Shadows within darkness

Hello again^^ I´m sorry it took a little longer this time, but when I wanted to update yesterday af had it´s dayly downtime and after that *I* had my downtime (out to see pretty transvestites, yay!)-.-

Anyway, here is the next chapter and we somehow have come to a very important turning point in the story.

So just that you are warned: there´s character death lying ahead of you *grave and melodramatic organ music fills the air*

On with the thank yous^^

IntHellsing: Yes, poor Yazoo! Vincent´s such a bonehead sometimes. You´d kill yourself? Hm... Let´s see what Yazoo´s doing^^Thank you for reviewing!

Sheridan: OMG, that would be something XD But then the story would just come to an end, I´m afraid... So I cannot tell you where Vinny´s coffin is ;) Btw: I AM german! (And I make german typical mistakes? *ashamed* Would you care to point them out so I can do things better in the future? That´d be great!!!)But I´m glad you still like it, and thank you very much for the feedback!

Lamica: Here´s more! (Just how do you manage those little hearts, they are so cute *squeal*). Thank you for reviewing!

Rina76: ...
...
*speechless*
...
This is just the bestest review I ever got XD!!!! Sadly I can´t give much of a response because otherwise I´d spoil too much, but be sure that I delivered your message;) Thank so much again, I think I will print it out ^^

And a very special thanks to my awesome beta Golden Kitsune!!!

Enjoy!

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24

Vincent sat in his chair, head resting against his knuckles, legs crossed. The untouched wine glass cast a red light over his melancholic features, and the corpse at the end of the table, a hairy burglar and murderer in his mid-thirties, did not do so much as to even sparking his interest anymore.

In fact he was done here and should have gone back to his mansion.

But if he was honest the vampire had to admit that he feared the confrontation with his pupil.

Very much so.

Even though he had outwardly denied it the whole matter was stressing him just as much as Yazoo and he wasn´t nearly as indifferent as he had pretended or did wish for.

And this was worrying the hell out of him.

Really, he hadn´t planned on getting emotionally involved with the human, he knew that it would just end in a catastrophe!

Initially, when he had picked Yazoo as one of his victims, he hadn´t imagined for things to get so utterly out of hand. The boy had been just one of thousands of his preys- or so he´d thought.

The first problem had occurred, though, when he noticed that there was a good chance that Yazoo could be redeemed, something that hadn´t happened in the many, many years he´d feasted on humans.

But despite the new situation the vampire had handled it well by just dumping him at his home, intending on continuing to watch him a little and make sure that he would take the right path. Unfortunately it hadn´t worked well and Yazoo had gotten into danger. Feeling that it was partly his fault, Vincent had taken him in, but this also hadn´t been very much of a problem either, because he had thought that, as soon as the boy was out of the woods, he´d let Yazoo go. Vincent just hadn´t cared enough to worry about future consequences or to think about Yazoo at all.

When he noticed that the boy had real intellectual potential and sending him back had no longer been an option, Vincent had decided to take him in, lecture him, providing him with the necessities to make a living of his own when he was older.

And as soon as he´d noticed that his protégé may become a little too attached to him, the vampire had started to stay absent for some time every once in a while, putting some distance between them and partly continuing his old life by roaming the nights again, going after his own business. He´d thought that it would be enough to save Yazoo and himself from getting too… emotionally involved.

But unbeknownst to himself Vincent HAD gotten attached, and to a point where it was almost too late.

Fortunately the incident two weeks ago had finally opened his ignorant eyes.

It wasn´t only the fact that he had fallen asleep outside his coffin and exposed his body to almost certain dead. It was also the alarming fact that his body had felt secure and certain enough to trust the boy and lay his well being into a human´s hands. His guard had gone so low it made him seriously sick. The silver haired youth was just like… Well, maybe he was like one of his beloved candies. Sweet, addicting , but if you had too much of it it would rot your teeth away and eventually kill you.

Yazoo´s demand to become like Vincent had only assured the vampire that it was high time to end it, before they would end up wrecked. Worse was that, even if only for the tiny bit of a split second, his student´s reasoning had made perfect sense to him. And this alone was so outrageous, so terrifying that he couldn´t even find words to describe his horror!

NEVER, he had sworn to himself, would he burden someone with this horrible existance he was enduring! Nor would he give the world monsters that could terrorize it.

And so he had come to the conclusion that he had to take drastic actions fast.

Within two weeks everything was settled. Sure, he hadn´t expected Yazoo to jump on the idea of getting married, but he also hadn´t anticipated the pain it would inflict on himself, only assuring him that it was really high time they departed.

Vincent had also decided to erase all memories of him Yazoo had. Against his intention he had developed some unhealthy obsession and devotion to the vampire; he would be better off not having known him at all than suffering from a broken heart for the rest of his hopefully long life.

Tifa Lockhart was a pure, lovely woman, Vincent was sure she would take good care of him, and as far as the vampire had noticed she liked his student quite a lot, despite his rough behavior towards her.

She would tame him, she was strong-willed and gentle at the same time. Yazoo would come to love her soon enough.

Certainly.

Whatever, it didn´t lay in his jurisdiction anymore. After tonight he would cut all ties with Yazoo, neither visiting nor watching over him from the shadows anymore. He seriously doubted that he would forget about their time, or that the pain inside his chest would cease anytime soon, but that he had to endure.. It was the result of his own foolishness and arrogance.

Pushing himself up from the chair the vampire inwardly prepared himself, and then left the house, heading for his mansion.

Unlike other nights he wasn´t in a hurry, unconciously protracting what had to be done as long as it was possible. The nearer he came towards the mansion however, the uneasier he got, and not only because of the obvious reasons. His bad feeling was confirmed when he saw his house brightly lit, the door hanging open widely and shouts coming out of Yazoo´s room.

Instantly he was inside, flying up the stairs and banging open the half closed door, because he smelled something.

Something he didn´t want to smell here, though it was essential for his survival otherwise.

Subsequently, the picture that greeted him made him freeze to the spot.

Two sweating and frantically working men were bent over the bed, Aeris was running around the room like a headless chicken, her hands flying to her mouth every now and then to stiffle a desperate moan, her face bloated with tears and her eyes so afraid as she changed water, replacing white sheets that were ripped apart instantly.

Everything, the bed, the cushions, the healers, Aeris, the knife lying beside the bed, the bandages, was covered with crimson, quickly drying blood.

The only one who did not have much on, nor in him was Yazoo.

"We´re loosing him," one of the men hissed, pressing the formerly white, but already soaked cloth against the young man´s sliced wrists.

"Wha-what is going on here?" the vampire asked, dazed, though he knew very well what was happening.

Finally becoming aware of his presence, Aeris ran towards him, sobbing and wailing "I just brought his food and when I came to get the plate, he´d cut his arms with the knife and it´s all my fault, oh gods!!!"

He pushed her aside, hurrying to the bed, snapping at one of the men "How does it look?"
The nervous sideglance of the healer told him all he had to know even before the man could say, "I´m sorry."

"Out."

Looking at him in puzzlement, the healers were reluctant to just leave their patient as long as he was still somewhat alive.

"GET OUT!" the cloaked man hollered so suddenly that the room was empty within three seconds, the healers and even Aeris scared to death by the demonic expression of their master.

After a quick glance at the pale figure in the sheets staring at the ceiling, life bleeding out of the already hazy eyes, and open mouth snapping for air as his little heart pumped frantically for something that wasn´t there anymore, the vampire paced the room in agitation, tearing his hair.

"You stupid, stupid, STUPID boy, what do you think you're doing?!" he fretted, furiously glaring towards the bed. "You think you can bring me to give it to you this way?! You seriously believe that I will consider making you an immortal, wretched bloodsucker after the stunt you pulled?!"

Suddenly grabbing the boy´s collar and baring his fangs at him, the vampire snarled outraged

"I am sorry to disappoint you, my dear, but this will not work. Go find yourself another mug, I am so very sick of your twisted mind games!"

The lifeless form´s head lolled back, exposing its throat as if to mock the raven haired man, and boiling with rage Vincent grabbed a handfull of his bangs, violently pulling Yazoo´s head back so that the boy had to face him.

Dull eyes stared right through him, having gone blind already as the young man´s system shut down, only providing the most essential organs with the much needed elixier of life that was instead staining the sheets. Gulping, and maybe attempting to say something as his brows knitted together after he recognized the familiar presence, Yazoo just lay there, his heart doing the last, desperate beatings.

The anger vanished from the vampire´s face, making place for disbelief and sudden awareness.

"Yazoo." Vincent shook the boy´s shoulders harshly. "Listen to me, I am sorry, I should not have said the things I did. I apologize, now, please stop that!"

With the last strenght he had somehow managed to summon, Yazoo threw a choked laughter at the man, and then he stopped breathing all together.

Vincent had seen many, many, many people die, but this was different.

This was… This was absolutely unacceptable!

And howling with triumphant and malicious glee the demons gloated as two long, razor sharp canines emerged from the vampire´s jaw, thrusting into the blue canal of the silver haired teen´s carotid, sucking out the last droplets.

Yazoo´s body convulsed one last time before it sank back into the sheets.

Teeth bloodied and bared, Vincent ripped apart the clothing over his own wrist, biting it open and letting the droplets fall into the open mouth underneath him.

Gasping, a pink tongue slipped out, greedily demanding more and the vampire gave it to him, pressing his wound against the teenagers mouth, feeling him suck, lick and conceive the powerful blood of his master.

Breathing little hisses between his long teeth Vincent eventually pulled away, wrapping a sheet around his wrist after he had let some droplets fall onto the boy´s shredded arms so that they would close faster.

After that he fell to the floor, lying on his side with his dark long hair hanging over his exhausted and pained face, although the expression did not come from physical suffering..

Emotionally depleted he listened to the sounds of Yazoo dying and heaved himself up again.

His head thrown back, the silver haired man gasped and writhed in the sheets, clinging to the blankets and arching his back to the point a human´s spine normally would have snapped.

His widened eyes were rolling around frantically as the change reached its peak and round pupils constricted into paper thin slits.

Eventually the transformation was over, leaving the body in a lifeless mess.

Unmoving Yazoo lay on the bed, but Vincent wasn´t fooled by the dead body. Head cocked to the side slightly he watched the corpse with remorse and despair.

"How are you feeling?"

A red, bloodied tongue slid over dry lips as a raw throat threw out a harsh "Thirsty."

The raven haired man wasn´t surprised at all.

The first thing a new born vampire felt was an agonizing, everything consuming lust for blood. This was probably due to the fact that he had used all of Vincent´s for the transformation, and the process had rendered him only consisting of need for more, reducing him to a merely functioning creature unable of thinking.

The vampire went to the door, opening it and calling for someone to come.

Yazoo couldn´t understand his words at all, and it didn´t even matter.

All that he cared for was blood.

He was so very, VERY thirsty!

His vision was a blurred mess of red smears, but he didn´t look, he wasn´t aware that he was seeing or hearing or feeling, or even interrested in the lack of his heartbeat.

There was only thirst consuming everything he was, had been and ever would be. Hunger was raging through his veins, angrily burning every other emotion or thought. Every fiber of his being was screaming for the red liquid, for something to end the thirst, to relieve his dried out being!

The promise of salvation, though, suddenly fought its way through the agony.

Deep within Yazoo was aware of something bending over him, warm droplets spilling on his pale cheeks, but oh, the smell!

Enticing!

"Oh my god!"

Pulling!

"He´s"

SCREAMING!

"dead…"

And then never experienced bliss and ecstasy shook every fiber of his being, and the sweet, delicious and ABSOLUTE DELIGHTING taste of human blood made supernovas explode behind his unseeing eyes.

With every gulp new waves of rapture carried him to orgasmic pleasures, and it was just SO GOOD!!!

Eventually the fount run dry though, and his numb fingers let go off the dead body that had provided him with his first drink.

Slowly he came back down to earth too, the vision in front of him clearing and making sense again as he first saw the familiar ceiling, though it seemed a lot sharper than usual somehow.

Strange noises were penetrating his ears, he soon figured out to be the tripping of micefeet over wooden panels, shuffling of leaves in the winds, an owl crying in the woods near the town.

The night was full of sounds he hadn´t ever heard before, but he didn´t pay much attention to it.

More important was the fact, that he obviously wasn´t dead like he thought to have heard someone declare earlier. In fact, he hadn´t felt this great and pulsing with life ever before.

Rolling his head to the side, as he knelt on the bed, the first thing that came into view was Vincent´s silouette by the window, looking away from him into the night with one leg bent and the other hanging from the sill.

"Do not be mistaken. You are dead. Very much so."

Had his lover´s voice ever sounded so sensual and rotund before?

It was like black velvet swirling through his ear canal, and Yazoo´s lashes fluttered at the sensation.

His words were odd, though…

He knew exactly that he had torn open his arms to a point were it was without a doubt lethal…

So if he still wasn´t dead…

Wait.

Vincent had just announced that he was.

Very much so, even.

Then this must mean…

"You did it..."

A rascal snicker emerged from the teen´s dead throat.

Now this was just priceless!

Just when he had given up on everything and decided that he didn´t want to live this pointless life at all, Vincent came around and made him immortal!

Finding this awfully funny, Yazoo continued to laugh at the other vampire.

Really, Vincent was so dull sometimes. They could have spared themselves all of this trouble if only his master had acknowledged his feelings sooner.

But no, of course he had to wait until the very last second, being the drama queen he was sometimes!

In the end it didn´t matter though.

Marriage was out of question now, they were together, dead, and everything was alright.

He erupted into a new salve of pointless laughter.

Somehow Yazoo felt strangely like being hammered. Everything was just so funny and he´d never felt so giddy and excited before.

"I am glad this amuses you so greatly," Vincent remarked, not sounding amused or glad himself at all.

"Aww, don´t be like this…" Yazoo drawled, feeling too good to let the man ruin his mood with his lamenting. It wasn´t like Yazoo had forced him to do it, was it?

He had to tell Aeris, it suddenly shot through his head.

Surely she would appreciate his being alive (well, kind of…) a lot more!

He distantly remembered her shocked face when she had found him with his wrists staining her freshly washed sheets…

Ah, he would somehow find an explanation and apologize to her for frightening the shit out of her. Fortunately she wasn´t resentful. And then, Yazoo would coax Vincent to make her one of their kind. She wouldn´t have to marry that spiky dimwit, and the teen already looked forward to seeing his dumb visage when he would pay him a little visit…

Bringing his head into a normal position, Yazoo attempted to leave the bed and go downstairs, when the eery smile on his lips faded and his eyes narrowed.

"Aeris?"

Frowning, he looked at the apron clad figure of his sister resting on the bed.

What was she doing here yet?

Inclining his head he shook her shoulder a little. It really was just a gentle movement, but her body rolled from the bed suddenly, falling to the ground in slow motion. On reflex the teen reached out and caught her without noticing that he had left his position on the bed and was now kneeling with her head in his arms on the floor.

"Aeris?"

She hadn´t fallen unconcious over his seeming deceasing, had she? That would just be like her.

But…

He´d never heard of someone fainting with their eyes open.

And she didn´t look very grieved either, quite the opposite. A blissful smile graced her luscious lips and she looked like she was seeing some kind of godly vision or something.
Frowning, the freshly made vampire slapped her cheek gently, but the only effect it had was her head rolling to the side and exposing two strange marks on her neck…

He backed away as if he had burnt himself at her lifeless form, this time not stopping the corpse´s fall.

"Are you satisfied now?" came the bitter question from the window where Vincent had quietly observed the scene.

A silver head snapped around, hair wirling in the air, and realisation dawning on the boy.

"Yes. It was you. I did not expect you to be able to stain her chaste soul. Even without the cross she was innocent enough to could have deflect you. Her infinite love for you made her unwilling to defy you, however. There are only a handful of humans on this planet who have the purity and power of a saint and who are able to withstand us. And you just killed one of them. Do you understand?"

"You did that on purpose."

"Look at her. Look at your sister´s dead body until it his indelibly burnt into your wretched soul. You did this. You feasted on her. You killed the only person that truly and unconditionally loved you. For a little blood. Look at her and realise what you are, you monster."

Yazoo defiantly avoided to look at the still form of the dead maid, but suddenly his head was forcefully craned back.

"I SAID LOOK AT HER!"

Aeris stared back at the two men with indifferent, empty eyes.

For a brief moment Yazoo felt so very sick he thought he would seriously just retch out his sister´s blood all over the floor, because it just couldn´t be.

She wasn´t…

And he hadn´t…!

His head was ringing and spinning like mad and his vision blurred again and he felt something in his throat, a dry rumbling, something that would eventually erupt into an agonized scream because it just couldn´t be and…

And then, suddenly, blissful coldness engulfed him. The ice was there again, freezing everything, making everything numb and taking everything painful away. A glistening, frosty wall of pure ice emerged around him again, shielding him from the bad, the pain.

Making him able to focus on the important things…

"What do you want to hear now? That I´m sorry? That I regret having become what you are? I am not." Yazoo said with a lifted eyebrow, dull eyes shifting over to the corpse, he didn´t really see, because something deep inside him didn´t want to see. "I don´t know why you so frantically cling to your self-pity. It was an accident. And it was a sacrifice I´d be willing to make everytime again, if it meant that we will gain eternity together."

He looked at the other vampire from out of the corner of his eye. "And before you blame me, you should always remember who it was that made me do it."

The blank face of his master did not leak any information of what he thought at all, but eventually he withdrew his clawed fingers from the young man´s head and turned on his heels, cloak fluttering around him.

Sighing Yazoo got to his feet, and without a last glance at the corpse, he followed his maker into the darkness.


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I think it´s Aeris destiny to always die when things become interesting *sigh*
And I thought it as an important device to make clear that vampires are not the romantically glorified creatures they are sometimes presentes as. They are killers, they feed of human blood. Naturally they bring sadness and desaster and although I´m by no means different from other writers who do this romantic stuff with vampires I thought I should show this side as well...
And for all the drama and angst that will ensue as well ;)

Once again, thank you Ainaloth, Blazing Malice, d0rky, DTDY, Elenna, Exitus, Frizz, fyrbyrd, Golden Kitsune, IntHellsing, Kayaz, Kerianya, Lamica, Rina76, Sheridan, wildbynature, Yazoo Valentine for the support and to everyone who has been reading so far!

I hope to see you all again in the next chapter ^^

Review please?

(Btw: If you haven´t already I´d recomment reading the 'lost tales', otherwise you could have problems getting the reference with the ice^^)