Nightwalker Fan Fiction ❯ Everything I've Ever Known... ❯ Chapter 4

A few days later, as the sun was rising, Shido found himself falling into the familiar routine of living in Cain's castle, but with couple of exceptions; that he was wasn't sleeping with Cain, nor was he accepting any of his former lover's blood or hunting with him for meals. While Cain slept during the day, Shido would explore the castle, reintroducing himself to the surroundings that he once knew so well, or he would read in the library before venturing off to bed. Shido had given some thought of trying to fix his sleeping schedule for the nocturnal hours that he was once used to.

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During his tenth day Shido was reaching overhead to snatch a book from a shelf as Cain walked into the library. The blonde vampire watched as Shido stretched his arm overhead and stood on his toes to reach a book he was after, an amused smiled crossed over Cain's lips, and he walked over to wrapped his arms around Shido's waist. He smiled when Shido didn't try to shake him off or step back away from him whenever Cain stood inches away from him like Shido would have previously done in the past. It pleased the older vampire more then Shido couldn't comprehend that the lavender haired vampire seemed to no longer dislike his touch, something that had hurt Cain greatly.

"Dawn is approaching and we must rest," Cain whispered into his ear. "Will you join me in my coffin this time?"

Shido shivered when Cain placed a kiss on the back of his neck.

"No," Shido replied.

Cain released him and gave an annoyed huff.

"I'm starting to get annoyed with being denied of what I want, Shido," Cain said, crossing his arms.

Shido turned around and peered at him through his bangs. "Would you try to take me by force then? Would you rape me just to satisfied your bodily needs, Cain?"

"Would I rape you? Do you really think I would do something horrible as that?" Cain asked.

"Then wait until I'm ready to sleep with you again," Shido replied. "Or if you try to take me by force, I promise that you will get nothing but my contentment."

"Very well. I love you too much to force you into anything that you don't want," Cain said. He leaned in and whispered into his ear, "Do not take to long, my love, for I miss the pleasure that we shared."

Shido blushed as Cain drew away and disappeared from the room. It was strange how Cain's company was so different then that of Riho's; here back in Cain's castle Shido wasn't living with an adolescent with a needy and clinging nature, and, Shido had to be honest with himself, morbid self pitying. When Riho had Turned, her life stopped completely in every way. She never enrolled and attended night classes that she could've easily done and finished her high school education. She no longer discussed her plans to go into college and study computer graphics, and tossed out all of the college forms she had collected over the years. She ended all contacts between her friends even when they knew she was a vampire. It was as if she was trying to punish the world for her changing even though she had begged for Shido to Turn her, stating that she didn't want Shido and them to be part. Yet two years later they were and she had wished it so. Shido sometimes found himself wishing that he had taken the risk and took her to a hospital. Perhaps he should have thought it over. Shido knew he Turned her because of how she had looked at him as she laid in his arms dying; she had looked like his half sister and he didn't want another innocent to die, to have their life stolen from them so cruelly. Then she changed and the Riho that Shido had once known was lost to him forever.

Cain wasn't like Riho; he was a vampire and he lived, he had a life, friends, a career; he was into the exporting and importing antiques, and selling them at actions (some of the oldest antiques for sale were from his personal collection). Cain attended social gatherings, all of them within the nocturnal hours, whether is was going to the opera, a charity ball, a private gathering like a wedding, office parties or whatever the older vampire wanted to do to keep himself from being bored.

After knowing them both and their personalities, Shido was surprised to find that Cain's company was more wanted the Riho's. And, if he was truly being honest, very honest, Cain was a fair better lover then Riho ever hoped to become. Cain made him feel things that he never felt with Riho. Shido slept with Riho because he was afraid of what Cain had showed him, that she would become that creature because he didn't return her feelings. So, he had slept with her out of fear and pity. Yet with Cain it was because of something else…something Shido wasn't going to admit to himself just yet.

Flipping through the pages of the book, Shido placed it back on the shelf. Turning away from the case, Shido started to head to bed when he spotted a writing desk.

'Perhaps I should send Yaiyo a letter. She does tend to still keep tabs on me even though we don't work together and she might have noticed that me office had been abandoned,' Shido thought, walking over to it. Shido placed his hands to open it when he found it locked. 'Locked. I wonder why it's locked.'

His curiously aroused, Shido ran his hands underneath and then the back where he felt a hook with a key. Removing it, Shido slid the key into the lock and it turned. With a click, the desk opened and Shido slid the covering up. Inside where small drawers or compartments would have been to hold writing and mailing materials, Shido found them removed and black leather books were lined up. Removing one, Shido opened it to the first page and gave a gasp Shido gasped when he realized that this was actually Cain's personal journal. As was the other identical books stacked inside. Normally something as private as this should have been kept in the safety of Cain's bedroom, so why weren't they? Shido sat down in a chair and began to read the first section of the journal that was written by Cain's mother!

'This means that Cain was born a vampire,' Shido thought.

As he continued to read, Shido learned that Cain's mother and father were also pure bloods who had meet during the thirteenth century in Rome, Italy and married before they moved to Transylvania, Romania. As a wedding present, Cain's father bought this castle for his new bride. From reading her entries, Shido realized that Cain's parents were nothing like their son, or at least Cain's mother was. She didn't see vampires as supreme beings over the earth. Shido scanned and found when Cain was born but Cain's real name had been rubbed out.

'Purposely or accidentally?' Shido wondered.

Shido continued reading. She talked about her pregnancy with Cain, his birth and as Cain grew up. Raised to be the perfect example of aristocrat breeding, but not so arrogant as Shido knew him to be now, but then he still was rather young as Cain's mother wrote. Shido laughed at some of the funnier entries of Cain getting all kinds of mischief. The way Cain's mother wrote was in great details and Shido felt that he was there during that time, living out the events that took place. It seemed that Cain was quite a delightful child as he grew up; very interested in the arts, had quite a passion for painting, loved reading and traveling the world to met new or upcoming artists. Cain had a natural talent for playing the pipe organ and would hold private concerts near the holidays or sometimes at evening weddings.

Then at Cain's sixteenth birthday for whatever reason, his mother gave him the journal, after that Cain wrote the rest of the journal. Shido scanned ahead and stopped. The next entry told Shido that Cain's parents had been slain by a group of villagers after discovering that they were vampires. Cain had been away attending school and discovered what had happened when he returned home. After that moment, Cain became the same vampire Shido had come to know.

'So, that's when it started… After the death of his parents…' Shido thought.

He closed the journal and went to pick up the next volume and scanned the rest of the pages that went on about Cain growing up, hunting on humans, meeting Vald's father and fighting in many wars. Then, Shido came to the year of the seventeenth hundreds of Cain's journal. His eyes grew wide as he read the next entries.

'...In all my centuries of existing, I never felt love until tonight. In the middle of a feeding I saw the most beautiful creature God had ever created to walk Earth. Long, flowing violet hair, fair, flawless skin and the most enchanting blue-green eye like the color of the sea. He is so beautiful. I must have him. I know that he is the one I have waited for all these years, the one that I would want to spend eternity together with, my soul mate and my life mate. I must learn more about him. His name, his voice...everything...'

Another entry was written the night after.

'…After a brief hunt, I found him staying in one of the larger houses in the village. Obvious the family who lives there must be friends or at least well known acquaintances of his family. It was easy to find which room he was in, but trying to convince him to invite me inside proved to be a slight challenge. I loved it. I think he has an idea that I'm not human, yet he invited me in anyway. Oh, he was beautiful, obviously enchanted and so very responsive under my touch and equally terrified, but he enjoyed it despite if it. I've never had such a responsive partner. I came close of losing myself and Claiming him quite a few times…'

Shido swallowed and turned the page.

'…He is gone. I returned to his bedroom window and found that he is gone! I am absolutely furious! How dare he leave me! I've waited centuries to find the perfect mate and he leaves! I will not settle for this. I will track him down and make him mine. I should have done so last night when I had the chance… God, I miss him so much. One night, one glorious night and he leaves me. I should have taken him with me to my castle that night, but then the family he stayed with would have gone looking for him and would have gotten the law involved, and I don't need them to be trespassing on my estate. Perhaps the family he stayed with would be so kind as to tell me where he went…'

'…After what one could consider an eternity I have found him at long last, and even more importantly, I know his name. Shido. His name is Shido. I've taken up residence in the apartment complex next to his father's house so that I may keep an eye on my lovely Shido until I am ready to take him. From what I've heard his father is gravely ill. That is very sad. Shido must be suffering greatly knowing he is going to lose his father and there is nothing he can do. I would take away his pains if I could. Oh, how truly pathetic that makes me sounds…'

'...I saw my beautiful love again tonight. His voice is so thrilling, so beautiful in his mourning. How I would love to see him smile at me the way he does toward other people. Do they realize how beautiful he is and how they are unworthy to be around him? He is wasted to be human, so I will make him one like me. I shall give him eternity...'

'...I had made a pleasant discovery tonight. My dear Shido has a secret a taste for the occult and seems to be aware about the Dark Side of the Light. Not many humans wish to accept its existence, but Shido is different; he sees things as they are, he is not a fool. He will be leaving his remaining family tonight to go study medical science to become a doctor. A perfect time to seduce him into coming with me…'

Shido dropped the journal as a pain began to throb in the temples of his head. He closed his eyes, wishing the pain would go away. The room felt dizzy, opening his eyes, Shido saw that the room was spinning out of control before he fell and lost consciousness.

When he next opened his eyes, Shido could hear a heart beat. Was it his? Shido looked around and saw the same black, endless void as before when he and the angel had united as one. A beam out light caught his eye and Shido looked over to where it was coming from. Fascinated and curious, Shido stood up and began to walked over towards it, As he drew closer, he felt calm and there was something familiar about the light. Like finding lost and forgotten of the past now brought forth again. The heartbeat was now loud and strong, as he stood so close that he could almost touch the light.

"Touch the light, Shido, for it is your memories of past that was stolen from you. Take them back and remember your true self. Cherish this gift that I give to you, my Shido..."

Listening to the calm, gentle voice, Shido placed his hand on the light and was consumed by it. Like a damn bursting his long forgotten memories came back; Shido could remember the town where he was born, the church where he was baptized and the boarding school he attended. Shido could remember that growing up in the boarding school he felt somewhat of an outcast; the other students treated him fairly and he had liked all of his teachers, Shido never really made any friends. He never found someone his age that shared similar interests. Shido enjoyed reading books on the occult and different folklores, and found several books that talked about Night Breeds though back then they were called demons. Shido remembered that his mother had died from a carriage accident when he was in his late teens and after a year of mourning, his father remarried a young and very kind French woman who was only five years Shido's senior. Once Shido graduated from high school, his father rewarded Shido by allowing him to travel, but for only seven months. Shido kept a journal, now lost, where he discussed the places he traveled too and wrote home every other day.

It was during his last month of traveling that Shido went to Romania to stay with old friends of his father when Shido met Cain for the very first time. Shido had been riding a horse to admire the setting sun when he spotted a castle (Cain's castle) and went to take a closer look. The sun had set when Shido had reached it half way when he heard a noise that sounded like a woman's cry. Dismounting from his horse, Shido went to investigate and rescue if it came to that, and walked on a pair of lovers; a blonde man with a young woman in his arms. Blushing, Shido went to leave when the blonde man pulled away from his victim's neck and Shido saw blood on his lips and a pair of fangs when he smiled at Shido. Terrified, Shido ran back to his horse and rode back to the safety of the house.

Later on that evening when the rest of the family had gone to bed, Shido sat up in bed unable to sleep. A late night storm rumbled in the distance when Shido felt a presence outside the locked glass doors of bedroom balcony. Looking up, his eyes widened when he saw the same blonde man…no, vampire standing outside, tapping against the glass. Though the vampire's mouth never moved, Shido could hear a whispered voice asking him to invite him in. Without realizing it, Shido had risen from bed and now stood just a foot away from the balcony's glass doors with his hand on the lock when he realized what he was doing and stopped. Shido shook his head, recalling what had happened to the young woman underneath the tree. The vampire pressed his body against the door with a faint bang that it startled Shido and stepped back. The vampire raised a hand and pressed it against a square of glass inside the design and ran his fingernails down, leaving marks. The whispered voice asked again, promising pleasure in the tone. Shido walked back over to the door and reached a hand out, placing it flat against the glass where the vampire's chest was pressed up against the glass.

The reaction and immediate; the vampire arched his back and thrust his hips against the door before looking back at him, with a feral gaze promising him hours of pleasures if only if he let him in. A slightly trembling hand reached up and unclasped the lock of the door before taking a step back. The doors opened and the vampire reached his arms out and drew Shido into his embrace. Cool lips pressed against Shido's warm ones as the vampire lowered him onto his back, ripping Shido's nightshirt in a haste to feel the young man's flushed skin against his. Shido gave a startled moan when he felt a tongue thrust between his lips. Shido found himself in a haze of sensation of cool lips kissing him everywhere at once, causing him to moan and arch seeking more as a cool mouth pleasured him for the first time. His thighs were parted and Shido clung onto board shoulders as cool hand griped his rear pulling him firmly upwards as the hidden inside nub of overly sensitive nerves was struck again and again, moaning loudly as he came again and again. Cool lips nuzzled the arch of Shido's neck each time sweet agony ripped through the young man's body. As Shido drifted off to sleep, utterly exhausted, he felt long fingers combing through his hair lovingly and a body spooned up against his, pressing soft kisses along the back of his shoulders and whispered endearments breathed into his ear.

The morning after Shido woke to find himself alone and wondered if it all had been a dream. A while after breakfast he was given a letter written by his stepmother asking him to return home for his father had grown terribly ill. Shortly after Shido had returned home, his father died. It was then Shido abandoned his secret interest of the occult to study medicine. A new age was coming, it meant that new discoveries about medical knowledge were coming forth. Shido wanted to become a doctor to help those who needed medical treatment and to help support his stepmother and his baby half sister.

The evening Shido was appointed to leave to head off to a medical academy, he stopped by a church to bid the Father there a far well, but instead he found Cain waiting for him. Shido could feel his heart beating as he walked towards Cain's outstretched hand and was swept into the vampire's embrace. A long, deep kiss led Cain to sinking his fangs deep into the arch of Shido's neck; Shido flinched at the first stings of pain before the venom of Cain's bite swept into his body and he held onto those same board shoulders, burying a hand into Cain's long blonde hair as Shido was slowly Turned. It was then Cain took away Shido's memories. Why, Shido would never know.

Then after a year of enjoying Cain's company, a deadly disease spread over the town that had once been Shido's home, and an unknown vampire had murdered his stepmother and half sister. At the time Shido could not truly remember her as his sister, but holding her lifeless body in his arms rekindled something buried inside and Shido cried, screaming in agony as he held her close as the part that was once human of Shido returned in his heart. What happened next haunted him for years…

Shido snapped his eyes open and sat up with a start. He gasped for breath as he tried to calm himself down. No, it'd been a dream… But now, he could remember. His memories had been restored.

After placing the journal back, making sure nothing looked out of place and sliding the key back over the hook, Shido headed up to his room and stood before the full-length mirror in his room. He watched as his wing grew; lose feathers falling onto the floor of flying in the passing breeze. Shido stared at his reflection.

"It was because of you, wasn't it?" Shido asked the angel inside him now part of him. He placed a hand on the mirror and his reflection did the same. "You decided to help restore my memories, didn't you? I don't know why but I'm sure you had your reasons." Shido sighed and placed his forehead on the cold surface. "Are you trying to tell me something? Are you trying to tell me that I have to escape from here? I'm not sure I want to anymore, even if I found a way."

Shido felt something inside him pulling him towards a window.

"What? What is it? What are you trying to tell me?" Shido asked. The nagging became stronger. "Do you want me to go outside? Is that it? But… direct sunlight is deadly to us vampires. You understand that, don't you?"

The feeling grew more until Shido could no longer resist. He walked over to the boarded up balcony doors and unlocked it. Placing his hands on the doorknobs, Shido took a breath before turning them and slowly pushed them open. Beams of warm sunlight washed his face. Shading his eyes from the sun, Shido stepped out and stood. Nothing happened. The sunlight didn't harm him. Closing his eyes, Shido lifted his face towards the sun and smiled.

"I've forgotten how warm the sun is. How good it felt," Shido whispered as tears rolled his cheeks. He understood. Uniting with the angel had given him the opportunity to walk under the sun again, but his eyes were still sensitive to the sunlight. Handing back inside to grab a pair of sunglasses, Shido stood on the balcony. Opening his wings, Shido jumped and took his first flight. Flying under the sun was incredible. He could see everything for miles on end. He felt free and pure again. As if the wind had purified his body. Shido spend most of the day flying around the land around Cain's castle. He didn't want to go out to far in case something happened. Before the sun began to descend over the horizon, Shido returned to his balcony and watched the sun set. He willed his wings away before entering his room, feeling tired.

"Just I over did it today with all that flying," Shido said to himself as he went to take a quick bath. By the time he was dressed, the sun was well set and Shido guessed that Cain was waiting for him.

Cain.

After reading the first part of Cain's personal journal, Shido had a better understanding of the older vampire and his POV, especially towards the human race. During his travels around the world, Shido came across humans who had tried to kill him when they discovered what he was simply because he was a vampire and the shared popular belief that all vampires were evil beings of nature. Shido didn't agree with that fact once he had read the journal entries of Cain's mother. Vampires were as normal as any other being that existed; it was because vampires feed on the blood of humans that they were deemed as evil. Unlike Cain, Shido didn't hate humans because he had born as one and the only reason why he fought Breeds was to protect the good eggs of humanity.

This thought led Shido into thinking about Yaiyo and Riho.

'I wonder if I'll ever see the two of them again?' he thought. A voice in his subconscious asked him if he actually wanted to see either one of them again? Shido figured it had to the angel inside him asking that question. Either that his inner conscious.

Standing in the main hall, Shido could hear organ music coming from the music room. He followed and pushed open a door. Shido found Cain sitting at the large organ playing a nameless piece of music. Shido stood, watching him play, recalling the entry where Cain's mother talked about her son's natural talent for the large instrument.

'Cain plays it so well. I cannot recall a time when I didn't enjoy hearing him perform when we were in love,' Shido thought.

Shido walked over and up the few steps until he stood behind the older vampire. Cain's long blonde hair was free from the usual ponytail he wore. Shido knew that Cain could feel him standing behind him. Shido stood completely still, listening until he leaned over and placed his cheek on the top of Cain's head and wove his arms around Cain's neck, resting them on his shoulders. He heard a slight hesitation in the next note before Cain continued.

Cain, on his part, was desperately trying not to cry. He understood that Shido had shown toleration towards him and didn't move away whenever they become close, Cain didn't expect Shido to show him such intimacy such as this. Something as simple as this touched Cain so deeply that it frightened him. When the last note ended, Cain cupped a hand over his eyes and leaned back against Shido, trembling as tears rolled down his face.

"Have I treated you that terribly?" Shido asked in a calm tone.

"As much as I have treated you," Cain replied.

"Perhaps we were not meant to be then," Shido continued.

Cain held onto one of Shido's hands. "I won't let you go."

"Yes, I know," Shido replied. 'Perhaps we are meant to be, but cannot be parted from each other's company.' "Are we finished then? Hurting each other that is?"

"I don't… I don't think I can continue to live without you any more, Shido," Cain replied.

"Then don't do anything to make me want to leave you again. You came very close not to have me back, Cain; very close," Shido said.

"You're…going to stay?" Cain asked.

"I've spent many years running from you. I've made and lost friends along the way. I have no reason to go back to Japan. You need me more and… I'll probably deny it if ever asked, but…I need you too," Shido replied.

Cain turned around to pull Shido close and wrapped his arms around the violet haired vampire's waist. "Shido…" He wanted to cry, but Cain wouldn't, not in front of Shido, not in front of anyone. Cain lifted his head to look at Shido. "You look absolutely drained. You haven't been sleeping properly have you?"

"No. I used to have to stay up at unseemly hours because I never knew when Yaiyo would arrive seeking my help on a case and she always brought me ones that were too dangerous for her to go by herself," Shido replied.

"Why haven't I noticed this before?" Cain asked, brushing the back of his hand gently across Shido's face.

"I'm good at keeping things I don't want you to see," the violet haired vampire replied.

Cain took Shido's hands into his and brought them up to his lips. "Wait here, I shall bring you a refreshment."

With Cain gone for the moment, Shido looked around the room for something to amuse himself with until the blonde vampire returned, walking about the room, looking at the antiques when Shido paused at a table. It was one of those tables built as a display case. Inside was a collected of hand painted bust portraits. One in the back caught his eye; it was a picture of a lady in very old clothing with long, wavy yellow hair and gentle features.

'She has to be Cain's mother,' Shido thought. 'She was so very beautiful.'

The painted of the miniature portrait wasn't worn or cracked, so Shido assumed that it had be either replaced with a new one or Cain had restored it, as Shido recalled Cain's painting ability. The blonde vampire was probably the artist for all of the ones in the display table. He heard Cain return, and the blonde vampire walked over to see what had caught his lover's interest. A smile appeared over Cain's features as he found Shido admiring the miniature portraits of his family.

"Admiring the portrait, Shido?" Cain asked from behind.

"She reminds me of you. Who is she?" Shido asked, pretending not to know, otherwise Cain would know that he had read his journal.

"My mother," Cain replied, wrapping his arms around Shido's waist. He reached over and lifted the wooden framed glass top and picked up the miniature portrait of his mother and handed it to Shido.

"There is a strong resemblance between you two," Shido commented. "Only I think her features are more gentle."

"If she were still alive today, she would've been your mother-in-law, Shido," Cain told him.

Shido nearly dropped the portrait, but lucky, Cain caught it and placed it back in its place.

"You need to be more careful, my love," Cain said, placing it back into the display table and closed the lid.

"W-What do you mean by that? About her being my mother-in-law if she were still alive?" Shido asked.

Cain placed a hand on the table and as he looked at Shido.

"You are not educated in Vampire customs and that is my fault for not taking the time to teach you. When I made you into a vampire, I did so because I wanted you not just as a companion and lover, but also as my spouse, my mate for life. When we vampires take a mate for life, we wait until we find the one, the one that calls to us: the one that stands out more then others. To me, you were that person. And when I Turned you, I did so as my life mate. A vampire's weddings is nothing a like a human's. With the exchange of blood, you and I were joined in wedlock," Cain explained.

Shido looked as if he had been hit by a four by four, staring in disbelief at what Cain was telling him. "I… I… Married?"

"Do you truly understand now why I was so upset when you left me?" Cain asked. "And why I was determined to get you back, darling?"

Shido sat down heavily as the information weighed down on him. "I'm not sure I can believe all of this, Cain, but I doubt that you would lie to me about something like this."

Cain then smiled and chuckled. "I thought you might say that. If you don't take my word for it then go into the library and look for a book. It has been translated from old vampire tongue into modern English, but it is a very old copy. You'll know what it is when you see it."

Shido stood up and headed towards the library. There, Shido searched every row until he found the book he was looking for. Opening the pages, Shido scanned through it until he found a passage about Vampire Wedlock. To his surprise, everything what Cain had said to him was true. It was all just too much for him to handle. Regaining his memories, exhausting himself from flying and now this, learning that he and Cain were married under Vampire Law. It was just too much.

"It's got to be one of those days," Shido murmured to himself as he placed the book back on its shelf. A thought accrued to him; he and Riho had a blood exchange when he turned her into a vampire because she had pleaded him to do so. Did that mean he and Riho were now married? A brief reading in the right paragraph told Shido no since he was already married. Much to his surprise, Shido found himself relieved. He was honest enough to admit that he really couldn't see the two of them married in such a fashion, nor did he want them to be.

Stepping into the music room, he found Cain, sitting back in a chair looking calm and collected as usual; his shirt was unbuttoned with a glass cradled in his hand. Cain looked up with a smile on his face as Shido reentered the room.

"You believe me now, I see," Cain greeted. Shido sat down in a chair opposite to him. Shido rested his head into his hand and sighed. Cain placed his glass down and leaned forward. "You don't look so well. Are you feeling alright?"

"Not particularly no," Shido replied, sounding exhausted.

Cain said nothing as he bit into his wrist and held it over a glass as his own blood poured into it. He licked the wound closed once the glass was almost full.

Shido closed his eyes half way, he felt so unbearably tired as if he hadn't slept at all for weeks. In the back of his mind, Shido guessed that the angel inside him was doing this. Making Shido tired so he could rest. Apparently flying, something Shido wasn't accustomed to, required a lot of energy, until he was used to it then it wouldn't require so much.

"Here, drink this. It'll pick you up," Cain said.

Pressing it into Shido's hands, the glass fell from his grip and crashed onto the floor. Shido's eyelashes fluttered as his eyes rolled back and he fell forward, welcoming the darkness of sleep as it hit him. Cain instantly caught him before he hit the floor.

"Shido? Shido, what's wrong? Tell me what's wrong? Shido?" Cain said. Shido only sighed in his sleep. "Damn it! What's wrong, Shido?"

Unable to reply, Shido simply laid against Cain's arms. The older vampire picked him up and carried Shido back into his room. Laying the violet haired vampire on his bed, Cain unbuttoned Shido's vest and unlaced his blouse. Cain listened to Shido's heartbeat and it sounded just as any vampire's heart should. Shido's breathing was normal. Cain stood up looking perplexed. Why had Shido suddenly passed out like that? Cain checked Shido's pupils and they were normal. Perhaps he just suffered from a dizzy spell. That seemed logical. Waiting for him to awaken, Cain sat on the bed beside Shido and watched him. The blonde vampire gave a appreciative sigh; Shido looked so untroubled and serene when he slept. Cain wondered if Shido knew that he slept with his lips slightly parted.

'So beautiful,' Cain thought, brushing Shido's violet bangs. Cain had loved combing Shido's hair when they had been together; it felt like water, and it was one of the things Cain missed.

Dawn was arriving and Shido hadn't awoken. Cain was reluctant to leave Shido's side because he really didn't understand what was wrong with Shido and wanted to be within an arm's reach if Shido needed help. Cain walked over to the wardrobe and removed a pair of nightshirts, a blue one and a white one. Cain undressed Shido and redressed him in the blue nightshirt before pulling on the other nightshirt. He slid underneath the covers next to Shido and drew the violet haired vampire close just as the sun rose.

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Shido slowly woke just as the sun finished setting. He looked up to find his head resting on Cain's shoulder, with his left hand draped over Cain's waist. Shido sat up, stretching and ran his fingers through his long hair, smoothing it out…

'Wait… Long hair?' Shido was more awake as he ran his fingers through his now long hair, the same length it had been before that night where he had forced to cut it in order to save his life. It had bothered Shido because he liked his hair that length, but at the time he wasn't going to allow his vanity to get himself killed.

"I suppose you had something to do with this," Shido spoke in a whisper to the angel inside of him, placing a hand over his heart. "I'm going to have to tell him now about you because Cain will want to know why my hair is suddenly long again." He wrinkled his forehead. "I suspect that you want Cain to know."

Shido felt a hand touch his thigh and he looked over his shoulder to see Cain with a confused expression, the older vampire's eyes trailed along the length of Shido's hair.

"How did-?" Cain sat up and reached a hand out to run his fingers through a lock of Shido's hair.

"Cain, remember the night when I fought against that Breed and I fell off the roof? Well, I was dying, from blood loss, and I was visited by an angel who merged with me and saved my life," Shido explained.

Cain looked at him with disbelief.

"Watch." Shido closed his eyes and bent forward a bit in concentration. He felt and heard the back of his nightshirt being torn apart as his wing grew. Shido opened his eyes, sitting up and stretched his wings before looking at Cain. Cain's amber eyes were wide and he reached a trembling hand out to touch Shido's wings, pulling it back once he made contact as if he had been burnt, exclaiming something in his native tongue.

"Now do you believe me?" Shido asked, making his wings disappear.

"I… You didn't plan on telling me about this. Why?" Cain asked.

"You're right, I wasn't. It was like having a wonderful secret that only I knew about, but she wanted you to know," Shido replied.

"She?"

"The angel inside me. Whenever she wants me to know something I'll feel this warmth right here," Shido explained, placing a hand over his chest. "Or I will get this feeling, like something is pulling me, or she will simply show me a picture in my mind."

"Does she ever take control over you?" Cain asked.

"No, never, she wouldn't do that; she only merged with me to save my life and… I think she wasn't very happy where she was. I think she was lonely. It's just a feeling I get sometimes," Shido replied. He smiled. "She's not lonely anymore."

"May I assume that it was…the angel who did this to your hair, Shido?" Cain asked, running his long digits along Shido's hair.

"It's the only explanation that I can think of," Shido replied. "Not sure why she did it though."

"I, for one, do not care, I'm happy she did," Cain said, smiling.

The door to Shido's bedroom parted and both vampires turned their heads towards the sound, and the violet haired vampire smiled as the wolf pup ventured in. He sniffed the air, picking up Shido's scent and hurried over to the bed, whimpering when he couldn't jump to join them.

"You're spoiling him," Cain commented as Shido leaned over to pick him up and placed the pup into his lap.

"I am not," Shido argued.

Shortly after the rest of the wolf pack entered the bedroom and joined the two vampires on the bed.

"I see that the rest of the pack has arrived," Cain commented again. "For a pack of this country side's most fearsome wolves, they're certainly not living up to their reputations around you, Shido."

"I think it's because they see me as a member of their pack," Shido explained. "It would still be wise to remember that they still are wild animals."

"I never forgot. That is why I offer them haven in my castle. The local villagers would hunt them for sport," Cain said.

"Humans can be so stupid sometimes," Shido sighed. He rubbed the alpha female over the bridge of her nose. "Not to worry, lady, you're safe as long as you stay here." Shido looked over at Cain. "You wouldn't throw them out would you?"

"As long as they don't repeat what happened in my dinning room again," Cain replied.

"Thank you." Shido placed the wolf pup down with the other ones, much to the pup's dislike. "Okay, everyone needs to leave for a minute so I dress. I do not need an audience."

The alpha male gestured for the pack to follow him outside while Shido got off the bed and walked over to the wardrobe.

Cain rose off from the bed and walked over to stand behind Shido. "Do I need to leave as well?"

"No because I know you want to stay and watch me, but it's not like you haven't seen me naked before, Cain," Shido replied, unbuttoning the nightshirt and allowed it to fall off his shoulders.

"How very true, and you always did have one of the loveliest backside I've ever seen," Cain purred, running his fingertips up and down Shido's back. He drew a finger along the seams of where Shido's wings grew from.

"Ah!"

"Well, well, it appears that your skin is very sensitive where your wings grow out of, but you've always had a sensitive back and it has gotten even more so," Cain said, brushing his lips against the side of Shido's neck, placing little nips and deep kisses along the line.

"And you *gasp* are going to use *gasp* this to your full advantage," Shido commented, shivering, letting his head drop.

Smiling, Cain parted Shido's hair from the middle off his shoulders causing the violet haired vampire to jump slightly when the fingertips brushed gently over the nap of his neck and across his shoulders. Take into consideration that a persons' back was a gathering of nerve endings, each one extremely sensitive and activated to the slightest touch, and Shido was no exception, only his had become more intensified because of his wings.

Cain tucked a lock of Shido's hair behind his ear and purred deeply, "Shido, would you like to make love?"

The last time Shido had intercourse was with Riho a week after she had moved into her own place. She appeared in his office a couple days later, got Shido naked and into the backroom without windows where there was a bed in case the violet haired vampire didn't feel like sleeping in his coffin. Riho had skipped any foreplay, got Shido hard and mounted him, riding him hard to the point where it hurt and not in a good way, came twice and left after catching her breath. Shido was sore afterwards with light bruises on his hips, and when Riho appeared the day after, Shido refused to allow her to touch him again. Not because Shido was still sore, but because he wasn't going to be used like that just so Riho could get off.

Cain, however, wasn't like that, and he would never use Shido like Riho had done. Shido found himself being led back to the bed and gently pulled into Cain's lap, having Shido straddle him so that his legs could be easily wrapped around Cain's waist. The blonde vampire continued his playing with Shido's back, running his fingertips up and down, making sure to spend great amounts of attention to the seams. For his part, Shido held onto Cain tightly, rubbing up against him, causing their members to grow hard until they stood up against each other. Cain took one of Shido's hand and began nibbling on his finger, palling at the pads while Shido placed tow of his own digits into his mouth and got them dripping wet with his saliva. Cain cast his eyes down, watching as Shido brought his soaked fingers down to the head of his arousal and gently drew the foreskin down, rubbing his thumb over and into the slit.

Cain gaped Shido's name and bucked his hips up. Shido drew down his own foreskin, moaning softly as he did so, and wrapped his hands around both of them. Cain caught Shido into a kiss while the violet haired vampire began rubbing and softly pinching their heads, causing milky white fluid to seep out. Cain coaxed Shido to part his mouth open and when his lover did, he slowly slid his tongue inside, running it over the sensitive roof of Shido's mouth then going after its mate. Shido whimpered when he felt Cain run his tongue across the roof of his mouth and brought his hands up, placing them on the blonde vampire's shoulders as Cain placed his on Shido's backside, pulling them closer. Cain descended onto his back with Shido following him, kissing and touching, rediscovering each other's hot spots.

Shido ended a kiss with a soft, wet smack and sat up. Cain looked up at his love and Shido could see his amber eyes shinning. He smiled and bent down to drag his tongue across one of Cain's nipples, lapping at it. Cain buried a hand on Shido's hair and held the younger vampires' head when he sealed his mouth around the hardening nub. The older vampire closed his eyes and shot them open when he felt Shido's fangs pierce his skin. Cain wrapped his arms around Shido's shoulders as his younger lover suckled hard during his fed. Shido drew back to seal the tiny wounds and continued to lap at the redden nub.

"God, Shido, you almost made me cum," Cain groaned.

Shido nuzzled Cain's taunt abdomen, running his tongue along the creases of the older vampire's six-pack. He'd almost forgotten the taste the taste of Cain's skin and how he had found it addicting long ago. He gently sank his teeth into the skin around Cain's naval, minding not to let his fans slid out of their sheaths. Cain hissed and arched up into Shido's love bites, a quirk that Shido remembered. The violet haired vampire remembered another quirk that drove Cain insane as Shido drew his mouth closer to Cain's steadily drooling arousal. Cupping Cain's hips, Shido held them as his placed his puckered lips over the wet tip of Cain's member and sucked. Hard. Cain roared in response, and began growling deep in his throat as Shido lavished him with his mouth and throat, moving his head up and down over the vampire. Cain tipped his head back, wanting to thrust himself deeper in Shido's throat. He sat up sharply as, howling as he came.

Cain allowed his head to drop when Shido sat back up to his level. Even though he came, Cain remained hard, due to his incredible stamina that was accustomed to all vampires and he was no exception. Cain reached over and pulled Shido into his lap, kissing his younger lover deeply, purring when he tasted himself inside Shido.

"Thought I'd forgotten that?" Shido asked.

"Truthfully? Yes, but I am glad you did not, Shido," Cain replied.

He lowered Shido onto his back and settled between his lover's hips, slowly grinding their arousal together. Moaning, Shido cupped the back of Cain's hips and pulled him closer. He hadn't cum yet and Shido wanted his. Sensing this, Cain shifted all of his weight into his hips and held onto Shido's hips. The violet haired vampire tossed his head back and clawed at Cain's back as he began to reach climax, wrapping his legs around Cain's hips. The blonde vampire swallowed Shido's cries when he caught him into a deep kiss, pushing hard against Shido each time he shivered and released another load.

Cain drew away for a moment while Shido caught his breath. Parting Shido's legs, Cain got on his knees and bent down between his lover's thighs. He touched the tip of his tongue against Shido's pucker and slowly began to lap. Since Shido was nice and relaxed from his pervious climax, Cain found it easy for him to get it in. The older vampire felt his lover's body begin to shiver as Shido's mind slowly caught up with him, and a hand wove itself into his hair accompanied by breathy whimpers and moaning. Shido bite his bottom lip as his older lover slowly took him with his tongue before wet fingers replaced it. Cain sat up, watching his lover's face as he prepared him.

Once Shido began moving back against them when Cain dove in deeper to push against his prostate, Cain removed them and turned Shido onto his stomach, bringing his hips up. Cain stood on his hand and knees, placing Shido's legs over his lap and behind the blonde vampire's thighs. Cain placed his member against Shido's puckered hole and nudged the head inside. Shido's loosened muscles easily allowed Cain to enter and he took his time. The younger vampire bowed his head, moaning and quivering as his tight hole was stretched and filled. He'd forgotten how thick and long Cain was as his older lover reclaimed him.

Cain raised his head, sighing at how tight Shido still was. He closed his eyes, feeling the deep throb of Shido's hidden muscles. Cain lowered his weight until he pressed Shido against the mattress and held the violet haired vampire's arms down over his head. He smiled when he heard Shido gasp as he pushed the head of his cock against his prostate.

"It is common for a bride to surrender to the groom on their wedding night, my love," Cain murmured into Shido's ear. "So, my bride, surrender to me and scream for me."

Shido's mouth dropped and he cried out as Cain drew out almost entirely and drove back in, making sure to strike his prostate. Cain began a series of slow, but deep, hard thrusts, purring. Shido placed the side of his face against the mattress as Cain claimed him, moaning his name as the older vampire stroked his sensitive inner muscles of his anus. Cain slid his hands underneath Shido's and their fingers entwined, knuckles turning almost white during their coupling. Shido's weeping member was trapped between his stomach and the mattress, being continuously rubbed by Cain's thrusts; he could feel his climax growing. The older vampire felt his own coming closer and increased his pace. Shido arched up against Cain, crying out as his older lover began assaulting his overly sensitive nub.

"You. Belong. To. Me!" Cain growled, accompanying each word with a brutal thrust.

Shido shuddered and sobbed in ecstasy as sweet agony tore through his system, all of his throbbing muscles clamped hard down around Cain who buried himself deep and tossed his head back with a howl as his own climax was triggered. Shido moaned each time he felt the tip of Cain's member nudge against his nub during the aftermath. Cain reached a hand between Shido and the mattress, and wrapped a long digit hand around his softening member to rub his thumb over the head.

Shido shivered and pushed against his hand. "Cain!"

Cain closed his eyes, sighing as he felt Shido cum against and flooded the violet haired vampire's insides again. Cain slowly pulled out of Shido and gathered him into his arms to carry his younger lover into the joining bathroom. There, the tub was already filled with steaming hot water, and the two vampires slowly washed each other before getting out and dried off. When they returned back into the bedroom, the used linen had been replaced with fresh ones. Sliding under the sheets and covers, Shido rested his head on the shoulder of the arm that was wrapped around his and draped one of his arms over Cain's torso.

"I feel…extremely content," Shido suddenly commented. "And it's been a long time since I've felt this way."

"Oh?" Cain arched up an intrigued eyebrow. "You never got contentment bedding those two women of yours?"

"I never slept with Yaiyo although she would have liked that; I don't think I could get intimate with someone who tormented her twin sister for most of their life because her face got scared in a fire. I could easily flirt with her just to sooth her ego, but I would never do anything else," Shido replied. "And with Riho, I only slept with her out of fear and pity, but that makes me seem like a real uncaring bastard."

"Only to others and their opinions are neither desired nor required, Shido," Cain said.

"I suppose," Shido said in agreement. "And it's not like there was any love lost between Riho and me. I mean, that last time we were together she… No, I don't think I want to recall that evening."

"What happened? Do she harm you, Shido? That little cur will suffer if she harmed you," Cain growled. "I will hunt her down myself and make her suffer in ways she could never imagine."

"Cain, swearing to hunt her down like she's an animal isn't exactly going to make me tell you what happened now," Shido said.

"You are my mate and anyone who hurts what belongs to me will suffer the consequences!" the blonde vampire growled.

"That was so cliché sounding," Shido sighed, rolling his eyes.

Cain growled again, becoming irritated and sounding so.

Shido held up his hands in a defensive gesture. "I'll talk (considering that I did bring it up). The last time Riho and I had sex, I ended up getting bruised considering how hard she was ridding me, and she left after she came twice. Guni had to bring me ice packs to help afterwards and commented that she wasn't impressed by Riho's treatment towards me. After a day or so, Riho came back, but I wouldn't let her touch me and Guni helped me throw her out. Riho was pissed and that was the last time I saw her."

"So, that little cur assumed that she could use you as her personal sex toy," Cain snarled.

"She did, but I proved her otherwise," Shido said. "Cain, hunting her down and hurting her over something that happened a year or so ago won't prove anything-"

"That backwards attempt of a vampire needs to be shown her proper place," Cain interrupted.

"Cain, I'm rather flattered that you feel the need to avenge me, but what she did doesn't bother me anymore. If it did then I would have done something about it myself," Shido said.

"That doesn't excuse her for what she did to you, Shido," Cain said. "Know this, if she ever crosses my path I will kill her."

"And I won't try to stop you seeing that it would be pointless," Shido replied. "Oh, wait a moment, what if she's with another vampire? Wouldn't you get in trouble?"

"Technically she's of my bloodline because you Turned her and I Turned you. However if she were Claimed by another vampire as his or her mate then there is nothing I could do unless that vampire wasn't a high ranking vampire," Cain explained.

"Like you are?" Shido asked. "A Master vampire if memory serves me right."

"Was. I am now a Lord vampire, Shido," Cain replied.

"What's the highest vampire rank?" Shido asked, curiously.

"Emperor vampire and the last Emperor vampire who lived was my father," Cain replied, with a sense of pride.

"So does that make you of royal blood? Like a prince?" Shido asked.

"No, it's simply a title, although there are cases of vampires whom have royalty running through their veins," Cain replied.

"That's kind of interesting. So if I, for instance, had royal blood running in my veins, that wouldn't necessarily make me a high ranking vampire," Shido said.

"Yes, although since you are my Mate, you are a high ranking vampire. In a few more hundred years you can earn the title of a Master vampire, providing that you continue to stay with me," Cain said.

"Oh, I'm going to stay with you, Cain, but not because I want to earn the title of a Master vampire; I could care less about that. I want to stay with you because I want too," Shido replied. "My place is with you, as your mate. And I wouldn't have made love with you if I did love you, Cain."

The older vampire smiled. "I…I didn't think I would hear those words from you ever again, Shido."

"Well, honestly I…I don't think I did ever stop loving you. I just…made myself believe that I didn't because I couldn't tolerate your arrogance any longer," Shido admitted.

"Well, you needn't worry over that, Shido. I won't make you want to leave me ever again, my love," Cain assured.

"And I won't go and leave you like I did again. Next time we'll talk and next time you had better listen and take into consideration of what I have to say," Shido said, firmly.

"I promise," Cain vowed, taking Shido's hand and brought it up to his lips. "I swear it."

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