Shadows within darkness

I´m so sorry, I forgot to update on sunday. But I do so now :)

Since I couldn´t find a beta yet, there might be spelling mistakes (even though I checked it 7!!! times), but them I´m notgoing for the Nobel Prize in Literature anyway, so I think it´s okay ;)

Thanks to
Rina76 (Since fairy-tales tend to be rather cruel anyway I think they also could include Yazoo´s version of an ending XD Hehe, yes, although I do not want to generalize you are certainly right about certain church (wo)men´s not so holy personalities *sighs* I´m glad you think Yazoo is not too OOC, I really wouldn´t want that!)

and DTDY (Omg, you have my sympathy. Actually this was written frommy own first experience with a mass I accidently stumbled into when I was 7. It was a bit traumatizing, to say the least.A few years later I visited another mass and this one was actually quite good (as good as a mass can be for an atheist XD))

for reviewing!!!

Enjoy a belated chapter!

12

“I´m sure he´s alright,” Shera assured an upset Aeris, who sat on a bench, kneading her hands and occasionally gazing at the confessional box. The two had been in there for almost two hours now.

Just what was going on in there?

Suddenly one of the doors burst open and the red-faced priest emerged, breathing heavily. “Enough!”

He opened the other box and dragged the boy out of it, pushing him towards the party, looking utterly scandalized.

“This boy…!” he panted, pointing an exasperated finger at Yazoo, who blinked innocently at it. The man had asked for it, hadn´t he? Okay, maybe he had invented the one or another detail, he had a rather vivid imagination, but really…

It wasn´t something to get all worked up over, was it?

Besides, the man had been strange…

Aeris had become very pale, wringing her dress “Please Father forgive him, he is just a child with a difficult past. He doesn´t know better!”

The priest only snorted, but looked slightly appeased, saying with an air of haughtyness
“You would do good to get rid of him, he´ll only pollute you! This boy is almost beyond redemption.”

Yazoo couldn´t help but feel a pang shoot through his chest at the crestfallen look of the maid.

“But,” the priest continued, looking very smug “as a good shephert I am willing to try and bring him back to the right path.”

His feisty face glistened with sweat.

“You bring him to my house every day now and he might be saved.”

Aeris lowered her head in gratitude, and after a farwell they finally left the building. The other participants had long gone since they had their own business to attend to, but Shera and her husband had waited for them.

The latter stuffed his pipe and with a hearty laugh he congratulated the boy for having gotten a rise out of the old fart. Aeris and Shera were far from amused however, and the maid hurried to get back to her save house.

Yazoo shuffled behind her, hands hanging by his side and observing her back. They didn´t speak a word on the whole way back.

“Ya angry at me?” he finally asked as she wordlessly placed a bowl of soup before him.

“No,” Aeris sighed, stroking affectionately over his head, but looking woeful still.

Averting his eyes Yazoo dully stirred his soup; he had learned to eat with a spoon by now.

“If ya wanna I gonna go ta da clerics house…”

She paused and turned around again, asking uncertainly “Would you really do that for me?”

“Yeah bud I wanna candy. Lots o´it.”

“Oh, you´re the best! I´ll give you all the candy in the world!” She had leaped at him and drew him into a bone crashing hug.

“An´I wanna cookies too.”

XxXXxx

“So, how was your session with the priest? Do you feel purified now?” Vincent asked cynically upon entering and finding the boy cradled in his chair with another illustrated book.

They had froliced around the other night as Yazoo had told him of his adventure in the church and the fanatic priest and how he´d found it so very ridiculous. The vampire had been fairly amused, though warning him to not take it too far. Yazoo had assured him that he would behave, because he did not want to cause Aeris any trouble.

Not looking up from his pictures Yazoo just gave a short nod Vincent almost didn´t see, because the book blocked the boy´s head entirely from view.

Setting aside his cloak over the armrest of the sofa the ebony haired man vanished between the shelves and reappeared again after half an hour, settled down on his usual spot and started reading.

But something about the atmosphere stroke him as slightly disconcerting. Maybe it was because Yazoo wasn´t silently prodding on having him read out some stories…

“Shall we read something together?”

“Na,´m fine,” came the muffled response and a side was flipped over.

Lifting an eyebrow in astonishement Vincent looked up from his book. Something was definitely strange here.

“Is something wrong?” he therefore inquired, observing the hunched figure.

A pause. Then, “No.”

Placing the book beside him Vincent crossed his arms over his chest. “Did something happen at the priest´s house today?”

An even longer pause, and then another, slightly stretched “Noo.”

Vincent pinched the bridge of his nose. “I can not help you if you do not tell me what bothers you, Yazoo.”

“There ain´t nuthin botherin me,” the boy mumbled. “Besides I ain´t allowed ta talk ´bout it anyways…”

Eyebrow shooting up even higher and face becoming hard the vampire stopped massaging his temple.

“I beg your pardon?”

“Nuthin´”

“Who told you that you can not talk about it?”

“Nuthin”

“Yazoo…”

“´Told ya it ain´t nuthin.” The boy glared over the brim of his book at him and went back to ‘reading’, making clear that he did not wish to talk about it anymore.

They were silent for a while, Yazoo drifting back into his own world, just like Vincent had caught him doing every now and then. This time however, it didn´t seem to be pleasant thoughts that bothered him as his usually distant but calm expression was replaced by a troubled one as his downcast eyes and the slight pout on his lips indicated.

“It´s just…” he finally said quietly “I feel real purified now, so I dun hav ta go dere again, hn?”

All alarming bells were shrilling in the vampire´s head now.

“What did happen? Did the priest do something to you?”

“No… Yest… purifying,” the boy said dismissively, adding “I dun like dat.”

The eyes of the vampire glowed a very dangerous shade of blood red as his mind opened and he carefully reached out to search the boy´s memories to find out about the act of ‘purifying’.

***********************************

“I ain´t gonna take of ma friggin´cloths!”

“Do you want to go to hell?”

“I ain´t givin´shit ´bout ya bloody hell.”

“So you want to make Miss Aeris sad then? Do you want me to tell her that you refuse redemption and belie all her trust in you? Do you want me to tell her what a wretched little demon you truly are? I can do that. She´ll be disgusted and throw you out, you know… ”

“Ya…Fine den, I take’em of!”

“Good boy. Now kneel down before the cross and pray to the Holy Father that he will safe
your damned soul.”

*****************************************

Nothing much had happened beside that. Yazoo had obediently knelt before the cross, and recited the words the priest had told him. He wasn´t dumb though and also hadn´t failed to see the tent building up in front of the man´s crotch as he observed the naked boy praying.

He hadn´t touched him yet, but from Yazoo´s memories Vincent had noticed a whip and a gag lying in one corner. He´d rather not think about what other practices of ‘purifying’ the man had in store.

The cleric had told Yazoo that the act of purifying was not be spoken about to other people under any circumstances and if he did, Aeris would hate him because he had broken one of Gods absolute laws and shown that he was not worthy. Grudgingly, Yazoo had sweared to stay silent about the incident and had promised to be back the next day.

“Vincent?”

Blinking, the vampire came back to his senses.

“No,” he said, growling, “you do not have to go back there.”

The boy looked immensily reliefed, but then asked quietly “Bud… Ain´t Miss Aeris angry if I dun go?”

“Do not worry. I will settle things,” Vincent said tightly, rising to his feet, and with a swift, graceful motion threw the cloak over his shoulders.

“There is some business I have to attend to. Douse the candles when you are done here.” With that he passed the boy, a gloved hand wiping over his head for a split second, and then the vampire was gone.

xxXXXxxx

He found the priest softly snoring in his bed, the feisty face drawn into a mask of pleasure and relaxation. With his siren song he reached into the man´s dreams, seeking invitation to enter and getting it without any problems. Silently, the vampire slipped through the window, eyes glowing in the dark as he landed on the floor.

Stirring the bald man rolled over, with one fat hand scratching his ass.

Vincent strode over until he hovered over the bed dangerously. The priest stired again, somehow sensing in his sleep that he was in a precarious situation, and drowsily he finally opened his eyes. When he saw himself confronted with the very demon from his darkest nightmares baring his sharp canines at him he shrieked and leapt to the other side of the bed, pressing himself against the wall and frantically searching for the cross on the string around his thick neck.

Chattering he held the cross towards the vampire, reciting some demon repelling prayers.

“V-vanish d-demon f-for you a-are I-in the pre-presence o-of o-one wh-who his in- the-the- serv-service o-of th-the-Ho-Holy-”

Snarling Vincent snatched the cross from the man´s grip, throwing it to the ground effortlessly.

“Save your breath cleric, for only the words of one who truly believes will affect us. Without innocence the cross is only iron.”

“D-don´t kill me please, do-don´t drink my blood, I beg you!!!” The priest´s blatter had stopped to function, not being able to withstand the pressure of fear anylonger and the acrid smell of urine filled the room.

Cold eyes took in the kneeling man as he crawled on all four to appease the demon.

“Do not flatter yourself human, I do not wish for your unsavory blood.”

“Th-then what do you want, t-tell me, I´ll g-give you anything!”

“There was a boy in your house today-”

“Yes, yes I know! You can have him, I´ll make sure you get him, no problem, he´s very obedient when you push the right buttons, eager even, though I haven´t taken him yet-”

The cleric licked his lips, but found himself in an iron grip and feet floating a few centimeter above the ground suddenly. Chocking, the priest clawed at the steely hands that squashed his throat as he slowly turned red.

“You will do no such thing. This boy is under my custody and you will never ever again lay so much as a finger on that what belongs to me.” Vincent growled furiously, throwing the priest into the next wall where he fell to the ground, panting.

“You will release the boy from your service and you will not appear before him again. You will further explain to his guardian that he his purified now and does not require your assistance any longer. Do you understand, cleric?”

Choking a reply the man pressed deeper into the wall.

“I did not hear you!”

Instantly the vampire was crouched down over the man again, his fair, delicate features drawn into a mask of sheer anger as he grabbed the cleric by the collar of his sweaty nightgown and shook him just for good measure.

“Ye-yes! Just don´t kill me please!”

“No. No, I will not kill you. I will watch you, mark my words priest. From now on you are claimed by hell and there will be no redemption for you, regardless of how much you pray to your deity.”

With that the vampire majestetically rose to his impressive height, and after a last piercing, red eyed stare at the dead-scared man he threw his cloak around him and was gone.

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Ah, I really had fun writing the last part when Vincent gets violent and acts all protective :)

Hm, does anyone know how I get italics into this? When I copy the text here it´s always gone :(

I hope you liked it and maybe, if you have 20 sec, could leave me a review? That would make me really happy :)