and wooden paneling that was also painted white. In the center of the floor was a swimming pool style oval shaped bathtub. The brass facets were turned on as if by phantom servants. There Cain bathed; water was poured over his bed to rinse of the shampoo and then the cream rinse. The tub was drained while Cain toweled himself off with another towel drying his hair again by phantom servants. Once dried, Cain ventured back into his bedroom and over towards his bed. The outfit and its style laid out on the bed matched that of Shido's: a white blouse with an ascot collar, a light gray pinstriped vest with gold buttons, light gray pants, a matching coat and a pair of knee high, gray suede leather boots. He pinned a gold and diamond broach on his collar. A comb from one of the drawers from the wardrobe hovered over towards the vampire and began to comb his long hair before pulling it back into a ponytail with a light gray hair ribbon.

Leaving his room, Cain walked down the hall and stopped at a door that lead into the bedroom appointed to Shido. Passing through the doors that opened on their own and entering the room, Cain saw that Shido wasn't there, however Cain could smell that his scent was still fresh meaning that he was near by. Cain followed his nose and found Shido in the library. A fire was going in the massive fireplace and the wolf pack was snuggling up to him as the violet haired vampire read a book out load to the pack in front of the fire, laying on his side, and propped up by s few cushions. Two things struck Cain as interesting; one, that Shido was still here and two, the wolves were acting as if tamed which Cain knew was untrue since these were the wildest wolves in the country side. Interesting.

The alpha male looked up when he detected Cain's scent and pushed his muzzle into Shido's side. Shido looked up from his book.

"Reading anything good?" Cain asked.

"Yes. Twelfth Night," Shido replied. "I see that you have a copy of everyone one of the great Bard's plays expect for Macbeth. Why is that?"

"That play has a curse on it," Cain explained, walking into the room and sat down in an armchair before the fire. "It appears that you have made some new friends, Shido."

Shido smiled down at the alpha male and scratched him behind the ears. "Well, they haven't tried to take a bite out of me yet, so I think they've accepted me fairly well. Probably because they don't sense me as a threat to their pack."

"Yes, I think they do," Cain said softly. "Would you continue from where you stopped, please?"

Shido nodded and reopened the book.

"…(Viola) Ay, but I know- (Duke) What dost thou know? (Vio.) Too well what love women may owe: In faith, they are as true as we. My father had a daughter loved a man, as it might be, perhaps, were I a woman, I should your lordship. (Duke) And what's her history? (Vio.) A blank, my lord. She never told her love, but let concealment, like a worm in the bud, and with a green and yellow melancholy she sat like patience on a monument, smiling with grief. Was not this love indeed? We men may say more, swear more: but indeed our shows are more then will; for still we prove much in our vows, but little in our love. (Duke) But died thy sister of her love, my boy? (Vio.) I am all the daughters of my father's house, and all the brothers too: and yet I know not…"

Cain listened and watched Shido as his former read out loud two more acts before raising a hand for him to stop. "You, Shido, should have sought after a career for the stage."

"I hardly think so. I would've just stood there staring at all those faces staring back at me and ruined the play," Shido replied saving his place before closing the book. "Nothing has changed much here since the last time I was here. Except, I don't recall the dinning room looking like a slaughter house or smelling like one."

"You needed blood and there are more cows then humans close by," Cain explained.

"I don't recall you ever killing anything so messy like that before, "Shido said, referring to the cows. "It doesn't seem your style."

Cain frowned. "Anything else you'd like to complain about?"

"Don't get so offensive, Cain. That's not your style either," Shido replied.

Cain looked as if he was going to slap him, but he lowered his hand. Cain shook his head and pulled Shido over to him. He kissed Shido, long and deep, before leading him to the dinning hall. When Cain got there, he looked pissed beyond hell for some reason.

"What in the Hell? Everything's a mess!" Cain roared. "How did this happen?" Cain turned the pack of wolves and his face twisted into a snarl. "I give you all a safe place from the villagers and this is how you repay me?!"

Cain formed his whip as the pack backed off. Shido stood in front of them.

"Cain, leave them alone. They didn't mean any harm, but doesn't it seem natural that if you leave all this meat in here without locking the door, it appeared as an open invitation for them to help themselves?" Shido asked.

"You will be silent!" Cain snarled at him and snapped his whip. Shido raised his arm as the end of the whip wrapped around his wrist. Shido tugged hard and pulled the whip out of Cain's hands, which surprised the older vampire. Squeezing the weapon, it disappeared and he hissed in a odd tone," You will not use your whip on these wolves or me ever again. Do you understand me, Cain?"

Shido stood up and bit his lip, forming his blade.

"However, if you want to fight to help calm you down then prepare your sword, Cain," Shido ordered.

Cain narrowed his eyes and bit his lip.

"Don't expect me to go easy on you just because I love you, Shido," Cain said, forming his sword.

Shido smiled. "I would never."

Taking a defense stand, Shido stood his ground as Cain took offense. They fought back and forth for hours until Shido knocked Cain's sword out from his hands and pointed the end of his blade at his heart.

"Shall I pierce your heart with the sword of love, Cain?" Shido asked, with a cocky smile.

"You've already pierced it with cupid's arrow, Shido," Cain replied. Shido drew it down his chest.

"How very poetic," Shido said, letting his sword disappear. "Sometimes, you act like you don't have one."

Cain unbuttoned his shirt, took Shido's hands in his and had him place his hand on his chest.

"But I do," Cain said. Shido could feel the usual vampire heartbeat under his hand.

Shido took his hand away.

"I'll believe that when I see it for myself, Cain," Shido said, making his sword disappear.

Cain almost looked saddened before he plastered on one of his smiles and took Shido's hands in his again.

"Come, tonight we shall dine out," Cain said. He led him out of the room and to the front entry. "I shall take you to one of my favorite spots."

Cain opened a door and pulled out a pair of coats, one he handed to Shido before pulling on the other one.

"Shall we?" Cain asked, offering his hands.

'Like I have a choice at the moment,' Shido thought and accepted his arm.

Outside, they climbed into one of Cain's brougham and the driver road them off. Shido looked outside the window watching the scenery change. There was a full moon out tonight. The brougham stopped and the door opened. Stepping outside, Shido looked around and gasped in shock. He saw the old, and beautifully snarled large oak tree next to the brook where he has first meet Cain all those many, many years ago. A large oriental rug was spread out at the base of roots with a thick blanket and large throw pillows set against the truck. Hundreds of lit tiny lanterns hung in the branches above. Next to one of the snarled, thick roots that had grown out of the ground and then back in again was a large wooden tray with a picnic dinner.

"Oh wow," Shido said, impressed with the lay out.

"Do you remember that evening when we first met, Shido? I looked up and saw the most beautiful creature my eyes had ever laid on," Cain said. "I knew from that moment that we were destined to be together for eternity."

The place would have normally been romantic to remember old times as two lovers, however, Shido remembered that this was where he saw Cain feeding on a young woman and killed her by drinking all of her blood. His life had taken a change from that moment on. Shido wasn't sure if he wanted to remember that night if he could help it.

Cain had Shido sit down as he removed a bottle from the basket and two wine glasses. Cain popped the cork and filled both glasses. He handed one to Shido.

"I had this wine especially made for us. To celebrate the day when you would return to me. And to our love," Cain said, clicking Shido's glass.

Curious, Shido took a sip. He could taste blood mixed with a fine and aged well wine. He had to admit that the wine was excellent.

"Does it please you, Shido?" Cain asked as he watched Shido take another sip.

"Actually, yes. The wine is excellent," Shido replied, taking another sip.

"I'm glad," Cain said. He took a long sip. Picking up a plate, Cain removed a handkerchief to reveal a plate covered with sandwiches. While blood was their only required food source, some vampires like Cain, enjoyed the pleasures of dinning on human food once in a while. "Sandwich?"

"What kind?" Shido asked.

"Turkey; white and dark meat," Cain replied.

Shido picked up one with white meat and peeked inside; meat cut right from the bird with two different kinds of cheeses, lettuce, a thin slice of tomato between two pieces of freshly baked wheat bread. Other then the sandwiches there were a soup and lots of different fruit.

"So much different then what Riho would make," Shido said, helping himself to a second sandwich.

"What do you mean?" Cain asked.

"Well, back in Japan, I didn't mind the food, especially the sushi, but whatever Riho made was overwhelmed with garlic," Shido said with a face. "And aside from her coffee, the tea she made was horrible. She called it 'Riho's special blend'."

"How revolting," Cain commented.

"And that was after she was Turned," Shido continued.

"You won't have to worry about finding any garlic in the food you eat here, Shido. I could never tolerate garlic myself," Cain said.

"That may be just enough reasons never to leave this place," Shido remarked, sipping the last of his wine.

That remark caught Cain's interest. "Really? Tell me something, Shido. I have wondered over this for over two hundred years… Why did you leave?"

Shido thought for a moment.

"If I tell you, will you strike at me?" he asked.

"No," Cain replied. "I want honesty."

"When I was newly Turned, my first impression of you was that I found you somewhat arrogant only because I never met a man like you before, but despite that, I thought you were the most attractive man I ever came across. You had this charming and seductive aristocratic charisma; the way you held yourself and judged other people was nothing like I had ever seen before. You attracted me because you were so different and not for your vampire charm that I now know is a common trait among most if not all vampires have," Shido said. He placed his glass down and stood up, walking a few steps away from Cain. "But, honestly, it was the death of my sister after she Turned that changed things between us. I can still remember that day she threw herself out into the sun. I allowed her to kill herself, but I couldn't have stopped her if I wanted too. She wouldn't have allowed me too. She hated me for what I had done. You can't understand what it's like to watch your little sister, someone you love so much, kill herself and unable to stop her in time. And…what hurt even more was that…you didn't care. Someone that I loved died twice and you didn't care. Probably because she was once human, and I think you had forgotten that I was once human. I mourned her death alone and you offered no support, and that hurt me so very much. So I began to grow to dislike you and see you in different eyes. My eyes were opened to see the arrogance for which you are, and you strong belief that vampires should rule over the human race. It was a constant reminder that I wasn't born a vampire, and I finally reached a point where I had to break away from you. Does that answer your question, Cain?"

"It does," Cain was careful to answer.

"If you had mourned with me, if you had shown ever a little sorrow for me then we would've never spent all of those years apart," Shido said. 'In a way part of me was glad you didn't. It forced me to come down from the high that I had been on and I'm grateful for that.'

Cain stood up and walked over to Shido, wrapping his arms around his waist. "I know that no apology can ever make up for what happened but if it's any worth, I truly am sorry," he whispered.

"I'm not sure that I can accept your apology," Shido replied.

"I understand. Perhaps in time you will and on that day our love for each other shall grow. Until then, I shall do all I can to help make it up to you," Cain said, kissing his hair. "Come, I need to my nightly rounds before dawn."

Cain walked Shido and helped him inside the brougham, and watched it head back up the road towards the castle before turning and disappeared into the forest on his estate.

Hanging the coat back into the closet in the front entry, Shido was greeted by the wolf pack. Smiling, as soon as Shido knelt down he was ambushed by them.

"Hey there," Shido smiled, scratching them behind their ears. The pup whimpered and Shido scooped him up into his arms. The wolf pup gave a happy whimper and licked his cheek. He smiled at the pup's mother. "I think your son likes me."

She rested her head in his lap.

"Do you like me too, lady?" he asked. As if replying, she licked his cheek. "Hmm, I'll take that as a yes."

Placing the pup down, Shido walked up the steps. He halted when he heard a chorus of whimpers and looked to see the pack looking up at him.

"All right, come on up," Shido smiled. The packed followed him up to his room and he opened the door for him. He chuckled. "It seems I have gained some room mates."

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When Cain returned back to his castle, he entered Shido's bedroom and found him already fast asleep with the wolf packed curled up around him on his bed. The wolf cub was curled up under his chin.

"How sentimental," Cain remarked with a smile before closing the door.

Cain retired to the library and sat down in one of the large armchairs. He'd spent the past few hours wandering his property thinking over his pervious conversation with Shido and his reasons as to why he left him. Cain had a better understanding as to what had gone through his lover's head and his emotional turmoil during that time when Shido was trying to leave him. For years Cain had believed that Shido had left him because he was trying to become human again even though there was no way for Shido to reverse his Turning. It angered Cain especially when that Shido was newly Turned; his Childe was adapting and accepting his new life style very well. During their first year newly Turned Children were exceptionally vulnerable because they still carried most of their previous beliefs as humans. Shido had been no exception, and it seemed that Cain had forgotten this. And he had paid for that grave mistake when his first and only Childe ran away from him.

'What Shido told me has a ring of truth; perhaps if I had shown some sympathy then he would have never left me,' Cain thought. 'Perhaps I should learn to be more sympathetic towards him, if not a touch more lenient towards others. Then I will have Shido falling in love with me once more.'

Cain stood up and left the room, heading upstairs. His inner clock was telling him that the sun would be rising soon. He paused as a thought accrued to him.

"Perhaps it had not been wise of me to have abducted that young girl, the one who is in love with my Shido. Despite what she says, she is still dependent on Shido now and that is not smart choice. When Shido was newly Turned, he was not so dependent, but I wonder if it could have something to do with her age," Cain mused. "However, that doesn't make her any less pathetic. I do not agree with Shido forming an intimate relationship with her; that was not a wise decision on his part."

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