A/N: My deepest apologies—I meant to get this up yesterday as a pseudo-Christmas present for you all, but I guess I never got around to it.

Either way, here’s the latest chapter. It’s also the last—at least, it’s as far as I got. Which means that from here on out, I’m sorry but this story is on indefinite hold. I might rewatch SK and eventually continue it at a later date, but there are no guarantees—with that said, then, if someone is interested in taking up the torch for me, I’d be more than happy to pass it along.

Thanks to everyone who supported me through this, despite the inevitability of its discontinuation. I’m sorry I ended up letting you down after all.

Also, unless something drastic happens, this fic also marks the end of my career on FFN; you’ll find me at my ficjournal on LJ from now on. It’s been a pleasure.

Erm, Merry Christmas, everyone? (I feel like such a jerk…) -MeeLee

INTEMPTESTA NOX: CHAPTER VI

It was almost noon by the time Usui Horokeu finally awoke, blinking groggily at the dim sunlight that barely filtered through the covered windows. It took a moment for him to remember where he was, but eventually the events of the previous night came to him: how Lyserg had brought him to this place, he had met Ren in the light for the first time, had met Hao and Yoh and Faust and Eliza, had prepared the bed for Ren’s return. His master had been amazingly gentle and loving, pleasuring Horokeu so thoroughly that he had felt ready to faint. The Ainu shivered slightly, blushing as he remembered their lovemaking, so frank, so honest, so openly erotic.

They had finished only an hour before sunrise, and with one last kiss Ren had departed. Horokeu found himself wondering idly whether his master was locked up in a coffin at the moment, eyes closed in that deep sleep that was not death, the kind he often read about in horror novels.

He shifted slightly and instantly became aware of two things: firstly, despite Ren’s tenderness and the fact that they had done this many times, he was still feeling slightly uncomfortable and sore; and secondly, the expensive silk of the mattress had been thoroughly ruined by their substance. Sighing softly, he swung his legs over the bed and got to his feet, and was just about to begin searching for something to clean himself up with when the door opened.

Horokeu hissed in surprise, scrambling back and ducking behind the changing screen in an attempt to save his innocence. From behind the protection of the screen, he heard a familiar laugh.

“Still shy?” Yoh’s voice said, having not lost a bit of its carefree quality. “I thought I told you that doesn’t get you anywhere here. And apparently you and Ren-sama certainly got somewhere this morning, judging from the mattress.” And he laughed again.

“Wh-What are you doing here?” Horokeu stammered, face red, half-inclined to go out and beat the shit out of Yoh for scaring him like that.

He could almost see the other slave shrug. “Thought you might want to clean up,” he said, “So I brought you some things. Now are you gonna come out from behind there yourself or am I gonna have to drag you out?”

Slowly, hesitantly, the Ainu stepped out from behind the changing screen, getting his first good look at Yoh who was standing at the foot of the bed. The other slave was wearing a simple T-shirt and a pair of shorts, and Horokeu immediately recognized signs of his time with Hao: a red scar here, a bruise there, yet Yoh’s face still held that cheerful, carefree expression.

“See now,” he said, smiling encouragingly at the Ainu, “That wasn’t so bad, was it?” He set the basin of water and the washcloth he had been holding onto the nearby table and gave Horokeu a quick once-over. “Looks like Ren-sama was pretty gentle with you. Better enjoy it while you can.” He winked. “As for the mattress, I’d suggest you change it sometime today before Ren-sama and the others awaken; I’m pretty sure Ren-sama wouldn’t like seeing his bed soiled like that.” He nodded at the basin then. “I’m pretty sure you can take care of yourself, so I’ll just leave this here. Use it for basic cleanup so you don’t feel all dirty and sticky and stuff, and if you want to shower, search these quarters. I’ve never bothered exploring them, but I’m sure Ren-sama’ll have a decent bathroom in here somewhere. If not, there’s a nice one in our room.”

He turned from Horokeu then and headed for the door, but stopped before exiting and turned briefly. “By the way,” he said, “Did Ren-sama let you undress him yet?”

Horokeu blushed. “N-No…”

“Oh.” Yoh shrugged. “Okay.”

The Ainu blinked. “Why’d you ask?”

Again Yoh shrugged. “Just something I heard from Lyserg-sama a while back,” he said. “Said something about it being kind of disturbing. He never went into detail though, and I’ve always been curious. You’ll tell me when you get the chance?”

“Uh…” Horokeu thought it over briefly. “That depends, I guess, on how disturbing it really turns out to be.”

At this, the other slave broke into a warm smile. “Now you’re talking,” he said. “That’s the way to do it. Never give away your master’s secrets without some thought. You’re learning fast, Horokeu.” He turned to leave, but once again stopped and turned back. “Hey…did you ever ask Ren-sama about the letters? Remember, when you asked me about writing your family?”

Horokeu gaped at him; he had completely forgotten. “Oh, I…er…”

Yoh laughed. “That’s all right,” he said. “Actually I didn’t expect you to remember, especially with the sort of distraction you had.” He paused for a moment, thinking. “Why don’t you write something today and ask Ren-sama to postmark it for you later? I’ll let you find paper and pen on your own; you need to get to know this place better if you’re going to be serving Ren-sama for any prolonged period of time.” He yawned and stretched a bit, wincing slightly; Horokeu could see it. “I’m going to go make lunch,” he said. “Feel free to join me later if you want.”

Horokeu nodded. “Thanks.” Yoh walked out.

---

It took only a few minutes with the washcloth and the water for Horokeu to feel clean enough to explore the rest of Ren’s quarters. He had already seen the shrine room and so he turned his attention instead to the thin wooden door on the left wall he had noticed the previous night but had decided to investigate at a later time. This door, to his surprise and delight, led to a very spacious, very modern, and very luxurious bathroom with a large gold-lined bathtub, a roomy shower, and a sink in a marble counter, among other things.

With the bathroom in mind, Horokeu hurried to Ren’s armoire, opening it and making a hasty selection before heading back to shower. Feeling quite refreshed, he then set about picking up the clothes he had scattered the previous night and folding them neatly. When that was finished, he managed to turn the mattress over and change the sheets with some difficulty, gathering the rose petals and stuffing them back into the plastic bag, knowing that he would have to throw them all out anyway. Clutching the bag and the folded black clothing, he then stepped out into the dimly-lighted hallway.

Here he was stricken with a dilemma. Yoh had told him that he needed to know his way around the mansion, but the truth was that he had absolutely no idea where to go; he had even forgotten which direction Hao’s room was in. For an instant he stood there outside Ren’s room, utterly confused, before, as on so many other occasions, his nose came to his rescue. The tempting smell of food wafting in through the hallway immediately drew his attention and he turned, following the scent down several hallways and flights of stairs before he eventually found himself standing just inside the entrance to the large kitchen, in which Yoh was currently standing poised at the stove, carefully adjusting the burner under a steaming pot. The dark-haired slave, sensing his presence, turned and gave him a warm smile.

“Not bad,” he said. “I thought you’d surely get lost the first time.”

“I have a good nose,” Horokeu said.

Yoh laughed at this. “If you’re looking for the trash, just grab a bag from under the counter there and stuff it in. Hao-sama or Ren-sama’ll burn it later. You understand that they don’t have to worry much about trash because they don’t really use anything.”

Horokeu nodded, opening one of the drawers beneath the sink and pulling out a trash bag. “What’re you making?”

Yoh shrugged. “To tell you the truth…I don’t have a clue.” He laughed, as did Horokeu. “Smells good though,” he said. “Let’s just pray it tastes just as nice.”

“Yeah,” Horokeu said with a smile. “Pray.” He lifted the trash bag, but lost his hold and it tipped, sending all the contents spilling onto the floor. Horokeu’s reaction was almost reflexive. “Aw, damnit.”

“Hey!” He jumped at Yoh’s outburst and looked up to see the other slave glaring at him. “Slaves don’t curse,” Yoh said. “In fact, no one curses here.”

Horokeu blinked. “But—”

“Remember that,” Yoh interrupted, face serious. “You’re really lucky I’m the only one who heard you, ‘cause Ren-sama would most surely have taken your head off for that, and if he didn’t, Hao-sama would. No one curses here, not even Hao-sama.”

“Why not?”

“Because we’re noble,” Yoh said without hesitation. “We’re better than those thugs out there who swear in every sentence. We’re higher than they are…which is why they are killed and we aren’t.” He paused. “Besides, remember that Hao-sama and the others came from old societies where respect and reverence in speech were important. Be careful; if you say something wrong, it could cost you. A lot.”

Very slowly, Horokeu nodded. “Got it.”

At this, Yoh smiled, his face reverting to its usual carefree expression. “Good,” he said. “I won’t say anything, don’t worry. You’re still learning, after all.” He carefully lifted the lid of the pot a bit, peeking underneath at the contents within before closing it again and turning up the burner. “Might as well outline a few other rules for you so you don’t get punished because of ignorance,” he said. “Here’re the basics. You don’t curse, you don’t talk back, you receive a blow and you turn the other cheek. You follow orders and you don’t complain or try to resist. Oh, and here’s another big one: you don’t cry.” He paused. “Well, not unless you’re in bed and your master wants you to. That’s one exception.”

“I see.” By now Horokeu had gotten all the trash back into the bag and was dragging it to the corner of the kitchen. When he had finished, he suddenly remembered the letter he was going to write to Pilika.

Behind him he heard Yoh laugh. “Still haven’t gotten around to it?” the other slave asked, smiling at him from the stove.

Horokeu blinked. “Huh?” Suddenly he realized that he had spoken his thoughts aloud. “Oh. Yeah.”

Yoh shrugged. “Well, like I said, I’m not gonna help you there,” he said, and peered under the lid again. “Looks like this’ll be ready in about twenty minutes. Go see if you can’t find your way to the library, at least.”

The Ainu nodded, rising and heading for the open door. “Twenty minutes?”

“Twenty minutes,” Yoh agreed. “Just follow your nose.”

“Sure.” And Horokeu walked out. Twenty minutes was more than enough time for a hot bath.

---

To say that the mansion was large would be an understatement. Indeed, Horokeu felt that he had been walking for several miles as he turned down yet another hallway, finding himself facing yet another flight of stairs. Trudging slowly up, he sighed softly to himself. He had already passed several rooms: a drawing room, a recreation room, several completely empty rooms, and a room he suspected Faust and Eliza shared. This area of the house, somewhere in the east wing being the best guess Horokeu could make, was the only section he had not as of yet explored. Why Hao had taken a liking to such a Western-style house, Horokeu had no idea.

The Ainu blinked when he finally topped the stairs. A single hallway opened up before him, dark and bare on both sides and ending in two large double doors that towered at easily two or three times his height. Curious, he walked resolutely forward and tried the massive doorknob; finding the doors unlocked, he pushed them open with all his might, and smiled when he saw what was inside.

The library was very vast, book-stuffed shelves rising to the very ceiling. About half of the shelves were filled with regular hard-bound books, while the other half consisted of at least several hundred old-fashioned scrolls, some containing Japanese script so old he could not read them. Horokeu was stunned when he found even a large stone slab and a pounded metal sheet inscribed with rough characters; artifacts like these had not existed since the sixth century1, and had to be worth at least several million dollars if not more. Horokeu wondered absently how Hao, who had lived four hundred years after these artifacts had been created, had come to have these in his possession. He decided it was a mystery best left alone.

Turning, he made his way to one of the large oak desks near the middle of the library and, digging through the drawers, soon found a sheet of thin cotton paper and a pen. Glancing up briefly at the clock on the wall that read 12:35, he set pen to paper and began to write.

Dear Pilika,

I know you’re probably worried about me, but you don’t have to be. I’m all right; nothing bad has happened,

Here he paused, on the verge of writing, “at least not yet.” However, his mind clicked and whispered to him that it was best not to be so frank in the letter, especially if Ren would feel inclined to read it first, and so he carefully blotted out the comma and replaced it with a period before continuing.

Don’t call the police or anything because I am perfectly safe and healthy. I can’t tell you where I am right now, but it has something to do with the person who’s been sending us those gifts, and he’s obviously a good guy so don’t worry. I won’t say very much in this letter, but I’ll just tell you to keep going to work and taking care of the apartment. Act like everything’s normal, because it is normal. I’ll write you again as soon as I can.

Horokeu

He sat back to peruse his handiwork. Not too much revealed and not too little; just right, and he smiled slightly as he fished an envelope out of the desk drawer, folded the letter, inserted it, and sealed everything up. Tucking the envelope inside his jacket pocket, he got up and headed for the door, even whistling a bit as he walked out into the hallway and toward the stairs.

---

The rest of the day was uneventful for Horokeu, spent mostly helping Yoh tidy up the mansion and exploring the vast number of rooms. To Horokeu’s dismay, there were no exits; Yoh had been correct in saying that slaves were not allowed to leave the house. All of the windows and outer doors were locked and bolted, and though the back door of the house led to a spectacular yard with a magnificent garden of vivid flowers and beautiful water fountains, the entire area was surrounded by an iron fence that stretched at least several meters into the air. Horokeu did not let this imprisonment bother him though; the familiarity of the letter for Pilika in his pocket reminded him that he was not alone.

The setting afternoon sun found Horokeu once again in the library, carefully examining one of the scrolls he had managed to pull down from the lower layer of a nearby bookshelf. Frowning slightly, he unrolled the scroll even further and had just finished about half of the document when the door opened and Yoh walked in. The other slave smiled when he saw the Ainu bent over the table, perusing the scroll.

“What’re you doing?” he asked, coming up to stand beside Horokeu.

The Ainu shook his head slowly. “I wish I knew,” he said. “The content is rather confusing, probably because it’s so old.”

Peering over the blue-haired slave’s shoulder, Yoh blinked. “Well, this makes absolutely no sense,” he said. “I can read the katakana perfectly fine, but the words don’t seem to fit together. It’s a mess.”

Horokeu laughed at this. “That’s because it’s not Japanese,” he said. “It’s Ainu2.”

“Oh.” Yoh blinked. “So you can read it?” He sounded impressed.

Again Horokeu laughed. “Well, I can’t take pride in my heritage without learning something about our language,” he said. “My parents both spoke it pretty well, but my sister and I didn’t pick up that much. I had to take classes, and even then I’m not completely fluent…probably because I slept during lessons most of the time.” He shrugged, tapping the scroll lightly. “It’s not like it matters much anyway. This thing just talks about government and rules and something or other. Boring, but it was good for killing time.”

“Hm.” Yoh took the scroll from him, rolling it up and replacing it on the shelf. “Well, as much as I’d like to let you stay here and continue getting in touch with your roots, Hao-sama and the others will be up soon.” He jerked a thumb in the direction of the clock on the wall. “Come on,” he said, seizing Horokeu’s wrist and pulling him toward the open door. “If we’re late, they’ll be angry.”

Horokeu followed without a word, but could not hold back his surprise when Yoh stopped at the corner of the living room next to a large shelf filled with worn books.

“They sleep here?” the Ainu asked, blinking at his surroundings. “Where are the…you know…”

“Coffins?” Yoh asked, and smiled. “Honestly, Horokeu, you really think vampires are stupid enough to keep their coffins out in the open like this?” Bracing himself against the shelf, he pushed and heaved for several minutes, finally moving it aside enough for Horokeu to glimpse a small trapdoor underneath with a plain wooden handle.

The Ainu blinked. “And that leads…?”

“Into the basement,” Yoh finished for him. “We’re not allowed in there though. We’re not even allowed to open the door.”

“Then how do they get out?”

Yoh smiled. “You’ll see.”

The remaining bit of sun disappeared below the horizon, and gradually the last traces of light faded into the darkness of night. Complete and absolute silence settled into the room that was but dimly lit by a pair of lamps in the corner and an overhead light, and indeed the quiet was so intense that Horokeu could hear his own heartbeat echoing like a drum in his ears. To his left, he could even make out the soft rasps of Yoh’s breathing.

Then another sound intruded on the silence, a hollow, distant boom, repeated several times. Then came the sighs, the soft hisses, and gradually Horokeu became aware of a dark, mist-like substance seeping through the cracks in and around the trapdoor, rising up before them and gradually taking human form. Hao was first, followed closely by Ren, Faust, Eliza and, lastly, Lyserg.

The leader of the vampires went instantly to Yoh, bending down to receive his welcome kiss, and then to Horokeu’s surprise and horror he seized his slave by the shoulders and sank his teeth into his neck. He heard Yoh give a slight cry as the fangs broke through the only recently-mended scars.

He heard a low chuckle next to his ear and turned to see Ren standing quite close. The vampire smiled as he slipped an arm around Horokeu’s waist. “Hao-sama always likes to snack when he wakes up,” he said. “He says it makes the main course all the more enjoyable.” He cocked his head a bit, running a cold finger tenderly down Horokeu’s neck and over the two tiny red dots that marked Lyserg’s attack from earlier. “Lyserg told me your blood was sweet,” Ren remarked casually, but there was no mistaking the look in his golden eyes.

Watching Hao as he finally withdrew from Yoh, blood glistening on his lips, Horokeu swallowed nervously before finally closing his eyes and tilting his head slightly to the side, just enough to expose his neck for Ren. He heard Ren hiss softly in appreciation before strong arms wrapped around him, giving him support and indeed nearly lifting him off of the ground, and suddenly he felt a cold breath upon his neck an instant before a sting announcing the penetration.

He cried out involuntarily, not as much from pain as from surprise, but then suddenly he felt that familiar feeling of calming cold rush through his body in waves and instantly he relaxed. This was nothing like Lyserg’s attack; now he was calm, he was collected, he felt safe knowing that it was Ren, Ren was doing this. The initial pain disappeared almost immediately, replaced instead by a numbing, anesthetic feeling and he gripped his master’s shoulders, feeling Ren’s hand gently caressing his back as the feeding continued.

Suddenly, though, there came another sting that startled Horokeu so that he opened his eyes and found himself staring at Ren. The vampire was smiling, and Horokeu blinked when he noticed the thin lines of blood running down from his full lips. Could that be…

His hand almost involuntarily snaked up to his neck, touching an area that was now throbbing a bit, and he pulled it back to see his fingers stained lightly with blood. Ren smiled when he saw the surprised and slightly frightened look that came over his slave’s face.

“There’s no need to worry, my dear Horokeu,” he said, gently caressing the Ainu’s cheek. “I took very little. You’ll be fine.” He paused, tongue flicking out to lap up the last few drops of blood still clinging to his lips. “Lyserg was right; it is very sweet.”

Horokeu was kept from replying when Hao spoke up. “Ren,” he said, and both Ainu and vampire turned to see him watching them with a smile, an arm slung carelessly over Yoh’s shoulder. “If you’re done with the appetizer, Faust didn’t get his fill last night.”

Lyserg sighed. “This is really a problem, if you don’t mind my saying, Hao-sama,” he said. “Why must we guard Yoh and Horokeu every night like this? It’s inconvenient.”

Hao frowned slightly. “Jeanne’s search for this place has intensified of late,” he said. “I believe she thinks she can gain an advantage if she discovers our…hideout, I suppose.” He winked. “Of course, she doesn’t realize that I discovered the whereabouts of her own hideout many years ago.”

“Even if Jeanne is searching for this place,” Lyserg continued, “why is it so important that we guard it?”

“To protect the slaves, of course,” Hao said. “Come now, Lyserg. What if Jeanne did discover this place? Sure, she might just turn around, go back, and gloat on her supposed victory…but then again, she might break in and kill Yoh and Horokeu. And we wouldn’t want that, now would we, Ren?”

Horokeu felt Ren’s hold around his waist tighten a bit, but the golden-eyed vampire made no response. Hao smiled before turning back to Lyserg. “You see, Lyserg?” he said, bringing Yoh closer to him. “We value our slaves. Perhaps once you obtain one of your own, you’ll come to understand our point of view.”

When the British vampire made no response, Hao turned from him to face the rest of his companions. “Well then,” he said, “Now that everything’s been cleared up, we’ll have an early hunt tonight to see if we can’t get the choicer prey before the X-Laws show up. Lyserg, you’re staying tonight. I trust you don’t have any objections?”

Lyserg lowered his eyes to the floor. “Of course not, Hao-sama,” he said.

“Very good.” Hao turned to the rest of the vampires. “Shall we?”

Ren turned to Horokeu, gently touching the side of his neck where he had been bitten. “These heal fast,” he said, “So just splash it with water. I’ll be back.” As he stepped away from his slave, he turned to his child, raising his voice a bit. “I’ll take some extra for you,” he said.

Lyserg smiled, bowing slightly. “Thank you, Ren-sama.” With that, the vampires vanished into the night.

For a moment silence reigned over the three remaining occupants in the room. At long last, however, Yoh shifted and turned to Lyserg, bowing respectfully. “Is there anything you would like me to do for you, Lyserg-sama?” he asked, pausing a bit before adding with a smile, “Within Hao-sama’s limits, of course.”

Lyserg smiled. “You know I’m not very demanding, Yoh,” he said. “Do as you please. I won’t bother you.” Yoh smiled and retreated, but Lyserg blinked when Horokeu did not do the same. “Do you need something, Horokeu?” he asked.

The Ainu shifted slightly, a telltale sign of nervousness. “Anou…Lyserg-sama, may I ask you something?”

The vampire smiled again, softly, reassuringly. “Certainly.”

Horokeu swallowed. “You and Master…you were lovers once, weren’t you?”

“Of course,” Lyserg answered, quickly and without hesitation. “How else would we have come to know each other?”

“And…” Horokeu’s voice almost involuntarily reduced itself in volume and pitch. “And do you…I mean, does he…”

“Do we still love each other, you mean?” Lyserg asked, and he smiled, walking slowly up to Horokeu and taking the human’s chin firmly in his hand, tilting the Ainu’s head up so that he was forced to make eye contact. “Horokeu, here’s something you should learn,” he said. “It’s a basic truth of the underworld that you have now entered. Love is a complicated yet extremely simple thing. I love Ren-sama, just as I love Faust-san, and Eliza-san, and Hao-sama. And Ren-sama loves all of us in the same way.

“But the real love, the true love that you read about in those novels, the head-over-heels and soulmates-forever love…that, I believe, is rather hard for Ren-sama. I’ve found it with Marco; Hao-sama, I’m pretty certain, has found it with Yoh; Faust-san found it long ago with Eliza-san. But Ren-sama has just been drifting. All these years…he took lovers and slaves and everything else, but in the end, they never satisfied him and he just moved on.”

Horokeu blinked, feeling sudden tears rush to his eyes. “You mean…when I—when I no longer satisfy Master…”

“Hm? Oh, no!” Lyserg straightened, realizing his mistake. “No, that wasn’t what I meant at all!” He placed an assuring hand on Horokeu’s shoulder. “All I’m saying is that Ren-sama hasn’t found his true soulmate yet. You have just as good of a chance with him as the others.” He winked. “Let me give you some tips,” he said. “White roses. Incense and aromatic candles. And he especially likes it if you wear a trench coat. A black trench coat. And only a black trench coat.” Leaving the slave, who was now blushing bright red, Lyserg smiled and walked out of the room.

---

About an hour later, Horokeu found himself back in the library, browsing a collection of Japanese folk tales. He had barely finished the first story when the door opened and Yoh poked his head inside. “They’re back,” he said.

Horokeu nodded slowly, replacing the book on the shelf and following the other slave down hallways and stairs, finally arriving in the living room. Here Yoh made his way immediately across the room and into Hao’s waiting arms, but Horokeu stayed just inside the doorway, staring in shock at the scene before him.

Ren was standing in the middle of the room, looking amazingly small in his long black shirt and loose pants, and Lyserg was holding him, one arm encircling his waist tightly and the other hand running up and down his back. Fangs embedded in his creator’s neck, Lyserg currently had his eyes closed and his body was rocking rhythmically against Ren’s as his Adam’s apple moved swiftly up and down with every sweet swallow. But it was not Lyserg’s actions that so bothered Horokeu; it was Ren’s own reaction. Though his back was currently turned to Horokeu, the Ainu could clearly see his hands roaming freely over Lyserg’s body, touching and caressing everywhere, and he rocked smoothly in sync with his child, low gutteral moans occasionally escaping his lips.

Horokeu found himself biting his lip hard enough to draw blood as he witnessed this heady and so openly sexual scene, and he had just taken an involuntarily step back when he felt a strong and ice-cold hand grip his shoulder, stopping him. Looking up, he blinked when he saw Faust looking down at him, smiling at him in that same fatherly way.

“Don’t act so shocked,” the vampire whispered, one arm encircling his wife. “Exchanging blood with another vampire is an exhilarating experience. Had Ren-san been giving blood to me or to Eliza or to Hao-sama, it would be the same.” He turned, pointing. “See now. Your master isn’t betraying you.”

Horokeu looked over just in time to see Ren disengage Lyserg, pushing him away rather roughly so that he stumbled a bit before regaining his footing, his face flushed from the feast and blood dribbling down his chin.

“Enough,” Ren said, taking several deep breaths and gently touching his neck, though the wound had already healed. “Control yourself, Lyserg.”

Lyserg dabbed at the blood on his face, bowing. “My apologies, Ren-sama.” His eyes shifted from Ren to Horokeu still watching them from the doorway. “And my apologies to you, Horokeu.” Turning, he walked out.

For a moment Horokeu stayed where he was, staring at Ren who was now watching him with blank golden eyes. At long last, though, he felt Faust give him a light push forward. “Don’t just stand there,” he said, voice stern.

Horokeu forced himself forward, coming to a stop before Ren and bowing. “Is…Is there anything I can—”

“It’s not what you think.”

He looked up, stunned. Ren’s face was unreadable, but Horokeu detected a flicker of emotion in his eyes. “It’s…It’s not.” He spoke as if it took him a great effort to say the words. “You…won’t be hurt by this, right?”

Horokeu had never seen the vampire so uncertain, but his answer was quick. “Of course not, Master,” he said. “I trust you.”

There was a pause. Then, in a strong, cold voice: “Fetch some cleaner and towels and bring them to my room,” he said. “I want to have my calligraphy table polished.” With that he turned, walking past Faust and Eliza and disappearing into the hallway beyond.

For a moment Horokeu stood where Ren had left him, shocked by his master’s sudden change in attitude, but Faust’s voice brought him back to the moment. “You heard him, Horokeu,” Faust said, speaking much as a father might to a disobedient son. “Slaves follow their masters’ orders. Go.” The Ainu hurried toward the kitchen.

A minute later, he found himself once again standing outside Ren’s closed bedroom doors. Taking a deep breath and transferring the bottle of cleaner and the roll of towels to his right hand, he turned the knob and pushed the door open.

Walking inside, he jumped and nearly dropped his burden when a pair of bright golden eyes turned in his direction. “M-Master.”

“Careful,” Ren said, voice even. “I don’t want that stuff dirtying my floor.” He nodded toward the calligraphy table. “Get to work.”

Horokeu nodded. “Yes, Master.” He walked across the room and had just set the things onto the table when he suddenly felt Ren’s hand on his shoulder. Then he felt the vampire’s other hand slip into his jacket pocket, pulling the envelope with Pilika’s letter out.

“What’s this?” came Ren’s voice from behind him, so close that Horokeu could feel the other’s cool breath on his neck.

“Looks like a letter,” the vampire continued casually, and with his other hand he flipped Horokeu around to face him, dangling the letter before his face. “What’s this for, slave?”

Horokeu swallowed, not liking the dangerous glint in Ren’s eyes. “It’s—It’s only a note, Master,” he whispered, voice trembling slightly. “F-For my sister…I just wanted to, you know, tell her I was okay and stuff…”

“Oh?” Ren cocked a slim eyebrow. “And how exactly were you planning to mail this letter? You’ve probably tried all of the doors and windows; Hao-sama keeps them locked for a reason.”

Horokeu’s eyes dropped to the floor, though he did not know why. “I-I…well, Yoh said that…that maybe you could…”

“Mail it for you?” Ren finished for him. Horokeu made no response, and there was a pause before he suddenly heard the sound of tearing paper. Snapping his head up, he stared in shock as Ren finished slitting open the envelope with one sharp nail, pulling out the letter, unfolding it, and reading it. Horokeu felt something twist inside of him, some pride, some feeling that took offense at Ren so blatantly violating his privacy. Did his master have no respect for him at all?

Ren finished reading and lowered the letter. For a moment he simply looked at Horokeu, his eyes betraying nothing, and the Ainu felt himself tremble with both fear and anticipation.

Then Ren turned from him, walking over to the calligraphy desk, pulling open one of the drawers, and taking out a fresh envelope. He folded the letter, inserted it carefully inside, and sealed it before taking up a pen and walking back over to Horokeu.

“Tell your sister that, if she wishes to write back to you, she can leave her letter on the doorstep where she finds her daily gifts,” he said. “I can’t reveal the address of this house to her, so I’ll pick it up for you when I drop off packages.”

For a moment Horokeu could find no words to say. Ren raised an eyebrow. “Would you rather I not give her the letter…?”

“What?” Horokeu blinked, quickly reaching out and taking the offered envelope and pen. “N-No, Master. Of course not.” He scribbled hastily across the paper before handing the envelope back to the vampire, who took it and allowed it to drop into one of his deep pockets.

“Very good,” Ren said, turning from him and walking over to the armoire. He reached into one of the lower drawers, picking indecisively about for a moment before finally extracting a large velvet box in which rested a thick gold bracelet. Snapping the box shut, he dropped that into his pocket as well and headed for the door. “I want that table polished by the time I get back,” he said.

“Yes, Master.” Horokeu straightened, facing Ren’s retreating back. “Th…Thank you.”

The vampire stopped halfway out the door, pausing for a moment as if uncertain. He did not turn as he replied, “You told me earlier that you trusted me. That in itself deserves a reward.” Then he was gone.

To Be Continued?

---

1 The oldest excavated Japanese writing occurs on a bronze mirror from the Wakayama Prefecture and on a bronze sword from the Inariyama Tomb in the Saitama Prefecture, both dating back to the sixth century or before.

2 The Ainu language, now almost exclusively isolated in the northern regions of Hokkaido, is almost extinct. The exact number of native speakers is unknown but has been estimated at only around 1,000, and there are two ways to write it: in Japanese katakana or with a Latin-based alphabet.

---

A/N: Again, apologies. Feel free to email me if you want to take up this story’s continuation.