untitled: Misgivings and Murder

 

They continue their trek through the snow until they make it once more towards the chapel. Rowan dismisses him, wishing to stay there for a little while longer. He gives Varun the rest of the day off, allowing him to do as he pleases with this new information. All Varun can think about is some hot cider and a nice place to sift through the books he's brought with him. Upon returning home, he walks right up to Urius, meaning to ask about where the library is located. He sees the man leaning over his desk, staring at a picture...the face is vaguely familiar - an older gentleman with thinning hair and nervous shifty eyes. Urius immediately covers up the picture when Varun comes in, placing it away into a folder as he turns to the youth. "What is it, Varun?"

 

"I was wondering if you could tell me where the library is?" He asked, subtly trying to see the covered picture. Just who was the man in the photo? How could he ask without sounding rude or prying? It probably wasn’t any of his business. Varun smiled slightly, doing his best to stay casual despite his excitement.  After the news he’d just heard, Varun couldn’t find himself drifting into a bad mood. He was too thrilled.

 

"T-the library? Oh, yes...If you go down the hall and take a right, there will be a set of doors. Take the second one on the left from the center and head down that hallway. It's a pair of double doors at the end - you can't miss it," Urius says a little nervously as he tucks the folder into his desk. Varun's brow furrows lightly, swearing he saw that man before with his father. Why would Urius have a picture of him?

 

Frowning a little, he nods and leaves Urius to locate the library. How strange... maybe it was someone that Urius was friends with? Or a contact of some sort.  It was difficult to guess with Urius; the man had so many different tasks, many of which Varun did not know the details of.  He’d just have to file it away for now. Perhaps it would have some sort of usefulness in the future?

 

Varun instead made his way down the designated path that Urius had told him about, winding through the hallways until he made it to the huge double doors. He managed to push one open and peek in, gasping aloud at the beauty that awaited him on the other side. Books....books lined as high as buildings on shelves that reached to the ceiling! Books that were in such a multitude that it made Varun dizzy to comprehend them all! Books and books and more books were placed neatly on shelves, all waiting patiently for Varun's graceful white hands to unravel their secrets and their hidden knowledge. Really, he was going to find himself VERY happy here...this library was perhaps bigger than the one Death had, and, certainly, it must have had some very unique tomes only Angels might possess. 

 

Utterly delighted by the sight of so many books, Varun  slipped further in, more than eager to indulge in his thirst for knowledge.  With a bright smile he set out to find something interest to pour over. He had plenty of time to himself today and an hour or two spent reading would wonderful. He would check on Crixa later, Varun was sure that the slim girl was fine with Jinevae. The two were most likely sharing cookies and talking about whatever silly things happened to be on their minds.

 

However, Varun had the distinct feeling that he wasn't alone as he curled up beside the glowing hearth with seven or so volumes of ancient histories. He looked around, his eyes narrowing slightly. The library was so huge and yet he felt as though there was something hiding among the aisles. It was no surprise to him when he caught a flash of white among the books that disappeared down another wing of the library.

 

Eyes widdening, Varun was quickly onto his feet. What had that been? He could have sworn no one else was in here. Frowning slightly, the shadowshifter abandoned his tomes to check out what it had been. Had another come into the library while he’d been curled up by the hearth with his books? Who could it be? Curiousity had him moving through the rows, peeking around corners to try and catch sight of who had joined him in the massive library. It really was big, perhaps bigger than the ancient library that Death kept. It was almost like a maze.

 

He heard the sound of footsteps leading through a book-filled archway. The shelves reaching up the curve filled with various leather bound journals. That flash of white came again down the hall from the archway, and there was heard the slamming of a door. Now there was no question that there was another person in the library.

 

Curious, he followed the sound at a half run. Who was running around in here? Normally, when one was in the library, they did not run around like this and especially did not slam the doors. There was a certain etiquite that was followed. Libraries had rules of their own and this was certainly not how one should be acting among these priceless tomes. His dark eyes narrowed when he reached the door, his pale hands touching the wood as he paused. Who was this that was running around? What reason did they have to be acting so strangely? Simply bizarre.

 

Still, when he tried the knob, he found that it was quite locked. When he looked up and realized the door he was jerking looked just like a panel in the wall, he became incredibly curious. Who in the hell would be hiding out in here? Then he caught the smell of it...sweet, pristine - a heavenly scent. It smelled like Alpheus' hair when Varun had blissful left loving hickeys all over the youth's neck. Now the slamming of doors made sense, as did the running. Still, this silly farce couldn't go on forever.

How long was Alpheus going to avoid him like this?!

 

He frowning in disappointment, letting go of the knob and leaned against the panel. What the hell...? Why did he keep doing this? It wasn't as if he had come in planning on raping him or something. He was simply reading. If Alpheus hadn’t run he probably would not have even noticed him. Sighing, Varun leaned his head against the panel and took in that pleasant smell. Such a lovely smell, it made his lips twitch into a smile. Hard to deny how that smell affected him. Shadowshifters always had been weak when it came to angels. Bewitching creatures.

 

Still, he heard the rustling on the other side of the door, as if someone was escaping down a passage. It made Varun quirk a brow, wondering if he should....well, of course he should! Such an easy route it provided him to slip through the shadows and appear on the other side, surprised to find himself in a dark cavernous passageway that seemed to lead downward in the gloom. There were no lanterns to light the way, but what Shadowshifter needed a lantern to get anywhere? Varun didn't hesitate a moment and easily walked over the cold wet stone. In the distance, he saw a light and knew at once he had found his quarry.

 

Varun could help it, a devious thought spawning in his quick mind. Perhaps he could give the angel a small surprise? How could Alpheus  expect little shadow moths to flutter out or something equally interesting. It would be a fun surprise, something innocent. Perhaps if he was playful, the angel would not turn on him? He frowned, chewing his lip. He had to hope, but first, to see if it really was Alpheus and not some stranger.

 

It was to Varun's delight that he found his little disgruntled Angel there, though was surprised by the room in which his vicious Valen was lounging in. It was lined with books. Makeshift shelves of stone slabs had been hammered into the walls, filled with all sorts of tomes collected over time. What was surprising was that the titles read upon them were of a Shadowshifter nature. Some of them Varun had never seen before, though he was fairly certain Death had the largest collection of Shadowshifter tomes. This was made all the more intriguing by the sight of Alpheus curled up on an old feather-stuffed couch, sitting with a blanket around him and glaring towards the archway. He was obviously very riled, mumbling to himself. "How dare he come into my library! This is a place of precious knowledge...I don't think he saw me...He BETTER not have seen me. I tell you, he's the most irritating and horrible person I've ever met! And he's a Shadowshifter, so you know he's evil....What do you think, Cornella? Am I wrong in thinking that?" The only reply was a soft purring from the chair beside Alpheus. A kitten's tail swished over the edge - how fitting. Alpheus was himself very catty, so it would only stand to reason that the animal he chose as a companion was a cat. 

 

"That's right, Cornella...of course I'm not wrong...Even if he is handsome...a-and he is kind...it's all a ruse! He's nothing but a selfish and vicious monster. Do you see what he did to my neck?! I've tried to scrub it off a million times, but it remains there...a stain upon my chastity! He will never get that close to me again...I will not allow it."

 

Varun rolled his eyes, keeping himself well hidden in the shadows. Alpheus was acting as if the library was his. What a little brat. He decided that at least for now he wasn’t going to let the other man know he was here. What he did do though, was mold a delicate moth from his shadows and let it fly. It fluttered from the shadows and out toward the angel and his cat, the shred of shadow landing for a moment on the tip of the kitten’s nose. It looked exactly like a normal moth, so hopefully the other would not startle. Moths were everywhere after all. Even little shadow colored ones.

 

Cornella sat up immediately, Varun seeing the little black cat with her big blue eyes swatting at the moth most viciously. She flopped over the cushion she had been laying on, trying desperately to catch the strange shadowy thing that made such delightful movements for her. Alpheus stopped his grumbling momentarily to look at his kitten companion, a sweet smile flowing over his face. God, was it gorgeous to see that...it was certainly unexpected, as smiles rarely came to the Valen for any reason at all.

 

"I see how it is...I must be boring you with my chatter. What are you doing there, Cornella? Chasing moths never got anyone anywhere." Alpheus' warning went unheeded as the adorable creature attempted to snap at the moth with her teeth, falling in a ball of fur onto the floor. "I told you so, silly kitten."

 

Varun smiled slightly, taking great delight in the fact that he could somehow, bring a smile to the face of the grumbly angel. It was the first smile he had ever seen on those lips. His brows knotted, wishing he could go over and sit with him, talk with him.  Varun wanted desperately to help Alpheus realize, that like all people, not all shadowshifters were evil or out to get him. Varun wanted to be his friend, perhaps more, not the enemy the angel was trying to make him into.  The tiny moth fluttered around, coming to land  delicately on Alphenus' nose, wings gently opening and closing as it rested.

 

 

Alpheus batted it away out of surprise, flopping backwards and, as it were, off the couch. He landed with a thud and a curse, much like his little kitten that was now attempting to crawl around and find that strange fluttering black thing that so irked her. Alpheus pulled himself up and grumbled, glaring at the moth for a moment before laughing lightly. "Cornella, it seems the moth has bested us both! What a curious thing, a black moth...I have never seen its like before." Alpheus pulls himself up and brushes off his pristine white robes. They are not so tight as they were before or so numerously layered, allowing Varun full view of his handiwork in hickeys and little love bites left along Alpheus' neck and collar. Oh, what more he could make if he had the time and opportunity..."Hmm...I think I will catch it. Cornella, where is that glass I had?" Alpheus goes searching through a messy desk, trying to find a glass cup. At last he comes upon it and then smirks as he spots the moth sitting delicately on the table. 

 

The tiny insect fluttered lightly, its antenna working. So very lifelike, he was doing a great job of controlling it. Varun watched with a gently smile from the shadows, basking in Alpheus' enjoyment. He wondered just how the other would react if he was to have it shape into something else? Or what would happen if he made more and let them flutter around the room, their soft wings tickling the angel? Varun found the idea both rather amusing and he waited to see what would happen next. Seeing Alpheus being himself really was a treat.

 

Alpheus was rather quick for someone who looked like he had so little muscles or reflexes. The glass was atop the moth in a matter of moments and Alpheus carefully slipped it along the table to trap the fluttering black thing between his palm and the glass. This allowed him to bring it closer and study it with a beautiful expression of awe. Eyes like blue fire sparkled warmly and seemed to change with the light. "Black...how can black be so beautiful and yet represent such evil? It's just a color...and yet...I find myself entranced by it, Cornella." Somehow, it did not sound as though Alpheus was speaking of the moth. He stopped a moment and gathered his thoughts, blushing.

 

 "It's silly though.....I shouldn't praise so highly a color belonging to the shadows, should I, Cornella?" he asks the kitten, who has now lost interest and is rolling a pen about the floor. Alpheus smiles and then walks to the back of the room, Varun suddenly aware of a tiny shoot that leads into the outside, for a pale stream of moonlight comes through it. Alpheus raises his hands up towards the moonlight and lets the moth free, it flitting up the shaft and dissipating with the growing intensity of moon glow. Alpheus doesn't note this, merely walking back to his couch and setting down his glass. He looks to the fire, suddenly sad. "I must be a terrible person, Cornella. I betray my family the more I think of him...and yet I can't free myself." He picks up his kitten, cuddling her as she mewls softly. Again, Alpheus looks so alone. "My heart betrays me."

 

Varun frowned, his heart hurting at how sad the angel looked. All because of him. It was upsetting and Varun wished he could comfort Alpheus, to tell the angel that there was nothing wrong with his feelings. There was no betrayal here. But he could not bring himself to say anything, his throat tight. He continued to hide in the shadows, his face just barely peeking out from the thick blanket of shadows.

 

"At least with Falcon, I could have stayed by him...I would have had an excuse." He buries his face into the soft fur of his little kitten, Cornella purring for the attention and attempting in all her sweetness to make Alpheus feel better. Still, it was not enough for him. "Now he leaves me for that wretched Shadowshifter whore! .....And, even now, his brother occupies my thoughts like a disease. I...I'm too scared even to see him, so I have to run from him...but I was here first! It's my library!" Alpheus bites his lip nervously and sets the kitten down into his lap, watching her wriggle and then slip from his hands to go off and find something to amuse her again, like that black moth. "...I don't know why I'm so obsessed and afraid of him...I must be ill." Thinking on it, Alpheus lays down against the couch and trails his fingers over the roughly sewn cushions. "Yes...some sleep will do me good. I'll hide here until supper. He won't find me, even if he can slip through walls." Alpheus sighs then and closes his eyes, allowing himself to drift into a gentle sleep. Meanwhile, Cornella has been progressing towards where the black moth came from. She stops at the archway and looks up at the shadows with big blue eyes - right at Varun. She mews.

 

He smiles to see her, kneeling before her and caresses the kitten's tiny face. "Hello little one..." he whispered quietly. "Did you enjoy playing with that moth?" Surely she did, for she had been flopping around wildly in her enthusiasm. Ah the ways of kittens. Varun chuckled , reaching down to pluck the small animal up and into his arms. Nuzzling the soft fur that Alpheus has nuzzled and kissed. His lips press against the tip of her delicate nose. "Why can't he see that I am not bad?" He asks her sadly, brows knotting. "Why can't he see that I am fond of him?" What answers did cats have to such questions anyway?

 

 

The kitten purred like a tiny warm motor, caressing her claws against the other's shoulder as her tail swished playfully. Varun found himself walking into the room that seemed to be Alpheus' favorite place, seeing the mountains of books that were all piled haphazardly due to a lack of shelving. Such tomes seemed interesting even to himself, though he founds his eyes following the lines of Shadowshifter documents high above the hearth. They were obviously well-loved, a little dog-eared, and certainly used. Was this how Alpheus was getting his information? But it seemed odd that he would have them...after all, they were all written in Shadowshifter. He couldn't have read them if he tried. Suddenly the thought struck him as Cornella purred into his ear....these books must have belonged to his parents. Why else would they have such a high place of honor? On the end of the books sat a little toy knight. It was broken and badly mended with some string. Another artifact from Alpheus' past.

 

"Hmmn..." moaned the sleeping Angel, turning to nuzzle into the cushions with a soft dreamy smile.

 

Varun glanced back at the angel for a moment, silent, before  plucking one of the books from the shelf and  paging through it. It was interesting that Alpheus  would hold these in such high regard when they were about and perhaps written by, a species that he  hated so fiercely. He sighed under his breath, shaking his head. But parents were precious to the child and it was no wonder that Alpheus would keep these books close to him. Mementos of his life before their death. Of the love and affection he had felt. Varun nuzzled his cheek against the kitten, eyes  reading the text for some sort of clue.

 

 

The book was strangely written, for it was not by a shadowshifter. The writing started off rather infantile and then gradually gained better syntax and scheme after a while. It was then that Varun realized what it was; almost dropping both kitten and the book...It was a diary. However, it was not just any diary, it was one about the genocide. Names had been recorded, birth dates, ages. In the end of the journal was a long list of people, some scratched out. Varun had once heard of those who advocated to save the Shadowshifter race, those that worked hard to fight for the rights of many slaves who had Shadowshifter families, who hid them away in safe houses until the genocide was over. Could Alpheus' parents have been such people? Is that why they died? But, then...why were they killed by Shadowshifters? Or, perhaps, had Alpheus' infantile mind confused one race for another as he watched his parents die? 

 

"My gods..." Varun whispered his eyes wide as he kept reading through it, amazed by what was in it. They had several of these in Death's library, but most of the literature written during that period had been utterly destroyed. Burned, ruined and never to be recovered. But here, here was something helping him understand just what had happened to the angel's parents.  To those that had tried to save those that had needed them.  He glances back at the Valen, brows knotted, his hand carefully holding the kitten still in his grasp. This was eye opening.

 

 

Alpheus, being unable to read Shadowshifter, must have never known what his parents were. Surely, he would have remembered a childhood surrounded by strange people with pale skin, dark eyes, and hair...but he would not have remembered his parents helping and actively protesting their own government's cruelty. They had died for that and their son, unable to understand the good they had done, not knowing the difference at the time between Shadowshifters or Demons, could have easily assumed their death was for the wrong reasons by the wrong people. Varun felt that now, more than ever, he had to befriend the youth. If he could show him these texts were in fact journals by his parents, wouldn't he then be free of his loneliness and his rage? Varun looked up then at the books, seeing the various journals, all bound together. Then, of course, there was a strange one at the end. Much thicker, bound in a much more ornate style. Varun set down the journal in his hands and even the purring, wriggling kitten to pick this one up. His breath almost caught in his throat. On the front it read simply "Adam" in clear Shadowshifter text.

 

This... this was something he had not expected. His eyes widened and he plucked it up almost greedily, peering at the elegant text of his ancestor.  His great, great, great grandfather. How had they gotten this? Death had Eve's journals and writings, had only just barely saved them from burning, but he had not managed to find those of her mate. How had this precious book fallen into the hands of the Valen sleeping soundly on the couch behind him? This was a missing piece of history, here lay, the other half of the Firsts’ life.

 

Alpheus twitched lightly and nuzzled the pillow again as he slept, seeming to be unable to find a comfortable position. His robes opened just slightly to show off that pale neck dotted with his possessive marks. Such soft peach-toned skin could use a few more hickeys and bruises...Gods, if Varun wasn't still aching madly from Echo's furious advances, he would have Alpheus' ankles over his head, begging for more. Still, all arousal aside, Varun now had a new view of this disgruntled and decidedly sad Valen youth - a connection much deeper and much mysterious. The writings felt heavy in Varun's hands, the knowledge therein begging to be read. But, still, Adam's insights into the past wouldn't help him figure out just how such an important artifact of his race ended up with a Shadowshifter-loathing cleric.

 

Clutching the book to his chest, Varun glanced slowly to Alpheus. The angel would never allow him the book, he could not even mention seeing it. But could he actually take it from here? Steal it? It was rightfully belonging to him, the heir to this man’s legacy, yet it was in Alpheus belongings. Was it not wrong to take it? Chewing his lip, Varun felt a horribly ache in his belly. Walking over, he knelt by Alpheus and kissing his chest, almost begging him to wake. Varun would have debased himself just to know more of how this book came into the others hands, to beg him to listen, perhaps even teach Alpheus how to read Shadowshifter so that he could realize the mistake he had made.

 

Alpheus gasped lightly from the pleasurable sensation of lips against his skin, but he did not wake. Instead a dreamy smile graced his face and he nestled back against the couch, warmed by the others touch. Damn it, this was going to be hard...Whether to molest the hell out of the Angel or to wake him? Such choices really did give Varun a headache.

 

 Frowning, Varun rested his head against Alpheus' chest, clutching the book to him like many a religious man had clutched their holy book to theirs. He closed his eyes tightly, wanting bad to wake the other, but afraid that he would be thrown out and never be able to ask the other the questions bubbling in his chest. Why must it be so cruelly hard for him? Why is making a choice so hard? He is so afraid of making Alpheus hate him.

 

Alpheus seems to sigh softly as he's pressed against by another warm body. It's the comfort he has been craving and unable to find in his sleep. Varun is surprised when a soft hand presses up against him and Alpheus curls a leg about his body, as if holding to a nice firm pillow. That dreamy smile widens, as if Alpheus' body is somehow aware of who nestles against him. 

 

Varun flushed, but stayed where he had been caught, unable to escape now. Might as well steal a nap then... begging could be used later when the other woke and pushed him off the couch. Varun smiled weakly at that image, knowing it would happen. But, to be good, he remained in  as nonsexual a cuddling position as possible, snuggled against Alpheus like a lonely child.

 

 

It was hours later that Varun finally awoke, finding himself no longer tangled in the other's arms. Alpheus was sleeping still and it was getting close to dinner. Varun would have to leave or else he would be under suspicion from Rowan. Not to mention he was rather hungry. It made the youth sigh as he looked down upon his now docile Angel, his face actually sweet when he wasn't scowling. He had lain there all that time so comfortably...he looked as content as could be.

 

Still clutching the book to his chest, Varun decided he was not going to take it tonight. He could easily come and read small tid-bits and pieces, sneaking in and hurriedly gathering information. He was not sure if the angel would notice if he took it, so for now, he put it back where he had found it. With one last smile, he turned and left, leaving Alpheus to his nap.

 

Still, whilst the other was sleeping, it allowed Varun the greatest amount of time to sit within Alpheus' inner sanctum and read. He would certainly be telling Death about this when he got back, wondering if he would have the patience to wait. Still, he got up and walked away...forgetting his coat that lay beside Alpheus as he slept.

 

 

~ ~ ~

 

 

It was late that night when Varun opened in his eyes in the gloom of his rooms. A smile fell over his face as he slipped out of his bed and grabbed up his clothes that had been set out after dinner...black to hide himself, to better blend with the shadows. He also had with him a notebook for translation and a pen. Sneaking outside of his room ever-so-quietly, Varun made his way down the hallway and around the corner. He was just about to come to the end of the hall when he suddenly bumped into something...something firm. He looked up, shocked to find a fully-clothed Urius looking as though he was about to leave. Urius seemed equally surprised. "V-varun?"

 

"O-oh! Forgive me, I was going to the library." He whispered, flushed at being caught in the act. It took all his will power to keep quiet right then. What the hell was Urius doing out at this time of night? Shouldn’t he have been in bed, sleeping? Surely Ceata had come to make sure he was well rested?  "What are you doing up, Urius?" Varun asked, frowning up at the slightly taller Starc.

 

"I....I am going to visit Ceata. The night is the only chance I have." The answer seemed plausible at first, but the fact that Urius was wearing his heavy double-handed battle sword made things a little more questionable. What's more, he was wearing all black and heavy clothing.

 

Varun frowned. "With a sword?" He asked, crossing his arms before his chest and cocking his head. Unless they were going to be up to something very kinky, there was no reason for Urius to bring a sword. Something was surely not right and then it clicked. "You're going to kill someone, aren't you?" He accused, dark eyes seeing past his lies. That was not so surprising, not when you lived among nobility. Courtlife could be very dangerous.Urius wasn't going to see Ceata at all.

 

Urius' eyes became wide, but he kept his face from falling. "I am doing no such thing. I am merely taking the back way to get out of Tenshihana...at this time of night, it is crawling with bandits," Urius replied immediately. However, it was not convincing to Varun. The other could tell with just one look - Urius was off to do Rowan's bidding, but to whom? The idea that he was going to Death's Castle made Varun very irritated and Urius' skating around the issue didn't make him any less so.

 

"I can tell Urius, you don't have to lie to me." He replied bluntly, his hands on his hips. "So stop trying to change the subject." His eyes nearly glowed in the dark, the black glinting and a deeper, wet black then the shadows.  Just where was Urius going? Who was he to kill? Was he even going to the castle? Or was this story he was telling truth?

 

 

"I'm going the back way. There is nothing more to it," Urius replies. He does not lie outright to Varun, for he is going in the back direction where there is reputed to be many bandits...However, he is going to kill someone. No doubt, Rughal will finds himself very frustrated by morning. The question is, will Urius be able to get in and out quickly? With Ceata as a connection, of course he will. 

 

Varun snorted softly. "Have a safe trip than." he replied, a half hearted smile appearing on the youth's face. He does not wish to stand talking for hours, he needs to get back into Alpheus' little hidie-hole to read and translate the book hidden within. For tonight, he cannot look too deeply into the after hours mischief that Urius is going to be getting into. There is little he can do anyway.

 

Urius nodded and watched the boy leave. He knew that Vaurn would blame him after this...There's no way the other wouldn't hear about it. Even so, he could not defy Rowan...at least, not in this case. Turning then from the hallway, Urius quickly makes his way to the portal room and slips through one of the glowing rips in the realm in order to appear before Death's great castle. The wind rushes up against his face, frigidly cold in the night hours. Barren rock exists all around him, jutting up like jagged teeth to ward off any intruders. The walls are huge, dark, imposing...Even so, Urius is let in immediately. The guards know his face well enough to allow him inside. On the other side of the door waits a sleepy Ceata, who thinks nothing of the sword on his back or his clothing. 

 

Ceata has seen him like that far too many times to think of it as odd. Urius is a man that must use a sword, it’s normal for the pale shadowshifter to see it straped to his back. He does however, haul Urius off to his room, quickly up the stairs. The man has no time to react before Ceata is stripping him of his coat and of his clothes, his sword tossed onto a thickly cushioned chair. "Did you take your medicine?" He asked, eyes flickering up to look Urius in the eye. His hands run down Urius' chest, lovingly mapping the contours of his sleek, muscular body.

 

Urius gave him a smile, a false smile that rivaled even Rowan's in its realism. "As you asked..." his voice was unwavering. However, his eyes lacked emotion. Ceata found this odd, but he accepted the words. It helped to feel the other's body was not as feverish as before. Instead, that skin was smooth and cool, allowing Ceata to touch it and purr for the texture.

 

He raised a brow, leaning up to kiss at the others pulse. “Good.” He murmurs, pleased. Death had yet to make the order to ban Urius, having not imagined he would be invited to the castle that night. He had not even had the time to speak with Ceata, a mistake on his end.  Death was a busy man. How could he have known Urius knew the man he was after was hidden here? Rughal was going to be very, very angry. "Very good, bed, now."

 

Urius chuckled as he was dragged off to Ceata's bed, making love to him so viciously, his frustration vented into the act. Ceata felt that something was wrong, yet was too overwhelmed with the pleasure of it to even contest his lover's actions. When all was said and over, Ceata aching from the hard deep thrusting of his beloved into his tight anus, soon fast asleep and Urius sat up in the bed. He looked down at him, heart aching. Would this cause him to be banned from the other's arms forever? Urius knew why he did this...it was to protect Rowan's "mission." Even so, it hurt him greatly. "Ceata...Forgive me," he whispers as he kisses the others brow and gets up. Achingly, he dresses and pulls on his sword. His eyes are focused; vicious, emotionless.......He will kill tonight.

 

 

~ ~ ~

 

 

Meanwhile, sitting up in his bed, Rei enjoys one of his more quiet nights with Mimiri and Teisetsu nuzzled up beside him and comfortable. Mimiri, the recently reborn sister of Teisetsu, is largely pregnant and enjoys spooning up against her little brother to take away some of the ache. Teisetsu nuzzles up against his beloved Master, the three, all nestled underneath the covers.

 

Rei was nearly purring with pleasure, playing with their hair and lazing amongst their warmth.  He could not be more pleased with life at that moment, enjoying the sensation of them cuddled up close against his sides. What more could he want? He had two lovely twins in his bed and one of them heavy with his spawn at that. Rei was smug as hell. "Comfy?" He asked with a grin.

 

"Yes, Master," Teisetsu replied with a big smile, his sweet pink eyes filled with warmth. Mimiri lazily closed her teal-colored gaze and flicked away some pink hair from her face. She nestled closer.

 

"Ugh...the baby keeps kicking, Master. I am not so comfortable," she admits, holding her stomach where Rei's unruly offspring is fast growing. "Any time now and I will give birth, I think...Why else would the baby be so rowdy?"

 

"Perhaps he or she is dancing?" Rei grinned. "Excited that they are going to soon be among the living, hmmm?" He leans over, peeking at her belly with delight in his single gold eye. To think that Death would have allowed him to finally have babies! He will be a proud father whether it is male or female, for Rei is grateful for the chance to raise a child. He might never have this chance again.

 

"He or she is a vicious fighter like their father..." Mimiri purred, she being the crueler of the two. Her nature was much more inclined to cause pain. She liked to watch Rei fight and was an avid fighter herself. She made up for Teisetsu's gentleness, the two of them having very different personalities. There was no question that Mimiri's and Rei's child would be a fighter.

 

"Will Death let me birth your children too?" Teisetsu asked with a pout, wanting to have the joy of birthing his Master's child as well. He was jealous when his sister got pregnant before him, having wanted to be the one to carry Rei's baby.

 

"Maybe if you are a good boy." Rei teased, leaning over to nip the tip of Teisetsu' button nose. A child from each would be enough for him  He wanted to satisfy his lovers, and if the boy wanted to feel as uncomfortable as his sister, well Rei could supply that need.  They were not spoiled, but they did get treated well. Rei might be a bit broken in the head, but he had enough sense left to keep them happy.

 

"Do not be so eager, Tei-chan...Baby carrying is not so easy," Mimiri warned as she nuzzled into her brother and kissed him. Her loving caresses soothed him a little and he returned her love with a kiss to her lips.

 

"But I want to do as you do..." Tei-chan sighed as he felt her nuzzle back for his kiss. The two were so damn affectionate that it was often fun for Rei to just watch them kiss and touch. They had made love before, but it was only to please their master. The only thing that bonded the two in such a way was their deep almost obsessive love for their Master.

 

Rei watched them, nearly purring over their affectionate display. He was lucky to have two such lovelies in his grasp. They were so pretty... so wonderful. "Mmm... Tei-chan, you can already see how annoyed your sibling is by having my brat in her belly." He chuckled, sliding his fingers over the girl's  heavily rounded belly.

 

"He or she is not a brat, Master...but quite a tease. I think you have influenced him or her too much," Mimiri giggled as she moved closer even with her ungainly size. She moved to straddle her beloved Master, her long pink hair the color of rose petals falling in her face. Rei's hand softly moved it away and she grasped his wrist, pulling it back down onto her belly. Teisetsu sat up, touching her belly too.

 

"It's warm..." Teisetsu said, smiling. Just as he said that, however, there was a strange-sounding scream that echoed through the door. It was coming from down the hallway. "W-what was that?!" 

 

Hand still on her belly, Rei went completely still, listening intently. "Mimiri, off please." He grunted,  patting her side tenderly. He helped her off and stood, already heading  briskly to the door without stopping to put any real clothing on. A pair of lounge pants would be fine. His eye had narrowed even as he threw the door open to investigate where the sound was coming from.

 

It came from down the hall and then all of a sudden cut off. Rei peered sharply down the hallway, his eye narrowed. All he saw was a black flash of something he thought might be shadow - nothing more. It made him frown as he walked down the hallway, Teisetsu and Mimiri nervously peering out the door. When he got down the hall and turned, Rei came upon a horrific sight. A man had been cut cleanly in two. He had died whilst still in the process of being cut. Blood was everywhere, along with bloody boot prints that disappeared in the direction that the shadow went. Rei was off and running, but soon came upon an open window, drapes flapping. Looking out, he saw nothing...only the unending gloom. It was a perfectly executed assassination. 

 

Rei had done enough killing in his days to see how good this man had performed his mission. Growling savagely, he trotted back  to the body, calling for someone to run and fetch Death. The immortal would not be happy. Not at all. With a grunt, Rei did his best to keep the frightened soul near the body, coyly calming it with his hands in an attempt to keep it from fleeing.  While he wasn’t sure if it could describe its killer – so often murder victims were too frightened to remember – he could at least try.  Rei was an old pro at this, years of working with souls making this easy as pie. There was no escape for the soul.

 

It was a horrible bloody mess that Rughal came to when at last he was awoken and notified. A roar of anger filled with hall as he punched clean through a wall, the torches down the hallway and in that wing flaring and then going out in one puff of angry black smoke. Rowen looked down upon the disemboweled man...Who could have done this? It looked as though the Human had clung to his murder's weapon as it was dragged through his body...slowly...

 

Death came down the hall not long after, his robes clinging to his body, eyes narrowed and sleepy. He stopped a moment, in slight shock at the body and the visceral around it before sighting the quivering soul.  Reaching out, the immortal took the small curling wisp into his hand, carefully filing through the most recent memories.  However, though the memories were fine before the murder, crystal clear even, after the even they became a blurred, horrid mess. There would be no knowledge gained this this. He cursed silently. "No good, he blanked it all out." The immortal uttered, shaking his head and looked to Rughal in apology.

 

"DAMN IT!" he hisses, circling like a great cat with its tail on fire. His eyes were flared out to a pale white and dancing like hot smoke swirling in the wind. He looked back at the body and stalked off, too angry even to look at Rowen as he passed. "It's that BASTARD ANGEL! I know it is!" Perhaps his angry assumptions were not wrong...in fact, they were right on target. However, at the time, they had no proof...until Ceata came walking up sleepily, pouting as he wanted to ask Rowen if he had seen Urius leave. After all, it was Rowen's watch that night.

 

"Rowen, did you see where Urius went?" He yawned ,  rumbled from sleep and wondering what the hell was going on. There was a lot of noise in the halls,a commotion of sorts and he wasn’t sure why. "He seemed ill, maybe he went home." The shadowshifter pouted, displeased that he would leave without telling him.

 

Rughal stopped in his tracks, turning slowly. ".......................What was that?"

 

"Urius came to visit because I requested he do so. He has been sick,  I made sure he took medicine and then we slept." Ceata replied with a yawn. He peered down the hall, face scrunching up when he saw a bit of the blood. "What happened down there? Someone get into a fight or something?"

 

"When was Urius here?!" Rughal's voice was filled with venom as he took a step towards Ceata. Rowen had to step in the way to keep Rughal's anger from venting on the poor youth. Already the air was so hot that it was hard to breathe, the torches remaining flaring seemingly uncontrollably at times with Rughal's anger. If he kept this up, he'd burn the castle down.

 

"A few hours ago, why?" Ceata asked, frowning.  Why was Rughal so angry? He was acting like he'd been pushed in the face. Ceata glowered, disliking the way he was being looked at."What the hell Rughal? Why do you care if he was here or not!?" His chest puffed out and those mismatched, sleepy eyes glared venomously right back.

 

"Because he killed the ONLY INFORMANT to Rowan's illegal acts!!" Rughal roared in turn, unable to hold back his rage. Ceata was taken aback. How could that be? Urius was incapable of such evils, especially ones that would cause such a bloody mess. The very idea seemed preposterous and there surely was no proof to support that...was there?

 

Ceata’s eyes go wide in shock, unbelieving that Rughal could accuse Urius without any evidence. He very nearly slapped him, instead, shoving the man back, away from him. "How dare you accuse him without any proof?" He cried, eyes narrowed viciously. He had known that Urius was capable of killing, that at times he was forced to do work he didn’t want to. Even then, as he thought back to the sword on Urius' back, he found himself aching with doubt. Why would Urius do such a thing?

 

Rughal just about lunged at the youth, but at least the sensible Rowen stepped in the way. He had a few questions to ask. After all, there was no denying how suspicious it was that Urius was there so late at night. It was unusual of him, especially when he claimed to be so busy with work. What's more, this deed must have been done by a weapon of great size. No Shadowshifter assassin would carry such a blade. In fact, such a sword would be more characteristic of a Demon...or an Angel.

 

Ceata was still furious, even with the doubt in his heart. With Rughal trying to get in his face and outright accusing his lover of murder, keeping a level head was difficult. "You touch me Rughal, and I will break your arm." He threatened darkly, teeth clenched and body shaking. He had to go find Urius. The more he thought about it, the more he became convinced it was him, the more he came to realize just who it was, who it had to be, behind all this.

 

"What is going on?" a cold voice asks then from the hallway. At first, it is thought to be Urius, but the torchlight reveals Falcon standing there with Eos at his heels. Eos had heard the commotion and had started to whimper to Falcon to go check it out. However, when Falcon tried to leave, Eos complained of being afraid to be alone...thus, Eos tagged along. Now seeing the blood, he clutched to the Starc. Falcon seemed only mildly phased by it, glancing at the body and then away. "What happened here?"

 

"You should know, shouldn't you? You are one of HIS agents, after all," Rughal growled out and turned away, angry and unable to do anything about it. He had lost all the information he needed. Even now, as the soul floating free aged, more and more memory was being lost by the minute.

 

Eos' eyes widened at his father's words and he glanced up at Falcon with worry. Falcon could not be an enemy, could he?  Something bad was going on and he could feel it sharply in his breast. From the look on Ceata's face, he knew that the pale male could too. Death, ignoring their squabbling, tended to the soul as best he could. There was little more that could be done with it. Ceata, muttering to himself, marched back to his room to dress. He had to speak with Rowan.  He made sure to pack a change of clothes and hid them in the shadow realm. Rowan would not be pleased at seeing him. He had to do something, anything.

 

Falcon, however, was not going to turn away. He looked to Rughal with as sharp and frank a gaze as possible - one that most people wouldn't have dared give the Fire Youkai - and spoke in an even, though sharp, tone. "My Lord Rughal, you speak as though I had killed a man. However, my hands are not stained with blood...I will gladly remedy that, should you press this issue beyond its bounds. Respectfully, I hope you will refrain from anything rash." Though considerably younger, Falcon was not unwilling to fight for his good reputation. Rughal was livid, but would not debase himself so much as to start throwing blows with this youth. Especially not with Eos clinging to him. 

 

Eos made a small, distressed noise and tugged at Falcon's arm. All of this had him upset, trembling in fear and agitation. Like Ceata, he did not like the feeling in his gut, wanted to do anything to make it go away.  Staying here wasn’t going to help, only hinder. "C-come on Falcon. You’ve been with me the whole time, so you could not have done anything." His voice quivered, choked in his tightening throat.

 

"Just because he was with you doesn't mean he's not covering for Urius!" Rughal growls low to his youngest son, not wanting to frighten him talking much louder than that. At his uncle's name, Falcon's blue eyes widen...and then narrow. His teeth grit and he looks as though he would become as rash as Rughal, ready to vault at the other to fight tooth and nail.

 

"Never.....NEVER will you compromise my uncle's honor!" Falcon turned on his heel and walked back the way he came, too angry even to say anything further or to pull Eos with him. It left the poor Shadowshifter hybrid bemused, torn between staying with his parents or going with his love. 

 

Startled and upset, Eos went after Falcon, bare feet pattering loudly on the stone floor. There is a hush over the castle as the news spread. Shocked by the murder amongst them. Ceata is livid. How could he not have seen something was wrong? He had sensed it in the way Urius was acting, had known something was making the man unhappy, but he had ignored it, shrugging it off as his cold. "Why was I so stupid?" Ceata hissed, clenching his hands in his hair as he hurried down the hall, ready to confront Urius and Rowan and demand to know what was going on.

 

He would not get that far. The portal, which was always open, had been shut. Adorna was sitting outside it, confused.She had been picked up rather unexpectedly in the night by Roaden. Jinasen had protested, but she was given her clothes and thrust out the portal just as Urius was coming back. Now the portal was gone and she was dumbstruck, nearly crying, as she stared at the blank spot where it had been. 

 

The rage that Ceata experience was nothing compared to poor Adorna's sadness and anger at being thrown out as she had been. Fixing her hastily pulled on clothing back into place, the woman paced anxiously in front of the empty portal, unsure and frustrated. What was going on here? This had never happened before. Ceata was equally upset, yet his anger was not laced with confusion.

 

Obviously, this had been planned. There were too many connecting circumstances, though there was hardly enough proof to definitively say that Urius had done it or that Rowan had contrived it...but it looked that way. Every gut feeling was directed towards that and it was pretty much right. Only Varun had seen it coming...too late to do anything. 

 

 But whatever was going on? There was a feeling of dread in Ceata's chest, even as he returned to his room and now empty bed. His hands clenched tight in his short white locks, he stared at the spot Urius had been lying in just hours ago.
Why the hell was going on?