Bruises: Chapter 1

Rain was an invader.

Rain fell from the sky uninvited. It poured in torrents down the sides of houses, interrupting the lives of those it caught and destroying the mood of many. Whores fled indoors for the safety of warm rooms with cold partners, mothers who did so as an obligation more than out of love or concern called in children out of the puddles.

This was the make of the city the bounty hunter had entered, under the service of the most detestable man he'd ever met. The task was simple- one of his whores had escaped from the brothel and ran to a farmhouse on the edge of town to hide. He'd run out of chances, the Naga was to track him by the scent in his room with a flicking black tongue to this house and end his life in the final punishment of blood and death and fear.

Rain was an invader- but it was the hunter's ally. His scales whispered through the field of sweet smelling plants and musty, damp hay far more quickly than the flow of trickling rain. The farmhouse was in sight, and the Naga had reached the window that he scented the man beyond. He was in the room alone from what he could tell, and the window was wide open to let in the freshness of the Invasion- and to let in the shadow.

He latched his inky black nails into the windowsill to guide himself in, lowering his upper body to the floor so he coiled along on his belly in the darkness. the rest of his tail followed suit and dropped onto the floorboards with only the faintest of thumps, and the Hunter approached his sleeping target. He reared up slowly- ever so slowly- his silver gray eyes gleaming just slightly in the backdrop of lightning.

It was the thunder that woke him... the traitor that was the weather that had once been his ally.

The blanket flew off when he jumped, and wide brown eyes were fixated on the towering creature over his bed. He opened his mouth and began to scream- and the Naga didn't move. He could have silenced the boy with a bite to his neck before the sound had even started to bubble up... but he hesitated....

The boy was only ten, twelve at the very most...

No- Narcissus had said... Narcissus had said nothing.

Focused on the tiny, emaciated boy in front of him, the Naga narrowed his eyes when he was spotlighted in a square of glaring light in the doorway, and the scream of a woman and a man joined the boys.

Parents too? This was going too far. The Naga may be a bounty hunter... but he HATED being lied to more than anything else, and he had only once in his long life killed a child. A mistake he regretted to this day.

No. He refused to do this...

The creature whirled and with a flash quicker than the betraying glimpses of electricity in the storm outside, he was gone. Back out of the window, through the farm and ignoring the sound of baying dogs that had been alerted by the screams and not by his approach. Furious, the hunter shifted targets.


The rain had slowed to a slightly more tolerable sprinkle by the time the hybrid arrived at the huge, elaborate brothel. The place was impossible to miss- outside it was a courtyard of glowing red lights that played light blood over the skins of the play things flaunting themselves with soulless eyes on the porches. Today they were inside and the snake could see no clients- but then again they were probably all occupied or abandoned in this weather... at least until the roads dried a little.

Inside were huge stages and dance floors, velvets, gold, colors of every kind splashed in ways that were meant to be alluring and a seduction to the very senses but the Naga could only think of as being similar to the whores lining the edges waiting for orders.

Desperate.

He could smell it in waves off their skin with the oils and the perfumes they bathed in to hide the scent of other lovers. These human males may not be able to tell, but their thin and curving frames were from starvation more than any healthy means. It wasn't that they weren't paid enough, but even the most expensive and high up 'performers' were only allowed to eat certain amounts in order to 'keep their figures'. It disgusted the Naga... left a taste in his mouth that made want to spit- and he would have if his spit wasn't laced with venom that could blind the unwary. These people worked here because they were tricked, bribed, sold, or just simply had nowhere else to go. Why should he- the hunter- be hired to destroy anyone who had found out that it was a lie and that they really had a family somewhere looking for them?

Enter- Narcissus.

As the Naga suspected, he found the man lounging on his throne of velvet and cushions, surrounded by girls and boys, men and women, who wore things that the Naga couldn't even call clothing. He never understood these costumes- things made from beads or crystals depending on the cost of the whore and looked incredibly uncomfortable. Some of them had on corsets that the hunter wondered if they could even breath in, when he could have wrapped his hands around their middles and probably touched fingers.

Disgusting.

Narcissus reclined back when he saw the impressive creature enter, dripping water from inky black hair and equally black claws to the plush carpeted flooring. the leader wore his long blue/purple hair in braids pulled back into a sort of complex ponytail on the back of his head, and wore only silk on silk, with something of a permanently cocky sneer on his thin lips and a hungry glint etched in slitted red eyes.

"Welcome back, did you find your quarry?" drawled the man who already knew exactly why his new foe looked so dangerously furious. regardless to his own danger, his eyes swept over the Naga, taking him in with an appreciative and wistful lick of his lips.

The hunters' scales were a light metal blue color primarily, but ornate patterns and spots of deep royal blue blessed it in intervals that made him look sleek and far too pretty the way they glinted wetly in the golden light of indoors. Water also shone on the narrow, bare chest and ran down across the tattoo of a pale purple and orange koi that was half twisted on his left hip. He was a true hybrid- a creature lab bred specifically to be a hunter. His body was that of a Royal Python, but the markings usually found on a cobra's hood cursed his upper torso in the form of two thick stripes across his front and around his arms, and the cobras black and white eyes on his back connected by the dipped 'V' of color that made his strong shoulder blades stand out. His hair was thick and full down to his shoulders, his bangs falling over the right eye no matter what he did to it, but parted near the top on either side to allow for his black sloped back horns, each around five inches long. Too pretty.

"Of course I did." the voice was low and his words were only slightly distorted by an accent that Narcissus couldn't place, but he'd obviously spent enough time in the area to have extremely good English, because it wasn't hard to understand him at all. The tone itself reminded those who watched of a singer that wasn't aware of having an audience, the kind of free but rich and warm tones that could turn so heart wrenchingly beautiful if only-

"-on me... Are you listening Narcissus?" the Naga snapped irritably when he discovered the other male's attention wandering again, and with the added emotion to his tone, a few of the nearby women sighed wistfully- and were ignored for all their trouble. He had no interest in women even if they hadn't been whores...

"No, admittedly I wasn't. But its doesn't matter because I know what you've got your tail into a knot about."

"I wont kill the child."

"No of course you wont, you're too honorable. That's fine, I have better plans for you." Narcissus crossed his legs and grinned his perfect teeth at the Naga, flicking one of his hands.

On que, the men and women surrounding him pulled out small objects that looked very much like toys, and the Naga scowled and began to question him. He never got his chance though... the darts each embedded themselves in his chest, shoulders and stomach within seconds, and the Naga felt himself sway. He slurred something obscene and offensive, and as he felt himself falling, falling endlessly, it was Narcissus' final words that guided him into deep sleep.

"Naga's are so interesting. That much juice would kill anyone else- I think he'll make a lovely addition."


Like Hell he would... the Naga would devour anyone who got close and spit their skulls at-


When he woke again, it was to the sound of hushed chatter and excitement. He blinked and groggily rose up a little to look around and find out where he'd ended up. He seemed to be in some sort of red box large enough for him to have enough space to be comfortable, and with nothing else to do, he listened.

"-Ladies and Gentlemen." Narcissus was announcing, "thank you for flattering the performers so much, your kind contributions deserve a treat, I'd say! I present to you all, and exotic addition to the Cottontail Club!"

The red was lifted away via pulley- so the Naga had time to note that it had actually been a curtain, then he was blinded by bright blue lights and the sudden increase of 'oohs and awes' and a few more frightened and a few more lustful tones. An audience stared at him, at least two hundred strong, and the serpent hissed fiercely, his hair bristling up and then launched at Narcissus with fangs extended. When he hit the clear wall of his prison and rebounded off, the audience only clapped- like it was a performance- like he was a.... pet...

There was a hole above him, so the Naga snarled at them with a flash of his teeth and shot up towards the hole, gliding along on his belly in a clear tunnel only big enough for him to slither through and not enough room to lift his head all that far. Whatever, it wasn't like he'd need to get a bite in....

then there was the crowd, who were even louder and the sound. The sound was pushing on the Naga's already throbbing head and the hunter winced, glancing down and blinked at the faces of a hundred plus gaping mouths and eyes. The tunnel he was in formed an arch over the heads of the audience all the way to the other side, and the raven-haired Naga dropped down into a container identical to the other... except on the opposite end of the stage. He stared back at the curious faces with a flatly irritated look of his own, and the black tongue danced out from between his lips more out of frustrated habit than actually trying to scent anyone.

Upset, a little bit freaked out and with a headache bad enough to ground a Roc, he did what he always did when he was upset... he pulled the huge cushions in his prison to the center and curled up into a tight ball on them with his upper torso resolutely hidden from the prying eyes of more people than he'd seen in one place all his life. Too much. The lights... all of it was just too much... he'd only wanted to save the boy...


Fast-forward two months.
The Naga is a huge attraction. Humans from all over travel to the Cottontail Club to see him, to watch his beautiful scales in the glittering light as he glided through the tunnel to the other end of his prison. Of course he tried to break the clear walls, but again and again he only wound up giving himself a toothache. They fed him once a month by opening a secret door he could never otherwise find- always in the opposite area of where he was, so by the time he arrived they had closed it. The first month he didn't eat, but the second month he would have eaten just about anything.

Most of his days, he watched the performances. There were two of them who were the top in the entire place. Two males. Two beautifully feminine boys, one with hair the color of blood, pouting and childish lips and a pair of rainbow eyes that dazzled when framed by charcoal. The other had hair like deep purple silk and lavender eyes, who could twist his body with the others in ways that made the serpent wonder if there was Naga in his background and he just didn't have a tail. Just by watching them, be could tell their species- for almost all of the whores here were nonhuman- the tempting purple haired beauty was a vampire called Alary Enma, the red head with the kissable red lips was a young incubus named Heartless.

They often performed together, songs and dances on the stage that often interacted with the audience to draw them in, tease them until all they could think about was touching the two. The Naga picked up after a few days that they were reserved for only the top clients, the ones whose pockets ran deep enough to swim in.

The other boy he'd seen had shorter hair that was a blue/white/blond with shockingly blue cobalt eyes and probably only about 16. He wasn't nearly as high up as the other two and therefore he wasn't allowed many things, but he seemed to be working up slowly in the ranks. The truth was, he'd forever be behind them.. He'd forever be walked on by narcissus and tossed between clients like food in a lion's den because he was human, and the others would outlive him by centuries. The boy's future was bleak. But upon reflection, the Naga realized he might have the best deal of all of them. The boy would be able to escape in death, but the nonhumans were stuck, perhaps forever, as even Narcissus wasn't human.


Soulless. The Naga looked into the eyes of the whores and he saw only hallow lust- a mock lust. They could no longer even bring themselves to care who they bedded. They performed and only during those times would the Naga see any sort of fire in them, but otherwise they were the living dead in his opinion. Heartless and Alary though... he could sense some kind of potential for them, but something deep inside told him not to pay them much mind himself. They would have their shot at fate, but he would not be involved. The young human boy was a different story.

The Naga was curled up in his usual ball; deep within the night when the clients who couldn't pay to spend the nights had left and those lucky enough to be dealing with such clients were asleep in their rooms. For Alary and Heartless, he doubted very much they were ever allowed to sleep...

the serpent was mulling over this when the small, timid tap on the container roused his attention. He turned and angled his head to see whom it was, raven hair falling back over his shoulders and the hunter raised an eyebrow at the shock blue eyes staring at him quizzically. Curious himself, he rose from his nest and slid over closer to the boy, waiting as the clear sleeve was pulled back to expose the series of holes that could be used for more clear communication.


The boy blinked at him a couple more times before he shook his head a little bit to get the teal layer underneath the white blond bangs out of his eyes, he was dressed in a rather lacy outfit that matched the color scheme of his hair, as what tended to happen with the entertainers with more exotic colors.

But his eyes seemed to reflect openness like the sky that he had never seen before. What reason did he have to be out of his room at a time like this? Unless this child unfortunately (Or fortunately- in the Naga's opinion-) had not been able to secure someone for himself.

"Hello..." He greeted softly, his voice like a whisper like it was hardly ever used for actual speech, and that was when the Naga was able to realize, most of the courtesans were given a gimmick, and this boys appeared to be more gentle compared to the fiery and provocative nature of Alary, compared to the top entertainers, the boy most likely didn't stand out that much... It was just another restraint on a list of things that were constantly holding the poor human's soul down.


The hunter gave a faint hum of consideration, and then tasted the boys' scent with a quick dart of his tongue. A little more natural than the others, a little less toxic smelling.

"Good evening." greeted the creature back with his low singers' voice, "why is it you have approached me this night? Narcissus would not be pleased to catch you out of your room after curfew..."

The human shrugged his shoulders up slightly- his body language showing he full well knew the consequences, "I know... But I couldn't sleep... normally I get worn out, and I fall asleep but..." He trailed off, noticing that by the Naga's expression that he didn't appreciate that mental image so he continued. "I just thought I would ask you, since you only came here recently... what does the sky look like?" He asked him quietly.

The question caught the serpent off guard, and for a long moment he could only stare at this human in surprise while he considered the implications of that question. First of all, it was strange in itself he was asking anything- Narcissus didn't like when his entertainers asked anything because clients hated questions, and more importantly because that would mean this boy had never been outside, not even to the courtyard.

"The sky is vast." said the Naga finally, "it is endless and ever changing, blues, reds, yellow, purple, pink, gray, black, green, and a thousand others always blending and shifting during the changing of the day. By and large the sun bleaches the sky blue like your hair tips with fluffed up pieces of fat white or gray clouds, though during the colder months the clouds grow angry and bruise black, and pour rain down on those below... What is your name?"

Kellen considered this for a moment before he pursed his lips slightly in a confused expression, contracting colors? "The earth is... Blue...?" he trailed off, "but the dirt that the people track in is always an icky brown..."

"No the earth isn't blue, its a combination of sunlight bouncing off the green earth and the gases that make up the outer layers of the planet." he corrected with a slight incline of his head, "you have never seen the earth nor the sky? Have you been here all your life, Kellen?"

The boy responded with a slightly nervous bite at his lip, "My mother worked here." He explained closing his eyes a little bit, "I've been told that with Alary it was the same story... Only I had no father to live with outside of this place." He explained as he turned his eyes to the side, "But instead of killing her or the baby... He kept her in a room till I was born and then threw her out on the street to fend for herself... Though I'm not sure why..." He trailed the bowed his head a bit, "It sounds a lot nicer the way He tells it though."

“There is no way for that to sound nicer. Narcissus is honey-coated venom…” spat the Hunter, but after a few more seconds he began to calm down and his hair stopped bristling so much. He knew he shouldn't take his anger out on this boy, who had had no choice at all in this lifestyle, so he decided to further this strange relationship and see where it went, “.. I am Nehebu-Kau.”

"N...ehebu-kau...." He repeated as he tried to make sure he said it right, his voice slightly mimicking the Naga's unknown accent in order to help him say it better, "That's a fancy name, people don't have names like that here." He explained as he sat down more comfortably and fiddled with a piece of lace at the bottom of what could only be vaguely considered a shirt.

“I am named after an Egyptian god.” Explained the Naga, “my creators felt it appropriate with what I am, and coined the name mostly as a joke… however, it stuck because they could think of nothing more fitting than that in the end. Besides, I'm not from anywhere around here- here the people are dull colors, with dull minds and over-it-all attitudes. The world I am from is bright and… different.”

Kellen didn't seem to react in the slightest to the potential insult; he had heard far worse- ones meant specifically for him. "Then why are you here..." He wondered furrowing his brow a little bit as he tried to remember when the Naga had showed up before he made a sound of realization- he was trapped. "I see... tell me more about outside." He implored as he stood and his hand started to search along the sides of the glass cage.

Nehebu-kau watched the boy as he searched with a certain amount of curiosity, but let him do as he pleased and settled back against his own coils more comfortably, “I'm not sure what to tell you… shall I explain this world, or the one I am from, little one?” he asked, figuring if he was going to be stuck here at least he could have some company.

"There is a difference?" he wondered as he stopped focusing on the glass and then looked at him again, the vivid blue eyes becoming more distant and almost longing as he thought of all the possible worlds, "I suppose that makes sense that there would be more than one... after all... the only one I know is here..." He said as he glanced over at the stage then back to him, colorful bangs falling into his vision again. "Tell me about both." He suggested with a very slight smile.

Decidedly cute… that's what this boy was.

“Not tonight.” Nehebu-kau denied with a shake of his head, “tonight is one of your rare nights off, you should be spending it resting, and you look exhausted. I'll make a deal with you though; come back whenever you have a night off and I will tell you what I know of our worlds, ne?”

Kellen pursed his lips, not seeming all that pleased about that- he didn't want to go back to his room... "Neh..." He replied in an agreeing tone, which wasn't how the sound should be used but he nodded a little, "I'll see you then, Nehebu-kau..." He said with a slight wave before he turned to slide back up the stairs. To the room of thin walls, where his dreams would be haunted by the sounds of his co-workers and their clients...

Nehebu-kau tilted his head as he watched him go, thinking about it all. He felt kind of bad for making him leave when he was obviously so desperate to get away, so the Naga sighed and after a second or two of indecision gave in, “Kellen…” he started to get his attention, “which of the world's would you like to hear about first?”

The boy broke out of his thoughts to turn around a little bit and blink at him a few times in confusion. He was letting him stay? A very rare but very real smile broke across his face as he turned to quickly run back and sit down again in front of the glass, "It doesn't matter." He assured, and it was true- regardless of which world he talked about it was surely better than this...

The Naga reached back to pull his cushion over and curled back onto it again, winding himself within his not blue, not green coils and sorted out his thoughts before he started. Nehebu-kau spoke of this world; he spoke of towering skyscrapers that clawed metal and glass teeth towards the sky, of businesses, housing, families he'd observed, cultures, countries, traffic, and politics… He spoke of anything that came to mind, and with his singers' voice it sounded like poetry. Still, he spoke with a sense of detachment- he saw the world from the point of view of a Hunter, an Outsider, and he felt no real attachment to what the humans deemed their own glorious cities, but Nehebu-kau thought of as cold. The humans didn't like nonhumans for the most part, and only a handful were even bothering to wander around- usually the cubi, who could pass for human easily enough, vampires that preyed on humans, and those who were rejected from the other world for one reason or another. He talked until dawn light was filtering across the courtyard- but never into the interior rooms, he simply knew what time it was because his internal clock told him so, the instincts of the serpent that told him to go bathe in the cool, frigid air of morning but he could not obey.

“Narcissus stirs.” He said finally, “that brings us to conclusion…”