Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Darkness. Laughter. Kazuha had no idea where he was or what he was doing before this. Something or someone was carrying him; their claws digging into his ankles while he was dragged along. A blindfold was tighter tightly around his eyes and his wrists and ankles were also bonded together. Even though he tried to move or even struggle slightly, he strangely felt weak and numb; his mind felt slow and his senses were dull. Just the mere thought of moving caused his head to spin and bile to rise in his throat. The most he could do at the moment was let out a pathetic noise; a barely audible moan.

“Oh? You’re awake already? You must have some fight in you then. I gave you enough anesthesia to knock out a full grown horse,” a calm, male voice stated before chuckling immediately afterwards. “You are very special indeed. Too bad, I can’t keep you for my experiments.”

As much as Kazuha was trying to pay attention, he just couldn’t. The words went through one ear and out the other. Somehow, he managed to release another muffled groan and his fingers twitched slightly.

“What kind of foolish human wanders around the woods so late at night? Well, you I suppose. How unfortunate for you, but more fun for our young lord,” the voice commented with another laugh. 

A set of heavy doors creaked open and heels clicked onto the floor, before he felt himself get dragged onto a cold surface. His body got dragged while the heels echoed throughout, before a boom echoed behind him. He kept getting dragged along the cool, smooth surface. His fingers twitched more and some sensations began to run through his body again. It was very faint but a dull aching pain pulsed through him along with a prickling, stabbing sensation.

After several minutes of the heels clicking and the sound of himself getting dragged along, there was a change. The heels seemed to be on another surface and the sound was heading upwards. Before he could listen any longer, he felt it; carpeted stairs. His head and back hit the side of the steps up, shooting pain throughout his body, but mainly his head. Surprisingly, the pain was actually helping him regain his senses, feeling returning to his limbs. His throat felt sore and stuffy, but he was able to speak albeit very quiet.

“……Where…am…I?” he managed to push out, wincing at the pain of his head slamming into the steps

The person dragging him chuckled, and he felt his body get shifted.

“Hm? Forming coherent sentences already? Well, if you must know, you’re at the Tsaritsa’s Estate. You’ve probably heard of it. But you’re a gift to one to one of our more…aggressive residents,” he remarked 

Tsaritsa’s Estate? Aggressive residents? He had vaguely heard about the place. A supposedly large vampire-run territory with the most beautiful buildings and outdoor garden; however, it seemed to just be hearsay as anyone who got close to it never returned to tell the tale. It seemed like just common folklore to him, though from what he could faintly piece together, he did listen and tried not to venture too far into the forest. 

“…….Why?” he whimpered, starting to regain more strength in his limbs before he started to struggle more.

“Oh. Well, you were around and our dearest lord has been throwing more temper tantrums lately because he’s bored. It’s been getting rather annoying to deal with, so you’re going to be his new….play thing,” he remarked coldly.

Play thing? For a vampire? That did not sound good. Not at all. He was going to die. Fear rushed through his veins and the hairs on his neck stood up and suddenly, he was flailing violently to see if he could reach his katana or free his wrists.

The man hummed and casually kept waking up the stairs before he reached the top. He turned right and began to walk down the long hallway. Kazuha was at the very least thankful for the temporary relief and flat surface again. The back of his head pulsed from being constantly bashed into the steps. 

“Struggle all you like. You’re not going to get free and even if you do somehow manage, I’m sure Tartaglia will have fun chasing after you,” he cooed while he walked.

Kazuha winced and touched the hilt of his sword, though he couldn't properly hold onto it or pull it out. A strange sense of comfort filled him anyway. Perhaps when he was more conscious and had his senses restored, he could truly process his situation and use his weapon. Though, would a katana have any sort of effect on a vampire? It could hopefully stun or injure them temporarily, which could be the difference between life or death.

He was haplessly dragged along the hallway on the carpeted surface. His arms starting to burn from being scraped across the coarse fibers. Sniffing a bit, he could somewhat smell what was around him; the scent of death. No, it wasn’t the sickly, sweet scent of a body that was decaying, but the scent of something inhuman, something that basked in the bloodshed and misery of others. It rocked him to his core and filled him with an intense dread. Was it the fear of death or the fear of being surrounded by people so wicked? Goosebumps coated his arms while he continued to struggle. His instincts were screaming at him to run, scream, fight back, do something! But his bindings were tight and the man’s words echoed through his head. He didn’t really have much of a choice; either run and get devoured or be a play thing. Both options seemed grim and brutal. Before he could stew on the matter for too long, they came to a sudden stop.

There was a loud knock and a soft hum.

“Oh Kunikuzushi! I brought something for you,” the man stated, continuing to knock on the door.

There was no answer, before a door knob was turned and he got dragged in, only mustering out a whimper. His hands and feet wriggled before suddenly, there was relief, feeling someone or something undo his bindings.

“No need to look so mad. I thought you like samurais. You’ve been so moody lately that I found something to…entertain you,” the man commented. “I can’t have you ruining my experiments and all the furniture again. 

His voice was near Kazuha and he could feel the man releasing the bindings from his wrists and ankles, before black fingers slipped under the blindfold and pulled it off.

Kazuha squinted and his eyes adjusted to the dull light of the room. A man with wavy light blue hair and a strange bird-like mask and fancy lab coat was in front of him. Red. The massive room was a deep, blood red; the wall and the carpeted floors were the same color. The walls were intricately patterned with strange gaudy symbols. Beautiful furniture was adorned throughout, though most of it was shredded or crushed; leaving shards of wood and feathers in its wake. The scent of blood immediately hit him and he could see faint blood splatters all across the floor and walls, even reaching the ceilings. Fear coursed through him and he saw the remnants of body parts, dolls and toys scattered all across the floor. Glancing to the veiled bed, he saw a beautiful, young man sitting with his legs pressed to his chest. His piercing violet eyes staring directly at the man. Chills ran through him and he laid in place as the man got up and looked at him then at the man on the bed.

“Oh it seems like he’s got your attention,” he cooed with a smile, looking at him. “Well, have fun and don’t bother me tonight. Be sure not to ruin the furniture downstairs again.”

The man hummed and stood up, before he confidently strolled to the door and headed out, slamming it shut behind him. And then, silence.

Kazuha was frozen in place, staring at the man before his eyes darted around the room. There were multiple large, closed windows several feet away from him. The deep night sky was beautiful and the pale moonlight from the moon peered through. He could try to run and jump out, though he didn’t know how high up he was or what was below. There was also the option of bolting for the door, but there was a high likelihood of other vampires being outside. Either way, he was screwed. His heart raced and he tried to calm his nerves. He had so many regrets…so many things he hadn’t done yet…and he was going to die here.

The man on the bed stared at him, before he hopped off the bed. He was beautiful from head to toe with a blue bowl haircut and long flowing garments with purple and gold patterns. His nose wrinkled and in his right hand, was a simple doll similar in appearance to him. 

“It’s been awhile since I’ve seen a human,” he commented, walking over to him. “I can smell your fear. Disgusting.”

Kazuha could say nothing. He managed to get his limbs to work for him and he stood up; his legs shaking under him. His hand grasped the hilt of his sword and he backed into the wall. His eyes never once leaving the man in front of him. The man was blank faced and he calmly and slowly approached him, before he got close to his face. Kazuha held his breath and stared at him. Their eyes met and he could see his violet eyes analyzing him. There was utter silence, but the sound of his racing heart filled his ears. He couldn’t help but shiver as the scent of death, contempt and bloodshed flooded his nostrils. It felt like an eternity but eventually the man pulled away and stared at him.

“I’ve been so bored for so long,” he said with a frown. “They never let me step foot outside this stupid, fucking place.”

He brought the stuffed doll close to his face and looked at it with another blank expression. His finger touched its cheek before he began to squeeze it.

“And every time they bring mortals over, I never get to play with them. The ones they do bring for me always break so easily. They’re too fragile,” he commented as he stared at the doll. “Their stuffing gets everywhere and I've tried to fix them with flesh colored felt, but it doesn’t work.”

The doll’s head suddenly enlarged and puffed out, before it burst into a flurry of stuffing and yarn. The man’s eyes slowly panned over to him and his pupils were a bright red.

“I’m really bored,” he mused. “And I haven’t had a toy in so long. I hope you’ll be entertaining and won’t break as easily as the others, but I doubt it.”

Kazuha tightly gripped the hilt and started to slowly back away from him.

“Who are you?” he asked, trying to sound confident though his voice wavered.

“I’m Kunikuzushi. The 6th lord of this house,” he stated, before the nails on his hands grew longer. 

Kazuha stared at the man, before he pointed his katana out at him.

“What are you?” he asked with a frown, trying to watch even the slightest trace of movement from him. 

Kunikuzushi slightly raised a brow and tilted his head before he snorted.

“Is it not obvious? Or maybe you’re just stupid,” he commented before he brought his index fingers to his upper lip and pulled up, revealing a set of abnormally canines. “I’m a vampire.”

Kazuha stared at him, while his hands clammed up. He tried to process it. Sure there were humans with animal features like Gorou and oni like Itto, but a vampire?  It seemed impossible, but perhaps he should’ve expected it. His instincts screamed at him, while he watched the man before him. Kunikuzushi put down his lip then tapped on it. 

“Hmm, what game should we play first?” he asked out loud, watching the fear course through the other. 

Kazuha was silent and ready to fight back if need be, before a wide fanged smile formed on Kunikuzushi’s face. A small laugh escaped him and he began to laugh maniacally, staring at the other.

“I’ve got it! Let’s play Tag!! And I’m it!!” he said with the most wicked and curled smile.

Chapter Text

As if the night couldn’t get any worse, he was now being chased by this sadistic vampire who had him cornered. Despite all the training he endured and enemies he faced, nothing could’ve prepared him for this. He tried to calm his breathing while he pointed his katana at the man, who seemed disgustingly excited for this game; wide eyed and giggling. It wasn’t exactly a game though considering he was cornered like an animal. His heart thumped violently in his ears while he stared the man dead in the eyes, trying to see if he could do anything to get out of this situation. 

“It isn’t really a game of tag if I don’t get a head start at least.”

Kunikuzushi blinked and his facial features softened…only briefly though. He seemed perplexed? 

“Head start?” he mused, while he tapped his lips and hummed in thought. 

“Yes. Usually the tagger has to close their eyes and count to 10, while the other players run or try to hide.”

“Hmmmm I’ve never played this game of tag before. It makes sense since you humans are so slow…It’ll be boring if I catch you immediately.”

The vampire gripped his chin in quiet contemplation. His eyes wandered to the ground for several moments before he looked up at him. 

“Fine. I will close my eyes and count then.”

A sigh of momentary relief slipped through his lips and he nodded in agreement. That should at least give him a head start to escape or find a better place to hide from the man. It wasn’t much but he’d much rather take this than the latter. 

Kunikuzushi backed away from him and puffed out his chest then closed his eyes, tilting his head up. 

1

Kazuha silently sheathed his katana and ran for the bedroom door, jiggling the knob. The knob turned thankfully and he silently opened the door. 

2

Immediately, he bolted. Even the dark candle lit hallways were that sickening red color, Victorian in design with all its ornamental designs. An endless spiraling corridor with no end. Right. His legs carried him right; that’s the way he remembered the doctor dragged him from. 

3

A putrid scent assaulted his nostrils; death, blood and terror. The songs of those long passed resounded through his head; their fears, their families, their hope, their dreams. All of it was unfulfilled. Crushed and smothered by these people living here. Yet even in death, their souls remained. His instincts screamed at him to freeze, but he pushed on. He had to escape. No. He was going to escape. Not just for him now. 

4

Quiet footsteps sprinted through the hall as his eyes scanned around. He didn’t remember it being this long. An illusion? Or was his paranoia playing tricks on him? His eyes scanned the large wooden doors; they all looked so similar. Was the stairs hidden behind one of them? 

5 

Red filled his vision. The same decorations passed by him over and over again. The stairs had to be here somewhere. Where was it? He sniffed the air, trying to catch a whiff of the wind from outside, the scent of freedom. There!

6

He pressed on and his unyielding resolve was rewarded with a long set of marble and red carpeted stairs. Thank the stars. 

7

Kazuha glanced around, seeing the bottom floor. More marbled tiles and red carpeting with luxurious furniture and two sets of hallways. And there was the large, oak door in the door in the center. Freedom. 

8

His heart raced ever faster and he practically leapt from the top of the stairs to the bottom. Tumbling, he rolled forward and booked it for the door; his hands fumbled and dropped the large metal, circle handle. With all his strength, he pulled. The door loudly and slowly creaked open. 

9

There was just enough room for him to squeeze out. His heart roared and he shoved his body through the small gap. His organs and limbs were uncomfortably pressed together. Gasping, he held his breath and just barely wriggled out. There in the distance was the gate; the forest’s call sang to him. However, in front of him was a garden with the most beautiful flowers and a lush green hedge maze. In the center was a large fountain with some sort of humanoid statue at the top, spraying water to the levels below. 

10

Ready or not, here I come. 

A voice echoed in the depths of the mansion and Kazuha’s eyes widened. Fuck. There wasn’t enough time. Despite his speed, he didn’t know how fast this man was, but one thing was for sure, there was no way he could make it to the gate in time. Hiding was the only option right now. Scanning his surroundings, he ran into the maze. It would put some distance between him and the vampire but may also provide some sort of cover.

Smell. Despite his lack of knowledge in vampires, one thing was for certain; their keen sense of smell. The way they could navigate through the night and any sort of obstacle and find a creature flowing with blood. Was there any way to throw him off? Glancing at the well trimmed hedges, he threw himself at them, trying to get the scent all over. Sniffing himself, he smelled more earthy. He scooped some of the grass and dirt below and rubbed it all over himself; smearing it all into his beautiful white hair and garments. 

“I’ve never had a toy try to put up this much of a fight.”

The voice was behind him. Thankfully, he sounded far away. Scooping up more dirt, he smeared it all over himself. The grass and soil filled his senses. It should be good enough for now. Slinking, he pressed himself low to the ground, trying to find the perfect hedge to hide in. 

“You’re fast too. I’ve never seen an insect make it out of the corridor before.”

After some crawling, he found a dense bush. Puffy and green, decorated from top to bottom in lush leaves. Holding his breath, he rolled into it, trying to be as quiet and still as possible.

“I hope you’re not fragile. I’d hate to break you so soon.”

Faint flapping drew nearer. Branches and leaves filled his vision, so he was unable to truly look around or risk being spotted. However, he pressed his hand into the hilt of his sheathed weapon. 

“Your kind is so dull, so boring. I loathe you. The way you all squirm and squeal and beg for some god to rescue you. Then your insides get all over my room and stink it up. How vile.” 

Breathing quietly, he tried to calm himself despite his heart pulsating intensely in his chest. He hoped…no he prayed that Kunikuzushi would go look somewhere else or for the sun to rise. But with every passing moment, the situation began to look more and more bleak and the claws of death wrapping around his throat. The harsh and uncaring reality of it all hit him. 

He was dead.

As hopeful as he tried to be, there was no denying it any long. The truth was simple: no matter what he did, no matter how far he got, no matter how lucky he was, in the end, he was doomed. Killing the vampire was seemingly impossible but the likelihood of him getting away with it and fleeing? Nothing but a dream. There were other vampires here and they would surely kill him if they heard the commotion. Running to the gate now? Kunikuzushi would just go after him; the gate wouldn’t stop him. The sun rising? It would probably be a few hours from now and even then, did vampires even shrivel and burn in the sun? It was hopeless. The most he could do now was wait, end his own life or fall into the clutches of the sadistic vampire. His mind wandered, trying to accept his death, while his instincts begged him to do something to survive. 

“I think you’ll be entertaining for a long time. I hope so at least. It’s been so long since I’ve had a living breathing human play with me. I’ve forgotten how your kind acts.”

He was close. The flapping was just several feet away before suddenly his leg was grabbed and he was dragged out. 

“Oh? What do we have here? A visitor?” the man stated, dangling him by his ankle. 

Kazuha let out a small gasp, before unsheathed his katana and tried to slash and stab him. Blood oozed from the wounds and yet, the man barely even flinched. Strangely the man let him, while he chuckled and lifted him up higher as if he were some sort of prized catch. 

Compared to the other two vampires, he seemed normal. Just an ordinary looking guy with ginger hair, gray suit and tacky red scarf. His blue eyes were what scared him; empty and void of any light. Blood and a thirst for violence emanated from him, tickling his nose. 

“You’re quite a fighter!”

His blue eyes glanced down to properly examine him. 

“Oh! No wonder! You’re a samurai! Wow! That’s so cool. This is quite the opportunity."

Kazuha dangled helplessly though tried to wriggle out of his iron grip before he lunged for his heart, but the man simply held his hand out. The blade pierced through his hand, but the man barely flinched. The wounds that he had inflicted just seconds ago were already healing; the skin slowly stitching itself together with a sickening wet noise.

“Let’s fight, one on one, underneath the moonlight. A perfect backdrop for bloodshed. What do you say?”

Kazuha winced, feeling lightheaded. The blood rushed to his head while he kept trying to plunge the blade into his chest. This vampire was trying to fight him? He barely stood a chance, considering that the damage he did to him resulted in not only no reaction, but also healed several moments after. How was he supposed to fight an opponent like that?

An intense gust of wind blew down on them as a flying figure with bat wings flapped above them.

“Hey. What do you think you’re doing with my toy?” Kunikuzushi asked. Bitterness was dripping from his voice 

“Your toy? This guy hiding in the bushes?” 

“Yes! Dottore gave him to me. We were playing tag and you ruined it, ingrate.”

“But I found him first and you’re just gonna break him before you have any real fun with him.”

“But he’s mine!” 

Kunikuzushi snatched his arm and began to pull while the other man held onto his ankle. Kazuha couldn’t do much except try to slash the pair of them in vain. He could feel his limbs slowly being pulled and dislocated; their cold fingers dug into his flesh. His voice cracked and couldn’t help, but let out a cry in pain.

“Please stop. You’re…going…to tear me….in half.”

The man blinked, while Kunikuzushi kept pulling hard. His shoulder twisted and he could feel his bone and muscles slowly dislocating. Pain shooting through his arm and leg. Surprisingly enough, the man let go of him and his body unceremoniously dangled in Kunikuzushi’s grip. Tears welled up and dribbled down his cheek; the pain was so intense and he could barely even move his limbs, but he kept trying to swing his katana pathetically. Maybe it was instinct at this point or some poor, feeble attempt to ward them off.

The man was about to say something, but Kunikuzushi glared at him, hissing and baring his fangs at him in an animalistic way. He dropped to the ground and his wings retracted back into his body, whereas Kazuha was dropped onto the ground face first. All he could do was muster out a pained groan, trying to get up. He winced and grabbed his katana, though Kunikuzushi snatched his wrist and began to drag him through the maze.

“Fucking Tartaglia. Ruining our game like that,” he snorted, while he dragged Kazuha along. 

Kazuha limped behind him, tears rolling down his dirty and bruised face. Everything hurt and he tried to pull away and slash at him, but it was useless. Kunikuzushi simply just dodged his weak attacks and hauled him along.

“Whatever. I guess we’ll just have to play somewhere else.”

Kunikuzushi glanced at him and wrinkled his nose; his face contorted into one of pure disgust.

“And have you cleaned. You smell and look like shit. I can’t believe I'm even touching you in such a state.”

Kazuha just looked at him. His body ached and nothing but despair and pain clouded his thoughts. He should’ve just killed himself when he had the chance or taken that duel with that man. The mansion drew closer into his field of vision and he let out a tired pained noise, not knowing what unknown horrors within awaited him once again.

Chapter Text

Taking a hot bath in a porcelain tub while being meticulously cleaned by a beautiful maid was not what he expected. He sat in the warm soapy water while soft fingertips massaged shampoo into his scalp. The medical and hot water was soothing his poor aching and sore body. So this was what it was like being rich. In any other situation, he would enjoy the attention and massaging especially the hot water and soap, a luxury he never partook in apart from the occasional generous homeowner. However, he felt like he was an animal being thoroughly cleaned before being butchered and cooked for a fine meal. Why did he have such thoughts? Well, Kunikuzushi was sitting nearby, watching every movement of the two through narrowed eyes while playing with his katana. Occasionally he would make a comment about the maid missing a spot or scrubbing too hard in another. It was awkward, but thankfully, the vampire seemed to stay in his spot. 

“Why do you have such a crappy sword?”

Kunikuzushi was thoroughly examining the sword, thrusting it in the air before he tossed the long, steel blade with his finger tips.

“You know, being a samurai and all. I was expecting you to have a more….refined and handcrafted weapon, not some blade for butchering fish.”

The comment surprised him. He didn’t expect to be asked something nor did he expect this vampire to notice such a detail.

“I don’t have much money to my name nor do I know how to craft a blade. This blade has traveled the land with me for many years, and we have formed a close bond during that time. Skill, blade, determination and desire must be aligned to practice in order to achieve perfect harmony with your weapon.”

Kunikuzushi’s face visibly contorted in disgust. His eyebrows were furrowed, his eyes narrowed and his mouth was contorted into an open mouth scowl. 

“What’s with the flowery and poetic shit? It’s just a generic blade.”

“It may be a generic blade, but it means a lot to me.”

The vampire glared at him and stared at the blade for a few more moments, then sheathed it. Meanwhile, Kazuha just leaned his head back to the edge of the tub. The adrenaline that was once coursing through his veins had converted into an encapsulating fatigue and an aching, intense pain throughout his body. Just breathing was painful and his mind felt slow. Though, the thoughts of dread and fear lingered in his mind. He couldn’t pinpoint the motivations of the man holding him captive like some sort of children’s toy, which made his fear worse. Was it really just to be some sort of doll for him or was there some motivate to let him stew in terror and pain before globing him up and tearing him to pieces? For now, the vampire was dormant, just trying to find something to entertain himself while he was cleaned. 

His thoughts were interrupted as soft footsteps drew near him and suddenly, the beautiful vampire’s face was close to him; just a hair length away. Kazuha stared at him, not saying a word while the maid conditioned his hair. His heart raced and he could feel it in his throat, holding his breath. The other stared back in silence, just staring at him with unblinking eyes. After an eternity, the vampire pulled away and huffed. Kazuha let out a quiet and relieved, but weary sigh.

“You're a weird human and you smell funny.”

A vampire thought he smelled…funny? Was that the reason why he hadn’t been bitten yet? Before he could even ponder his own thoughts, the man poked his wrist that was resting on the side of the tub.

“What’s this?”

His clawed and ice cold finger jabbed at the now present deep purple and blue mark, sending a dull pain through his wrist. He grit his teeth but kept his wrist there, in fear of the curious vampire getting mad.

“That mark? It’s a bruise…from when you grabbed me,” he stated, adding the last part quietly.

“Why?”

How did this man not know what a bruise was but was able to identify a blade? Actually, this might be a good thing…for now. Perhaps the vampire would be merciful if Kazuha kept entertaining him with his unusual and inhumane questions. 

“You grabbed me very hard and it damaged the blood vessels under my skin resulting in the color and form. Normally, a bruise would form a day or two later but your grip was…intense.”

Kunikuzhi just kept poking it, earning himself a few hisses and grunts from the man. His face was unreadable, just blank, but there was a spark of curiosity and even joy in his eyes. He poked at it for a few more moments then he lifted his finger off of him 

“What about this?” 

He stated before he pressed his finger into his upper arm, causing the other to flinch since it was his injured arm. Kazuha’s eyes wandered over to where he was poking and lifted his head slightly.

“A mole?”

“I thought those were animals or a spy.”

He looked at him…slightly perplexed. It was weird he knew about those things and not the kind on skin.

“Technically, those are correct, but a mole is just a spot pigment on the skin. Sometimes it can be that small or they can be bigger.”

“How do you get a mole?” he asked curiously, while he kept touching and staring at it.

“Umm…I got that from going out in the sun so much but some of them are just ones that I was born with like this one.”

He weakly raised his arm up and pointed to a tiny, dark mole that was on the side of his ribs. Kunikuzhi immediately poked it…hard and then pulled away and stared. After a few moments, Kazuha pulled his arm down and slid more into the foamy and fragrant water. The parts which Kunikuzhi merely poked left a dull aching pain.

“I want a mole.”

Kazuha glanced up at him and hesitated before he spoke soon after.

“Um…my apologies. Can you not go in the sun?”

Kunikuzhi glared at him and scoffed, leaning against the tub.

“Are you stupid? I’m a vampire. I’ll die in the sun after a few hours and get a nasty wound long before that.”

So he did know about injuries…just not the names of them. However, the tidbit about the  sunlight was actually helpful. Even if it was sunny, they could temporarily go into the sun. But, the estate outside of the massive front and backyard was surrounded by dense pine trees. If they could just make it past the yard and reach the shade of the forest, they would be fine. Shit. He was genuinely trapped, but there must be something he could do to escape…maybe something not too obvious. He couldn’t just ask the man either, since he’d catch on. The only way out was to slowly coax the information from him.

“I did not know that.”

From now, he would play calmly and sharply with a hint of naïvety. 

“Now you do,” he snorted proudly before he poked at another mole. “In return, I will take one of your moles as compensation.”

The tip of his claw dug into his skin. He winced and tried to pull away. 

“If you want a mole so bad, you can just draw one on yourself with a brush,” he murmured, trying to move away from him. 

Kunikuzhi was stubborn or rather he chose not to listen to the pleas of the man. He dug his claw in before he scooped it up. The small piece of flesh was proudly presented between the tips of his claws. The man couldn’t help, but smirk proudly. 

Kazuha winced and gripped the new open wound. Blood welled up and oozed from the gapping hole , trickling down his upper arm. Maybe he was so tired or so injured that it barely felt like anything but an uncomfortable pinch. He pressed his fingers into the wound to stop the bleeding while the maid moved to clean it up and rinse him off. 

Warm water was poured all over him before it swirled down the drain, drenching him completely. The vampire seemed to pay no mind, however, merely staring at his new mole with a strange eagerness. Kazuha felt a towel scrub at his hair before it was tightly wrapped up. A white towel was partially wrapped around his body. Wincing, he tried to get up, though his legs shook under him. Pain shot through him and he could barely stand up, gripping the tub for support. The maid calmly and silently stepped over, helping him out before she supported him to another room. 

It was pathetic. He felt pathetic. A wandering samurai, with skills that rivaled even the masters, was now at the mercy of some vampire who wanted to play with him. The way his legs shook and the way he was having to be carried, well dragged, along by this woman was reminiscent of a frail animal. Each step was painful and he had to stop himself from making any sort of noise or face. Eventually, they got to a large dressing room, similar in decor and style to the rest of the house.. Seeing the same blood red decor already made him nauseous. He was led to a small, cushioned stool and carefully sat down in front of a set of mirrors. Strangely enough, he saw the vampire lurking several feet behind him in the reflection. His head tilted slightly and the vampire glared at him. 

“You really are stupid,” he remarked, still playing with the small chunk of flesh in his hand. He scoffed and leaned against the wall. “Fine. I’ll answer your little….question. Those mirrors are custom made. Normally, mirrors are lined with silver, but because we can't see ourselves in it and everyone here is so vain, we had a different metal used, which is why you can see me. Though, some of the other mirrors in this house like the ones in the hallways still have silver in it. “

Kazuha nodded sleepily. Another vital piece of information. His hair was towel dried before the maid got a fine tooth comb with elaborate metal decorations. The teeth ran through his tangled white hair as he tried to stay awake. However, the gentleness of the pampering and pain lulled him into a half conscious slumber. 

—————————————————————————-

The fire flickered and the orange flames lapped at his skin. The world outside was dark and tranquil. The rain trickled down, gently showering the earth below. It was peaceful outside and it roused his spirit. A smile formed on his face, while the scent of roasted fish tickled his nose and made his mouth water.

“Are you hungry?” A man with puffy blonde hair and a red kimono asked with a small smile 

“Very much so,” he said with a smile and laugh. He moved and grabbed one of the skewers off the flames and gently blew on it.

Smoke trickled out of the man’s lips and he lounged back casually. His hand gently stroked a white cat in his lap while he glanced outside.

“Think it’ll clear up by tomorrow?”

Kazuha sniffed the air and closed his eyes, just listening for several moments. He opened his eyes and took a careful bite.

“Yes. The rain should clear up by tomorrow morning before the sun rises.”

The rustic and smoky flavor of the fish coated his tongue. It tasted so delicious after a long day of traveling, especially on a rainy night such as this. He glanced at his friend, though his face was strangely blurry.

“Think we’ll run into the Shogunate’s army again?” 

“Possibly.”

The man took another puff of his pipe and leaned back. His head was fixated on the world outside. He was silent while the fire crackled and his cat mewled in his lap. After some time he spoke.

“Aren’t you tired of living like this?”

Kazuha looked at him and pondered in thought. 

“At times, I cannot help but feel weary, but I hope to one day see what the world outside of this land has to offer.”

The friend chuckled in response before he glanced at him. 

“A noble goal. You just have to manage to get all the way to the port and find a way to get a ride out.”

“I know. I suppose I will deal with it when I get there,” he raised a brow when he noticed his friend just said I. “I thought you were going to come along with me?”

The friend looked at him and simply laughed. “I can’t lie when I say that I want to see the sword art of the Shogun.”

“That’s essentially suicide!” he stated loudly in disbelief. “She only administers it during her “divine” punishment. Are you really thinking of challenging her as someone who is currently being pursued by her men?”

“Someone has to stand against her. If not, then who will? Even if it may seem impossible, it’s worth dying for.”

Worth dying for. Was it true though? The memory of it all stirred in his mind. The smell, the sight, his beloved friend’s face. Perhaps all along he knew…that his friend would rather die of his own choosing to pursue his dreams than live life as a criminal on the run. 

…….

“Hello?! Are you dead?…..Seriously? After all that? I knew I shouldn’t have even bothered. Humans are such weak, lowly creatures.”

Kazuha let out a soft grunt and slowly opened his eyes, though he still felt exhausted. The young man was peering over him, before he pulled his face away. Glancing around, he saw that he was on the floor of Kunikuzhi’s room surrounded by all the remnants of stuffed animals and dolls. 

“Do humans twitch and talk that much in their sleep?”

So Kunikuzhi was watching him? 

“Um….no..not often…for me at least,” he admitted, before he sat up. His body ached, but surprisingly, that was it. His arm did feel strange though and he ran his fingers over it.

“Why were you doing it then?” 

“I don’t know. It just happens sometimes and it’s out of my control.” 

His fingers touched something soft and fuzzy. He glanced and glanced at it. Where the mole on his arm used to be was now some sort of little patch of felt stitched into his arm. 

“Be grateful. It’s not often that I find myself stooping down so low for your kind. I merely did it to prolong your entertainment value for me.”

The craftsmanship of the stitching was well done. He didn’t think it needed stitching though, but it seemed like Kunikuzhi was still unfamiliar with a lot of human aspects. His eyes glanced at the man who was glaring down at him as if he were expecting something. 

“……Thank you, Kunikuzhi.”

The vampire huffed and snorted in response then crossed his arms. He brought his face close to Kazuha’s again and grabbed him by the back of his nightgown

“I will accept your gratitude but don’t ever use my name. You don’t have the right to. It’s master or my lord to you. Got it?”

His red slitted eyes peered into him and Kazuha couldn’t help but shiver. As much as he loathed being treated like this, he had no choice, but to play along or face whatever sort of unknown punishment the man would most likely dish out.

“Yes…..my lord,” he said quietly then glanced down to break off eye contact

“That’s better. You learn quickly. No wonder you’ve already outlasted my other toys.”

Kunkikuzhi pulled his face away and stood up. He was in some sort of long, flown nightgown and his hair looked slightly wet.  

“As much as I would love to continue off our game of tag, you supposedly wouldn’t be as fast as before given your state. You’re lucky I’m in such a good mood and that the sun is supposed to rise soon, otherwise I would’ve made you play it anyway.” 

The man stretched and walked to his closet, while Kazuha watched him and glanced to see that his belongings were next to him and clearly rummaged through. He was thankful that they weren’t hidden or taken away….yet. 

Despite his earlier pessimistic feelings and views, dreaming about his friend sparked hope within him. While things may seem impossible, there must be some sort of way to escape. The answer or opportunity may not reveal itself immediately, but like the tiger, he would wait for the perfect moment to strike. For now though, he would stick to his plan of appeasing and amusing his vampiric captor. It seemed to be working so far considering he was cleaned, dressed and patched up. The man did admit to being bored and not having had “toys” to play with in a while, not to mention that he seemed to have outlasted them already. He didn’t know the other that well, but it did give him some advantage. The vampire came back over with some dusty board games and a pile of clothes then dropped them next to him. Kazuha would be the perfect toy for him and use it as his key to freedom. Glancing at the pile, he looked at the vampire and before a small smile formed on his face. 

“So what are we playing next, master?”

Chapter Text

Thankfully, Kunikuzushi was in a good mood and didn’t question his sudden obedience. He wore a large smug smile on his face the entire time with his chest puffed out. Kazuha watched him and said nothing, keeping a soft smile on his face. So the vampire liked it when he obeyed, enjoying how superior he was to him. Frankly, it made him sick to his stomach, but the flattering and obedience could win over the vampire’s trust and favor. For now, he would simply just bite his tongue and fake it. 

The games Kunikuzushi decided to pick out were harmless. However, the boards and pieces were…hard to play with. Deep scratches and dried blood were embedded into them and some of the pieces were managed and crushed. The only piece out of all the games that was well kept and beautiful was the black bishop from a seemingly hand crafted chess board. He moved to touch it but was hissed at. 

“As if I’d let a worm like you touch my favorite piece,” he growled.

His favoritism was very obvious, considering the state of everything else from the set.

“So would you like to play this one then?”

Kunikuzushi glared at him for a passing moment, before he glanced at all the other games then nodded. “Hmph. Yes, then we’ll play dress up, until I get bored of it,” he remarked, setting up his side of the board. 

The man must have played this game often considering that he somehow managed to put the pieces in very specific spots despite their…illegibility. Kazuha, on the other hand, was lost. Apart from the pieces themselves, he was unfamiliar with chess, only having played it a few times briefly as a child with his grandfather, who coached him the whole time. Hearing huffing in front of him, Kunikuzushi moved and set up the pieces for him, surprisingly not saying anything at all about it. Perhaps he too was aware of the poor conditions of the game, but somehow, he could identify which pieces went where. Once the board was set, Kunikuzushi crossed his arms and started down at the board, silent and Kazuha took it as a sign to go first. He rested his hand under his chin in thought. Though, why was he even thinking at all? He didn’t know how to play. Kunikuzushi obviously knew how to play, but did he want to ask for help? Sighing, he moved his hand, levitating it over his pieces, before he grabbed the 6th one from the front row and moved it forward one space. He pulled his hand away and glanced up at Kunikuzushi, who was just staring at the board wide eyed. Was that a good move?

His pale thumb and pointer finger delicately grabbed the 3rd chess piece in the front row and moved it two spaces. Watching, he glanced at his own pieces and grabbed the piece that was next to his 6th one and moved it forward 2 spaces. Muffled chuckles emanated from the vampire, who had to cover his mouth, before he broke and burst out into a fit of laughter. His laughter was strange….and eerily musical like metal scraping glass. The vampire gripped his forehead and looked at the very perplexed human in front of him. 

“Holy shit. I didn’t realize you were so…..inept. You’re so fucking stupid. How have you even lived this long?”

Kazuha frowned slightly and glared at him, resulting in Kunikuzushi to smile even more. The laughter died down and grabbed a barely legible crown shaped piece that was next to his bishop and moved to right next to his most recent piece. A large smile formed on his face and he looked him dead in the eyes.

“Checkmate.”

Sighing, Kazuha merely nodded and bowed his head slightly in defeat.

“…..Congratulations…my lord.”

The vampire continued to smile proudly and stared at him, tilting his head. 

“I have never had a fool’s mate before. So tell me, worm, how can you be so foolish?”

A lump formed in Kazuha’s throat. As much as he enjoyed the company of frank individuals who held nothing back, being degraded like this…..infuriated him. He couldn’t understand why the man seemed to be getting off to this. Holding himself back from saying anything rash, he opted to tell him the truth.

“I don’t know how to play chess. As a child, I played it with my grandfather, but it was a long time ago and I cannot remember what he taught me,” he admitted.

Kunikuzushi looked at him, thinking. It was silent for a while, while Kazuha just sat there, resting his hands in his lap.

“…Pathetic. I didn’t realize how forgetful humans can be or maybe it’s just you,” he mused, picking up his bishop and staring at it, then glanced at him. “Since I’m in such a good mood and your reactions have been so amusing, I’ll graciously teach you. Besides, your reactions will be more interesting when you fruitlessly struggle to win against me.”

Of course. Kazuha forced a smile and looked at him.

“Thank you…my lord.”

Pleased with himself, he moved and started to look through the pile of clothes. Seems like Kunikuzushi wanted to play dress up now, which Kazuha did have to admit was rather strange for an adult, but he also could say the same about all the toys in this room. It was unusual. Just as he was about to think more on it, he was snatched by the collar of his shirt and dragged to be closer to the overly eager man.

“Now strip,” he ordered, holding up a Victorian style dress.

Such an order was dehumanizing and Kazuha would normally think the worst, but considering how childlike the man acted and how calm he was in the bathroom, he didn’t think it was too bad. Sighing, he winced, feeling pain ache in his body again from being yanked so hard, but complied and began to take off his nightgown. Kunikuzushi stared at him, but moved and manhandled him, shoving his head through the shirt opening and pulling his arms through the arm holes. Kazuha could do nothing but hiss and grunt at how rough he was being, trying not to resist so he wouldn’t get anymore injured than he already was. If this was him being gentle and “in a good mood,” gods knew what he was truly capable of when he wasn’t. What was a mere few seconds felt like an eternity and Kazuha was in pain, feeling a throbbing at the base of his joints. Kunikuzushi backed away and eyeballed him, resting his hand under his chin. 

The dress was a beautiful white and smelled clean. The fabric did feel weird, but he wasn’t used to this material on his skin. But something about it all seemed and felt wrong apart from it being too small on him. Closing his eyes, he sniffed it and listened. 

Despite the overwhelming clean laundry smell, there were the faintest hint of others; blood, terror and daisies. Goosebumps grew on his arms and he felt the hairs on his neck stand up. A child wailing echoed in his ears.

“I want my mommy!! I wanna go home!!”

His heart broke at the bloodcurdling wailing and crying; pleas for help and cries that it hurt. 

“You’re killing me!! Stop!!”

The utter agony and pain of a young child getting torn into pieces shook him to his core. It haunted him and the sounds of the horrific act played over and over again in his head. He snapped out of it as he felt cold hands violently shaking him. The vampire was directly in his face, staring at him. He moved a hand and ran his thumb along the goosebumps on his arms 

“Do humans get these when you wear clothes?”

Kazuha’s heart raced and the lump in his throat grew hard. The cold hands of fear and grief ran through his entire body. He tried to speak but his words came out muffled and inaudible. Coughing, he eventually was able to muster something.

“No.”

Kunikuzushi raised a brow at the peculiar expression and change on his face. He could hear his heart face and it excited him. A face such as this. He had never seen it before in a human even in the thralls of death. How pale he grew, the strange reaction on his skin, an illegible expression and the way he seemed to be staring through him. How…..amusing. How fascinating. A smile grew on his face and he stared at him. 

“What is it then?”

Kazuha stared at him, trying to keep his breathing calm. He had to be calm, but the way Kunikuzushi was staring at him and the way he was smiling from ear to ear. A devil in his smile. Kunikuzushi could smell his fear.

“……Goosebumps. It happens when you get cold, scared or excited, so your skin erects and the hairs on it stand up.”

His ice cold hands touched the bumps on his skin, humming softly. The tips of his fingers traced from his wrist and slowly snaked their way up his arm. Kazuha held his breath, not daring to move as his eyes couldn’t help but follow the trail of his hand.

“Are you frightened?”

Kazuha didn’t respond. It was obvious and they both knew it. The vampire merely smiled and traced all the way up to his upper arm. He didn’t stop smiling and tilted his head. 

“I’m surprised you’re not screaming right now,” he cooed sweetly, making Kazuha feel sick. “My other toys used to cry out in such sweet voices. Even through everything so far, the most you’ve done is grunt and glare. You’re so…..interesting. I can’t wait to see what other things you can show me.”

Kazuha bit his tongue and glanced away from him while the vampire got close to his face and merely laughed. After a few seconds of long, silent observation, he pulled away and picked the other up with ease, forcing him to stand up. It wasn’t like he could resist anyway. His eyes lingered over the dress before he frowned. 

“Too small. This dress doesn’t look good on you anyway. You look too ghostly.”

Grabbing the collar of it, he practically ripped it off of him, earning a loud grunt from Kazuha. He set him back down then went to look through the rest of the clothes pile. 

Their dress up game felt never ending and Kazuha just had to silently sit through it, plus he didn’t exactly feel like making any sort of comments about the outfits. He was too caught up in his own thoughts. 

All of them, just like the first dress, were off. The fear. The dread. The blood. The tears. The screams. The wails. Children. Women. Men. Everything. He could smell and hear the memories of everything, no matter how spotless and clean they were. It filled him with an intense sense of horror, similar to what he felt earlier when he was fleeing. It overwhelmed him and he feared that he would face the same fate, but he had to remain hopeful. He would remain hopeful even in the jaws of death. 

So Kazuha just let himself get manhandled, despite how aggressive the vampire was. The vampire seemed to not like any of the outfits he put on him.

Too big. 

Too small.

Those colors are so ugly on you.

Ugh tacky. 

Ughhh that’s so gaudy.

That fits you horribly. 

By the end of it, Kazuha was horribly sore and Kunikuzushi definitely agitated his wounds. His hair was a mess from constantly having clothes tossed on and ripped off and his arms and legs had multiple faint, pink rings. Sighing, he rubbed his tired eyes and grabbed his nightgown, slipping it slowly back on while the vampire was throwing a tantrum. Clothes were thrown everywhere and the vampire was grumbling loud curses while he clenched his hands into fists. Kazuha made a face, deciding to back away quietly to not be caught in the crossfire. The heads of the toys, nearby that were somehow still intact, suddenly started to expand before exploding into a rain of stuffing, porcelain and felt. 

Kazuha stayed close to the wall and out of his way. How was this vampire able to do that without even touching them? He grabbed his sheathed katana just in case while the vampire stomped around before he turned his attention back to Kazuha then marched over to him. 

His hand grabbed the hilt and he was about to pull it out before Kunikuzushi glared at him and spoke. 

“I don’t want to break you just yet, so I’m going to take you to your room,” he grumbled. “So stop gawking and follow me.”

Kazuha stared at him, before he quickly grabbed his belongings and hurriedly followed after him out of the room and down the hall. Strangely enough, the hallway didn’t feel as oppressive as earlier. Was it from his adrenaline playing tricks on him or some sort of vampiric power that this man had? Glancing around, he was able to properly take in his surroundings. Strange and dark paintings of imposing figures in overly luxurious clothing lined the walls next to gold candle sconces. The red walls also had a similar Victorian style pattern to the one in Kunikuzushi’s room. The putrid smell from earlier was also gone as well. Every once in a while there were small oak tables with black vases filled with seemingly perfect roses and camellias. After several minutes of walking, Kunikuzushi got to a door and opened it for him.

“You’ll be sleeping in here,” he remarked, nodding his head for Kazuha to go in.

Kazuha blinked and obeyed then walked inside. The room looked identical to Kunikuzushi’s, except cleaner and without a lot of other items, which he was completely fine with. He glanced around before he walked to the bedside dressed and set his belongings down.

“Thank you,” he stated quietly, glancing at the vampire who was watching him from the doorway

Kunikuzushi snorted, but seemed pleased, considering the faintest bit of a smile on his face. He huffed and moved to leave.

“…..Have a good rest of the night, my lord” he stated.

The vampire merely grumbled in response, before he left, slamming the door behind him on the way out. The doorframe shook and actually cracked from how hard he slammed it. His loud stomping grew distant and Kazuha was left alone. Finally, some peace from the man. 

He let go of the act and breathed in relief, before he moved to investigate the room. Just as he had initially seen when he walked in, it was completely identical to Kunikuzushi down to the curtains. He walked over to the window and pulled away the curtains. The background view was beautiful with a massive garden and there seemed to be multiple paths branching out to other areas and buildings. The estate was much bigger than he had suspected and he should find some time to look at it all at some point. Right now, despite everything, he was in pain and exhausted. Leaving the curtain open, he walked to the large king sized bed and laid down, getting under the covers and stretching his limbs all the way out. His body sunk into the unusually soft mattress. Honestly, he didn’t expect to be staying in such a nice room. He wasn’t complaining though. It had been ages since he had his own room much less slept in a bed with multiple pillows and bedsheets.  And he was going to savor this bit of peace and comfort. He needed to find things no matter how small to keep his spirits up and being left alone in this room was doing it for him for now. Sighing, he closed his eyes and relaxed, almost immediately drifting off after such an exhausting night.

Chapter Text

Frozen. He couldn’t move his limbs at all, feeling strangely heavily. Everything was blurry though, but he could make out a wooden table with some sort of tea set in front of him. There were smiling people and toys seated around him in frilly clothes, stiff and unmoving. The head of the table was empty. There were heels clicking and soft humming behind him, but he couldn’t see the source or smell them.

“La la la, la, la, la la la~”

The singing circled behind, but the source of the voice was nowhere to be seen. Clawed hands crept along his back, before they dug deep into his shoulders. His body writhed in agony, but he couldn’t move no matter how hard he tried. His voice betrayed him and he cried out.

“My toy has such a cute, sweet voice.”

The source of the voice laughed behind him and he felt their fingers slowly wriggled out from his flesh. Blood and stuffing oozed from his wounds, dirtying his white clothes. It hurt so bad, while he could feel the new gaping holes pulsate in his body. Tears rolled down his cheek and the vampire dressed in red, happily spun on his heels admiring the scarlet on his hands. He brought a finger to his lips and sucked on it.

“Delicious. You taste so sweet. I didn’t expect something of this quality from my toy.”

He popped his finger out of his mouth, before he popped up the blood coating his hand. Kazuha couldn’t turn away and just stared at the man. Kunikuzushi lapped at the blood, thoroughly cleaning his hand before his hand trailed Kazuha's body down to his stomach.

“Hmmm…I wonder what your insides look like? Shall I cut you into pieces and take a look?”

Kazuha couldn’t say anything or squirm away, feeling sharp nails dig into his stomach. After a moment, he felt his cold hand plunge into him. The pain was indescribable and he began to cry and shriek. His cold hand wriggled inside of him, exploring his organs. Every little movement he could feel; the playfully squeezing of his bladder, the pulling of his intestines and the way his hand squirmed around to touch everything. Organs and stuffing spilled onto his lap and Kunikuzushi simply squealed in delight. 

“So pretty. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

He curiously picked up his intestines, flinging it around his shoulders like some sort of scarf.

“What’s this thing? What does it do?”

Kazuha couldn’t reply and just sobbed loudly. He closed his eyes tightly, while his body screamed in pain and blood soaked his clothes. It hurt so bad. Make it stop. A cold hand wiped his tears and gripped his chin tightly, prying his eyes open.

“Your scared eyes are so lovely. Everything about my dear toy is so lovely. I’d hate to lose you so soon. So don’t worry, I’ll sew you right back up.”

—————————————————————-

Cold droplets of sweat dribbled down his face as he loudly gasped and choked for air. His hands frantically searched his chest and stomach, feeling every curve and inch while he panted heavily. It was just a horrible nightmare. A horribly, vivid nightmare. Clenching his chest, he criss crossed his legs and closed his eyes, taking slow, deep breaths. After a few more minutes of meditating, he calmed down and glanced around the room. He was alone. Getting up, he stretched and winced, feeling intense pain all over his body. Wincing, he gripped his chest and endured the aching, before he slowly got out of bed. He walked to the window and opened up the curtains, seeing a gradient of soft blue and orange in the sky. Morning. He survived the night. Relief filled his body and he sank to his knees in the soft morning light, savoring it. It was a seemingly small victory, but a victory nonetheless and it gave him a sense of hope. He could…no. He would endure this and get out of here. After enjoying the light for just a bit longer, he painfully got up and went to his bedside table. His items were still there, but beside them was a set of white clothing. Picking them up, he couldn’t help, but be disappointed. Considering the attire of the four people he had seen and the decor of the house, he should’ve expected to get something similar in style: a white laced up blouse with flared out sleeves and black, high waisted trousers. He changed out of his nightgown with a lot of effort and put it on. It was too stuffy and he couldn’t move around as freely in it. Wincing, he grabbed his katana and belt, wrapping it around his waist then headed out of the room.

Opening the door, he sunk a glance out into the hallway. Dark, but quiet. A handful of servants were in the long hallway cleaning. None of them seemed to notice him at all, merely just scrubbing away at the carpet and walls with sponges and cloth. A trace of blood tickled his nose and his lips contoured into a frown. Closing his eyes, he listened, only hearing forcefully scrubbing and sponges being squeezed into buckets of dirty water. Safe for now. He carefully wandered down the hallway, being sure to not bother the servants. Once he got to the staircase, he carefully traversed them then froze. The ginger haired man from last night casually strolled out from the right hallway with a glass of water in hand, before he walked up the stairs and blinked. The two looked at either other and Kazuha didn’t know if he should run or just keep going. Before he could decide or even blink, the man smiled and happily ran to him in an instant.

“Good Morning! Woah…you look awful.”

The man got close to him and Kazuha stood in place, his right hand slowly moving to grip the hilt of his sword. A moment later, the man backed away and laughed, patting his shoulder, earning a quiet hiss from Kazuha.

“Not bad. I’m impressed you’re not missing any limbs.”

He glanced at him and pulled his hand away, then walked back down the stairs. 

“Seems like you’re pretty fucked up though. Follow me.”

Kazuha watched him, narrowing his eyes slightly.

The man glanced back at him. 

“I’m not a bad guy…...okay perhaps I’m a bad guy, but I promise I’m not going to do anything bad to you. Just come on.”

Compared to the other two vampires, this guy didn’t seem too bad. At least he was honest. After a brief second of hesitation, he followed him down the steps. The man smiled warmly and headed down the right hallway. It was notably more spacious than the upstairs and surprisingly had less red with beautiful dark mahogany finishings on the walls. There were large paintings of a woman in all white with large spotted fur pelts draped on her shoulders. She was beautiful and Kazuha couldn’t help, but stop and stare.

“That’s a portrait of her highness and the head of our Estate, the Tsarsita. Beautiful, isn’t she?”

Tartaglia stood beside him, while they both looked at the painting. So this was the owner of the Estate. She looked so soft, yet strong. Her blue eyes were cold, yet pure.

“Quite.”

“You probably won’t ever see her, since she tends to stay in her room or is out on business a lot, but she’s a kind and gentle soul, too gentle in fact. Everyone in this house follows her will….or at least they’re supposed to.”

The man  looked at the painting for a bit longer then turned to walk down the hallway again before Kazuha turned on his heels and followed beside him.

“Oh. I never got to properly introduce myself. I’m Tartaglia, the 11th lord of this house. No need for fancy titles or anything. Just Tartaglia is fine.”

He held out a hand and smiled at him. Kazuha glanced down and shook his hand.

“I’m Kadehara Kazuha.”

Tartaglia smiled and firmly grasped his hand during their handshake and pulled away. 

“Nice to meet you, Kazuha!”

“….Nice to meet you too, Tartaglia.”

Giving him a small smile, the vampire smiled back and continued to walk alongside him. 

“It’s actually kind of nice to have a new face around here…not counting the new servants we have to get every week,” he mused. “It’s been like forever since we’ve had a guest around here.”

New servants every week? Frowning, he glanced at the taller man. 

“What do you mean?”

“Oh. Well, we rarely have guests come around to the estate because of Kuni specifically. As for the servants, everyone’s just an asshole like Kuni throws a fit and kills a few, Dottore runs out of experiments and grabs a few, Pantalone gets hungry and drains one, etc, etc. I tried to befriend a few of them when I first joined and they were dead the next day, so I’ve kind of stopped talking to them apart from the usual greetings.” 

The lack of humanity disturbed him. How was it that anyone could so coldly extinguish another’s life like that? How many people had they gone through before he had arrived? How many had Kunikuzushi killed among the servants and people who were forced to be his toys? He stared down at the table, gripping the seams of his pants. His throat felt dry and his blood ran cold.

“Hey. No need to look so pale. You’ve lasted this long, which is a first! I think you’ll be okay,” he reassured.

Kazuha didn’t reply and just tightly closed his eyes, breathing slowly. It wasn’t comforting. Sure he just barely made it through the evening, but it was partially due to pure luck. Who was to say he wouldn’t get slaughtered tonight? 

Tartaglia looked at him and led him to the lavious dining room. He pulled up a chair and sat him down. 

“I’m just gonna leave you to calm down. I’ll be right back.” 

He simply nodded and breathed calmly. In. Out. In. Out. Fall down seven times, stand up eight. It was hard though. Every time he thought he could be hopeful, find a small thing to latch onto, something always set him back; be it his own bodies, the memories of the deceased or testimony from someone familiar with this place. He couldn’t keep acting like this or it would slowly eat away at him. As much as it pained him, he couldn’t dwell on every little detail he learned. The past was in the past. He needed to focus on the present and future to get through. For once in his life, no, from what he learned in his time of wandering, sometimes it was good to focus on one’s self, especially in situations like these. 

A small glass vial with pills slid in front of him, alongside a glass of water. 

“Some medicine for your wounds. Just take 2 every morning and every night until you’re better. It should help with the pain and recovery process. I use it on myself sometimes.”

Kazuha glanced at the new items and saw Tartaglia smiling at him. 

“I also got the staff to make you breakfast, so no need to look so glum.”

Moving his hands, he grabbed the jar and shook out to two pills, popping them into his mouth. An extremely bitter taste coated his tongue and he immediately reached out and downed the water. Even after finishing the glass, the bitter taste still lingered in his mouth.

“Better?”

Kazuha rubbed his arm, touching the patch of felt on top of his shirt. The pain was still there, but he could feel it slowly subside. He nodded.

“Yes. Thank you.”

Tartaglia hummed and put his hands behind his back. 

“I also got you a little something. Hold out your hand.”

What? He compelled and held his bruised hands out to him, before small colorful candies were dropped into them.

“Had some extra candies around, but you can have them. I know my siblings get really excited when I give them these.”

Kazuha picked one with a red and white swirl pattern, unwrapping it and popping it in his mouth. It was soft and sticky. Sweet with hints of apple and salt. Honestly, it was hard to chew, clinging to his teeth. 

“Now that’s a face I like to see!”

Tartaglia hummed proudly and pulled out a chair next to Kazuha, before plopping back. He stretched and let out a loud yawn, crossing his legs.

He swallowed the candy and finished off the water, before he put the remaining candies into his pockets. Even if Tartaglia had some alternative motive, it was a kind gesture. Now that the vampire was across from him, he should probably get some information from him, since he seemed like he would give him answers without the degradation.

“Tartaglia, can I ask you some questions?”

The ginger man hummed and glanced at him. “Hmm? I don’t see why not. Hopefully I can answer them though.”

What to ask first though?

“So…should I worry about you or Kunikuzushi trying to drink my blood?

Laughter erupted from Tartaglia as he gripped his stomach. Kazuha was rather confused by his reaction, just watching the man lose it. After several minutes of laughter, Tartaglia wiped his eyes and giggled.

“That was the funniest thing I’ve heard in ages. Holy shit. Fuck. My stomach hurts.” He couldn’t help but giggle more. “Sorry. Sorry. Fuck. Um no. At least I know I won’t drink your blood.”

Kazuha tilted his head.

“I only drink the blood of my enemies and animals that I hunt in the woods. And I’m pretty sure Kunikuzushi is picky about who he drinks from,” he explained before he cleared his throat. 

“‘I only drink the blood of those I deem worthy. I don’t want to sully my body with those insects beneath me.’ Blah, blah, blah. Oh! ‘You’re bringing me them whole? Do I look like some sort of animal to you? I expect you to serve it to me in my chalice, you filthy mortal,’” he mocked, trying to intimate Kunikuzushi’s voice. “He’s super dramatic all the time, but honestly, I doubt he’ll even think about feeding from you. I’m not sure about everyone else here, but as long as you get Kunikuzushi to shut up and stop bothering everyone, they’ll probably leave you alone. He gets on everyone’s nerves here.” 

Kazuha blinked, holding back a laugh at Tartaglia’s pretty spot on intimation. At least he didn’t have to worry about that for now thankfully. 

“Can you tell me more about Kunikuzushi? I just want to know who it is I’ll be spending most of my time with.”

Tartaglia blinked and chuckled in response. “I don’t really know how to describe him. He’s eccentric and honestly there are moments when he even gives me the creeps,” he admitted with a shrug, then tapped his lips in thought, trying to find the right words.

“I guess from what I’ve heard and my own experiences with the guy, he’s basically a grown man with a god complex, anger issues, crazy powers and a childish and awful personality that no one likes.”

Kazuha blinked and looked at the ginger man with a puzzled expression. He frowned and crossed his arms. 

“Could you…elaborate on the “crazy powers?””

“Oh of course!”

Tartaglia seemed more than happy to do so, while they sat at the table and waited for breakfast. 

“Well, you might have seen the whole head explosion thing, right?”

Kazuha nodded in response. 

“Well, he can basically do that for just about anything. I’ve seen couches, trees, chairs, vases, plates, animals and even people explode out of nowhere around him. Though I have to admit, he gets off on watching living things slowly inflate and then burst into a fountain of blood.”

Nausea rose in his throat and he couldn’t help, but picture and remember the voices and sounds he heard last night from their game of dress up. Was that what those sickening splattering noises were from? He put a hand over his mouth and looked at Tartaglia. 

“Is there any way to avoid it?” 

Tartaglia shrugged. 

“I’m actually not quite sure myself. He seems to be able to destroy anything he sees.”

How….comforting.

“So, as long as he can see it, he can break it! So maybe just…..keep him in a good mood?”

Kazuha looked at Tartaglia, who was simply laughing. How was he supposed to do that? Sure he was unfamiliar with Kunikuzushi, having only met him yesterday, but he seemed unpredictable and fiery; throwing a destructive tantrum just from the clothes not looking good on him. 

“Is there any way to do that?”

Tartaglia smiled and looked at him, still laughing. “Hell if I know. He’s always so pissed whenever I see him,” he admitted. “You could try asking the servants, but I doubt they know anything.”

Well, that was great. So no one knew what he liked or how to really appease him. He could just ask him directly later or keep just letting the guy do whatever. Sighing, he bowed his head politely. 

“Thank you, Tartaglia.” 

“No problem! Just let me know if you need anything else or have any questions and I will definitely try to help,” he stated happily before he stood up and pushed in the chair. 

“I’m off to bed. Have a good rest of the day and enjoy exploring the estate. Oh! And make sure you don’t go dying on me before we can have our battle!” 

Tartaglia waved goodbye to him before he flashed him a smile and headed out of the dining room, leaving Kazuha alone again. The ginger haired man was really strange and something was off about him, apart from his obvious lust for battle. However, in comparison to Kunikuzushi and the Doctor, he was normal and honestly, he appreciated someone actually treating him like a person. He let out a sigh of relief. Finally, a moment of rest. Sliding back in his chair, he leaned his head back and closed his eyes while he waited. Thankfully, it appeared that the vampires slept during the day, so he wouldn’t have to deal with Kunikuzushi until later. He could explore around the estate and brainstorm in peace. 

After a few minutes, a maid came by with a tray of food for him; four fried eggs, strips of bacon and ham, a portion of salmon, several rolls of bread, several types of jam and a cup of tea. Was this really all for him? It was a departure from his usual diet of wild game, fish, fruits and vegetables that he caught, picked and foraged for, simply just roasting them on a fire or eating them raw. Where should he even start? Making a face, he thanked them for the food, before he grabbed his fork and dug in. Everything was delicious, but it was definitely too much for him; though he didn’t waste a single bite. The eggs were well seasoned and soft. The thick cuts of bacon and ham were fatty and greasy, but had a salty and umami flavor. The salmon was flavorful and fresh. The rolls of bread were warm and soft and paired with the various jams were sweet and heavenly. He was uncomfortably stuffed. Hopefully, there wouldn’t be this much food for him later. Sipping his tea, he stacked the dishes onto the tray and closed his eyes in thought. 

Enjoy exploring the estate!

So he had free reign to go wherever he wanted the rest of the day? It was strange that he was allowed to just go wherever he wanted without them worrying about him trying to escape. There must be some sort of guards or perimeters in place then. Finishing his tea off, he got up and thanked the servant who came for the tray, before he walked out of the dining room and went to go outside.

Going out the front door, he headed out and glanced around. The once ominous feel of the front garden had disappeared under the light of the sun. The garden was beautiful and vibrant with an array of flowers, lush hedge maze and gaudy marble statues. Glancing around, he decided to head over to the gate, taking in the scenery. It was lovely, though it was too artificial and well maintained; adored with non-native flowers and plants and strangely, geometric hedges with not a leaf out of place. Getting to the gate, he saw tall, thin gothic fencing stretching upwards. Touching the bars, he grasped the bars and tried to scale it, but the railings were strangely slippery. Footsteps drew close and a masked man in red with some sort of rifle marched past him and along the gate. After several seconds, a man in purple with a large hammer strolled by. Constant patrols…just as he had accepted, though was this level of security kept up during the night when the residents were awake? He wiped his hands on his pants then glanced around. What now? Familiarizing himself with the outside areas would be good…just in case Kunikuzushi added some sick twist to one of his games and he had to hide again. 

He decided to wander around, taking in every little detail. Any sort of hiding place, he tried out, wriggling or squeezing his body into to see if he could fit and making a special note of it. Spending time in the garden made him realize how strange it was apart from its artificiality, its lack of life. No insects buzzing around, no birds chirping, no squirrels hopping around, nothing. It was eerie and silent; something he had never seen as a wanderer. He spent hours just roaming around and soaking up the sun, while observing everything and trying to brainstorm possible game ideas. Feeling a bit drowsy, he found a bench under a willow tree that had just the right amount of sunlight on it. He laid down and stretched out then closed his eyes, soaking up the light and warmth. As much as he wanted to enjoy his time exploring and planning, he also needed to rest and prepare his body and mind for the evening. Gods only knew what Kunikuzushi had planned.

Chapter Text

The sun set, painting the sky a dark blue and orange. Kunikuzushi stared at himself in the mirror while the maids brushed his hair and put on his clothes, carefully buttoning up his shirt and tying the ribbon on his collar. What games would he play with his toy today? House? Tea Party? How far could his toy’s arms stretch before popping off? Perhaps not that one….for now. He was still in one of his moods from last night and frankly, he just wanted to tear into something. The furniture and helpless servants in his way weren’t enough for him. Sighing, he shooed the maids away and put on his coat then headed out of his room to Kazuha’s room. Once he got there, without warning, he burst in, the door almost falling off its hinges.

“Alright, worm. I’m bored!” he called.

Silence.

Raising a brow, he opened his eyes and glanced around. The room was completely clean and there was not a white haired human in sight. His hands clenched into fists. No. It wasn’t possible. His play thing couldn’t have escaped right? He would’ve been woken up about it…. unless someone else in the damn house found out about him. Growling, he felt his hairs raise up as he stomped out of the room.

—————————————————————-

Kazuha was sitting criss crossed on the bench. He was trying to meditate, but Tartaglia had decided to hang out and chat with him, while playing the chalk game that he drew earlier. The ginger vampire attempted to hop with one foot into the small, chalk squares he had drawn below. Seeing this supposed self proclaimed “master of weapons and combat” struggle with such an easy children’s game was pretty amusing. 

“This is….really hard,” Tartaglia stated, trying to keep his balance and not touch the outlines.

“It should not be, but I believe you are struggling because your feet are too big for the squares I drew. My apologies,” Kazuha stated.

The chalk squares true to his word were drawn relatively small and modeled off of Kazuha’s foot size with a little bit of wriggle room. Tartaglia’s foot, on the other hand, was bigger than the squares; his toes of his shoes creeping past the line. 

“It’s all good. I love a challenge! Wait….I think I’m actually starting to get the hang of it now.”

Tartaglia steadied himself and held out his arms straight out in a tee position. He hopped into the square labeled 3, smiling proudly, despite the wobbling and then immediately face planted into the hard concrete below. Kazuha winced when Tartaglia “ate shit” and walked over to him. 

“Are you okay?”

Tartaglia simply laughed and rubbed the dust and rocks off his face. He waved him off.

“I’m perfectly fine. My pride’s a little hurt is all,” he stated, dusting himself off. “Though I guess I’m getting kinda rusty at children’s games.I need to practice them again.”

Kazuha laughed softly before there was muffled screaming echoed in the main house of the estate followed by more screaming and loud crashing. Kazuha’s face scrunched up, glancing at the house wide eyed, whereas Tartaglia seemed unphased by it.

“…..Is that common?”

“Oh yeah. It happens like once a week…maybe three or more if Kunikuzushi is in a really bad mood,” Tartaglia said with a shrug. “You learn to stay out of the way and ignore it.”

That was pretty concerning. Thankfully, he decided to stay outside for most of the day, apart from his brief exploration inside that afternoon to look around the library. He plopped back down onto the bench while Tartaglia picked up a rough looking pebble that rested on the last square. 

“Wanna play another game of hopscotch? This time the winner gets the title of hopscotch conqueror,” he stated with a grin.

Despite having only known this man for less than a day, he had such a weird obsession with dominating…even if it was just a simple children’s game. 

“We can play another round. I don’t think the title is necessary though,” Kazuha added softly, watching him.

“Nonsense, comrade! Where’s the fun in doing anything if you’re not going to get something out of it?” Tartaglia huffed proudly before he tossed the rock into the first square and hopped into it with one foot. 

Kazuha got up again and stretched, picking up the rock and doing the same but more gracefully. He tossed the rock back to Tartaglia then moved out of the way. 

“I do things for simple reasons,” Kazuha stated softly. “I like to experience what the world has to offer whether it be sun or storm.”

Tossing the rock, he narrowed his eyes and focused on hopping. Chuckling, he held his arms out.

“Mmm I can respect that. It sounds kinda boring though, just going along with what the world has to throw at you and all.” 

“Perhaps, but I enjoy following where the wind takes me,” he admitted softly with a smile.

Watching Tartaglia stumble across the line, the ginger man scoffed and tossed the rock back to Kazuha. The wanderer caught it and admired the seemingly uninteresting gray stone. He enjoyed every ounce of his journeys no matter how hard they were. There was always something new to experience and things to be learned throughout. However, could the same be said for this particular set of circumstances though? Trapped in a massive estate with monsters he had only heard of from legends and faced with near certain death every second he was there? 

Tossing the rock, it bounced against the pavement and landed on the last square. Breathing in, he looked at the numbers and hopped on one foot, only hopping with two feet when there were squares next to each other. Once he got to the end, he bent down and picked up the rock. 

“Even now?” Tartaglia asked in an unusual tone. 

Kazuha hesitated for a moment, but smiled at him. 

“I have to find the more…..positive factors about this whole situation is all,” he admitted. 

Even if this was the worst possible situation to be in, having negative thoughts would only make it worse. The likelihood of being stuck here for days, possibly even weeks and months was high (if he wasn’t killed by Kunikuzushi), so he had to keep himself motivated whether it be having a delicious meal home made or just waking up to see another sun rise. The littlest things were important for his eventual plight to freedom. 

Tartaglia watched him and rested a hand under his chin. 

“Even in the face of your monstrous captors, you still try to keep up a hopeful attitude,” he remarked. “Not to mention how abnormally calm you are. You’ve really piqued my interest, Kazuha. I admire your attitude.”

Was that a good thing? Considering how nice Tartaglia had been this morning and now, this actually may be the best possible thing. A potential ally so early or a curse in disguise? The latter was pretty unlikely, since the man had been straightforward with everything. 

“So I’ll start throwing you a bone,” he said with a smile. “I know dealing with Mr. Constantly In His Room will start getting to you, so I’ll be nice and help you out when I can.”

An interesting proposition.

“Though, make sure you get strong and stay alive so we can fight when you’re at tip top strength. Deal? I think that’s a pretty fair offer if you ask me!”

Kazuha raised a slight brow and watched the man’s face. No hint of malice or deception. Perhaps he had truly interested him and said interest manifested into wanting to help him with the end result of the two fighting. It was a strange request, but what did he have to lose at the moment with this? He could always back off if need be. 

“I think it sounds fair,” he stated simply. “Are there any other terms for said agreement?” 

True to his inference of him, the man laughed and smiled. 

“Nope. Just keep yourself alive and healthy and I’ll help you,” he repeated. 

Kazuha nodded. 

“Alright. I accept.”

“Fantastic!” 

Tartaglia smiled and laughed proudly while he watched the pebble slide to the square in front of him. Kazuha hopped precisely along the path before the world shook and the atmosphere grew oppressive. His entire body felt heavy and he suddenly felt faint. What the hell was happening?

Breathing heavily, he tried to stay up straight, but staggered into the ginger vampire, who caught him from falling. Wincing, he tried to stand up, but just stayed pathetically against the man. His lungs and head felt like they were slowly being crushed. Before he could process what was happening, a dark, imposing figure descended from the sky; growling and shaking in anger.

“Where the fuck have you been?” Kunikuzushi snapped, slowly gliding down to meet them. “Do you realize how long I’ve been looking for you?”

Kazuha could only whimper in response. The crushing pain only grew more intense as he gripped his head. His organs and bones painfully compressed together like he was being squeezed by some sort of invisible hand. Everything grew dim.

Tartaglia glared hard at Kunikuzushi and actually pushed him. The pain suddenly disappeared and Kazuha coughed, gasping for air.

“No need to be such an ass. He’s been out here most of the day trying to come up with games for you two to play later,” he snorted. “If you used your nose, you would’ve known that.”

Kunikuzushi looked at the taller man with utter malice and disgust, dusting off where he had been touched. He narrowed his eyes and glanced at Tartaglia’s arm; his arm wrapped around his back and his hand firmly grasping Kazuha’s right arm, pressing him close to his body. His eyes lingered over it before he stared at Kazuha, who seemed weary and out of it. He bared his teeth

“That’s besides the point. What the hell are you doing out here with my toy? He’s mine! Not yours.”

“I don’t see your name on him.” 

Tartaglia let him go and lifted Kazuha by the back of his shirt, similar to a cat, and turned him around.

“See? No writing, no tag, no nothing. And if you really must know, I saw him out here and decided to hang out with him. It’s not like I can really do that with anyone else in the house anyway,” he stated sharply, glaring at him

“That’s not my problem now, is it?” Kunikuzushi said with a smug smirk. “Hand him back.”

“Wait until we’re done with our game.”

“I want him now!”

“Didn’t anyone ever tell you? Sharing is caring.”

“I don’t give a damn about either!” 

“Well maybe that’s because no one has ever taught you anything!”

“It’s as if I’m constantly stuck in this house, isn’t it?”

“And who’s fault is that?”

Somehow in the heated argument, Kazuha was grabbed like a rag doll by the two of them….again. The tension between the pair was suffocating, apart from the fact his poor arms were used like soft, fleshy rope. One moment he was being yanked by Tartaglia and the next he was being dragged by Kunikuzushi. It hurt and he could feel his muscles being pulled apart, but he couldn’t do anything aside from grunt and wince. If the two kept up, his arms would get torn off.

“My lord is right, Tartaglia. I am his….toy.” 

Just saying the word almost made him ill, but it was best if he just agreed with Kunikuzushi to diffuse the both of them. He swallowed.

“So whatever he demands, I will do. I apologize for interacting with you earlier.”

Kunikuzushi smirked and stuck his tongue at Tartaglia. He laughed proudly. 

“Told you,” he mocked. “Now go collect debates or whatever the fuck you do, ingrate.”

Tartaglia frowned and glared at him; cold and enraged. His gaze then wandered over to Kazuha. Relaxing a bit, he let go and waved goodbye to him then headed off, shoving his hands into his pockets. Kazuha watched him go. Tartaglia was interesting to hang around and he did enjoy the brief moments he had with him today. It was a breath of fresh air from the grim atmosphere even if he couldn’t help, but felt that something was off about him, especially how willing he was to help. 

The wings on Kunikuzushi disappeared and the man flattened his poofy hair. He glared at Kazuha, then crossed his arms. 

“Be grateful I didn’t kill you.”

“…..I truly am. Thank you, my lord,” he stated while he glanced back at him. 

So that agonizing feeling was his power? Even if it was brief, it was a reminder of how dangerous he was even without being touched by him. The way Tartaglia backed off at the end of the argument was additionally concerning. 

Kunikuzushi huffed and turned his nose up before he walked over to the chalk game, then curiously kicked the rock with the tip of his shoe. 

“So tell me, what is this game that you two were playing?”

Squinting, he tilted his head at the foreign game. The precisely drawn squares with numbers etched in the middle looked like some sort of spell. Parred with the weird ritualistic process and hopping, he was interested. A demonic summoning ritual perhaps?

“Oh….well, I was thinking of games to play and I used to enjoy Hopscotch as a kid.”

“Hopscotch? Is this the name of the demon?”

Huh? What a strange leap in logic, but honestly, he hadn’t gotten a proper understanding of what Kunikuzushi was or wasn’t familiar with. 

“Oh. No, no. It’s called hopscotch because you hop over the scotches which are the markings, thus hopscotch. A simple children’s game. No demons or dark forces involved. Just people, the drawings and a pebble,” Kazuha explained with a small smile.

Kunikuzushi looked at the game and picked up the pebble between his fingers. 

“How does one play?”

An explanation alongside a demonstration would be best. 

“You take a rock,” he stated, picking up the pebble they had been using previously. “And you throw it into the first square.”

He threw it and it landed in the first square directly in the middle. 

“It has to land in this square. If it lands outside or on the lines, you lose a turn and have to give the rock to the other person,” he stated before he hopped on one foot.

After a moment, he adjusted himself and skillfully jumped on one foot to the next two squares. 

“When you get to squares that are next to each other, you can put one foot on each square,” he demonstrated, putting his left foot on the 4 and his right on the 5. “Then you go back to jumping.” 

He jumped on one foot again, then two for the connected squares, then one again until he reached the end.

“And then you go back.”

One hop.

Both feet down.

One hop.

Both feet down.

One hop.

One hop.

“You pick up the rock, make sure you don’t go into the square with the rock and then you finish.”

One hop.

“So the goal of the game is to get the rock into each square and complete the sequence without mistakes, be it stepping on a line, missing a square or losing balance, otherwise your turn gets passed off to the other player and so on. The person who completes the course first wins.”

Stretching, he demonstrated how he would go about doing the second round by tossing the rock into the second square, completing the rest, turning around, picking up the marking and returning.

“Is there a sort of prize for winning?”

Kazuha tilted his head slightly. He was odd indeed.

“Just the joy of winning? But I could give you something if you win if that is what you desire,” he stated, patting his pocket.

The vampire put his hands on his hips proudly and chuckled. 

“This game may be of your own choice and design, but I will seize victory,” he remarked with a smirk. 

Thankfully, Kunikuzushi seemed to be in a better mood now that he mentioned a prize. He was grateful that the man wasn’t violent….yet. Honestly, it wouldn’t hurt to let him win apart from being condescended upon and compared to the lowly filth of the earth. Temper tantrum and the possibility of death or prideful gloating and name calling? The choice was an obvious one. He’d let him win, but he would try and make it not obvious. Picking up the rock, he dropped it into Kunikuzushi’s waiting hand then backed away from him. 

Kunikuzushi seemed focused. He tossed the rock into the first square. Holding his arms straight out, he gracefully lifted his right foot next to knee and hopped. He followed Kazuha’s exact demonstration, but was more precise with his feet landing in the dead center. Even on the way back, his movements were perfect and he was giggling like a child. No flaws whatsoever. He scooped up the rock and hopped over the square it was in.

“So it’s my turn again?”

“Correct. It won’t be my turn unless you make a mistake.”

The vampire hummed proudly and tossed the rock into the second square then hopped to complete the course with exact movements. Kazuha crossed his arms and watched from the side. By the fifth set, he made a face and just watched in awe. He didn’t have to fake losing to the man because he was absolutely dominating the game. It didn’t seem like he was cheating or using some sort of vampiric powers from what he could tell. He genuinely just seemed to be good at listening to rules and instructions and following them to a point. It was impressive.

The small lord was giggling the whole time either out of the amount of fun he was having or crushing the helpless human….both..definitely both. He hopped on one foot after the tenth set and shook out his hair. 

“I win just as I said. You couldn’t even hope of defeating me,” he mocked with a smirk. 

He held up the rock in his palm then clenched it in his fist before he opened it up; all that remained was dust and sand. Shaking the filth off his hand, he glanced at the man who merely clapped for him.

“Here are the spoils of your victory, master,” he stated. “Congratulations.”

Reaching into his pocket, he fished out a few pieces of the colorful sweets and held them out to the vampire. It wasn’t much, but it was the only thing he really had to offer. His expression was hard to read at first, but his brows were scrunched and his lips turned into a scowl. Disgust. Bitterness. 

“Do you take me for some sort of joke?”

“Not at all. It’s just candy and I thought you might enjoy it. Tartaglia gave them to me-“

Before he could finish his sentence, the beautiful man snatched one up. With inhumane speed, he had unwrapped and popped it into his mouth. Kazuha watched, sweat dripping down his temple. The man’s face was tense and he chewed….and chewed…and chewed….and chewed. He was struggling? Kunikuzushi’s mouth opened up and he saw the sticky, brightly colored sweet sticking to his teeth. His tongue wedged itself under the strands of, trying to push them off his teeth. 

“The hell is this!?” he asked loudly, chewing hard and resorting to using his nails to pry the strands into his mouth. 

“It’s taffy. It’s sticky like that because of the sugar and butter,” he explained, trying to calm him down. 

The way this unpredictable man was acting over a piece of candy was…comical. He had to stifle a laugh watching his panicked expression and loud, animalistic chewing. Remaining silent, he watched for a few minutes while the man wrestled with the candy before he had devoured it in its entirety. Kazuha had to bite his own tongue to not laugh while he glanced away. Kunikuzushi seemed disheveled, just staring at the color in Kazuha’s hand. After a few seconds of silence, a cold hand reached and grabbed another of a different color. 

“Tartaglia gave these to you?”

“Correct. Do you like them? I apologize for offering them as a reward without knowing your diet.”

Kunikuzushi squinted at him. 

“I forgot how ignorant you are of vampires. We can eat human foods, but it provides no nutritional value like blood. I don’t like to indulge in it, but this is an expectation and is…..palatable,” he commented, unwrapping and putting it into his mouth. 

So the vampire liked the candy? It was kind of…cute and useful. It was a leap, but the candy could potentially be used to satiate the man. He’d have to test it out at some point though to be sure.

“You can have the rest of this, my lord. You won it,” he said softly with a smile. 

The vampire chewed, but held out his right hand, wriggling his impatient fingers at him. He carefully dropped the rest into his pale hand then pulled away. For a brief moment, he could see something sparkle in his pale blue eyes as he moved to unwrap another piece of candy.

“Would you like to play another game outside, my lord, or do you have something else in mind?”

Chewing, the vampire put his feet hands in his shorts pocket. His eyes lingered on the white haired toy in front of him. Was he studying him and his reactions or was he thinking? The silence and blank expression left most of it to imagination. His heart began to pound in anticipation perhaps to foretell of events yet to come. 

“What did you and Tartaglia do while you were out here?”

Tartaglia again? Why was he so hung up on him and what they did? It wasn’t like he had missed out on anything apart from Tartaglia interrupting his meditation to see what he was doing and conversing with him. Rather mundane really. 

“Um…..He actually came outside a few minutes before you did. He asked me what I was doing and asked me personal questions like where I was from and what I did before I got here, then he saw I drew the hopscotch grid and we played a game of it,” he explained.

Kunikuzushi stared at him, feeling it pierce his very soul. Kazuha had to look away with how intense it was. Was he mad? Was he trying to pick apart what he said? No. There wasn’t much to pick apart or get from such a simple statement. Pressing his lips together, his captor cleared his throat and tilted his head, frowning.

“Tell me. Tell me everything you told him,” he stated.

“What?”

The vampire stepped closer to him. His face inches away from Kazuha’s; their foreheads a hairs length away from touching.

“I don’t like repeating myself.”

No breath escaped his lips, but he could smell the artificial sweetness of the candy in his mouth. Goosebumps rose on his neck playing. Fingers grabbed his chin, forcing him to meet his eyes. 

“Let me speak frankly with you. Maybe you haven’t fully realized it, but you’re mine; not Tartaglia’s, not Dottore’s, Not Rosealyne’s, not even the gods’. You belong to me and only me. You will do as I command, when I command it. If I ask you to bark, you will bark.”

His cold index and middle fingers slid along his jawline to the start. His voice drew low.

“And whatever sort of “thing” Tartaglia has with you, I want to know about. Got it?”

A shiver ran down his spine and Kazuha simply nodded. No point in trying to protest especially when he was so close. 

“Now, tell me what you told him.”

Just letting his guard down for a moment was dangerous. The way his childlike demeanor suddenly switched into this domineering, malicious one was scary. Unpredictable. Deadly.

“Well, first he asked me what I was doing and I replied that I was meditating and enjoying the weather. Then he asked if I explored the estate and I told him I had, but I mainly stayed in the garden and library. Afterwards, he saw the hopscotch grid I drew and asked me what it was for and I said that it was for my lord later on.”

Kunikuzushi listened to him and pulled his hand away when Kazuha began to talk more. Disinterest shown across his face. It irked him. Why even bother asking him in the first place then? However, true to his word, he recounted events from just minutes  before he arrived; how Tartaglia eagerly asked to play a game with him, but ultimately failed after two turns, how Tartaglia was supposed skillfully in all weapons, expect a bow, how Tartaglia asked about how he was enjoying it here, etc.

“Okay. I get it. I get it. Tartaglia was fucking obnoxious as usual. You can shut up now,” the vampire conceded, gripping the bridge of his nose. “No more of his name. I can’t fucking bear to hear it anymore.”

Kazuha blinked and more than happily closed his mouth. Honestly it hurt talking for that long anyway, since he normally just listened to what others had to say and merely added to conversations when necessary. Between Kunikuzushi and Tartaglia, mainly the latter at the moment, talking so much was wearing him out. Tapping his foot, the vampire grumbled under his breath and popped another piece of taffy in his mouth. He chewed loudly and backed away from the human.

“Alright. I’m bored again,” he stated out loud.

Glancing at Kazuha, he turned his freehand down and waved it at him.

“What’s the other game you had in mind?” 

“Jump rope. It’s just as the name implies.” 

It was hard to come up with games considering he was an only child, not to mention having to weed out the more fun ones due to their potential threat level if Kunikuzushi twisted it again. 

“Is it all about jumping and hopping with you?” Kunikuzushi sneered, huffing childishly. “Have another game that’s actually interesting?”

Any variety of tag was out of the question. Same with hide and seek. Red light, green light was too dangerous. Dodge ball was in the same boat and thankfully he hadn't seen any balls around. Patty Cake was too boring and dangerous. Honestly everything was deadly and they lacked other players for any other outdoor game. 

“Apologies, my lord. I have no other games,” he admitted with a small bow. “The only other idea I have in mind is playing make believe.”

Kunikuzushi’s face scrunched up. 

“Make believe?”

Thankfully, this was a relatively safe option in compassion and one Kazuha was more familiar with. It had been almost two decades since he last played, but had distant fond memories of it. 

“Yes. It’s basically where you pretend to be something else or not,” he started, trying to find the exact words for it. “It’s all up to imagination including the setting, objects, that sort of thing.”

Kunikuzushi tilted his head. His pupils dilated and his eyes opened up more compared to his normal, scrunching up.

“So it’s like theater?” 

“Without all the theatrics, script and polishing,” he replied softly with a smile. 

The vampire went quiet. He seemed to be thinking, resting a hand under his chin. So Kazuha simply waited for him to make a decision, though the growing smirk in his face told him already. Fingers snapped. 

“Alright. Let us play this make believe,” he remarked proudly. He put the remaining pieces of candy in his pocket. Crossing his arms, he smirked. “I’ll be a god and you can be….a little peasant.”

It was better than being forced to crawl on the ground and make noises like some sort of animal, so he wasn’t going to complain. The “god” laughed maniacally; a wide smirk painted across his face and clearly already having a power trip. Kazuha could only just watch. 

“A god needs to dress better,” he stated, looking at his “rags.” “Alright to my room.”

Grabbing Kazuha’s wrist, he dragged him back to his room to get changed. His grip was ever tight and he could only just go along with it. 

“You should be blessed. A god such as myself is so cordially using their time to be around and touching you, a lowly creature,” he cooed, while they traversed the garden

Oh. They were doing this already? How should he respond? Probably in the same dramatic manner to match his energy.

“I am eternally grateful to simply be in your presence,” he stated softly, wincing when he felt his grip tighten. “Oh how my prayers and dreams have been answered as my beloved deity has so wonderfully decided to take me away.”

It was rather sickening to be kissing his ass like this, since honestly Kunikuzushi’s character was similar to his regular personality, but his reaction was worth it: the way he was grinning from ear to ear and holding his head up high. If he had to fake and suck up to him to live another day and further his plan of escape, he would do it. Satiating his ego and desires was merely a means to an end, a set way for now to quell him until he got a better understanding of his captor. 

The god simply smiled and got inside, heading up the stairs with him. “Of course, I suppose I can make an expectation and give you my attention for being such a devoted follower,” he remarked before they walked along the hallway. 

Kazuha walked behind him, still glancing around to familiarize himself with everything. A fair lady in white exited her room, looked down at the short pair. She was the portrait of what he had expected a vampire to look like: pale, tall, bewitching, inhumane. Her face was stoic and her pale eyes looking down at them. 

“Is this who you were causing all that ruckus about earlier?” she asked Kunikuzushi firmly to Kunikuzushi, who glared up at her. 

“You’re interrupting our story right now,” he grumbled. “But yes. This is the toy Dottore got for me.”

The lady glanced at Kazuha; her expression hard to read. She was enigmatic scent wise as well, only smelling of sorrow and sweet roses. 

“I don’t see the necessity for throwing such a fit over him. Make sure you don’t cause too many issues again and make sure you come to dinner on time tonight. 12am sharp. Her Majesty is going to grace us with her presence tonight,” she remarked. “And don’t bring your little friend with you.”

Kunikuzushi rolled his eyes. “Whatever, wench. Mind your business,” he stated crudely. “I’ll see you and the others at dinner.” 

Snorting at the interruption, he shifted his grip and dragged him along. Kazuha glanced back at the woman, who glided down the hallway. Another one of the lords of the house presumably. He wondered how many others there were, considering Tartaglia was the 11th. It did make him nervous though being stuck in a house with that many vampires at the same time. Glancing at him, he looked back at Kunikuzushi who was opening the door to his room. 

His room was strangely a lot cleaner than yesterday. All of the furniture, blood and stuffing entrails were gone, which was strange considering his earlier outburst….his “room” was probably destroyed then. 

“My lord, what would you like me to do when you go to your meeting later?” he asked, looking for somewhere to sit down. 

Kunikuzushi raised a brow and walked to his closet, slipping off his suspenders. Pulling the right side of his red bow, it loosened in one go, sliding off. 

“Hmm……I’ll just lock you up in your room. I don’t want you rooting through my stuff and getting your smell and hands all over everything,” he commented. 

It wasn’t bad; actually the best case. He could not only take a break from the man but also squeeze a nap to recover. Though, he did find it strange that it was all Kunikuzushi was going to do. Watching the man, he yawned and opted to sit on the floor. Giving the man a bit of privacy to change, he merely leaned back against the wall along with some of the other decapitated toys with their limbs and heads in their laps. 

The one on his right was a sad looking bird; its button eyes lopsided and its fur dull and matted. Compared to the other dolls, it had various colored strings and stuffing coming out of its limbs. It seemed like it was well loved? Or perhaps a better term would be used; considering that the vampire probably knew nothing of such an emotion. Picking it up, he grabbed its head and tried to place it back. It looked at him with a crooked thread smile. Kazuha couldn’t help, but smile back at it 

“I see you are acquainted with it.”

Kunikuzushi stood before him, looking down at him. Kazuha glanced up at him.

“….You're beautiful.”

It just escaped his lips. He didn’t know why he said it, especially to a cruel man like him, but it was true. 

The vampire before him was dressed head to toe in gothic, Victorian attire. He donned a long, black tail coat with gold trimmings and cufflinks. He wore a deep red waistcoat with strange darker patterns etched into it and black collared shirt with a large red bow with a golden emblem tied around his throat. His pants were the same color as his shirt. On his right hand were two gold rings on his fore and ring fingers: one had a purple gem and the other red. He merely laughed at him.

“I know I am,” he remarked with a smile, before he poked the bird in his arms. “Now what’s your fascination with this thing?”

Thing? 

“I don’t know. I just like it,” Kazuha stated, looking at its button eyes. Other than how cute its wonky appearance was, he couldn’t help but like it because he couldn’t help but relate to it for some reason. “Does it have a name?”

“Why would I give it a name? It’s just an object,” he remarked so callously. 

“But you seem to care about it, judging by the amount of times you’ve repaired it,” he stated, pulling on the threads in his head. “I assumed you would give it a name.”

Kunikuzushi was perplexed and seemed more interested in his comment rather than their role playing for the moment. He eyed his other toys and glanced back at him.

“Caring? Tartaglia mentioned it earlier and I’ve heard it mentioned a lot throughout my life, but what do you feel when you care about something?”

It was a hard question to explain, but explaining a feeling was hard. It was something you just knew in your heart and mind. He pondered it for a few moments.

“It’s different for everyone, but you feel happy and warm on the inside. You go out of your way to do something for the person or things like repairing it as you’ve done with this bird.”

Kunikuzushi thought about it and closed his eyes. Silent. 

“If that’s the case, I guess I care about you, worm.”

Chapter Text

Kazuha should’ve elaborated on what caring actually meant and shown examples because the definition he did give was too vague for Kunikuzushi. It wasn’t vague per say, but it rather was warped by his view on everything. 

It was shocking to hear him say that from the person who basically wanted him dead just the night before. He didn’t know how to express his feelings or show that he actually enjoyed having someone. Both were still true, but whatever this “relationship” was or how he showed, it wasn’t caring; it was selfishness and control. He was nothing, but a toy for him. If he got bored or mad, he would simply just toss away and fix later….just like those before him. 

The man was in his own strange world of sadistic and twisted childish fantasies and Kazuha was unfortunately trapped in it with him. 

As to not anger the man, he simply smiled and let out a soft laugh.

“Thank you,” he stated softly. “I care about you too, my lord.” 

Kunikuzushi opened his eyes and watched his expression, before he smirked. He pulled away then chuckled, clearly proud….or perhaps happy that Kazuha admitted it to him. Putting his hands on his hips, he turned back around and laughed. 

Their game of make believe continued from where they left off. He didn’t know whether or not to be thankful that Kunizushi started some sort of dramatic monologue, where he didn’t have to do anything but sit there and listen. Leaning back, he halfheartedly listened and looked back at the bird, delicately grasping its back before he wriggled it around to simulate it walking to entertain himself. It had been ages since he played with another sort of toy, so it felt a little weird, but he couldn’t help, but feel attached to it despite only knowing it for a few minutes. It still needed a name and personality though. For now, until he or Kunikuzushi thought of something else, it was just a simple, nameless bird: a fledgling without parents who longed to one day feel the wind on its wings and make friends throughout the land. Right now, he was merely just traversing the ground trying to find a tasty work to dine upon.  

While that was happening, Kunikuzushi, still role playing, eventually moved to converse with him.

“How does it feel to bask in the presence of a god? To be specially plucked from your mundane life as a poor mortal and dropped into my palms? Anyone would forfeit everything they have to even get a glimpse of me,” he remarked with a smile.

“…..I, a devout follower of you my whole life, am deeply honored,” he stated, continuing to move the poor little bird around, having it peck the ground. “I would have never dreamed of such a moment. Whatever it is you ask of me, I will do. Your will is my own. Though if I may ask, why is it that you have brought me here? Out of all your followers, you have chosen me, a simple peasant. Surely someone of greater status is more deserving?”

Kunikuzushi watched him, glancing at the bird. He seemed impressed that Kazuha was not only well spoken, but had managed to listen to him while doing something else. So for once, he was nice and let him continue to play with the doll.

“Do gods ever need to be reasonable? But because of your devotion, I shall grant you an answer. I have been watching you all this time, constantly going through the same meaningless routine and indulging in your boring human emotions. As a god has no need for such things, nor do they understand it, but I am interested in what I cannot have. So I brought you here to satisfy my curiosities: you with your mundanity will satiate and serve me and in return, I shall look after and care for you.”

Kazuha raised a slight brow at such a response. He couldn’t help, but feel strange about it? It was well thought out or Kunikuzushi was talented at coming up with such an eloquent response on the spot. 

“How could I ever refuse such a gracious offer for my god? I am truly blessed and will treasure your kindness for all my days.  As I’ve said, whatever it is you want, I want as well. I will fulfill whatever it is you desire. My heart? It’s yours. My body? It’s yours. My soul? It’s yours.”

Kunikuzushi gazed at him. Kazuha didn’t really notice since he was busy with the bird, but he felt its intense heat. It was unusually long, but Kunikuzushi eventually laughed and glanced away. 

They continued their unusual game, mainly with the pair having a back and forth: Kazuha making up some sort of strange story about being a farmer and describing what he did on a day to day basis while Kunikuzushi occasionally interjected and questioned seemingly normal details. Thankfully,it was relatively peaceful, though Kazuha was definitely worn out from the constant talking. After a few hours, Kunikuzushi glanced at the clock on his wall and pouted, glaring. He sighed and straightened himself out.

“Alright, worm, we have to stop our game for now. It’s time for you to go sit in your room while I go have dinner,” he remarked. 

Surprisingly enough, he didn’t grab him and instead gestured for him to follow. Kazuha set the bird back down in its spot before he got up and walked behind him to his room. The vampire held the door open for him and Kazuha stepped inside.

“Have a nice dinner, my lord,” he remarked softly.

“I doubt it,” Kunikuzushi snorted, before he turned around and slammed the door shut, then walked off.

Kazuha waited and pressed his ear against the door, listening. Despite the others’ angry demeanor, his footsteps were light and hard to hear apart from his heels clicking against the floor. Slowly, they faded away and he could make out the distant sound of him going down the stairs. Then there was silence again. As much as he wanted to sit idly by and rest, curious gnawed at him. Why were the vampires meeting? What did the other lords of the house look like? Dangerous yes, but something he needed to learn about, especially considering that even the unruly vampire was going to attend the dinner. Maybe he wouldn’t get the information he wanted out of it, but it could be useful later for his escape or to familiarize himself with what he was dealing with. Sniffing the air and listening, the coast was clear. After a moment, he exited the room and crept down the hallway. No one was around, not even the servants. Getting near the stairs, he decided to squat and lean against the wall. It was too risky and if he just listened, he would be able to hear them. 

Kazuha leaned against the wall and just listened. The dinner meeting was oddly quiet with most of the attendants only speaking in hushed whispers. Genuinely, he had a hard time making out what they were saying apart from fragments of conversations:

“……preparations are going smoothly…...working on a device……mist……eternal night.”

From the voice, Kazuha presumed it was the “Doctor” who said that. Mist? Eternal Night? What did that all mean? 

“……….you needn't worry……taking care of things……shouldn’t pose any issues.”

Tartaglia. 

There was strange chatter between other voices, but Kazuha could barely make out what they were saying, except something relating to their own jobs they had assigned. 

“……I finally……go outside?”

Kunikuzushi. Selfish as always

“Why not?……..is that thing…….not…….entertained?” 

The Doctor.

“………….enjoy……I want…..go outside…..play.”

Kunikuzushi.

“…….you didn’t destroy…entire village?”

It sounded like the lady from earlier followed by Tartaglia and a few others chuckling, before there was a hushed argument that broke out between Kunikuzushi and a few of the others. Something about how it wasn’t fair they could all go out and he was trapped in the estate, whereas the others seemed to be scolding him for having such a “nasty personality” and was “too destructive” for his own good. Everything probably would’ve made more sense to him if he were closer, but the information presented at the moment was strange. What were the vampires plotting? Why were they talking in such hushed wishes? The mist and eternal night sounded….ludicrous; impossible and nothing but short of a fairytale…right? It piqued his interest. There was probably something about it somewhere in the estate…perhaps the library? He’d have to look into it later.

The arguing almost immediately shut up when an older, deeper male voice talked. After a few moments, they suddenly went quiet. It was strange, but he felt a ghostly wind throughout his body and the atmosphere grew frigid. The world around him seemed to stop and he could hear nothing. Kazuha too was silent and just sat there. It was eerie and he couldn’t figure out why it suddenly changed. Some sort of vampiric power perhaps? 

The silence was long and Kazuha was left to his own thoughts for a seemingly unending amount of time, yearning for the winds of freedom and longing to return to a quiet life in nature. No matter how beautiful this place was or what it had to offer, the constant fear of death and forcible entrapment would never make him happy. He desired to return to a normal life of wandering even if he was still wanted by the Almighty Shogun herself. It was better to live free and on the run then trapped like a sparrow in a cage at the claws of hungry, greedy beasts. 

Whistling. 

Footsteps. 

Blood. 

Someone was coming.

Kazuha silently got up and jogged back to his room, making sure not to make any sort of noise. It wasn’t Kunikuzushi from the sound of it. Getting to his room, he couldn’t help but wince when the door creaked open. Glancing around, he practically threw himself in and shut the door behind him then raced to the bed and laid down. It looked too fake. Trying to think quickly, he ruffled up his hair and intentionally wrinkled up the heavy sheets before he tucked himself in and squirmed around to get comfortable. He closed his eyes as the footsteps drew closer and closer. They probably weren’t going to come into his room…..right? He thought too soon and sure enough, his door knob shook and twisted. Sweat  beaded down his face and he grabbed his katana under his sheets, quietly faking soft snores. 

The door creaked open, then shut and the footsteps stepped closer. And closer. And closer. A pause.

“I know you’re not sleeping. Don’t worry it’s just me.”

Kazuha peaked his eyes open and glanced up. 

Tartaglia was standing over him. He smiled with his hands behind his back.

“Overheard Kunikuzushi at the start of dinner mentioning he locked you up, so here I am…coming to check in on you,” he stated proudly with a laugh.

As grateful as he was that it wasn’t any of the other vampires, he couldn't help but notice the specks of blood around the corners of his mouth; the fragrance lingering off of him. Tartaglia caught his staring before he moved a hand and wiped a thumb across his lips.

“Have you eaten yet?” he asked with a smile.

Kazuha couldn’t help, but feel anxious. It was potentially his nerves getting to him from almost being caught and the sight of blood on his lips, but Tartaglia still seemed off. He didn’t reply for a few seconds and shook his head.

“I haven’t had a meal since this morning,” he replied simply.

“Geez. Kunikuzushi’s doing a piss poor job of looking after you. When was that? Like 7? It’s been over 12 hours,” Tartaglia mused before he pulled his hand from his back; in his fingers was a sagging cloth napkin, clearly holding contents in it. “You must be hungry.”

“I have been relatively content for the most part given the generous breakfast this morning. It was actually too much food, but I appreciated the gesture nonetheless,” he admitted before he took the napkin. 

He sat up, placed it on his lap and unwrapped the cloth: a few slices of fresh bread, handful of red grapes and perfectly cut apple slices.  

“Sorry it’s not much. I can’t exactly smuggle a steak without them noticing.”

It looked delicious, even if it wasn’t much, and Kazuha was still grateful. He grabbed an apple slice and took a bite.

“Thank you. Are they not suspicious that you’re gone though?”

“Oh no. The higher ranking members are talking with each other again, so they don’t really care about what the lower ones are doing during their discussions. When it happens, I go to the bathroom to freshen up and stretch my legs for a bit.”

Kazuha nodded in response. Thankfully, Tartaglia was smart about their interactions. He grabbed a slice of bread and bit into it while the ginger wandered around the room, casually kicking the shards of destroyed furniture around. Now that they were alone, it was a good time to better acquaint himself with him. 

“Tartaglia, do you have any vampiric powers?”

Tartaglia glanced back at him and chuckled. 

“Oh ho ho! Trying to scope out your enemy I see,” he stated with a smile. “Commendable effort.”

He happily strolled over to him and placed his hands on his hips. 

“I’m relatively new to the whole vampire thing, compared to my fellow associates, so I haven’t really figured out what all I’m capable of,” he explained before he plopped down on the foot of the bed. “Pulcinella also told me that vampires can develop powers with age. But for now, I got the usual stuff like enhanced senses, speed, strength, that sort of thing. I can also manipulate water…to an extent and make cool weapons, like blades, out of it.”

“So no flight?”

“No and it kinda makes me sad. How fun would it be to just fly around and swoop down on your enemies though?” 

“Flying does sound amazing, especially with its possibilities, but the killing aspect is not something I’m interested in,” Kazuha admitted with a small smile. “How come Kunikuzushi can do it though?” 

“Him? It’s because I’m a turned vampire and he might be a pureblood from what I overheard. So, he’s going to be naturally strong and have more abilities than most, hence the wings and head explosion,” he remarked. “It’s pretty impressive really. Can’t say that I don’t want that kind of power at some point.”

The older the vampire, the stronger they were. The origin of their birth was also a factor in their abilities. Kunikuzushi’s birth and age most likely factored into how he was so powerful. He had only seen three of the things he was capable of and with what Tartaglia was saying, there was probably more hidden away. Every little detail he learned about the man made him even more mysterious and dangerous, making his situation grow all the more treacherous. However, that was just life - his life. A life full of so many wonders, yet so many regrets and burdens too much for one person to bear. But despite everything, he had endured.

Putting some grapes into his mouth, he nodded and chewed. Their sweetness filled his taste buds. He tried to think of something else to ask him rather than just discuss “mundane” things.

“How about weaknesses? I have heard that silver and sunlight can kill a vampire but what about things such as fire and a stake? Are those methods effective as well?” he asked frankly. 

Tartaglia crossed his legs and merely smiled. He seemed to admire his forward nature. 

“The silver and sunlight methods are correct. The stake, however, is pretty inaccurate,” he admitted before he grabbed Kazuha’s free hand.

Kazuha was caught off guard and was about to struggle away before Tartaglia moved his hand to his left pec. The man looked him square in the eyes. 

“A stake can be anything really; sword, polearm, nail, scissors, hell anything sharp enough to pierce through skin,” he stated quietly. 

Tartaglia’s icy hand rested on top of Kazuha. 

“Of course you gotta be quick about it,” he warned. “So it’s best to do it when a vampire’s sleeping, but even then, if they hear or smell you, you’re dead.”

Carefully and slowly, Tartaglia moved their hands under his shirt. His body was freezing cold; a corpse. His skin felt exactly like his, except for the rough patches of scarring. They traced over the exact spot where his heart was.

No warmth. 

No beat. 

Nothing. 

“Right here,” he whispered. 

He tapped in the center. 

“You stab here. It’s not going to kill them unless it’s silver, but it will paralysis them momentarily, so make sure you go hard enough to pin them down.”

They were close. The room was quiet and Kazuha could feel his own heart thumping in his ears. Tartaglia’s face and body were so close to his own. There was no way the vampire couldn’t smell his silent dread; perhaps even drinking in the primal emotion he had stirred.

“Leave nothing, not even a trace. Just one drop of blood could be enough for them to regenerate.”

Tartaglia stared at him while Kazuha stared up at him. He brought his face close to him. 

“Between you and me, I highly doubt you could do anything to Kunikuzushi. He’s a lot smarter and stronger than he tends to let on and he has eyes and ears everywhere.”

Tartaglia smiled and let go of his hand and pulled away. 

Kazuha stared at him. The way he had decided everything was unsettling, cold, calculating. He had done it before. And as brutal as it was, especially since he wasn’t too fond of killing someone, it was good to know, just in case something happened 

“But if you find a way to defeat the devil…well, that’ll make our inevitable confrontation all the more exhilarating.”

He chuckled and straightened back up then glanced at the watch on his wrist. 

“As much as I would love to stay and chat more, I need to go, else they’ll start asking questions,” he remarked before he stood up and walked to the door. 

“Oh! Almost forgot! Good luck later. Your lord was getting scolded during dinner,” he added, glancing back at Kazuha. “So if he comes back all moody, that’s why!”

With that Tartaglia closed the door behind him and Kazuha sat in his bed. He felt knots form and twist in his stomach. Kunikuzushi had already been in a bad mood just earlier and now he was actually getting lectured by the other lords?

And who was going to be the victim of his frustration?

Him.

Looking at the small and beautiful portion of food made him nauseous. He wrapped it up and hid it in his bedside drawer then began to think. There was always candy he still had from Tartaglia in his pockets that he seemed to enjoy. But it may not work? He could always try thinking of another game to entertain him. No. No. If he was that mad, there was nothing he could do to stop him. 

Kazuha frowned and sank into the bed, bundling himself up tightly in sheets. He hoped the man wouldn’t take it out on him and leave him alone like last night. Despite how tired he was from being awake for so long, he didn’t have the urge to sleep anymore; dread and anxiety kept him awake. Closing his eyes, he wrapped himself up on the sheets and tried to meditate to calm himself down. 

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Criss-crossing his legs, he calmed his breathing, then relaxed his body and cleared his mind. Calm. Quiet. Focused. The thoughts of an inescapable doom tickled at his mind, but he had to remain calm. There wasn’t much he could do; escape wasn’t possible. Worst case scenario, if Kunikuzushi did try to attack him, he would try to use the method Tartaglia taught, albeit in combat. He stayed wrapped up, meditating and occasionally trying to listen in on the barely audible chatter from downstairs. 

An indeterminable amount of time passed and Kazuha just sat there in meditation. Eventually, someone, presumably Kunikuzushi, stomped loudly up the stairs and down the hallway. The grumbling and matching grew louder before his bedroom door swung up and practically broke off his hinges. Kazuha’s eyes snapped open and he glanced at the man.

The vampire was visibly agitated: his hair fluffed up and his eyes red and puffy. The samurai just stayed put, not uttering a single word or moving a single muscle. What should he even say? What could he even say? So he just sat there. 

“Those damned idiots thinking they can tell me what to do!? And they wonder why I never want to talk with any of them!? Well, maybe if they actually let me out of here, I wouldn’t cause so many fucking issues for them!” Kunikuzushi babbled, slamming the door shut behind him. 

Kazuha just listened, since thankfully it was something he was way too good at. He watched as the man stomped around and cursed in some sort of foreign tongue. Staying in place, he slightly unwrapped himself, watching him pace around. Candy and game ideas definitely weren't going to soothe him. Kunikuzushi growled and punched a hole into the nearby wall, before the mirror suddenly nearby shattered into a million pieces. He then turned his attention to the white haired human, who was watching him. 

“What are you looking at!?” he snapped at him.

He glanced down and coughed awkwardly.

“….Nothing, my lord,” he murmured.

The vampire stared at him before he stepped closer to him.

“You know, I’m in a really bad mood right now and I don’t want to deal with whatever bullshit you’re gonna pull,” he snarled, tilting his head to the side. “…..Honestly, you’re starting to look more and more fun to break by each passing moment.”

Kazuha didn’t know to do or what to say and just simply looked down. Truly, he felt pity for the man for being talked down to and locked away in here. So what could one do in this sort of situation

He held out his arms to him, not saying another word.

To be frank, it was an irresponsible idea. A dimwitted, reckless, death wish of an idea actually. No one in their right mind would ever think of something. Despite everything though, Kazuha couldn’t help, but be softhearted at this moment. 

Kunikuzushi glared at him with unbridled malice. His nose scrunched up and he bared his long fangs at him, then lunged at him, resulting in the two of them tumbling to the floor. 

At that moment, he saw the gates of Hell and it was beautiful. 

Nails ripped into his back. The echo wet tearing of fabric and flesh filled the room followed immediately by choked sobs and screams. Blood soaked his white shirt and poured onto the ground. His legs frantically tried to kick him away but his arms and mind reacted differently; his fingers dug into his shirt and he rested his head on Kunikuzushi’s shoulder.

“What are you doing!? Get your dirty, mortal hands off me,” he snarled. 

“I’m hugging you,” he snapped back through the pain. Tears rolled down his cheeks. His poetic and gentle manner of speech dropped. “I’ve only known you for two days now, but you are by far the most selfish, cruel person I’ve ever had the displeasure of meeting.”

He cried out in pain, feeling Kunikuzushi dig his claws deeper into his flesh. 

“You’re awful. You’re despicable. You’re unscrupulous. You’re a monster.”

The vampire only grew angrier, dragging his claws down lower down his back. Tears poured down his cheeks and blood and drool dribbled down his lips. It was one of the most painful experiences of his life; the claws scraping his nerves. Staggering in pain, he moved a hand and grabbed the back of his hair, forcing his head to look at him.

“But you know what? I care about you. Even someone like you deserves to be cared for, to love and be loved, to experience the joys the world has to offer outside these walls. And it’s never too late to change even if it’s something miniscule. Even dust, when piled up, can become a mountain.” 

Silence.

After a few moments, the two stared at each other and Kazuha quietly sobbed as he felt lightheaded from the pain and blood loss. He couldn’t see, feel or sense what the man was thinking. All he could do was bask in the blood, pain and silent rage. 

“I’m glad you’re my toy. I don’t think anyone except you would ever have the gall to touch nor talk to me like this,” Kunikuzushi spoke after a few minutes with a small giggle, keeping his claws embedded deep into him. “But truly, I’ll humor you, just as you have humored me because I care about you too.”

He pulled away from his grasp and smiled; wicked and fanged. Kazuha cried in pain, slowly realizing how familiar the words were.

“You want to know why I’m keeping you here or perhaps why I haven’t killed you yet? Well, I want to know about your humanity. Filthy as it is, I cannot help, but be fascinated by it; your moles, your scars, your speech, your caring, your stuffing, even your scheming against me, thinking I don’t catch on to the way you observe your surroundings and have those long periods of silence.”

Before Kazuha could think or even answer, he gasped and cried out loudly. Kunikuzushi removed his fingers off of him and smiled; his hands and arms drenched in scarlet. He laughed and glanced down at the bloodshed staining his beautiful clothes. 

“This feeling of warmth….of happiness…so this is truly what caring is,” he mused with a smile. “Or maybe it’s something else entirely.”

His slit pupils turned red and he tried to simulate a hug like Kazuha had done just mere minutes ago, but it was awkward, stiff and cold.

“What would you call this feeling? 

Kazuha gritted his teeth, feeling his body slowly get crushed in his embrace.

“Fixation, obsession, lust, appetite,” he listed off while Kunikuzushi watched his ever shifting expressions of pain.

“You make it sound like this feeling is a bad thing.”

This feeling that Kunikuzushi had wasn’t healthy nor normal. Kazuha whimpered hard as his hand tried to reach for anything nearby to stop him, while he felt his flesh and bones being crushed and split. He couldn’t think straight or at all really.

“........Affection?”

“Affection?”

“......It’s….a feeling….when you care……or have a sort of….attachment….to something,” he managed to get out. It wasn’t perfect nor the definition he wanted to give, but it just spilled from his lips.

Kunikuzushi looked at him with a soft smile in quiet rumination.

“Yes….Affection. That’s it. You are the first thing worthy of my affection,” he mused, before he grabbed Kazuha’s chin to better look at him.

“Name?”

Kazuha could barely focus on him; everything around him slowly blurring and turning. His eyelids fluttered and his head kept nodding off. 

“....Mmmm…..mmmm…Kade…Kadehara…Ka..Kaz..Kazuha.”

“Kadehara Kazuha,” Kunikuzushi repeated in contemplation then smiled. 

“Well, Kadehara Kazuha, I wish to learn about all that you have to offer me. You’ll keep me entertained and I’ll even let you keep doing whatever it is you’re doing. In turn, I won’t kill you because I care and feel affection towards you,” he whispered quietly to just him. 

Blood seeped all around them, drenching the floor in a deep red hue. Kazuha could feel himself barely hanging on by a thread while his hand weakly tried to grab onto something, anything.

So many regrets. 

This was the end. 

“Oh. You’re dying. How annoying.”

All of this was nothing, but a strange game in this man’s eyes. 

He slumped in his arms, gasping for air, while his body began to twitch. 

“…..I guess since you’re only human after all and I care so much about you, I’m putting aside my own ….feelings….to tarnish myself to repair you.” 

Kazuha could barely keep his eyes open, darkness taking hold. He hard slumped against the man’s shoulders, groaning quietly while he felt a cold trace and strands of hair being pushed from his neck. A wet hand gripped his white hair and tilted his head more to the side, exposing his neck. 

“Don’t worry. The pain will be brief,” he whispered into his ear.

Kunikuzushi brought his lips down to Kazuha’s deathly pale neck. He hovered and traced a finger on it, finding the perfect spot.

And bit down.

Hard.

Chapter Text

Everything from then on for the poor human was dreamlike; hazy and surreal. He couldn’t tell whether or not it was real or if it was all just wild hallucinations from the blood loss. The bite initially was a small sting, but slowly grew more intense and painful; a slow working poison. 

The last things he could truly remember was the strange eroticism and intimacy of it all.

The way Kunikuzushi had embraced him was stiff and awkward; his hands rested in strange places like his shoulder and back of his head. His mouth, compared to body, was strangely warm. A new pain coursed through his body, spasming. Death rattles sang from his lips and he couldn’t stop his arms and legs from flailing around; grasping at whatever he could. The other man pressed his body tightly into him, particularly crushing him in his steel embrace. He tried to form some sort of sentence or at least any sort of coherent wording, but all that left him were eligible pleas of pain. The vampire just simply stared at him with bright red eyes, pulling him even closer; his fingers running slowly along the edges of his wounds. Without warning, he was shoved into the floor as his white clothes and hair began to turn into a deep scarlet. The vampire pulled for a moment; his mouth coated in his blood like a wild beast. He seemed to say something to him, before he caressed his cheek with a blood soaked hand. It was surprisingly gentle for once and Kazuha could barely keep his eyes open to look at him. The next thing he knew, the vampire lowered himself and bit into his neck again.

And again. 

And again. 

And again.

And again.

—————————————————————————————

Kazuha slowly came to and opened his eyes. Every ounce of him ached and everything was blurry. Something fuzzy touched him. Actually, multiple fuzzy and furry things were touching him. Glancing around, he saw a mountain of partially and completely decapitated toys surrounding him; the matted bird, now fully repaired, was closest to his face. The corpses frightened him, but he couldn’t help but lean into the bird for a moment.

“You’re awake. Are you fe-“

Without warning, he jumped up and swung his right fist at the source of the voice; suckerpunching them square in the face with a large crack. Blood sprayed onto his knuckles and he could feel the joints from his fingers pop hitting such a hard surface. His hand throbbed in pain and a grunt escaped his mouth. Glancing at who he hit exactly, there sat a certain ginger vampire next to his bed with a paring knife and apple slice in hand, now with blood splattered across his face and red scarf.

“I am so sorry, Tartaglia! Are you okay?” he apologized profusely, giving him a waist deep bow before he rubbed his hand that was now speckled with blood. “I wasn’t expecting anyone to be in here.”

Tartaglia winced and gripped his now bloodied nose. He actually laughed. 

“First of all, that was a really good sucker punch. Second of all, ow! Fuck! That really hurt! Holy shit. I didn’t think you would be able to hit so hard,” he stated, leaning back into his chair before he adjusted his nose. “You are a lot stronger than you look! Must have a lot of muscle hidden under there.”

He moved his scarred hand and wiped away the blood from his nose. Kazuha felt bad and watched as the man simply laughed and glanced up at him. 

“Welcome back to the land of the living. Are you feeling better? You’ve been all silent and zombie-like the past few days,” he stated. 

“I have?” Kazuha stated, wiping the blood off of his knuckles. Days? He was out for days? How many exactly?

“Yeah. It was kind of weird. Your eyes were all cloudy and you mainly stayed in your room for the most part, but I caught you outside and in the dining room every so often,” he described. “Honestly, I thought Dottore did something to you. Was really worried, but you-know-who was basically keeping an eye on you the entire time.”

“Could you elaborate please?”

“Oh! Sure! Well, whenever I caught a glimpse of you, Kunikuzushi was almost always nearby. He looked all grumpy and tired and kept hissing at anyone and everyone. It was actually kind of funny really. I’ve never seen him do that — apart from the hissing at everything.”

That explained the stuffed animals on the bed and the books and toys around the floor. But how come he didn’t remember any of that? Even when his depression got bad around his friend’s death and he would go on autopilot for days, he could always remember what had happened. Abruptly, he remembered something more important.

Kunikuzushi bit him. Kunikuzushi bit him multiple times.

Blinking, he rubbed his all over his neck before he stuck his fingers into his mouth, touching his teeth.

Tartaglia noticed his frantic movements while he was wiping the blood away and raised a brow.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“Kunikuzushi bit me several times and drank my blood,” he stated, looking at him. “…..And I…I don’t know if that means I’m a vampire.”

Tartaglia got up and leaned down, squinting to examine his teeth. He lifted Kazuha’s upper lip more and frowned, then pulled away.

“You're a vampire.”

“Ah! I’m just pulling your leg! No need to look so pale,” he stated, seeing the color drain from his face. “Okay. I’m sorry! It was a really bad joke in poor taste. You’re human, you’re human. You don’t have fangs.”

Kazuha let out a small sigh in relief, running a finger over his teeth just to make sure. His canines did protrude out, but it was natural and not razor sharp. Glancing at himself, he touched his skin, feeling warmth radiating off then placed a hand over his heart.

Badum.

Badum.

Badum.

Badum.

Tartaglia chuckled and looked at him.

“Trust me. If you were a bloodsucker, you’d know,” he remarked with a smile. “And then— well, let’s just say our confrontation would be sooner rather than later.”

Pain rippled through his back and he sat back down. Tartaglia was odd, especially with comments like that, but compared to everyone else in the house he had met, he was a breath of fresh air from the normally gloomy atmosphere. 

“Tartaglia, has anything of note happened while I was comatose?”

“Not really, apart from what I already mentioned,” he admitted. “Same old, same old.”

He glanced back down at the man, who was leaning far back in his chair with a knife in one hand and an apple in another. 

“….Not to be rude, but why are you in my room?”

“Your room? You’re in our house,” he stated before he held out a clean apple slice. “I kid. I’ve just been checking in on you while Kunikuzushi is asleep. I don’t think he realizes that you have to eat regularly and rest frequently, especially when you’re injured. “

Kazuha thanked him, took the bunny shaped apple slice and ate it. 

“You haven’t been eating much apart from soup, fruits and some fish,” he stated, continuing to peel the apple. “But it was something. Now that you’re more conscious, you should eat more.”

He nodded and slouched forward, wiping his hands onto his nightgown. 

“Thank you. I will,” he stated softly with a smile. “….And thank you for taking care of me when I wasn’t in the right mind.”

“Of course, Kazuha. I told you I’d help you however I can!”

Tartaglia smiled at him and Kazuha couldn’t help, but smile back and feel more at ease. The man kept cutting cute shapes in the apple and gave it to him to eat, while Kazuha relaxed in bed, since he was still hurt. It was nice, just listening to Tartaglia ramble about where he had been recently and inform him of recent news. However, their time was interrupted when Tartaglia got up. 

“I hear him walking around, which means I should get going,” he stated, grabbing the plate and knife. “Don’t wanna get the both of us in trouble again. I’ll catch you later.”

He waved and smiled at him before he disappeared in the blink of an eye. There was a pause and Kazuha rubbed his eyes then touched his back. Stitches. Kunikuzushi probably did it, though why did he bite him in the first place then? Shortly after the thought, the short lord walked in with a pair of clothes in his hands. Strolling in, he glanced and made eye contact with Kazuha.

“Took you long enough to come around,” he remarked with a smug smile, before he walked over to him. “I was starting to grow impatient.”

He held out a set of clothes for him. Compared to the last ones he wore, it was a lot nicer; a black form fitting vest with gaudy designs, white collar button up shirt, long black dress pants and red ascot tied into a bow. Kazuha couldn’t help, but be disappointed again. As beautiful as the clothes were, they weren’t his and he felt too stuffy in them.

“Thank you. Is this for some sort of special event?” he asked, touching it, before he moved to get changed.

“You catch on quickly. No wonder you’re worthy of my affection . You are correct, however what special event it is, is a secret,” he cooed, before he moved to sit down on the chair. “Just get dressed.”

Kazuha simply nodded and moved to change, trying to be careful of his back, since he was still in pain. Kunikuzushi watched him while he put on his shirt, before he touched his stitches and tugged at one of them.

“Seems like you’re healing faster than I expected,” he commented with a smirk. “But with my powers, it’s no surprise really.”

Kazuha winced at the thread being pulled and glanced back at him. 

“Your powers?”

“As a pureblood, I can do just about anything really, including healing if I feel like it,” he remarked with a proud shrug. “You’re the first I’ve actually tried it on. Be grateful. It’s a blessing from your ever so wonderful master because he cares for you.”

The samurai looked at him before he felt a release and put on his shirt, vest and belt and katana.

“…..I am. Thank you….and thank you for looking after me as well,” he murmured before he moved to put on his tie.

“Even if it was fucking annoying dealing with you in such a state, watching you recover and do your mundane human rituals was…insightful, albeit rather boring,” he stated, keeping a close eye on him. 

Once he finished tying his bow and putting on his shoes, he straightened himself out and glanced over at Kunikuzushi, who was checking a silver pocket watch.

“Finally,” he remarked, then closed his watch and put his watch back into his breast pocket. “Let’s get going.”

He stood up and headed out of the room, while Kazuha followed after him down the hallway and down the stairs. Kunikuzushi was rather peculiar today; he was calm. Honestly, it frightened him more than his erratic and aggressive behavior. No trace of any sort of hidden agenda or eagerness, just cool and collected, despite his distant, seemingly annoyed expression. He had to admit though that Kunikuzushi was also being strangely pleasant to him, compared to his other interactions with him. Was this his new way of showing his care and affection towards him? 

They descended down the staircase and out to the garden area. It was dark out and Kazuha stuck close to the man. The dead and dreary atmosphere of the garden at night was overwhelming. The beautiful trees and plant life outstretched their shadowy hands towards him, wanting to sap all mortality from him. The vampire was unphased and staring ahead while they walked to a white house-like glass structure in the far off end of the garden. He had never seen anything like it before, so he couldn’t help but ogle at it curiously. There was a dim light barely illuminating the inside and Kazuha followed in after Kunikuzushi.

It was romantic?

Inside the structure were various red flowers inside black pots. Roses, calla lilies, camellias, chrysanthemums and some exotic ones he had never seen before. There in the center was a black metal table with a few candles adoring the center. On the left was a gold three-tiered tower of finger foods ranging from savory on the bottom to sweet on the next two layers. Near the center was a white porcelain teapot with thin and curvy lace like patterns that matched the cups and dishes. On the right side were a few cakes with glassy icing and delicately placed toppings. It was truly beautiful and he had never seen a set up quite like it before. 

“What is all this supposed to be?” Kazuha asked.

It was off putting to have such an elegant spread presented to him. 

“This is the special event I was talking about,” Kunikuzushi remarked before he went to the chair opposite and sat down elegantly. 

He picked up the teapot before he poured its contents into the dainty cups below, then smiled with no teeth and gestured to the other chair.

“Don’t grow shy on me now. Have a seat.”

Kazuha watched him. Kunikuzushi kept smiling back at him, before he moved to sip his cup of tea. Everything seemed fine, but he still couldn’t help, but feel uneasy. Unable to do anything else, he followed his command and took a seat, resting his hands in his lap. While the feast before him looked tempting, he’d rather not indulge in any of it until he understood what was going on.

“What exactly do you have planned?” he asked, looking at the man, who was already eating. “Is this some sort of trick?”

“This is merely an open conversation I suppose between two people who care for each other. I like to think of it as a fun and simple game really: one where we may speak freely without consequence and answer honestly….though for once, it’s highly biased in your favor. With that look on your face, were you expecting something else?” Kunikuzushi asked with a fanged smile. 

When it came to enjoying tea in such a beautiful place with someone, he expected to discuss poetry and enjoy the tranquility, not whatever this was. 

“Is there a catch to this? It…it seems too easy for someone like you,” he stated, looking at him. 

Kunikuzushi just smiled and laughed.

“Someone like me? Hehe, I guess you’ll just have to play to find out now,” he cooed.

He was taunting him. Kazuha frowned and glared at him. It wasn’t like he had a choice anyway. But if this “game” was as he said it was, then he could get to not only know him more, but get answers to more pressing questions. What would the man opposite of him ask though? Did he know something about him that he was unaware of? It couldn’t be possible. He had never talked about himself, apart from the rather vague answers to Tartaglia’s idle conversation with him. Though by the way Kunikuzushi was looking at him and helping himself to all the treats, he was waiting for him to ask him something.

“Why am I not a vampire? I thought that a human would become one if they were bitten?”

A good first question and something that had plagued him ever since he woke up. 

“Starting off strong I see. Are you asking me because you are so eager to be one with me?” he asked with a smirk. He merely shrugged in response then sipped his tea. “Maybe if you please me a little more, I’ll consider it. But to answer your question, biting someone won’t turn them.”

Kazuha stared at him, while Kunikuzushi eyed him, setting the tea cup down. 

“Do you not like tea or pastries? Or are you afraid that I’ve done something to the dishes?”

He rested his hands in his lap while he slouched forward and glanced down. The vampire looked at him and smiled, resting his elbows on the table before he clasped his palms together. 

“No need to be so cold. Relax…..or don’t. I haven’t done anything. Think of this simply as a sample of a…reward,” he cooed. “For good behavior. What was the term? Positive reinforcement. I read recently that humans enjoy positive reinforcement and present more desirable responses when you introduce a positive stimulus to them. Because I care for you, I’ve decided to try it, since I want to see what things you’ll say and the reactions you’ll give. Honestly, the look of unadulterated terror I have always seen is starting to bore me.” 

Kazuha looked at the man, listening. No malice. No deception. Just a rather off putting way of saying it was a gift, if he could even call it that. It was really weird, but he would much rather prefer this than whatever the hell else he could plan. 

“But if you’re so suspicious, check everything. I won’t stop you,” Kunikuzushi remarked, clearly amused by the way he hesitated and doubted him.

Kazuha closed his eyes and sniffed the air near the tower of beautifully crafted snacks. 

The bottom layer was stacked with small sandwiches of various fillings: cucumbers with mint cream cheese, cured ham and mustard, smoked salmon with lemon butter and eggs and cress. They smelled safe for the most part, though some of the ingredients were foreign to him. 

The middle layer was full of strange, hard pastries he had never seen before. They smelled fresh and bread-like with sprinkles of sugar and embedded with fresh fruits. Aside from not knowing what they were supposed to smell like, it seemed fine. 

The top layer was full of little dessert pastries with overly decorative toppings in impossible shapes and designs. He could vaguely pinpoint what a few of them were like the small bite of strawberry cake and a tiny cookie with some nuts sprinkled on. Though honestly, he had no idea where most of them were like the cube shaped ones with flower petals iced onto them. Apart from their overly luxurious designs, they too smelled fine.

The strawberry and chocolate cakes on the side smelled safe too.  They were gorgeous and Kazuha couldn't wait to take a slice once he checked everything.

The contents of the teapot were also suspicious. Picking it up, he examined the craftsmanship of the pot. No sort of holes on the handle or body and no divider in the spout. Carefully picking up the knob of the lid, he took a glance inside: the inviting complex and fresh fragrance and a clear golden liquid: oolong tea.

Everything seemed fine. Kunikuzushi was being truthful.

“……I see. Thank you then, my lord. I will accept,” he stated with a nod, before he grabbed the tongs and moved to put a few of the beautifully decorated goods on his plate. Setting the goods on his dish, he took a bite and glanced at him. 

“Can you explain why you didn't turn me into a vampire then?”

“The answer is obvious: you’re more interesting to me as a human for the time being. If I wanted a vampire as entertainment, I would spend time with the others in the house,” he remarked simply before he shrugged. “But if you want to get down to the finer details, even if I wanted you to become a vampire, it’s a complicated process, especially in regards to those above me in power. I highly doubt they would let me and as much as I loathe them, I’d rather not deal with them.” 

Both answers made sense and honestly, Kazuha was truly grateful he wasn’t turned. He couldn’t imagine being tied to the man for all eternity and turned into a beast who had to shy away from the light. Nodding, he took a bite of his pastry, then took a sip of his tea. Genuinely, it was nice to just be here with Kunikuzushi speaking so reasonably and getting answers…for now at least. 

“Now, I have a question for you, Kadehara. Why are you a wandering samurai with a last name like that?”

Kazuha blinked. What? How…how was he familiar with the background of his family name? Kunikuzushi watched his puzzled expression and smiled, enjoying a pastry. 

“The Kadehara Clan is a famed samurai clan renowned for their ability in the art of foraging. I find it strange that someone with such a rich family background would decide to just wander aimlessly.”

Kazuha never expected to talk about his history or family with anyone, let alone him. He wished to put it in the past.

“…….It’s what my father wanted,” he began softly. “The Kadehara Clan was already in decline when I was born. I never learned anything about foraging nor did my father. As I was growing up, my father and grandfather would urge me to travel the world and shed the burden that was our family name. So by the time I was a young adult, everything got repossessed and our last attendant was dismissed, but I felt free and pursued a life of wandering.”

“Do you not wish to live in luxury?”

“Nature has always called to me and I have always listened. I do not wish for luxuries and often find it burdensome to travel with a lot. If I need anything, I will find it myself or ask a generous passerby,” he replied softly. 

Just talking about it made his heart fill with grief, even if he had been stuck here for a week or two at most. Nature was so silent here and he longed to hear its whispers.

Kunikuzushi looked at him, sticking his fork in his mouth.

“Is the outside world better than this place?”

“Yes,” he remarked softly. “While this place may offer anything you could possibly desire or need, your heart is empty and there is no growth. The outside world, even with its faults, is beautiful. There are many times where you have to struggle, even times where you think there is no end to your sorrows..…you just carry on and keep finding things to enjoy, be it the friends who meet along your journey to watching the maple leaves turn red in the fall to just finding a cave to shelter from the rain.”

Kunikuzushi frowned and glanced down, shoveling a piece of cake in his mouth. It seemed like his words stirred the desire to leave within the man. He contemplated in silence, while Kazuha continued to eat. 

“…..Have you ever seen the outside world, my lord?”

Kunikuzushi glanced at him and snorted with a small laugh.

“When I was younger, I did, but most of the memories have all but faded. Why cling onto such meaningless things that cause me pain? I found much more interesting things to fill the space and new people to play with me,” he remarked. “But the entertainment and interest they once provided me has started to grow dull, so I’m glad you were brought here. I haven’t had this much fun in a while.”

Kunikuzushi seemed disturbingly happy about the last part, but Kazuha couldn’t help but feel pity for him. He couldn’t imagine being trapped here in semi-isolation for who knows how long.

“I’ve heard the others talk about the outside often, especially Tartaglia, so to say I’m interested in going out again is an understatement. I want to see what has changed and all the new things to play with,” he stated with a smile. 

“Well, if you ever find a way out to go outside, I wouldn’t mind showing you around,” he commented.

Kunikuzushi hummed in thought. 

“I’ll think about it,” he remarked

Hopefully, he’d consider it. It wasn’t much, but if Kunikuzushi did find a way out and brought him along, it was better than being here. Perhaps he’d even find a way to escape from him. He hated to break the flow, but he had more questions.

“What powers do you have? I know you have the basic ones, flight, the one where um….things explode and the healing one.” He hated how crudely he worded it, but he didn’t know how else to define it.

“You just don’t like surprises, do you? I know this game is about honesty, but I’d rather you find out for yourself when we play together. I have so much to show you,” he stated with a smug smile. “But I’ll throw you a hint: suit of cards.”

Suit of cards? What a vague hint. 

He glanced at Kunikuzushi, noticing the way the man always seemed to be looking at not just his face, but also his throat. 

“……What’s with the look? I see your eyes constantly wandering to my neck,” he murmured, instinctively rubbing it.

The vampire leaned back in his chair then picked up his cup again. He eyed him then hummed softly and sipped it, before he moved to pour himself another cup. 

“I want more of your human blood,” he stated frankly, sipping his tea while he looked him dead in the eye. “I’ve been thinking about it since I tasted it. Most of the blood I’ve ever had has tasted the same and over the years, it’s gotten to be such a chore to keep consuming its filthy, cold and stale contents. But yours….was delicious .”

The way Kunikuzushi said it scared him. Desire burned bright in his blue eyes. He was going to be devoured.

“The way I could feel all of you as your mortality slid down my throat. So warm. So pure. So beautiful. I don’t think I’ll ever find anything as wonderful as that again. You’ll give me more, won’t you?”

Kunikuzushi stared at him. Kazuha stared back.

“No.”

His brow twitched and his calm demeanor broke. 

“What did you say?”

“Why would I give you my blood?” Kazuha asked bluntly with a frown. 

This was a game of speaking honestly and he was going to take advantage of it….even if the honesty bit was merely a farc.

“As much as I appreciate you being so well mannered and kind to me today, you’re more than likely just going to treat me like some sort of disposable object all over again; forcing me to play your sick games and wounding me when you lose your temper. If you’re asking for my permission, I refuse, but do I even have a choice, considering my situation?”

Kunikuzushi glared at him; his nose scrunching up in pure anger. The atmosphere around them grew heavy.

“If this is your way of showing you care about me, it’s not working,” he remarked, sipping his drink. 

“So what do you want in exchange for your blood?” he asked through gritted teeth. 

“Since you won’t grant me my freedom, I want a guarantee of comfortability in this house and safety from you.”

“Safety from me?”

“Precisely. Considering the damage you’ve done to me since I’ve been here, to the point of dying multiple times, I would rather not have to experience what happened recently again.”

“And what if I refuse?”

“You care for me, right? Then it should be a simple task really. If you need another reason, think of it like that bishop piece you enjoy so much,” he stated, moving to take a bite of his sandwich. 

He would have used a nature example, but toys were something the other was more familiar with.

“It’s in perfect condition. But if you decide to keep being aggressive with it like your other pieces, it’s going to get more and more damaged as time goes on and once you break it, it’s gone…forever. You could replace it with any other piece in the world, even an exact replica, but it’s not the same chess piece. The sentimentality along with anything else attached to it will be nothing, but a distant memory on the wind.”

Kunikuzushi glanced down and frowned, resting his hand under his chin in thought. He was silent, clearly considering what Kazuha had said.

Kazuha honestly wished he had more to ask for, but freedom was obviously off the table. These were the next best things, despite being the bare minimum. He’d rather not have to fear constantly being shredded by the man with anger and self control issues.

“…..Will you still play games with me or is that off the table?” he asked.

“As long as it doesn’t involve trying to maim me, then yes.”

“Well, that takes a lot of the fun out of the games,” he remarked with a snort before he chuckled and smirked. “But, it’s fine. I’ll find other ways to truly have fun in our games because I care about you.” 

Kunikuzushi laughed while he leaned back in his chair, sipping his drink.

“I’ll accept your “offers,” but in return, I can have as much blood as I want, whenever I want, wherever I want,” he remarked smoothly. “It’s only fair really.”

Kazuha looked at the man, who was grinning ear to ear. This whole deal was unequal from the start and either way, the vampire could easily take whatever he wanted from him. But what if he actually held up his end of the deal? He highly doubted it, but one could hope.

“Alright. Just don’t take too much,” Kazuha agreed, rubbing his shoulder with a small sigh. 

Kunikuzushi simply laughed before he violently stabbed his fork into his slice of cake then shoved it into his own mouth, clearly relishing in Kazuha’s reactions. 

Surprisingly enough the “game” went on as smoothly as it could be, while the two devoured the tea and snacks. Kazuha did get a few answers to his questions like:

What the vampire was interested in - “Anything really; books, games, plays, fighting, living things. If I haven’t done or seen it before, I would want to try it at least once. I suppose you would also fall into this category too then.”

His age - “ Asking all the personal questions now, aren’t we? I stopped counting after 500 a while ago.”

Thoughts on Tartaglia - “……Seriously? I fucking hate him. So loud and so reckless and so annoying. I could never understand why they turned him. He’s nothing, but a disgusting human with delusions of grandeur. They’re just prolonging his inevitable death and I will celebrate the day I never have to hear him or his name again.”

Favorite poem- “ I’ve read all sorts of poetry, but I could never understand it. If I had to pick though, I guess I enjoyed that one poem titled ‘Alone’ by some author with the last name Poe.”

Does he play any instruments - “I used to. I grew bored after about a few decades though and no one has brought me any new instruments since. Huh? I used to play the harpsichord, flute, violin, harp, clarinet, trumpet…actually any instrument you can think of, I’ve probably played and am quite proficient at it.” 

Thoughts on humans - “I loathe them from the way they smell to the way they look. There’s nothing good about them, but I have to admit they’re fun to play with even if they are fragile. Their cries for help were cute and I especially enjoyed tearing their limbs off and mixing their parts around….it did smell after a while and it was hard to clean up. As for you being human…..I guess I don’t mind it too much especially with your blood and entertainment value.”

In return Kunikuzushi asked him…pretty mundane questions like what he was interested in, what sorts of human foods he liked, what games did humans play now, what rituals did humans perform, etc. It was a little strange, but he did answer his questions genuinely and he was at least grateful the man didn’t pry anymore into his past. Kazuha did get what he wanted out of the “game”, though he did have a few questions left unanswered: What was the eternal night and scarlet mist? Was it something to be taken at face value or was it code for something else? He did want an answer to it, but asking Kunikuzushi and Tartaglia wouldn’t be a good idea. He’d rather not let them know he was eavesdropping on their meeting, so he’d investigate it himself when it was daytime. 

Once they were finished, Kunikuzushi smirked and stood up.

“Now then, I want to indulge in your blood.”

“…..Already?”

“I haven’t had blood in awhile and I’m thirsty,” he remarked with a snort. “Besides, I had all this made for you. I held up my end of the bargain now, so you better hold up yours.”

Kazuha frowned and looked at the man who was glaring at him like a child. Sighing, he reluctantly agreed, since he was feeling a bit better and he did appreciate Kunikuzushi’s “better” attitude during their time together.  Kunikuzushi left the servants to clean up the dishes before he snatched Kazuha’s wrist and dragged him to his room.

Awkward was a good way to describe it. Not only was he some sort of toy, but now also a meal for the vampire whenever he pleased. Was this fate worse than his original one? If Kunikuzushi kept his end of the bargain, then no. Of course he was still trapped here, there was no question about that, but he’d rather not worry about the fear of uncertain death around the man he was constantly attached to. Though this position was rather uncomfortable with him sitting in Kunikuzushi’s lap and his arms wrapped around him. The way Kunikuzushi attacked him when Kazuha touched him left him to believe he detested his “filthy mortal” grasp, so to now be asked to do the same gesture, was confusing. Every time he thought he had the vampire figured out, he would do something that completely threw him off. 

“My lord, if I may ask, why my neck and why like this? Wouldn’t somewhere like my wrist or arm suffice?”

The vampire snorted.

“I don’t need to explain myself to you. You agreed to let me bite wherever I want,” he murmured, tightly gripping his white hair in his right hand and the small of his back with his other.

Kazuha winced as he pulled his head to the side to better expose his neck for him. After a moment, he felt him aggressively bite down on his neck, hissing in pain as tears welled in his eyes. It was just as painful as he had remembered, if not more. He clung to him, feeling the warmth leave his body. Trying to take a look at the man, he caught him with his eyes closed. He looked like was intoxicated at the moment, thoroughly enjoying himself. 

The penetration did initially hurt, but the rest of the process wasn’t painful, though his head and neck were starting to ache from being forcibly tilted at such an uncomfortable angle. Sighing, he simply relaxed and closed his eyes, deciding to pass the time by trying to come up with poetry — something of which hadn’t done since he had been trapped here.

Ideas swirled in his head:

Birds

Cages

Spring

Vast sky

Morning sun

Flames 

Rising moon

Ash

Rabbits

Those last few items weren’t related to his haiku ideas at all.

His body suddenly felt hot, especially his lower half, and any sort of coherent thought left him. Intercourse. Coupling.

All these thoughts and feelings made him feel like he was a teenager going through puberty again. How improper. Why was he suddenly feeling this way? And now he was trapped in another man’s lap. Kunikuzushi’s hand slid up his sore back. Slowly. Sensational. His tongue scraped against his ever so sensitive skin. Every little movement: the way he adjusted his hold on his hair to how he repositioned Kazuha on his lap to how he was sucking, he could feel it…and it felt so good

He had officially lost it.

A pathetic whiny noise spilled from his lips and he clawed at his back. He needed to get away from him to relieve himself.

Kunikuzushi peeked open his eyes, perplexed. 

“Please hurry up already,” he murmured quietly, feeling his face heat up.

His eyes scanned his reddened face and unusual body language, intense heat radiating off of him. Annoyed, he continued to drink, before he grasped his waist tightly, resulting in a moan from the other. That caught him off guard and he actually pulled away, licking the wound.

“….The hell was that?” Kunikuzushi asked with a scrunched up expression.

Kazuha was embarrassed, despite not knowing why he was acting like a horny, erratic teenager.

“And what’s with you all of a sudden? You smell weird and you’re all red,” he snorted. “What sort of human thing is that?”

Stumbling back, he managed to get off of him and stood up, almost immediately feeling lightheaded and nauseous. Mixed with his thoughtless lust, he felt helpless. Rubbing the bridge of his nose, he tried to think or get any thought into his head, but nothing formed. 

“Hey! Are you listening to me!? I asked you several questions!”

His voice was nothing, but muffled and he could feel himself come undone. Brushing him off for now, he staggered to the door and left, closing it behind him. The entire hallway was spinning and stretched out. Leaning against the red wall, he steadied himself trying to remember where the bathroom was. Splashing his face with cold water and taking a moment to himself would help, but the problem was actually getting there. Kunikuzushi was screaming behind him, but he ignored him. Where was the bathroom again? Everything looked the same and he couldn’t focus at all. Frowning, he slowly held onto the wall, closing his eyes as he just kept walking forward. Sharp claws dug into his shoulder and whipped him around.

“Who do the fuck do you think you are ignoring and leaving me?” Kunikuzushi snapped at him.

“Bathroom.”

“Huh?”

“Can’t think. I need to go to the bathroom…please,” he stated, trying to open his eyes to look at him.

Kunikuzushi was about to argue before a familiar voice whistled.

“You’re not gonna let a clearly sick human go to the bathroom,” Tartaglia interjected with a smile, strolling over to the pair. “Your cruelty knows no bounds.”

The shorter vampire snarled and glared up at him. Kazuha looked up at him pathetically. Was this guy eavesdropping on them again? 

“Nosy vermin, I thought I told you to stay out of my business,” he snapped. 

“How can I when you’re so loud? Particularly everyone in the house is involved.”

Kunikuzushi hissed at him, while Tartaglia went over to Kazuha.

“Look at the poor guy. He looks so awful,” he stated, patting his messy, white hair.

He growled even more. 

“Don’t touch him! He’s mine!”

Tartaglia merely smirked and wrapped an arm around him.

Kazuha’s lightheadedness and horniness only got worse, especially with the head pat and touching. These two always fucking bicker with each other.

“…..I’m just gonna go,” he murmured, pushing Tartaglia off. “I don’t think I can wait any longer.”

Kunikuzushi grabbed him. 

“I didn’t say you could go!”

“You’re really going to really stop him?”

Tartaglia kept his arm around him. 

Kazuha’s normal calm temperament broke.

“Both of you can come with me or not. Otherwise, if you keep me here any longer, I will puke on the both of you.”

The two of them ended up accompanying him to the bathroom. 

Kazuha, despite not being in his right mind, was thoroughly embarrassed. The moment of peace alone was destroyed by the two bickering relentlessly behind. Well, that interrupted one of his plans. Feeling ill and lightheaded, he slumped onto his knees and vomited in the toilet for several minutes. Kunikuzushi was visibly disgusted, whereas Tartaglia was unphased and gave him a look of “I told you so.” Wiping his mouth, he went to the sink and washed off his face and mouth with cold. The nausea was gone, but he still felt tired and lustful. Ignoring the arguing from the two, he sat on the cold, tile floor and closed his eyes, trying to calm down and just wait for things to pass. 

“Kadehara Kazuha,” Kunikuzushi barked.

Kazuha glanced up wearily at him and tilted his head. 

“Yea, my lord?” he asked quietly.

“Whenever you're done with your….human affairs…..we’re going to play a game with that bastard over there.”

That didn’t sound good at all, considering the two actively loathed each other and he always ended up in the middle of whatever they had going on. How does he diffuse or rather not participate in whatever game of death he had in mind, especially when he could barely think?

“Actually, my lord, I was hoping to only play with you this evening,” he stated quietly. “Since we still never finished our game of make believe and you never taught me how to properly play chess.” 

Kunikuzushi surprisingly didn’t yell at him, but actually considered it.

“I just adore spending quieter moments with you,” he admitted softly with a smile. 

“Adore….”

“It means you’re very fond of or hold something in high regard.”

Kunikuzushi looked at him and hummed in thought. 

“Mmm I see,” he hummed before he chuckled. “Since you’ve been good for the most part and I adore spending time with you too, we can continue our fun alone. I don’t want to invite that jackass either,” he sneered, glaring at the ginger man who sulked behind him. “Though, let’s wash up beforehand.”

Kazuha let out a soft sigh in relief before he felt a cold hand on top of his head. He was confused as he glanced up to see Kunikuzushi’s hand in his hair. Was he trying to pat him? It was stiff and heavy handed, akin to being pushed down into the ground.

“Attend to your strange human ritual. I’ll deal with that annoying ginger flea and then we can bathe.”

Kunikuzushi hummed proudly and scolded the ginger, threatening him with gruesome acts of violence like skinning, burning him alive and tearing his teeth out. The samurai let out a soft sigh as he watched the two of them argue, but both left the bathroom. Breathing in relief, he slumped back into the wall and closed his eyes, savoring the temporary silence and escape from the creatures of the night. 

Hopefully, he could have a more relaxing evening, though with Kunikuzushi, just like the weather, moments of stillness signified an upcoming storm. 

Chapter Text

Despite stroking Kunikuzushi’s ego and playing on his supposed affection towards him, Tartaglia somehow managed to worm his way into their evening plans. How was it even possible considering the tense relationship between the two? Only the gods knew. As much as Kazuha did like Tartaglia, having to deal with the two of them together was like sailing in a boat through a hurricane, caught between the roaring waves and merciless storm. Every time he got stuck between the two, misfortune inevitably followed, resulting in grievous bodily harm. And to have to deal with it for a full evening? Hopefully, he could just stay out of it rather than being the hapless middle victim. For now, he would savor the moment of peace…..apart from being in the same bathtub with Kunikuzushi. Thankfully, the sudden wave of burning lust and nausea had faded before then, so he didn’t have to try and explain that.

Kunikuzushi insisted they should bathe together. Why? He had no idea. The vampire was rather peculiar today, so he didn’t really question. However, before they could, Kazuha did have to brush his teeth and get thoroughly (and aggressively) rinsed with water. It was degrading, since the maids were doing it, and he felt like some sort of animal, but he couldn’t complain. 

The bathtub was cramped with two people in it and Kazuha kept to one side, staying huddled up, but with his feet propped up so as to not touch him. The water was hot and soapy. White bubbles frothed to the surface and the aroma of jasmine and lavender filled his nostrils. As relaxing as everything was, he still felt lightheaded from the blood “donation” to the man opposite him. Leaning back, he closed his eyes, hoping it would pass before a maid came by with a tray in hand and glass in another.

“Lord Tartaglia asked me to bring you this,” she stated to Kazuha, who weakly opened his eyes.

Kunikuzushi glared at her, while Kazuha looked at the glass of fragrant orange juice.

“Does he not know how to mind his business?” the vampire spat. “I thought I told him to leave us alone until we’re done.” 

Honestly, he was parched and people did go through the effort of making him juice. He nodded and smiled at the woman.

“Thank you. Tell Tartaglia I said thank you as well,” he stated, before he reached out, picked up the glass and took a sip.

The vampire’s nose wrinkled, watching Kazuha down the liquid. 

“Why are you even drinking that?” 

“It tastes delicious and I’m thirsty and lightheaded after you bit me, so I need to rehydrate again. Orange juice helps with both,” he explained while he watched the vampire’s eyes. “….Would you like to try?”

Kunikuzushi reached out and grabbed Kazuha’s glass. 

“…We could get you a fresh glass, my lord,” one of the servants stated, but he hissed at them. 

“Did I give you permission to speak? If I wanted my own, I would ask,” he growled before the servant bowed deeply and shuffled away. 

Kazuha didn’t mind and handed the glass over. I guess he didn’t mind sharing the same glassware and food now? Kunikuzushi gagged when the smell was under him, but he took a sip and nearly spit it out. 

“That’s vile,” he stated, wiping his mouth. “Too potent and there’s these nasty insects in my mouth now.”

Insects?

Kazuha glanced at the glass.

“It is orange pulp — the flesh of the orange that contains the juice, which is why there’s a stringy texture in your mouth. It’s not for everyone.”

Kunikuzushi handed him back the glass, then scoffed. 

“Take your nasty juice back.”

“Orange juice is rather strong. You’d probably enjoy something like grape, sunsettia or apple juice. Their scent isn’t as strong, there’s no pulp and their flavor is milder.”

Kunikuzushi watched him casually drink his juice. 

“Isn’t grape juice the same as wine?”

“No. Grape juice is unfermented and tends to have sugar added to it and grape wine is fermented and in turn, is alcoholic,” he explained before he gave one of the maids a polite smile. “So the juice is often sweeter compared to the wine, but wine can also be made of any fermented fruit”

“Have you ever had wine?” 

“Yes. I’ve tried a few wines,” he stated with a smile while he tested his arms on the sides of the tub. “Each of them was unique in their acidity, scent, tannin, sweetness and flavor and paired with a meal that complimented their flavors. Though I must say that wine isn’t something that I enjoy, since I prefer the sake I make, but perhaps it’s because I only tried them if they were cheap or if someone was generous enough to buy a glass for me.”

Kunikuzushi listened to him while Kazuha relaxed into the hot waters of the tub, trying to soothe his aching body. 

“We have a wine cellar here with a variety of wines from various regions and decades,” he remarked proudly then sunk more into the water. “They’re of the best quality too. I should let you sample a glass or two. Whatever wines you’ve tried would pale in comparison.” 

“….Um…how generous. Are you expecting something in return?” Kazuha asked. He seemed too….friendly to not want something 

“I saw your sake gourd. I want a taste.”

Well, it did make sense Kunikuzushi had rooted through his belongings.

“….Are you sure? You may not like it given your more…refined palette,” he replied.

The sake was homemade, a recipe that his beloved friend, who had come from a family of sake brewers, had passed to him during their journey together. It was delicious and clean with a smooth taste, especially when it was heated up and drunk after a long day. Now that his friend was gone, the taste was unforgettable and their memories together would always linger in his mind. For someone like Kunikuzushi, he’d most likely call it crude especially in comparison to all the luxurious drinks he had sampled in his long lifespan. 

The vampire snorted, then glared at him. 

“I've never had sake before, so I wanna try it,” he grumbled. “But if it’s disgusting, then I’ll just wash it down with your blood.”

Of course. 

“Um….alright.”

Hopefully he wasn’t expecting to try it tonight because he really didn’t want to lose anymore of his blood.Kazuha relaxed into the water and closed his eyes again; getting as comfortable as he could. Yawning, he leaned his head back to rest it on the side, before he felt one of the maids start to scrub his hair.

“You don’t have to do that. I want to do it myself, but thank you,” he stated politely.

Kunikuzushi watched him and raised a brow.

“You want to bathe yourself? They’re here for a reason.”

“While it does feel good, I prefer washing my own hair and body, but I also tend to spend a copious amount of time just soaking.”

“That sounds awful. Why would you do that?” he snorted, looking at him. 

“Because it feels good? I also see it as a form of mediation after a day of activities,” he replied then tapped his lip in thought.” Hmm I wouldn’t mind someone washing me if I knew them. I’ve actually done it a few times with friends and it’s a good way to bond with them.”

Kunikuzushi glanced down in thought. 

“Kadehara, I want you to clean me.”

Huh? 

“You want me to clean you?”

“Did I stutter? I want you to clean me like you’ve done with those “friends” of yours.”

Kunikuzushi was being really weird today, but maybe he had sparked some curiosity about what his human life consisted of and he wanted to see what they were like. Though, he wasn’t sure how he would react to being touched and cleaned by one.

“Are you going to make me wait?” he demanded.

“If you want me to bathe you, I wouldn’t mind it,” he admitted. “Just let me know if or when I should stop.”

So much for relaxing, but if it kept Kunikuzushi in a good mood, then he didn’t mind too much. There was also a positive side: this could be a good bonding experience for them too if the vampire liked it.

Rubbing his shoulders, he opened his eyes and sat up then gestured for him to come over. Kunikuzushi huffed and scooted over to him, then turned his back to him and stretched out. Kazuha was still bunched up in his corner and unable to stretch out. Sighing, he moved and criss-crossed his legs then moved to get the shampoo for him, which one of the maids so kindly presented. Rubbing the soap into his hands, he hesitated for a brief moment then began to massage it into his hair using the tips of his fingers. The vampire was extremely tense; his arms crossed tightly around his chest and his back slouched forward. It was hard to get a read on what he was thinking or feeling, so Kazuha was just gentle and cautious.

“No need to hold back. I’ll tell you if I don’t like it,” the man in front of him grumbled. 

Blinking, he massaged his scalp, working the shampoo into his silky locks of hair with skilled fingers. He couldn’t help, but hum a soft tune while the man said nothing. Kunikuzushi was still tense, most likely because he was either disgusted or wasn’t used to human touch — probably both. Despite it, he said nothing and Kazuha kept massaging his scalp while his humming echoed beautifully with the acoustics of the bathroom. Just humming, he kept going, tenderly and gently,before he eventually spoke.

“Are you enjoying yourself, my lord?” he asked softly.

“…..Is this a form of affection ?” he asked quietly.

“I suppose so…yeah.”

“…Why does it feel different when you bathe me than when the maids do it?”

“I don’t quite know the answer to that, but perhaps it’s because you care about me and we’re……friends,” he stated.

Friends probably wasn’t the best way to describe them, considering friendship required there to be a mutual bond or affection between the two parties; their “relationship” was stranded, to put it lightly. If Kunikuzushi didn’t constantly try to kill him, wasn’t so cruel and wasn’t holding him here against his will, then perhaps they could genuinely be friends. 

Kunikuzushi seemed to think about what he had said while Kazuha moved to rinse the soap from his hair with a small bowl. He was careful, trying to not get any of the suds or water in his eyes.

“Friends?” Kunikuzushi mused.

“Yes. Are you familiar with the term?” 

“Of course, I know what friends are! Do you take me for an idiot?”

Of course he didn’t, but he was unfamiliar with the whole affection and caring terms. 

“Ah…no, my lord. I apologize for making assumptions.”

“However, this friend thing,” he stated, glancing back at him with a smirk. “I suppose it would only be fitting that someone as worthy of my affection as you would be my first friend. Aren’t you honored by that?”

It was unsurprising, but sad that Kunikuzushi hadn’t had any sort of friends before him. Even with his prideful attitude, the look on his face told him that he was genuinely happy Kazuha considered him to be a friend. 

“Yes, my lord,” he stated with a soft smile. 

The vampire hummed proudly and laughed, leaning back into him as if he were some sort of chair. Kazuha didn’t mind too much, rinsing off all the suds in his hair before he glanced down at him. 

“Would you like me to wash the rest of your body, my lord?”

“Since you’re my friend, it’s only fitting that I would give you the privilege of anointing my body.”

So this was how it’s gonna be for now on, wasn’t it?

“Alright. Just let me know if you get uncomfortable.” 

Kazuha got the bar of white soap and began to cautiously wash Kunikuzushi, staring with his shoulders and back. Now that Kunikuzushi was fully undressed, he could see how inhumane and perfect he was. His skin was unnaturally pale like a corpse and perfect: smooth with no blemishes, no scars, no moles, no anything. He was truly the image of a man sealed away for centuries whose only source of light was the gentle arms of night. Lathering the soap to his arms, he was surprised to see the man had some muscle. 

“You’re staring a little too hard there, Kadehara,” he remarked. “Can feel your gaze burning into me.”

“My apologies. I was just noticing the difference between our bodies.”

Kunikuzushi grabbed his left arm and held it side by side with his own left arm. 

“Huh. We do have a lot of differences, especially our hands.”

Apart from the obvious, Kazuha had more muscle on himself and scars here and there. His hand was heavily calloused and veins protruded from the back of his hand, while his knuckles were rough and scarred. Kunikuzushi’s, on the other hand, was perfect; soft and smooth with long, thin fingers and sharp red fingernails. The vampire found their different hands fascinating and ogled at Kazuha’s more rigid appearance. 

“What’s all this from?”

His fingers pointing to all the callouses and scars.

“Living life in the wild, so I’ve had to do a lot with my hands like climb and fight and overtime I got callouses from all of it,” he stated, turning them over to show his palms.

“That’s so weird. Your hands are so rough,” he stated, running his fingers along them. 

“And your hands are so soft,” he said with a smile.

Kunikuzushi just kept a hold of his left hand, just touching and watching it while Kazuha moved to try and wash him. Honestly, the man was cute when he was like this and he wished he acted like this more often. 

After a few minutes, the vampire released him, so he could better wash him. Surprisingly enough, the vampire was still tense, closing his eyes tightly when Kazuha got to his chest and neck area. He noticed and held back, just being gentle and careful lest the vampire told him to stop. Once he finished, he rinsed him off then stretched out. Kunikuzushi rubbed the back of his neck and got out of the tub, before a maid came and helped him into a robe and wrapped a towel around his hair. Kazuha just watched while the vampire laughed.

“What are you expecting me to bathe you too?” he asked with a laugh. 

Kazuha shook his head then leaned back. 

“No.”

“Well too bad,” he sneered with a smirk. “Because I’m just gonna wash your hair and that’s it.”

The samurai simply raised a brow at him. What was with the change of heart? Better yet, why did he want to wash his hair? Actually considering the mole incident, he might want a piece of his hair or something like some sort of trophy. 

“If you want to, but don’t feel as if you’re forced to return the favor just because I bathed you,” he remarked softly while he leaned back and watched him walk over. 

“As if any human could ever make me do anything,” he remarked before he grabbed his hair pretty harshly, causing Kazuha to flinch in pain. 

His head tilted back, exposing his throat as he looked up at him. The vampire traced his long claw slowly across his neck then looked down and smiled at him.

“You’re so vulnerable like this. I could easily slit your throat and devour you whole, while I watch the light leave your eyes,” he murmured.

He could feel his heart pulse in his throat, while the two stared at each other; his staggered breath was the only noise that resonated in the bathroom. Kunikuzushi looked down at him, red eyed and hungry; his life dangling from the fingertips of the man. Truly, he was unpredictable, but for once, Kazuha was able to figure him out

“You wouldn’t,” he said calmly, looking up at him.

“Oh? How can you be so sure?” he whispered, leaning down closer to him as his hand wrapped around his throat

“Because you like me.”

“Do I?”

“You hold affection and care towards me, besides we’re friends now and I noticed the look of glee when I considered you one.”

Kunikuzushi looked at him and smirked, before he broke out into laughter.

“Have I really gotten so predictable already? I guess I’ll have to change things up then.” 

The vampire pulled his hand away and smiled. 

“You are worthy of my grace, Kadehara.”

He allowed Kazuha to sit up again before he began to wash his hair. At first, Kazuha thought he was going to unintentionally use his brutish strength and tear out his hair or rip his scalp off, but Kunikuzushi was surprisingly gentle. The vampire was mimicking the massaging and scrubbing that Kazuha had done to him, noting that he was trying to be mindful of his claws. Honestly, it was relaxing. His eyes fluttered close and he relaxed into his touch, while he enjoyed the warm soap water. His fingers massaged circles into his scalp and lathering each lock of white hair in shampoo. The vampire was quiet the whole time, concentrating on washing his hair. After several minutes, he felt warm water drip down his face. He opened up his eyes and saw the vampire wipe his hands off with a towel.

“Done. You can finish the rest yourself,” he remarked with a smirk.

“Thank you, my lord. That was nice.”

Kunikuzushi glanced down for several moments, then huffed and walked out of the bathroom. 

The samurai was perplexed by his reaction. Sinking into the water, he enjoyed the warmth for just a bit longer. After thoroughly washing himself, the maids wrapped a towel around him and dried him then took him to the dressing room to get changed.

————————————————

The two were walking down the hall and quietly chatting about the books that Kunikuzushi read while Kazuha was comatose, which were mainly horror, science and romantic books. Kazuha did find it interesting how he talked about the various topics especially the more romantic books in it such a distant manner; grasping the ideas and themes down to the finest detail, but not truly grasping why the author talked or described things in such a manner

“I don’t understand why they decided to run away from their town, leaving all their luxuries behind to live in the forest with nothing,” Kunikuzushi remarked. “They had everything they could ever want back at their home.”

“From what I can gather, the couple did it because their riches burdened them. While on the surface they had everything, both were deeply unhappy with the roles that society placed upon them and the masks they had to wear on a daily basis,” Kazuha explained. “And the only way they believed they could free themselves from it was to go into nature.”

“It still doesn’t make any sense to me — to throw everything away to be happy with someone in the woods.”

“Perhaps that’s because you’ve never experienced an emotion that intense before nor a person like that.”

Kunikuzushi glanced at him, seeming to think about it, before they got to Tartaglia, who was leaning against the walls near Kunikuzushi’s room. He glanced at them and smiled, giving the pair a wave. 

“Took you two long enough! I was starting to get bored,” Tartaglia said with a smile, crossing his arms.

Kazuha couldn’t help, but speak. 

“How did you manage to convince my lord to let you participate in an evening with us?”

“Hm? Oh that was easy. I told him that the reason he didn’t want to include me was that he was afraid to lose to me!”

That made more sense, considering how much Kunikuzushi loathed Tartaglia and how highly he valued his pride. 

“Don’t look down, Kuni~ Now you can play more games since you have another person,” he cooed with a laugh. 

Kunikuzushi’s mouth dropped in disgust and his brows scrunched together. 

“Don’t ever call me by that vile nickname again,” he spat, glaring up at him before he frowned deeply. “Anyway, what games are available now that there’s more people?

Kazuha and Tartaglia began to talk about it:

“Tag?”

“I will do anything, but play tag again.”

“Oh…right, right. Jailbreak is fun.”

“……”

“Oh yeah. Uh you wouldn’t be able to catch us at all or we would catch you immediately.”

“Charades?”

“Oh that’s kinda fun, but I feel like you need more people.”

“Honestly, the only other thing I can think of is hide and seek, but it may be boring with just 3 players.”

“I wanna play hide and seek!” Kunikuzushi interrupted with an overly eager grin.

“Are you sure, my lord? It may not be fun if there’s only 2 hiders and 1 seeker,” Kazuha asked.

“That’s no issue. I can get 3 more players.”

Was he going to ask the other lords to play?

Kunikuzushi’s body and eyes began to glow red before there was another Kunikuzushi? And another Kunikuzushi? And another Kunikuzushi?

At first, he thought it was an optical illusion, but there right before his eyes were four Kunikuzushi, each doing their own thing; the original one was smirking proudly and straightening himself out, the one on his left was sticking his tongue out at him, the one on the right was giddy with excitement for the game while the one on the far right had his arms crossed.

“Impressed by my capabilities, Kadehara?” the original said with a laugh. 

“….That would be putting it lightly.”

Kazuha just stared in complete and utter awe and dismay. 

One was already horrible enough, considering he could barely handle (if you could even call it that,) but now there were four!? Four of them!? He wanted to curl up in a ball and cry. Sure Kunikuzushi had been relatively well behaved today, but what about the other three of him? Were they going to act similarly or independent from the original? Either way, it was going to be hell and it truly made him question if he was in hell because it felt like it. With everything he had, he said a silent prayer and begged the gods to have mercy on him and to let the volatile men to be nice to him. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he took a deep breath in and deep breath out. There was no need to get so worked up over this; perhaps, all four versions of him would be pleasant this evening. Glancing, he saw that even Tartaglia was rather surprised about the whole affair, clearly unaware that he could do that too. 

“Let’s go play now!” one of the copies said eagerly. “I’m it.”

Another copy butt in and frowned.

“Why do you get to be it?! I wanna be it!” 

“No I wanna be it!”

“You guys be it? I think it’s only fair that I get to be it since I organized this whole thing,” Tartaglia interjected while the copies and the original glared at him. 

“Like hell, you’re gonna be it, worm!”

The five of them were arguing amongst each other while Kazuha just watched them. At least he wasn’t in the middle of it, though the bickering and yelling was making his head hurt. Sighing, he decided to stop it. 

“I’ll be the seeker,” he stated calmly. “Since you five can’t decide, it only makes sense for me to get the role. Plus, the game might be over too quickly with everyone’s abilities.” 

Surprisingly everyone kind of agreed with him and let him be the seeker. 

“Let’s play!” one of the copies cheered.

“Shouldn’t we establish some sort of rules or something to make it fair for the poor guy?” Tartaglia questioned, crossing his arms. “The estate is massive and the game could take all night, not to mention that Kazuha is still unfamiliar with most of it.”

Kunikuzushi rubbed his chin in thought. 

“As much as I hate to agree with you, you’re right,” he sighed. “I’d rather not sit somewhere hiding for who knows how long to not be found, plus it’d get boring after awhile.”

Thank the gods Kunikuzushi was going to be reasonable. 

“Let’s see: you have one hour to find the 5 of us. We’ll see the hiding spots limited to the main house and garden.”

“Does that include the roof?” Tartaglia asked. 

“You’re a fucking idiot mentioning your hiding space already, but yes, the roof counts a part of the garden and main house. If you find us all in time, you win a prize.”

That was seemingly impossible considering how big the place was not to mention their vampiric abilities. 

“Um…..can I also add some rules to the game to make it fairer?”

Kunikuzushi raised a brow while Tartaglia smiled. 

“Go on,” the shorter vampire stated. 

“You can’t run nor change your hiding spot. Once you’ve got it, that’s it. And no trying to fight back either, if I see you then I found you,” Kazuha replied. 

Kunikuzushi frowned in response, then thought about it and simply smiled. He laughed. Uh oh.

“Sure. Why not? Sounds good to me. Anything else?”

“I think that’s it.”

“Excellent,” he said with a mischievous grin before he pulled out his pocket watch. “Let’s get started then.”

“Wait…wait. We need to give him a light source,” Tartaglia stated, looking down at them. 

“Why? He has fucking eyes.”

“It’s dark in a lot of areas so even if his eyes adjust to it, he probably won’t be able to see anything. We should give him a lantern or candlestick,” he said with a smile. 

Kazuha looked at Tartaglia then at the group of Kunikuzushis, who were pouting. 

“That would actually make things a lot better for me,” Kazuha said with a smile. 

“Well, we’ll give you a lantern,” he said, before in the blink of an eye with a gold oil lamp. 

He handed it over to Kazuha with a smile. 

“You should have enough fuel for an hour, but if it isn’t, there should be some in the closet downstairs somewhere.”

Kazuha nodded and thanked him with a smile. 

“Are you two done yet? I wanna play,” one of the copies stated, tapping his foot impatiently. 

“I’m all set,” Kazuha said with a nod.

Kunikuzushi checked his pocket watch, before he tossed it to Kazuha, who caught it in his palm.

“Don’t lose it or I’ll have your head. Once the hour needle hits 2, your two hours begin,” he stated with a smirk. 

“What happens if I don’t find you all in time?”

“You’ll also win a prize ,” one of the copies cooed as the rest smirked in agreement. 

He didn’t like the sound of it even if Kunikuzushi said he wouldn’t maim him. He didn’t trust him to keep his word for now. 

“Alright.”

“Time for you to close your eyes and start counting so we can hide!” Tartaglia said before he walked over to Kazuha to shake his hand. 

“Good luck, comrade,” Tartaglia whispered with a wink as Kazuha politely shook his hand then pulled away.

He felt something slide into his sleeve, but didn’t look at it yet as he watched Tartaglia wave at him. 

“No peeking!” 

Turning around, Kazuha sighed and leaned his forehead into the wall. He flipped open the watch. 30 seconds until 2. Signing, he closed his eyes and began to count, while he reached into his sleeve to feel what Tartaglia smuggled. It was wrapped in tissue, definitely some sort of blade by how long and smooth part of it felt. Why’d he give him a knife though, considering he already had a katana? Was he trying to get him to kill Kunikuzushi now? No. From what he could remember, Tartaglia told him to do it when he was sleeping. It was strange that he gave it to him during this game though and not at some later point when they were alone. 

10

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

“Ready or not. Here I come.”

Opening his eyes, he saw the hallway he was in was completely pitch black. Someone had blown out the lantern, leaving the empty darkness to engulf him. Though his lantern provided him with some source of light, he could only make out what was a few feet in front of himself. Thankfully, he could somewhat rely on his other senses, but he didn’t know how well it would fare when it came to finding the vampires. Where should he start first? Glancing around, he looked left and right; both voids stretching into a never ending eternity. There had to be someone upstairs at least, so he’d work his way right then move left and then go downstairs. Sighing, he began to walk down the dark corridor, shining his lantern high and low in case someone decided to hide in the hallway. While he passed the doors, he jiggled the doorknobs. Locked, meaning less rooms for him to check. The rooms that were open, which were his, Kunikuzushi’s and the bathroom, he checked thoroughly though he didn’t find anyone there. Once he reached the end of the hallway, he decided to turn around and explore the left side, since there were more rooms over there. 

Maybe it was his mind playing tricks on him once again, but the hallway seemed to stretch out and grow longer just like the first night. Was this another one of Kunikuzushi’s abilities that he just never told him about or something else entirely? The hallway felt a lot taller and wider starting to slowly spin around. What the hell? He frowned and tried to steady himself while the hallway twisted around him like a strange vortex. Somehow, the decor stayed in place while Kazuha stumbled around, trying to open doors and regain his footing on whatever he could. Sighing, he pulled out the pocket watch:

2:12

He was still doing good on time, but he needed to start speeding things up if he wanted to even get enough time to look on the ground floor and outside. Earlier Kunikuzushi mentioned a wine cellar, so that meant there was a basement too. Honestly, he didn’t have a lot of time at all looking at it. Sighing, he calmed himself and began to race through the spinning hallway. 

Locked.

Locked.

Locked.

Locked.

Locked.

Locked.

Open.

Finally, an open door. Surely someone had to be hiding here, right? Cracking the door open, he shined the lantern first, lighting up the entrance of the expansive library. The air smelled of old books and candle wax, no new fragrances in the air. Stepping inside, he began to scavenge through the library for any sign of anyone; under the tables, behind the ladders, on top of the shelves, everywhere. While looking around though, he was scanning to see if there were any sort of books about an eternal night or scarlet mist. Surprisingly, he did find a book that caught his eye though and grabbed it, tucking it under his arm for later. He flipped open the watch, frowning. 

2:37

Already? He hadn’t even found one person yet. This wasn’t fair. He should’ve asked for more time for this impossible task. Sighing, he jumped down from the ladder then headed out, closing the door behind him. Holding the lantern out, he began to race through the twisting dark hall to the long staircase. At least none of them were upstairs, meaning that they were downstairs, in the basement or outside. It didn’t narrow much, but it was something. He had to be a little hopeful. After almost falling down multiple downs in the turning hallway, he managed to get down the stairs and glanced around. Pitch black too. Soft feminine humming echoed behind him and something about it immediately kicked in his primal instincts to run. Trying not to think about it, he decided to go to the right, since he was already familiar with the left somewhat and would explore there later. Frowning, he ran right and began to shine his lantern in the dark. It mirrored the downstairs left hallway in layout and decor. 

Glancing around, he decided to turn right through the opening into some sort of living room area from what he could see which was an unlit fireplace and multiple velvet couches. The floorboards creaked under his feet while he scanned what was in front of him, just deep oak flooring, red carpeting and silhouettes of couches. 

The room suddenly grew bitterly cold, goosebumps immediately forming all over his body. Something was wrong…really wrong. Glancing at his lantern, the flame began to flicker. It shouldn’t be doing that, especially when it was still full. The humming only grew louder and closed, yet there were no footsteps. Whoever or whatever was making that noise, his instincts told him to run. What scared him though was that this feeling of dread was worse than what he initially felt when he met Kunikuzushi.  Knots turned in his stomach and he could feel himself grow lightheaded. Taking a breath in, he tried to calm himself and focus. Frowning, he glanced around. It was too late to run, so he had to hide. Despite how spacious the room was, there weren't a lot of places to hide; fireplace, couches, tables and shelves. The humming only got closer. Fuck. Flicking off the lantern, he ran to the nearby couch and slid underneath. He tried to be as quiet as possible as he gripped his katana handle, watching the still darkness.

It was still and his eyes slowly began to adjust to the darkness. The humming got closer before he saw someone with pink high heels and black stocking walk into the room. 

“I could’ve sworn I saw a human wander in here a moment ago,” the female voice mused.

Kazuha held his breath, watching as she practically glided across the room. His heart raced in his ears, while shelves scraped across the floor and tables were turned over. Ice cold sweat dripped down his palms and he adjusted his grip on the handle, narrowing his eyes.

“Aww what a shame.”

The woman let out a sad sigh then glided out of the room. Just as he was about to relax, a petite woman’s face appeared right in front of him.

“Hehe I knew you were here the whole time~” she giggled, before she grabbed him by the throat. 

Her grasp was impossibly strong, squeezing all the air from his throat as she dragged him out. Kazuha barely had time to react, feeling his windpipe get crushed and drool dribble down his chin. However, he drew his sword and slashed hard across her face. While it barely did anything other than scratch across her eyes, it did startle her and she dropped him. Coughing hard, he gasped for air before he got up and ran out into the darkness. His heart pounded against his chest while he ran down the dark hallway. Suddenly the hallway began to twist and turn like some sort of maze while Kazuha stumbled around and glanced behind him. The woman with long brown and pink hair was right behind him, humming happily. How was she so fast!? Gripping his sword handle, he swung his sword to get her away but she merely laughed and ducked under it before she lunged at him. The pair tumbled onto the floor as she tried to bite him, while Kazuha was trying to fight back 

“You’re so cute. I just wanna eat you up~” she teased, her fangs close to throat. 

Kazuha breathed heavily; beads of sweat dripped down his face while he was flailing her legs to get her off, but she didn’t budge. Wincing, he shielded his throat by shoving the side of his blade against her mouth. Long fangs gripped the steel blade while she giggled. Kazuha used both hands, trying to push her back but she didn’t budge at all and slowly inched closer to his neck. His blade began to shake and audibly crack from the tension in both sides. Without warning, she bit down and the blade shattered into pieces; shedding shards of steel all over him. Just as she was about to bite down on him, he grabbed the dagger Tartaglia gave him from his side and ripped it across his eyes; sending bits of blood and flesh onto his face. The woman let out an ear piercing screech and got off him as the wound began to sizzle and burn, while crimson squirted all over. Her hands flailed around in a flury, tearing into the side of his face and side, narrowly missing his throat. Whimpering at the pain, he staggered back and got up. The woman was still screaming, flailing her arms violently in some sort of attempt to find him. The blade Tartaglia gave him must have been silver to result in that amount of damage.  While it would be good to do more damage to her or even kill her, he’d rather not risk getting shredded anymore than he already had been. Wincing, he pressed a hand to his side to stop the bleeding while he staggered through the maze and came across another room then limped inside, immediately shutting the door behind him. 

He just wanted one day in this gods forsaken house to not get brutalized. It was becoming such a burden being in constant pain from being ripped into and his body, while youthful and strong, was having a hard time keeping up with the healing process. The room he was in was completely dark and Kazuha had lost his lantern in the fight. Blood oozed into his eye and he wiped it off then sank to the ground. 

“I just want one peaceful evening,” he murmured quietly, leaning against the doors. “Gods, why couldn’t we play chess or read a book? I wouldn’t get maimed doing either.”

The woman’s screams echoed in the background while Kazuha panted and kept a hand on his wound. He put the dagger back into pocket then pulled out the pocket watch. 

2:59

He hadn’t even found one person and was going to lose, but honestly, he didn’t care whether or not he lost. Stuffing the watch back into his pocket, he glanced at the room, which had become slightly clearer to him. It was some sort of music room with strange squares along the walls and various instruments all over; a harpsichord, piano, guitar, violin, cello, harp, flutes and other instruments. The collection was impressive and he ended up making eye contact with a red eyed person who walked over to him. 

Kazuha just watched them and let out a soft sigh, wincing in pain. 

“Don’t come any closer. I have a knife,” he warned halfheartedly, though he didn’t budge. 

“Relax. It’s just me,” Kunikuzushi said with a snort, leering down at him. 

“I didn't find you though,” he murmured. 

“You didn’t, but I heard all the commotion and came out of my hiding spot.”

“You seem to be taking it well — giving up your spot and all to check in on me.”

“Don’t tease me. You should be grateful I’m forfeiting my win for a feeble human.”

“Haha never said I wasn’t,” he murmured quietly with a smile before Kunikuzushi squatted down near him to check his wounds. “I’m very grateful.”

“Who did this to you?”

“Uh….some woman with closed eyes, wings in her pink and brown hair, pink heels, white dress,” he listed off. “Heard her humming when I came downstairs, tried to hide from her, but she grabbed me and I fought back and cut her eyes.”

Kunikuzushi stared at him and laughed. 

“You fought against Columbina!? Holy shit. I’m surprised you’re not dead,” he remarked with a wide smile. “And it seems like you did a number on her. Color me impressed.”

Kazuha didn’t understand why he was so giddy about him injuring one of his other lords, but he took it as a rare compliment. 

“…..Are you the original or one of the copies?”

“Obviously the original,” he snorted. “While my copies are seemingly independent, they also follow my orders, so they’re still hiding.”

“Mmm that’s good. I think I would find it rather strange to take to not the real you,” he murmured. “Would hate to have to explain myself again.”

Kunikuzushi merely chuckled and observed his wounds. They weren’t too deep, but they were long; blood welling and dripping onto his face and clothes. 

“….You’ve been fairly chatty with me today,” Kunikuzushi commented, grabbing his wrist 

“I’m sorry, my lord. Is that a bad thing?” Kazuha asked wearily. 

“No. It’s…It’s nice,” he murmured. “I haven’t had conversations like this before and our previous ones have been rather bland.”

Kazuha couldn’t help, but smile, before Kunikuzushi sniffed his bloody palm then licked it. The samurai was a little grossed out, but didn’t say anything. 

“I’m not letting any drop of your precious blood go to waste,” he murmured, watching him. “And I don’t want anyone else to have it.”

The way he was talking sent shivers down his spin, yet he wasn’t frightened. He watched as Kunikuzushi moved closer to him. 

“Your horror, your fear, your hatred, your grief, your satisfaction, all your other emotions I haven’t seen, I want to be the only one to see them,” he murmured. “Promise me you’ll only share everything with me.”

“….I can’t promise anything, my lord.”

“That’s fine. I can be patient.”

“You’re acting a bit strangely today.

Kunikuzushi huffed and grabbed his cheek. 

“It’s because I care about you.”

And for once, Kazuha actually believed him.

Chapter Text

Thankfully, Kunikuzushi didn’t bite him again to heal him, though his method of healing his wounds was, to put it lightly, peculiar.

“It’ll heal faster with my saliva. Besides, don’t wanna waste any of your blood just wiping it up. If it gets any worse later, I’ll just stitch you up.”

Kazuha was kind of confused that his salvia would be good for any sort of wound, but seeing how the bite marks from earlier were gone and how his back was doing significantly better, he was inclined to believe him. The abilities of vampires were still foreign to him, especially Kunikuzushi’s, who intentionally kept his under wraps to surprise him. It felt intimate, but also wrong; Kunikuzushi holding him down and moving him to the side to lap up his blood while the tip of his tongue casually slipped into his flesh. Kazuha tried to ignore it for the most part, staying still for him before the vampire pulled away and wiped his mouth. 

“Delicious,” he murmured. 

Kazuha wiped the remnants of saliva off his wounds, then sat up. He felt a lot better now, albeit he was still sore and aching.

“…..Thanks, my lord.”

Kazuha moved to pull out his pocket watch, before Kunikuzushi took it from him. 

“3:20. You have 40 minutes to find 4 people,” the vampire remarked, glancing down at him.

“Even if I was at full strength, it wouldn’t be possible.”

“Hm? You’re giving up. Ha how unusual of you.”

“There’s a difference between hope and reality, that which one is based on desire for the future and one is grounded on facts in the present,” Kazuha stated calmly, before he looked at him. “I have no need or desire to achieve victory in this game, even given the vague threat of a “prize” for losing. My life isn’t on the line and I highly doubt you would do anything life threatening to me.”

Kunikuzushi looked down at him and frowned, then tossed the watch back to him. 

“You’re no fun when you’re not scared,” he remarked, pouting before he rested his hand under his chin and chuckled.“…..Actually, there’s one glaring issue in the game and you may still have a way to win.”

“And how would I do that?”

“You’re the only person with a time keeping device,” he remarked. “So everyone should be in the dark about what time it is currently.”

Kazuha blinked. That was a glaring issue. How could he have not caught it originally? He genuinely laughed for the first time in forever, gripping his stomach. For the first time since he arrived here, he felt slightly at ease. Kunikuzushi couldn’t help, but watch the samurai’s face light up; his laughter rippled across the acoustics of the music room. His normally darkened expression was perplexed, but he didn’t say anything. 

“We all overlooked that,” he stated. “…Well I guess I can win then, but I lost my lantern.”

The samurai let out a soft grunt then stood up, struggling. 

“Are you expecting me to help you, human?” the vampire asked, crossing his arms. 

“No, but I was going to ask for a favor, that being if you could check and see if that woman left and to pick up my lantern.”

Kunikuzushi glared at him. 

“How dare you expect me to be your errand boy,” he snorted before Kazuha sighed. 

“I’m sorry, my lord, but can you just at least walk with me then? I can’t really see in this darkness.”

The vampire frowned deeply, but looked at him and smirked.

“I expect something in return for my generosity.”

Of course there was always something behind his acts.

Kazuha just looked at him and sighed.

“Fine.”

The pair headed out of the room; Kunikuzushi leading the way while Kazuha stuck close to him. The atmosphere was still heavy, but surprisingly enough the hallway wasn’t twisting. His eyes glanced over at Kunikuzushi, mildly confirming his theory that it was his doing. Their footsteps echoed down the carpeted hallway, while both were silent. His shoes crunched under something sharp and he glanced down to the fragments of his sword all over the floor.

Kunikuzushi raised a brow, then picked up a shard of steel. 

“I knew that sword of yours was shitty,” he remarked, tossing it back onto the floor.

“The sword wasn't the problem.”

Sighing, he found the lantern, still in perfect condition, before he turned the knob. The flame flickered to light illuminating a small portion of the hallway in a warm orange hue. He glanced and saw Kunikuzushi’s pupils turn back into slits in the light. The more and more Kazuha spent time with him, the more and more Kunikuzushi reminded him of a cat: his expressions, how his hair puffed up in anger, his attitude and now his eyes. It was really cute.

Trying to think about his next move, he briefly mourned the loss of his trusty sword of many moons and headed back down the hallway. It genuinely hurt that was gone now, leaving him with a short ranged weapon much to his dismay. While effective, due to its materials, he’d rather not have to get that close to anyone to fight them with it; too brutal and too personal. Tartaglia could possibly get him a new katana given how he gave him a dagger? Though, he also might not know what to look for in a good blade and just buy a random one. 

Sighing, he walked down the hallway, glancing around the floors and ceilings. Upon coming to the next door, he juggled the knob and found it unlocked. He stepped in and glanced around. Some sort of study and living room from what he could tell; more shelves, books, weird sorts of specimen jars, coffee tables and couches. How many rooms did they need? That wasn’t even taking into consideration the other buildings in the estate. Scanning around, he looked around under furniture, while Kunikuzushi looked around with him. 

“……I thought you said you weren’t going to help me?”

“Do you expect me to just stand around or go back to my room while you take your sweet ass time looking for people? Besides, I want to watch you struggle at least a little bit,” he commented.

That was fair and a pretty typical response for him, so he wasn’t upset; actually, he was grateful for his help. 

Kazuha simply smiled and nodded, continuing to look only to find nothing.  The pair left the room and headed down the hall again, searching the other rooms with similar results; nothing, but ever growing frustration. Heading to the other hallway, he strolled alongside the vampire. The oppressive and ominous atmosphere didn’t feel so bad now that Kunikuzushi was with him, who seemed frustrated they hadn’t found anyone else yet. The two walked in silence as the glow of the lantern illuminated the space in orange. 

“For someone who is supposedly familiar with this game, you’re pretty awful at it,” Kunikuzushi remarked.

“….I have not played this game or any game in years,” he admitted softly. “I only play them if I have enough money during festivals.”

“What’s a festival?”

“It’s a big celebration for some sort of event, be it about a season like the Cherry Blossom or Summer festivals or commemorate an important event like the Five Kasen festival. They are rather fun with lots of food, vendors, games, music and fireworks.”

Kunikuzushi looked at him, tilting his head.

“How often do they happen?”

“It depends, but most festivals occur annually.”

“..…”

“You would enjoy them, my lord.”

“….What’s the next festival?”

“Hmmm well, I’m not quite sure what day it is, but this month should be the cherry blossom festival. It’s actually one of the biggest and most beautiful festivals.”

Kunikuzushi hummed in thought. 

“I want to see this festival then,” he remarked. “And I will go to it this year.”

Kazuha simply raised a brow and kept walking. It was a pretty bold statement, considering everything. Maybe he was a little too honest about what festivals were like and it riled up the eager vampire. Festivals were fun, but with Kunikuzushi’s poor interpersonal skills, disregard for human life, unpredictable personality, destructive capabilities and recluse, it was a disaster waiting to happen. 

“Do you really think that is a good idea…in regards to everything?”

“What? Are you questioning my decisions?” he asked with a scowl, snarling at him. “If I didn’t think it was a good idea, then I wouldn’t have come up with it. Got that through your skull?”

“…..Yes, my lord.”

Kunikuzushi huffed and grumbled something under his breath, surprisingly not laying a finger on him. He crossed his arms and kept walking. 

“I know I loathe those worthless insects called humans, but I suppose they’ll be fun to play with in such a scenario,” he mused.

Kazuha didn’t enjoy the implications of that. He frowned and sighed, while walking alongside him. The rest of the search down the hallway was quiet and uneventful. Once they got to the kitchen, the pair began to look around. The kitchen was massive, but smaller than the dining room. It was beautiful and he had never seen a kitchen with so much; black wooden cabinets, marble countertops, various pots and pans, multiple ovens, some sorts of vertical locked chests and baskets of fruits and bread. Sighing, he began to search around, looking around at the more person sized areas. Looking into one of the cabinets, a burst of bat suddenly flew at him and he ducked to avoid the last few. He let out a cough and peered in, seeing Kunikuzushi curled up in the furthest corner with a sour look on his face.

“Ugh — took you look enough. You’re so damn slow,” the Kunikuzushi in the cabinet stated as he crawled out and dusted himself off. “I was starting to get fucking bored in there.”

Kazuha gave the new vampire a look, before he straightened his messy hair out. The newly found vampire watched him and scoffed. 

“My apologies. We got sidetracked,” Kazuha stated, glancing at the real Kunikuzushi who looked at them and merely shrugged.

The vampire just looked at him and turned his nose up, shoving his hands into his pockets. Sighing, Kazuha rubbed the bridge of his nose. At least the real Kunikuzushi wasn't such a prick at the moment and was relatively silent. Gods knew how the other two were gonna act when they found them. Okay. Where to next? Trying to think, the real Kunikuzushi looked at him with folded arms

“There’s probably one in the basement and one in the garden. And knowing how stupid Tartaglia is, he’s probably on the roof,” Kunikuzushi stated.

“Did you really need to help him? I know he’s human, but I didn't think he was that incompetent,” the other one stated with a frown.

Kunikuzushi looked at his copy and snorted. 

“I’d rather not spend an eternity wandering around the estate,” he remarked. “And Kadehara here isn’t incompetent — he’s just unfamiliar with the estate. Now stop whining so we can continue the game.”

Kazuha blinked in surprise at Kunikuzushi actually defending him, while his copy sulked. Kunikuzushi gestured for him to follow him to the basement. He adjusted his hold on his lantern and agreed, walking besides him. The tight stairwell was dark and cold as everything from the stairs and wall were strangely made of stone. The air was damp and freezing and he couldn’t help, but lean into him. The vampire let out a chuckle. 

“You claustrophobic or something?” he mused.

“No. It’s just rather chilly and cramped in here.”

He couldn’t help, but find the sudden change in environment peculiar. Though, he also wasn’t too sure what the cellar of aristocrats’ should look like. Something about the space made him feel uneasy as they descended into the depths. They got to the bottom of the stairs and were greeted with the sight of large drums of wine and beer along with shelves lined with various green and red bottles of liquid. Kunikuzushi walked down the aisle of shelves, glancing at the bottles while Kazuha followed beside him. The room was huge, but there weren't really any Kunikuzushi-sized hiding spots around…unless the vampire could shrink. He watched as the real vampire analyzed the shelves and grabbed a bottle. 

Kazuha raised a brow and looked at it. 

“Is that the reward?”

“You haven’t even won. This is the wine I told you I’d let you sample in exchange for a sip of your sake gourd.”

Kazuha looked at the worn out, vintage label. He wasn’t familiar with wine, so he had to take Kunikuzushi’s option that it was good. Nodding, he smiled. 

“Sounds good.”

The copy of Kunikuzushi just looked at the pair, seemingly disgusted by their pleasantries. Kunikuzushi kept a firm hold of the bottle then let Kazuha lead from there down the stone corridor. 

The shelves of wine disappeared and the corridor grew narrow and damp. The atmosphere was suffocating and dread filled his entire body. Something was really off about the place and the scent of blood and strange, unnatural smells filled his nostrils. He nearly gagged and had to cover his nose. What was even more concerning was that the two Kunikuzushi’s were off and silent. The real Kunikuzushi stuck close to him, practically sticking to him with a sour expression. He could feel his cold, soft hand brush and tug at his fingers. Kazuha just let him. Seeing the smug and powerful vampire, now painfully silent and nervous, scared him. Why would one of his copies dare hide in such a spot?  Sighing, his instincts and nerves were getting the best of him and he held his hand for comfort. The vampire didn’t say anything and simply squeezed his hand. The only sounds that emanated were the sounds of their heels clicking against the stone floor and an occasional, irregular dripping noise. The tunnel seemed to go on forever before it widened and a few wooden doors on each side came in view. There were strange, illegible signs etched onto each one. One door was particularly worn with deep and long scratch marks. A strange odor of sorrow and hatred seeped from the narrow crack under the door. Frowning, he reached out a hand and pushed the door open. 

The room was eerie. The room was covered in ripped and torn child-like drawings and strange mechanical equipment. There was dried blood all over the floor along with what appeared to be stuffing, bones, worn out board games and rotting stuffed animals. There was a desk with worn out books and broken written utensils. The bed was covered in a red blanket that was completely shredded and rotted. Kazuha stepped inside as Kunikuzushi gripped his hand unbelievably tight, particularly having to be dragged inside. For a moment, he could’ve sworn the man was shaking. Glancing around the confined room, he moved the blanket and peered under the bed, seeing a familiar figure curled up. The copy stared at him and Kazuha stared back, before he crawled out from under the bed and dusted himself off. The copy said nothing and Kunikuzushi stared blankly at the other. It made Kazuha feel uneasy and he didn’t want to ask about it, considering how Kunikuzushi was reacting. Instead, he attempted to give his hand a squeeze in the death grip and gently rubbed a circle with his thumb on the back of his hand. After a second, Kunikuzushi turned and immediately headed out with the white haired man in tow, not even bothering to close the door behind them. There was a blood curdling scream in the distance and Kunikuzushi dragged him away, particularly running out of there as Kazuha struggled to keep up. After a few minutes they got to the exit of the basement and Kunikuzushi slammed the door shut then looked him dead in the eyes.

“Don’t ever, ever go down there. And if the Doctor or anyone else other than me tries to take you there, you better call for me. Got it?”

His voice was hushed and the intensity in his eyes and voice scared him. Kazuha nodded in response. He wouldn’t dream of it especially with what he had seen and felt.

Kunikuzushi relaxed and let go of his hand. He murmured something inaudible to himself and Kazuha looked at him. 

“Are you okay?” he asked quietly.

Kunikuzushi glanced at him and frowned, before he nodded.

“….I’m fine,” he reassured. 

He reached out, then carefully patted his back. The vampire leaned into his touch as Kazuha let the man collect himself, while the clones went over to them and pouted, grabbing Kazuha’s clothes.

“I wanna pat too!”

“Me too! Why do you get to be the one that gets to play with the human?”

Kunikuzushi glared at them and smacked them away

“Hands off. He’s mine. Just because you’re me doesn’t mean you're actually friends with Kadehara here.”

The copies were upset, but listened and backed off, while Kazuha soothed him for a little longer than pulled away. Alright. Time to finish this god awful game. All there was left was another copy that was supposedly in the garden and Tartaglia who was supposedly on the roof. He’d get Tartaglia for last and find the garden hider first, since that would take the longest. The odd bunch headed outside to continue their search. 

“Do you know where the last you would be hiding?” Kazuha asked, looking over at him.

Kunikuzushi raised a brow then tried to think, while he looked at the disheveled and tired looking samurai. He couldn’t help, but laugh. 

“I suppose I’ll throw you another hint. If I were to hide in the garden, I would most likely choose to hide in the maze or in a tree.”

That wasn’t too bad of a hint. He bid him a quiet thank you and went to start searching for the last copy. As if the gods were looking down upon him, the copies that he had found were surprisingly quiet and actually tried to help him look. Looking around, he sniffed the air and scanned the area, making sure to look at all the trees. True to what Kunikuzushi said, the last copy had hidden in the depths of the maze and he managed to find him in about half an hour. Yawning, they headed back to the mansion. Once they reached it, the group looked up, though none of them could see any sort of sign of the obnoxious, ginger vampire, but Kazuha definitely caught the faintest whiff of his cologne along the building.

Sighing, he stretched out, trying to ready himself for the climb up.

“You know if you get on your knees and beg, I’ll think about helping you up,” Kunikuzushi said with a smirk.

Kazuha waved him off then rolled his sleeves up and analyzed how he would climb up the wall of the house.

“No need, my lord. I got it,” he stated. 

He backed up and took a running head start, then leapt, gripping the protruding window embellishment. Taking a breath, he hauled himself up and began to scale the wall with relative ease, though he was trying to be careful not to over exert himself too hard. Kunikuzushi, along with his other copies, just watched him from below. Wincing, he managed to get to the top and wiped his hands off. Tartaglia wasn’t even hidden and was just casually leaning against the chimney with a smile. He gave him a wave.

“Hey, comrade,” he greeted. “You finally found me.”

“I did. You’re the last one actually.”

“Oh? Even though I gave away my spot at the very beginning?” 

“Yeah. I decided to search the house first and then I dealt with Columbina.”

Tartaglia’s eyes widened and he stared at him, scanning him up and down.

“How are you alive? That girl even gives me really bad vibes.”

“That dagger you gave me actually saved my life and she actually got me pretty good, but Kunikuzushi healed me.”

“I don’t know if you’re the unluckiest or luckiest person in the world , but congrats on not dying. I knew that would come in handy,” he stated, patting him on the back.

“Was it for the game or for other purposes?” he asked, though it seemed like the answer was pretty obvious.

“Both are applicable, but it was for him when you get the right chance.”

Kazuha sighed and nodded. Genuinely, he didn’t want to kill Kunikuzushi and the man’s behavior for now seemed to be improving ever so slightly and his death wouldn’t guarantee his freedom. For now, he would hold onto it just in case he ever needed it, especially considering that earlier encounter, though he doubted (and hoped) he would have to use it against the short vampire.  Tartaglia gave him a reassuring pat on the back. 

“Well, that was fun,” the ginger stated happily before he walked to the edge of the roof. “Wonder what we’re gonna do next.”

He casually just jumped off and Kazuha just watched. The least he could do was help him down, but he supposed he could climb down himself. Stretching out, he moved to scale down, before he heard a loud whistle from below.

“Jump! I’ll catch you!” Tartaglia called out, holding his arms out to him.

Kunikuzushi and his copies glared daggers at the man. 

Kazuha watched, before he looked down at Tartaglia, who was smiling. It would be a lot easier to just jump rather than have to climb all the way down. Taking a deep breath and placing his trust in him, he let go and jumped. After a mere second, he landed on something — Kunikuzushi’s arms?  The vampire flapped his wings and looked at him, huffing. 

“I told you I loathe Tartaglia,” he murmured. “I’d rather you ask me for help than him. Remember that for next time.”

Kazuha tilted his head slightly, seeing how the man was pouting. He was acting rather strangely, but maybe he didn’t like that he was so friendly with Tartaglia? Nodding, he wrapped his arms around his neck for stability.

“That’s fine, my lord. Thank you for catching me,” he stated softly.

Kunikuzushi was caught off guard when Kazuha embraced him, then glanced away and let out a huff.

“That’s more like it,” he said, before he flew back down to the ground. 

Once he landed, Kazuha let go and got to his feet. Tartaglia seemed a tad upset at not being the one to catch up as Kunikuzushi scowled at him, while his black wings and other copies retreated back into him. 

“So does that mean Kazuha wins?” Tartaglia asked while the short lord tried to think. “Since he found everyone.”

Whether he won or lost, he didn’t particularly care. He was just glad this shitty game of hide and seek was over. 

Kunikuzushi looked at him and huffed. “I’ll say it’s a tie considering I helped him for most of it.”

Kazuha couldn’t help, but let out an amused chuckle. He’d take it.

“So what now?” Tartaglia asked with a grin. “I wanna play another game with you guys.”

Kunikuzushi looked disgusted and annoyed, whereas Kazuha looked simply exhausted from the events that night. 

“I don’t wanna play anymore games,” Kazuha admitted, rubbing his nose. “So I would appreciate it if I could sit out on this one.”

“That’s fine. You can watch me and Kuni play instead.”

The shorter vampire looked at him with pure hatred at the filthy nickname. He hissed at him.

“Fine. What game do you want to play? I hope it involves the ability to beat you into a fucking ground.”

“Hmmm? A game of violence? We could have a pillow fight. That’s pretty fun!”

“Pillow fight? Fine. I’ll take you up on that challenge then, dumbass.”

The two continued to bicker amongst each other and headed inside, while Kazuha stayed out of it and followed them up to Kunikuzushi’s room. Once he got there, he went to the nearby table and plopped back, sinking back into the chair. His entire body ached from everything and it felt so good to finally have a moment of rest even if there was arguing in the background. Slumping back, he closed his eyes and just took some time to breathe. After a few minutes of peace, a bottle and glass was placed on the table and he peaked his eyes open. Kunikushi was standing in front of him, digging a nail into the cork.

“You didn’t win, but you deserve a little something for tonight,” Kunikuzushi stated before he popped the cork and poured him a glass of wine, then handed it to him. “And as for the sake, you can repay me with it tomorrow night.”

Kazuha blinked and took it with a soft smile. 

“Thank you, my lord.”

The vampire smirked and reached out then stiffly patted him on the head.

“Now that’s an expression I like to see,” he cooed, before he pulled away. “Now watch me absolutely decimate that flea.”

Tilting his head, he watched as the two men went to go try to find the perfect pillows to start their glorious battle. Kazuha just stirred his wine and got comfortable. One glass of wine wouldn’t hurt; it was just a drink to sample and unwind after such a stressful night. Sipping it, he leaned back in his chair and watched the feathery chaos unfold in front of him. Clumps of white feathers and balls of stuffing rained down on everything like snowflakes. The undead men were pelting each other violently with the remnants of cloth that were once called pillow. The sounds of thunder boomed throughout the room alongside maniacal laughter from the two. Had he participated in their “pillow fight,” he surely would’ve gotten brutalized by mere pieces of fabric. To say he was grateful to be allowed to sit out on this was an understatement. Sniffing the wine, he took another sip. It was unlike any alcohol he had ever tasted: smooth, less fruity, richer and deeper flavor and not as sweet. Though he preferred sweeter and fruitier drinks, this was good and he enjoyed it. Instinctively, he ducked and just as he did, a very lumpy pillow flew overhead, smashing into the wall behind him and leaving a hole. He made a face and glanced back. What the hell was smuggled in there? 

“Oops! My bad!” Tartaglia called out with a small apologize smile, before Kunikuzushi came up behind him and smacked the fuck out of his head. 

Kazuha winced at the loud slam, while the short vampire laughed maniacally at the groans and expressions of pain on the ginger’s face.

“I win! I told you that you wouldn’t stand a fraction of a chance against me, idiot,” Kunikuzushi stated proudly, tossing the “pillow” to the side. 

Tartaglia was grumbling in pain and rubbing the back of his head. He glared at him, while he tried to get the pain to subside. Kazuha just watched them before the shorter vampire strolled over to him.

“Are you not proud that your friend is so powerful that he can make so-called warriors kneel before him in an instant?”

Kazuha raised a brow at his dramatics, setting his glass of wine down. 

“Um….you fought well,” he stated with a small smile, before he held up his hand at him.

Kunikuzushi squinted at the gesture, while Kazuha glanced at it.

“It’s a high five — you do it to celebrate something. Just gently slap your hand against mine.”

The vampire frowned, but slapped his hand carefully. There was a soft clapping sound and Kazuha smiled then put his hand back down. Kunikuzushi seemed proud and stuck his tongue at Tartaglia as if to mock him that he was the one who got the high five and not him. Tartaglia sighed and looked at the time, rubbing his head.

“I should get going. I have to wake up earlier tomorrow,” he murmured. “It was fun hanging out with you two. I’ll see you later.”

Kazuha gave him a soft smile, while Kunikuzushi just glared at him. Tartaglia casually waved at Kazuha before he headed out of the room and closed the door behind him, leaving the pair alone. The vampire stared at the door for a bit longer then went over to Kazuha, who was finishing off his glass of wine.

“Let’s drink tomorrow night: just you and me,” Kunikuzushi stated, watching him. “Hell, if you keep up this good behavior, we can have that quiet evening you wanted so badly.”

Though Kazuha was slightly tipsy from the alcohol, Kunikuzushi had been disturbingly pleasant, albeit from his snappy remarks and brief threats. The man, who was so eager to play exciting and “fun” games with him, was now interested in idle things like drinking and just talking to someone he viewed and may still even view as a worthless human, but interesting toy. Was he playing another game with him or was he genuinely trying to form some sort of relationship with him? He had to admit that the time in the garden was pleasant and if that was going to be the same atmosphere for tomorrow, then he actually looked forward to it, so long as the man didn’t have any ulterior motive.

“Sounds lovely. I would like that,” Kazuha said with a smile. 

Kunikuzushi smirked, “Hmph. Well, make sure to prepare yourself for tomorrow then.”

There was no malice in his tone, though Kazuha presumed he was trying to get in his head or tease him a little. He merely nodded, got up and gave him a polite wave. 

“I will. I should go to bed, since I’m exhausted and it’s late. Thank you for everything today. I’ll see you tomorrow, my lord. Sleep well.”

“Goodnight, Kadehara…..Sweet dreams ”

Kunikuzushi gave him a stiff wave back before Kazuha smiled back and closed the door behind him. Yawning, he headed back to his room, though he tried to be careful just in case someone tried to attack him again. Once he got to his room, he closed and locked the door behind him then went to his bed and flopped down. 

Hopefully, tomorrow night would be more relaxing. His body and mind needed to take a break and he believed Kunikuzushi would keep his word. 

Chapter Text

The next day was quiet. Kazuha was able to spend most of his day relaxing after the mess that was yesterday’s “sleepover.” He slept in until the mid afternoon, before he got lunch and relaxed out in the sun with the book he got from last night. The question about the eternal night and scarlet mist had been plaguing his mind ever since he heard of it, so hopefully the book would answer some of his questions. 

And to his surprise, the book was like some sort of fairytale:

A young mistress in white was blessed with eternal life and extraordinary power. However, the drawback of this blessing was her insatiable thirst for human blood and inability to go out in the sunlight. She lived in a large mansion far away from civilization and at night, she would take to the sky and fly to the nearest human village and feast on their blood, before retreating back to her manor. The girl’s routine grew dull and she often found herself unsatisfied with only being able to go out during the night. So in order to go out during the daytime, she had discovered a way to block out the light; by blocking out the sun with a thick, scarlet mist so that no light would be able to shine. And because she was so powerful, she was able to conjure up the mist and block out the sun, so that she was able to freely move during all hours of the day. 

The last pages of the book were ripped out though, so Kazuha had no idea how the story ended. But from what he had gathered, the plans that he had overheard were remiscient to this story. Though how would they be able to do something as extreme as that? It didn’t make any sense to him, but seeing how powerful Kunikuzushi and Tartaglia were, he supposed they must have some sort of way to pull it off. He couldn’t imagine an eternal night though or a world without the sun. No life would flourish and the nature cycle would be thrown off by such a phenomenon. Though what could he do to stop them? He was merely human and even Tartaglia was able to single handedly fight him without breaking a sweat. Honestly, he didn’t know what to do. It wasn’t like he could ask anyone about it and it seemed like everyone in the house was on board with the plan. When he got more time, he’d try to find more books on the subject, but for now, he would just have to let things play out as he was powerless to do anything about it. Once he had finished the book, he decided to go back to bed to rest for the evening Kunikuzushi was supposedly going to prepare that night. 

In the evening, Kunikuzushi actually came into his room and shook him awake. 

“Hurry up and get up. We’re going drinking,” he stated, jabbing a finger into Kazuha’s cheek while he dangled a satchel in front of him.

Kazuha was slightly dazed at being disturbed from his slumber, but nodded. He was confused at the sense of urgency from the other, but yawned and straightened himself out, grabbing a few of his essentials like his sake gourd and knife. Once Kazuha was finished, Kunikuzushi grabbed his wrist and walked out with him. They snuck around the mansion and Kazuha was even more puzzled. Why did they need to sneak around if they were just drinking? Thankfully, it didn’t seem like anyone else was there or around, apart from the usual servants who paid them no mind and stayed out of their way. They made their way through the house and the garden before the pair got the very edge of the back fencing. Kazuha was even more perplexed, while Kunikuzushi glanced around.

“Um…what are we doing? I thought we were supposed to have a quiet evening while drinking?” he asked, while Kunikuzushi watched one of the guards pass by.

He remained quiet as the guard disappeared from view. 

“All your talk of going outside kept me up all this morning and frankly, now I wanna go out more than ever,” he murmured, then gave him the satchel. “Don’t worry. We’re still going to drink obviously….just not here.”

Kazuha raised a brow, then glanced up at the pointed fencing. 

“Can’t we just fly out?”

“You think I haven’t tried to just fly out since I’ve been here? There’s an invisible banner around the property that I can't break or pass through. The gates are the only way out,” he sneered, while he continued to watch the guards. “And it’s not like we, or rather I, can just pass through the front gates like everyone else.”

The vampire was going to go outside past the gate? Kazuha couldn’t help, but look a little baffled at him. Didn’t he say he was trapped inside this enclosed space for centuries?

“I see that look. I’m a bit hesitant to try again and go out myself, but a few meters away from the mansion wouldn’t hurt and it’s not like we’ll be out that long,” Kunikuzushi remarked with a shrug. “And besides, how will they know if we both don’t say anything?”

Kazuha made a face at his response, though he wasn’t going to question his strange logic. He watched the man glance around to see if there was anyone coming then started to painfully pry apart two of the bars with his bare hands. He hissed as his skin sizzled at contact with the black bars. The samurai flinched at the sound and smell of burning flesh before the vampire pulled his hands away and shook them out while smoke trickled off of them. 

“You okay?” he asked before the lord squeezed through the small gap between the bars and landed on the other side. 

“Stop ask stupid questions and just come on,” he hissed, glancing around. “The patrol is gonna come back around in a few seconds.”

Kazuha blinked and passed him the satchel then wriggled himself uncomfortably against the metal bars and toppled through.

Kunikuzushi came around him and struggled to pry the bars back into place before he tilted his head for Kazuha to follow him. The samurai nodded and silently snuck off with him. 

It felt so good to be out of that oppressive atmosphere. The thought of just making a break for it did occur to him though, but right now, he could risk it. The vampire was right there next to him and he’d rather not test their newly established friendship. Gods only knew how Kunikuzushi would react if Kazuha tried to escape and betray him. Besides, something about the forest made him feel uneasy; how eerily quiet it was and how it seemed to stretch out forever. He was patient and would wait for another opportunity to present itself. Kazuha followed after the man, while Kunikuzushi walked pretty fast into the depths of the forest. Tall pine trees stretched above them like hands and he could see white dots in the deep colored sky. There was no noise apart from the rustling and shifting of grass under their feet. It all seemed surreal and Kazuha had never seen a forest nor experienced anything like it. Where were all the animals and other ambient noises? Once they were a good distance away, Kunikuzushi set the satchel down. The vampire’s pupils were red and wide and he looked nervous, yet excited? As Kazuha blinked, the man suddenly disappeared, though he could hear distant laughter and loud scratching and crushing and saw brief flashes of black. Well, he was definitely happy to be out of the place even if there wasn’t much out here and Kunikuzushi obviously felt the same. The samurai stayed out of the way and stretched out his limbs, taking in the fresh air before he laid down on the soft grass below and just relaxed.

Even if the environment felt off, it was nice to be away from the estate and it was presumably just the two of them out here. He was going to enjoy the peace while he could, since he presumed they wouldn’t go out like this again….or at least not for a long time. Closing his eyes, he relaxed. After who knows how long, Kunikuzushi came back and poked him, which caused Kazuha to sit up.

“Right. You wanted to drink,” he stated, before he moved to grab one of the bottles and glasses.

“I do. Did you have fun, my lord?”

“Mhmm. I’m gonna look around more later, but I didn’t see any signs of human life — just a lot of trees…and mushrooms.”

Kunikuzushi poured wine into the glasses before he shoved the cork back into the wine. 

“Cheers.”

“Cheers.”

They clinked their glasses together and took a sip. This wine was nutty and earthy with a more complex flavor and aroma; nothing like he had ever tasted before. It was good and nothing like he had ever tasted before.

“Do you like it?”

“Yes. It’s quite good; smoother than all the alcohols I’ve ever had,” Kazuha said with a smile, taking a whiff of its aroma. “And it smells fragrant too.”

“You’re a really weird human — smelling and tasting everything.”

“Do you not do the same?” 

“Smell, but not taste. Why would I put something unknown into my mouth that might defile it?” he asked with a scoff.

“For the experience I suppose. Something may or may not smell nice, but it might taste delicious.”

“I’d rather not risk it,” he snorted before he saw something move in the grass and slammed his hand on top of it. 

He lifted his hand up and saw that it was just a bug that was now completely turned into dust.  

“Are your hands okay from earlier?” Kazuha asked, while he sipped his wine.

Kunikuzushi raised a brow and presented his palm, which was completely unscathed. The samurai was a little confused because he saw how blistered the man’s hands were, so to now see he was perfectly fine? It made no sense.

“How?” he asked, tilting his head.

“Not too sure actually, considering I know the fencing is encased in silver and when I’ve touched it before it’s taken me weeks to heal,” he admitted, looking at his own palm. “Think it might be your blood.”

“My blood healed you?”

He shrugged.

“Can’t think of any other reason and I didn’t do anything differently compared to my last attempt. I wonder what else I can do if I keep drinking more of it,” he mused, eyeing Kazuha’s neck.

The samurai sighed and covered it with his freehand.

“I’d rather not give you my blood tonight if we’re going to be away from the house and drinking. I’m still not recovered from the last time,” he admitted, while Kunikuzushi símply smirked.

“Mmmm we’ll see about that, but you’re lucky that I’m still full from yesterday.”

Kazuha sighed in relief, before the man gestured to the sake gourd.

“You said you’d let me try that.”

“Oh…yeah.”

Kazuha pulled the top off and held it out to him. The vampire hesitated and sniffed it before he took a swig. After a few seconds, he pulled away and wiped his mouth.

“….It’s really good — sweet and clean. You made that yourself?”

The samurai smiled, taking it back as he took a sip of it as well. Honestly, it was the first time that the man actually liked something of his.

“Mhmmm. My good friend taught me how to make it. To me, it tastes better warm, but I don’t have the ability to warm it up right now, plus it’s probably unwise to light a fire in these woods lest it draw attention to us,” he remarked, before he put the cork back on it.

Kunikuzushi nodded and moved to drink more of his wine. 

“Mmmm maybe next time then. I want to try it warm,” he mused

It was nice just relaxing, drinking and occasionally chatting about mundane things. After the two of them downed a few drinks, they both let loose a little and started to fool around.

The sight was rather silly; two grown men, one of whom hadn’t been outside in centuries, frolicking gayly and drunkenly in the woods while enjoying the wonders of nature. The two of them were genuinely having fun without a care in the world. Downing another glass of wine that had started to taste like water at that point, Kazuha watched as the vampire sipped his drink with one hand and crunched pinecones in the other. Under his touch, the cone completely disintegrated in his hand, sending brown scales and seeds everywhere. He laughed.

“Hey. Hey — Kadehara. Did you see that?” the vampire asked, looking at the white haired man.

“Mmm…haha,” the man laughed with a small smile then gave him a thumbs up. “Nice.. Really nice.”

Kunikuzushi hummed and went over to him, though stumbled over to him. Despite his obstructed senses, Kazuha managed to catch him with one arm and not drop his glass. The vampire did nothing, but laugh before wrapping an arm around his neck and dragging him to the ground. Kazuha fell backwards into the soft grass and leaves, worried that Kunikuzushi would choke him out if he merely tightened his grip. Despite his intoxicated stupor, the vampire kept his grip on him loose.

“This is the most fun I’ve ever had,” the man murmured close to his ear. “Being able to go outside and be away from everyone is…..pleasant.”

Kazuha listened to him, laying on the ground while he glanced up at the dark sky; the white balls of ethereal light crept through the leaves of the trees above. The gentle touch of nature and freedom soothed him despite it only being temporary for the moment.

“….I don’t like anyone in the estate. I thought I would over time, but everyone’s so miserable and worthless. Dottore said coming here would be fun and it was for a fleeting moment, but then I realized what his true intentions were.”

The vampire slicked his hair back and sat up, then moved to grab the bottle of wine to refill his sad, empty glass. The samurai watched him and wiggled his glass, before the vampire poured him another one as well. This was actually a first. Despite how selfish the man was, he never spoke about himself, so to have him open up was an interesting development in their relationship. Kazuha remained quiet, while the vampire sipped his glass and swirled the scarlet liquid in his glass.

“The doctor heard about me somehow, still not too sure how, and was interested in my powers, so offered me an invitation here so long as I did a few tests for him. Words cannot express how horrid it was, but I got all the toys, humans and food I could want though that started to get boring after a while too. But you came along and I’ve had so much fun and I’ve been feeling all these strange new emotions too. I haven’t felt this…alive before.”

The true wonder and joy shown in his blue eyes and Kazuha couldn’t help, but be entranced. He couldn’t imagine what the vampire had gone through. No wonder the vampire was so attached even though they had only known each other for a few days. Sipping the wine, he glanced at the vampire who was suddenly close to him again. Was he expecting a response? He didn’t know what to say.

“…..So thank you. I’m glad we’re friends,” the vampire murmured.

Kazuha blinked at the brief moment of sobriety. He never expected the words to ever come out of his mouth. Even through everything, he did like him now that the frigid man was slowly exposing his underbelly to him. So he smiled. 

“I’m glad we’re friends too,” though his speech was slightly slurred.

Kunikuzushi strolled over to him with his head held high. He looked like he picked something off the ground on the way and went over to him. 

“Kadehara.”

“Hmm?”

“Because you’re my friend and worthy of my affection, I bestow upon you a gift,” he stated with a proud smile. “Now, extend out your hands.”

Kazuha tilted his head a little too hard to the side and almost fell over. What was the vampire going to give him? His guard was down from being inebriated, but he sensed no hostility from him, so he held his hands out. Kunikuzushi looked very, very proud of himself and pulled his hand from behind his back then dropped the item into his hand.

It was multiple small pine cones that were not crushed. 

“I care about you so have some pine cones.”

Kazuha blinked and squinted hard at them for a little too long. His brain was having a hard time comprehending what he was looking at for some reason. He sat there just staring at it in silence with his face up close to it for a long period of time, before he spoke. 

“Thanks. I really like it,” he said with a smile, giggling. 

Kunikuzushi watched him before he moved to polish off his glass then pour himself another. 

“You enjoy leaves, yes? I saw some on your clothes when you first arrived.”

Kazuha held the pine cones and moved to put them in his pocket. He glanced at him and moved to drink more. 

“I love leaves. They’re very beautiful and each beautiful and unique in their own way. They sing their hymns in the wind and rain and provide shade and shelter under the harsher weather.”

Kunikuzushi scrunched up his face, looking rather disgusted. 

“That was some flowery bullshit. A simple yes would have sufficed,” he remarked

“I enjoy the beauty of nature. But if you’re asking about which particular leaf I enjoy the most, I would be the maple, which is the one on my clothes,” he remarked softly. “They’re not enjoy a beautiful red, but they are a symbol of balance and the land where I was born.” 

Kunikuzushi listened, still looking rather confused about the mixture of Kazuha’s flowery explanation and the occasional slurred, staggered and short sentences. He nodded and sipped his wine. 

“Don’t think I’ve ever seen a maple tree before.”

“You should. They’re beautiful in the fall since all the leaves turn a brilliant scarlet, though just as brief as the wind, the scenery doesn’t last too long, but it is a sight worth partaking in,” he explained softly with a smile. “You like the color red, right? You’d enjoy it.”

“I’d like to see that someday,” he mused, sipping his wine. “Actually, I’d like to see a lot of things: I want to see the world outside of this place.”

“You could if you just left this place.”

“You act as if it’s that simple, human,” he snorted with a frown. “To just leave here, to leave everything behind and suddenly enjoy and be embraced by the world outside? I expected more of someone well traveled, but I suppose you’re only human.”

Kazuha watched as Kunikuzushi finished his glass and moved to open the other bottle. 

“Humans flourish in the sunlight; they yearn for it. Everything they do revolves around it: their crops, their livestock, their bodies, their work, everything. Vampires, on the other hand, are children of the night. Humans scurry away from us and we, in turn, live away from them; only coming around to feast upon their blood. When the sun rises, we are then forced back in the ever present darkness.”

Kazuha was truly listening, while he sipped his drink. He felt bad for him even if the man wanted to go out there were multiple issues that presented itself. However, for some reason, most likely the alcohol, he blurted out a response. 

“You could wear a hat…or get an umbrella,” he remarked as Kunikuzushi made a face and stared at him. 

“Excuse me?”

“You can’t go out in the sun long lest you burn up and perish. But let’s say you wear a kasa or weimao, then it’ll shield your face from the sun and you can go outside. You’ll also have to wear long clothes though just in case,” Kazuha suggested. 

Kunikuzushi made a face and actually began to think about it as Kazuha spoke again. 

“I know humans can be rather judgemental, casting accusations and hatred towards those who are different from them, but it wouldn’t hurt to experience what human life is like. Humans of back then as you knew them may be different from those of today,” he began while he sipped his drink. “You just need to be a little open minded….and also less murderous and condescending towards them. Humans don’t like it when you try to kill them or rip their limbs off for “fun.””

Kunikuzushi glared at him before he huffed and crossed his arms. He scowled and just drank. 

“I hate humans. Their lives are worthless,” he murmured.

“You think my life is worthless?” he asked abruptly while looking at him. 

The vampire blinked and looked at him. He actually hesitated and began to think about it before he replied. 

“….No. I care and hold affection towards you,” he murmured softly with a sigh. “You’re my friend after all.”

Kazuha looked at him and hummed softly. 

“And what if there’s other people like me? Wouldn’t you want to be their friend too?”

“…….There’s not going to be anyone else like you. Ugh. You just wouldn’t understand,” he murmured before he finished his glass and moved to open up the other bottle. “I do want more friends to play with I guess as long as they’re not fucking obnoxious.”

Maybe it was his lack of sobriety, the vampire’s answer was a bit strange to him and he couldn’t fully process it at the moment.

“See? That’s the spirit….I think. Right? Uh…right I think,” he murmured, patting him.

Kunikuzushi poured himself a new glass then began to sip it. He just eyed Kazuha and began to think about what he said, while the samurai was enjoying his wine with a soft giggle. Finishing off the remaining alcohol, he moved to get another glass. 

“You know…it was hard for me to leave everything behind too — back when I had something. Throughout the entirety of my life, I watched as my clan fell; the way my father and grandfather struggled and how the debts began to pile up and the remnants of our fortune slowly disappeared right under our fingertips,” Kazuha mused with a soft smile. “I often pondered how I could help ease and take on the burdens that were bestowed upon my father. At the time, I didn’t understand why my father wouldn’t let me help him nor why he was just letting our once noble legacy fade away while he was head. My grandfather and father would often muse about a life of wandering and how I shouldn’t let familial ties hold me back, how I should just drop everything and go see the world. Though as I grew older, I realized how truly miserable my father was with what was left of our legacy and by the time he passed and everything was seized, I was happy. I yearned to explore the natural world and find what truly made me happy, just like my father and grandfather wanted for me. Of course, the life of a wanderer wasn’t easy and often had its own difficulties to accompany it as I often encountered many storms and mountains, but even so, I’ve learned a lot from it; I’ve seen a lot of places, met a lot of people and made a lot of memories both good and bad. I know my life is not too similar to yours and our circumstances are quite different, but I think you should truly consider leaving or at least getting a small taste of the world outside of here. Not only would you enjoy it, but I’m quite sure you would be able to learn a lot from it….You just need to open your heart and mind is all.”

Kunikuzushi listened to him, surprisingly not interrupting him whatsoever while he looked at his glass and drank his wine.

“…..I’ll consider it,” he murmured. “It wouldn’t hurt to at least see what there is past here, even if I have to deal with filthy humans, but if you say that there’s people out there that may want to be my friend and things to learn, I should at least consider your opinion.”

“There’s no rush,” he murmured softly. “Besides, this is technically your first time out in a while. Are you enjoying yourself so far?”

The vampire plucked at the grass beneath him and dusted the strands off. 

“I was expecting it to be more exciting — with more noise and animals. There’s a whole lot of nothing, but compared to the estate, it’s fun because it’s new. It smells strong and fresh and I enjoy just sitting and running around, crushing pinecones and peeling the bark off trees.”

He said it in a way with child-like wonder. Kazuha had to admit it was a bit boring, but to Kunikuzushi, this must have been an amazing experience from the same repetitive things over the past few centuries. 

“We could do something exciting, but you need to drink a little more,” Kazuha said with a smile. “You said we were supposed to get drunk together tonight, right?” 

Kunikuzushi raised a brow at the man, seeing how red his cheeks were and how the man was a little more giggly compared to his earlier demeanor. Kazuha absolutely reeked of wine and grass, whereas Kunikuzushi was more sober. The lord watched him and how the man was so casually drinking and swaying a bit. He supposed he was the one who made the offer of the two of them getting drunk and he was interested in this excitement that Kazuha was on about, so he began to drink more. It was pretty quiet apart from brief and occasional idle chatter, while the two of them downed the bottles that Kunikuzushi had smuggled out. Even though it was all different wines, Kazuha had drank so much to where they all tasted the same and like water. After some time of just pure drinking, the two of them were pretty trashed; Kazuha was just giggling and nodding off whereas Kunikuzushi was strangely more chatty and open.  

“Okay. Okay. I know what I wanna do now,” Kunikushi stated, trying to stand up, while Kazuha was rolling around in the grass. “….I wanna dance. Get up, get up, I wanna dance with the human.”

Kazuha let out a groan and pushed himself off the grass. He managed to balance himself out somewhat and went over to the vampire.

“Sounds fun, but I can’t dance for shit,” he murmured with a laugh, before Kunikuzushi grabbed him.

“I know how to dance not by choice obviously, so I can show you,” he snorted.

Kazuha giggled, letting himself get grabbed without any protest as he saw the vampire’s nose crinkle 

“You smell like wine and grass.”

“Haha….‘cause I was drinkin and layin around~ You smell the same too, but also like pinecones and mushrooms~”

“Are you saying I smell bad?”

“No, no. I like natural smells. Smells like freedom and home — real comforting and stuff,” Kazuha murmured with a smile

Kazuha was slumped hard into him just as Kunikuzushi was slumped into him. Somehow the two of them were still standing and weirdly embracing each other while they swayed; a drunken dance under the tall trees and speckles of moonlight. There was no real rhythm to it and the two kept bumping into each other every so often before miraculously they managed to be somewhat in sync….or rather not knock into each other. Kazuha’s mind and vision swirled and spun, not being able to really concentrate on anything. The swaying didn’t help either, but it felt nice. At least he thought it did, but honestly he couldn’t think at all. 

“I never dance except during the masquerade ball, but even then it’s so boring,” Kunikuzushi murmured to him. “Like the music fucking sucks and it’s just ballroom dancing and then you gotta touch someone and do some boring ass like uh….swing…step away thing.”

“Are you saying this is boring?”

“Uh no. This is pleasant, but that might be the alcohol talking at this point. But! I think…uh…I think it’s because we’re friends and it’s you so it’s like….fun. Yeah! It’s fun even if it’s just swaying around.”

“Hehe we could try spinin around but I think I’ll fall and puke everywhere and will not get back up~”

“Think I’m on the same boat as you, so we can keep swaying.”

The two just kept swaying from side to side. Kazuha had his arms loosely wrapped around Kunikuzushi’s neck while the vampire had his arms wrapped around his waist. The samurai couldn’t help, but giggle and laugh the whole time, barely being able to keep his eyes open while his face was buried into Kunikuzushi’s neck. The vampire didn’t mind, since he didn’t say a word, just glanced at him with half open eyes. Somehow the man managed to be extremely gentle despite everything, caressing him. His blue eyes softened and his gaze lingered over his face before they wandered down to his neck. 

“Mmm Kazuha,” he murmured, before he brought his face close to his neck. “Be my friend forever. I never wanna let you go….I’ve just had so much fun over these last few days and it’s nice to have someone who cares and holds affection for me and actually wants to talk to me.”

The vampire nosed his neck and held him close.

“I’ve never been so happy before.”

Kazuha moved a hand and gently patted the back of his head.

“I can’t promise anything as nothing in life is certain, but the bonds that we now share can’t be severed so easily even when the day comes and we part ways,” he slurred, somehow managing to keep his mildly poetic edge in the moment. “Someday you’ll make more friends and have a lot of fun and be happy with them too, but for now, it’s just us and I’m going to keep treating you like a person should be treated. So let’s just enjoy this fleeting eternity.”

Kunikuzushi didn’t say anything, but kept him close as he practically purred into his neck. Kazuha closed his eyes, still dizzy from all the wine, while something was poking and sucking on his neck. Something wet and cold sucked on the crook of neck, before there was an audible pop and he felt sucking on another spot of his neck. It felt weird, but it wasn’t unpleasant. He peeked open an eye to see what the man was doing. Wait. Was he trying to bite him? The vampire was clearly struggling, trying to bite him but he didn’t bite hard enough and was just sucking on his skin leaving a slight red tint. 

“……Are you trying to drink my blood?”

The vampire huffed and gripped his waist. 

“Obviously. You keep moving.”

“I’m just swayin like you are — not really moving too much.”

“You are. Stop moving, wench.”

Huffing, the vampire kept trying to bite him, but ended up leaving hickeys all over his neck, while Kazuha laughed at him. After several minutes, Kazuha got a little tired of the sucking, deciding to give the man a taste of his own medicine. Biting down the side of his neck, the vampire winced and glared at him, before the man sucked on his neck for a few seconds and pulled away with a loud pop. Kunikuzushi made a face, squinting at him before he rubbed his neck. He remained silent while Kazuha kept randomly giggling and leaned into him more. Surprisingly the vampire was quiet for a few moments.

“You kept givin me hickeys so it’s only fair you get one too.”

“…..What's a hickey?” Kunikuzushi asked, glancing down at him. 

“Uh….fuck…can’t think,” Kazuha murmured, gripping him harder to stay steady and attempt to form a coherent setence. “Um…it’s basically it’s uh…this like thing…yeah…bruise you get when someone like a lover sucks on your neck. Think that’s what it is. Supposed to be a love bite or something like yeah that person with a bruise on their neck…that’s my partner cause I marked them and I love them a whole lot~” 

Kunikuzushi stared at him then glanced away. Kazuha could’ve sworn that he saw the vampire’s pale cheeks turn a bright pink, but it might've been all the colors around him meshing together. Giggling, he buried his head into his neck again and began to playfully bite and suck on his cold and pale skin. The vampire didn’t protest nor say anything and let him, actually pulling him closer. Kazuha tried to give the man the same amount of hickeys he gave him, but he kind of lost count after 2. Shortly after, the vampire’s neck was covered in big, reddish marks like Kazuha, while he pulled away and kept giggling. 

“We match now ahaha~” 

Kunikuzushi glanced at him and rubbed his neck. Snorting softly, he pulled him close.

“Since we’re friends and all, I’ll let it slide….just this once. Don’t expect this sort of mercy next time.”

“Hahaha fine, fine,” he stated, hugging him while he swayed even more. “I believe ya cause you’re so un….unpredictable.”

The vampire scoffed and just held him, though he could barely mask the smile on his face. The two of them danced and swayed for a while in silence, before Kazuha unintentionally began to doze off and drool on Kunikuzushi’s shoulder.

“Okay. It’s time to call it quits for tonight,” he murmured, prying him off. “You’ve had way too much and I’m fucking exhausted too.”

Kazuha simply giggled and Kunikuzushi moved to pack the bottles and glasses back into the satchel. Genuinely, he had a lot of fun just drinking and chatting with the man away from the manor. Once he got packed up, he had to help Kazuha back. At first, they walked, but Kazuha kept lagging behind so despite being intoxicated too, Kunikuzushi opted to carry him so they could get back faster. It was a struggle to stabilize himself and the other man, but they made it back to the gates somehow. Prying open the bars, he pushed Kazuha through first and followed after him then closed it up. When they were both through, he picked him up again like a sack of potatoes. Thankfully for the vampire, the walk sobered him up a bit so he wasn’t struggling as bad to carry him. When they got to the stairs, Kunikuzushi set him down as the man seemed to wake up more and there was no way in hell he was gonna carry him that far.

Kazuha sighed and staggered up the stairs. His movements were sluggish and he was trying to be careful while he gripped the railing. His legs felt heavy and he felt like he was moving in slow motion. Surprisingly enough, Kunikuzushi wasn’t faring any better, grasping the stairway rail to drag himself up. Kazuha eventually gave up and just let go, dropping to all fours. It was probably easier than trying to balance and walk on two legs. 

“The hell are you doing!?” Kunikuzushi whispered loudly, while Kazuha was dragging himself up like some sort of injured dog. 

“Going up? Because it’s easier to ascend up the mountain with four limbs.”

Kazuha squinted hard at the seemingly never ending staircase. It looked like there were hundreds of stairs that just disappeared into the darkness, which was gonna take forever to get to the very top, so he was just gonna crawl up slowly until he got there. First, he put his hands on the step in front of him then scooted his butt to the next step, while he pushed his feet to the one underneath. It was awkward looking, but he was making more progress than his earlier attempts. The vampire just stared at him and let out a long, deep sigh. Honestly, Kazuha had no idea what the man was thinking as he just stood there, watching his feeble attempts to climb up the stairs. Kunikuzushi just watched him struggle in silence. After several minutes of barely making it up a few steps, Kazuha slumped against the steps and just laid there, muttering inaudibly and giggling. The vampire grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt and mildly dragged him up the rest of the stairs while he tried not to fall down himself. Next time they did this, it would have to be in his room because getting back had been such a hassle especially with how hammered his friend was. Kazuha was mildly dozing off in his hold, just giggling as Kunikuzushi staggered to his bedroom and threw the door open. The thought of dropping Kazuha off in his room occurred to him, but gods was he too lazy to even attempt such a feat right now. The samurai in his grasp woke up and rubbed his eyes as Kunikuzushi let go of him. 

His movements were wobbly and he couldn’t even walk in a straight line. He slipped out of his shoes and walked to the bed before the vampire suddenly appeared in front of him.

“You are not getting in my bed with those dirty clothes,” Kunikuzushi warned while Kazuha looked at him then down at his grass and dirt stained attire. 

“Haha fair enough,” he slurred before he started to take off his clothes. 

The clothes were, to put it lightly, an absolute pain in the ass to take off with all the buttons and untying to do. He squinted hard, trying to fumble the buttons from the holes of his shirt while Kunikuzushi was taking off his clothes nearby with some ease. From the corner of his eyes, he slipped out of his vest and shirt and laughed at how Kazuha was struggling. 

“How pathetic,” he mused with a laugh. 

“I hate these damned things. They’re so hard to get off,” the samurai huffed, continuing to fumble with the buttons on his shirt. 

Kunikuzushi smirked and just watched for a few more minutes, while Kazuha only was able to unbutton one button. 

“Beg and I’ll help you.”

Kazuha squinted hard at him before he frowned a bit then wobbled and tried to get on his knees. The vampire blinked, seemingly surprised before he nervously laughed and helped him onto his feet. 

“Okay….okay — that was a joke that time. I’ve seen you on your knees enough for one night,” he reassured, before he helped him sit down on the bench in front of his bed. “I’m just ready for you to chill the fuck out and get your intoxicated ass to bed.”

Kazuha closed his eyes, already dozing off while Kunikuzushi helped him out of his clothes and lazily threw them to the side. 

“You’re a pain to take care of like this,” Kunikuzushi muttered before he picked him up and hauled him into the bed and laid him on his side. 

“Sorry…sorry. Thank you though,” he muttered under his breath. “I…didn’t realize how much I drank…That wine is fuckin hitting me hard too.” 

The vampire scoffed and watched Kazuha adjust himself and snuggle into the abundance of covers before he took off his pants and lazily kicked them to the side then got in bed and laid on his right side, sinking into the mattress.There was a massive gap down the middle between the pair. Normally it would be occupied by his toys, but he let them in Kazuha’s room when the man was severely out of it to cheer him up. He closed his eyes and tried to get comfortable to drift off. 

“Psssst.”

Kunikuzushi kept his eyes closed and sighed loudly. 

“What?”

“Ahaha. I have a joke for you~”

“Go to fucking sleep already, Kadehara.”

“I’ll go to bed if you listen to my joke.”

Kunikuzushi scrunched his face up and sneered, but stayed in his spot. 

“Fine. Tell your stupid joke.”

“Okay. Okay,” he stated before he began to giggle. “Ahaha what’s the difference between a piano and a fish?”

Kunikuzushi genuinely began to think about it and frowned, trying to see if he could find the answer. There were actually a lot of differences considering one was a musical instrument and one was an aquatic animal.

“…..What?”

“You can tune a piano, but you can’t tuna fish.”

“.….”

“Aha get it? Get it?”

“…..”

“Please laugh.”

Kunikuzushi was actually covering his mouth, trying to stifle his laughter. He had to admit, it was a pretty good joke, but it was utterly horrible. Sighing, he snuck a glance at his scarred back then scooted over to him and touched one of his healing wounds with his knuckle.

“Nice job, Kadehara.”

Kazuha seemed happy at the praise, letting out a drunken laugh while the vampire watched his body shake from laughter. 

“Hmmm I want a reward for dealing with your joke.”

“Reward? I…uh….mmm..haha….I don’t really have anything go offer.”

“Be my stuffed animal for the night,” he stated bluntly. “Since I don’t have any at the moment.

Surprisingly, the drunken samurai didn’t object and stayed by his side.

“…..Cuddle away. Just don’t squeeze me too hard please,” Kazuha murmured, not budging and trying to get comfortable in the overly soft bed. 

Kunikuzushi blinked and looked at his scarred back before he wrapped his arms around his waist and buried his head into the back of his neck. True to his word, Kazuha didn’t resist or complain and actually relaxed in his hold. He wasn’t like the stuffed animals or dolls that the vampire normally cuddled with as he was tall and muscular, but something about him was better than all his toys; he was his friend and he was comfortably warm. Kunikuzushi had never experienced such heat before and he welcomed it. Closing his eyes, he pulled him close and rested his eyes before he slowly dozed off.

—————————————————

Groaning, Kazuha rubbed his tired eyes and stretched a bit. His entire body ached, especially his head and knees. He shouldn’t have drank so much because now he was feeling the effects of a wine hangover. His senses were dull and everything around him was blurry. Looking down, he saw his grass and dirt covered clothes scattered on the ground along with some small pine cones. After a moment, he realized there was something cold and strong gripping his waist. Glancing back, he saw and felt Kunikuzushi’s face buried into his neck; his right arm was wrapped around his waist and his left hand gripped his hip. Then it hit him: they were both nude apart from the fact that they were wearing undergarments. 

Did….did they have intercourse?

No. 

They couldn’t have. 

He didn’t feel like he had nor did he smell the scent of sex on either of them, just the scent of natural musk, grass and wine. Somehow, he was in Kunikuzushi's room, in his bed, in his arms, just being held and cuddled by him. He should’ve been horrified, but he genuinely felt comfortable and safe though he was a bit cold. 

“You scared? Your heart is racing,” the vampire whispered, nuzzling the back of his neck. His voice was deep and husky.

His thumb rubbed a circle on his waist, while his grip tightened ever so slightly, but it wasn’t painful or intense; it was pleasant and soft. Kazuha wasn’t going to complain about it, especially since it felt so good after everything.

“Just a little startled is all,” he murmured quietly back. 

Kunikuzushi chuckled and pulled him close, before he buried his face into the crook of his neck. 

“My head hurts so fucking bad, but you’re so warm and soft.”

The vampire’s mouth hovered over a bruise on his neck, but didn’t bite down 

“Give me 5 more minutes and I’ll let you go, human,” he murmured softly. 

Kazuha chuckled softly, settling into his arms, before he closed his eyes again. Perhaps it was the hangover or his own feelings, but he enjoyed this moment of peace and comfort, despite his throbbing headache.

“You could have said an hour and I would stay,” he admitted with a tired laugh.

He could feel the vampire smile and chuckle into his neck.

“You can’t take back what you said now. You’re mine.”

“Mmmm only for an hour.”

“We’ll see.”

Kunikuzushi pulled him closer and got comfortable again. Kazuha didn’t mind and adjusted himself again then almost immediately drifted off again. The vampire seemed to be in a good mood recently and Kazuha wasn’t complaining in the slightest. Before he drifted off, he swore the vampire said something to him:

“No one has made me feel the way you have. So thank you, Kazuha.”

Chapter Text

Sleeping in with him felt amazing….until the both of them fully woke up felt the effects of a night of careless and excessive drinking. Kazuha felt horrid; dizziness, aching muscles and a dry mouth. He did not want to get out of bed, but he knew that in order to recover quickly, he needed to drink, eat and bathe. Pushing himself out of bed, he yawned and went to put his clothes back on, though he did sneak a glance at Kunikuzushi. 

The vampire looked miserable as he staggered out of bed. The image of perfection and luxury was now squinting hard with dark bags under his eyes and unkempt hair. From the way he was acting, Kazuha could tell the man had never been hungover before. Watching him for a few moments longer, he put the pinecones back in his pocket then headed out of the room and went downstairs quietly and carefully.

He spoke to one of the servants and asked if they could make him breakfast and bring him some water first, which they politely agreed and disappeared off into the kitchen. He thanked them before he went to the dining room and sat down, stretching out. Once he got some water and food in, he’d probably feel a little bit better, but right now, he felt like shit to put it bluntly. Tilting his head to crack his neck, he noticed it felt strangely sore. Touching around his neck, various areas hurt. After a few moments of trying to recall what had happened last night, it hit him. 

Kunikuzushi was trying hard to bite him to drink his blood, but ultimately failed and ended up leaving hickeys instead. In drunken retaliation and for the hell of it, he ended up doing the same to the vampire. In hindsight, it was stupid, but the vampire didn’t seem to mind nor did Kazuha. However, just from touching the marks, he could only imagine how obvious they were. He couldn’t help, but feel embarrassed by it as someone may get the wrong idea. 

“Hey!”

Just his luck.

Tartaglia strolled in with his usual, soft smile as he waved at Kazuha. He seemed pretty tired from how disheveled his appearance was. Though, his voice seemed louder than normal and it honestly hurt his ears, but it was probably from the hangover. 

“Good morning. Rough night I presume?” he asked softly, awkwardly putting a hand around his own throat to try and hide the hickeys.

“Oh yeah — had to visit a lot of people last night. It was not fun in the slightest, but I did talk to a few, cool people before I got back home,” he stated, before he went over to him and sat down on the seat next to him. “Looks like you had a rough night too.”

“It was fine actually and I had a lot of fun, though I am enervated to put it lightly,” he admitted with a soft smile. 

“I can tell. You look like shit and reek of booze. No offense obviously.”

“None taken. I’m going to eat a filling meal first and then go take a bath.”

“Smart man,” he praised with a smile, before his eyes wandered down to the hand around Kazuha’s throat. He noticed the dark red splotches that peeked from above and under his hand.”……Is everything okay?”

Kazuha blinked and let out an awkward, stiff laugh. 

“Haha. I assure you I’m fine.”

Tartaglia looked at him then narrowed his eyes and spoke quietly. 

“…..Did he force himself on you?”

“Oh gods no!”

“So are you two like….a thing?”

“No, no, no,” he stammered with an embarrassed smile. “We’re just friends. We didn’t do anything sexual if that’s what you’re implying — just got drunk with him, he tried to drink my blood and then all this happened.”

Tartaglia squinted suspiciously, looking at him. Kazuha was red in the face and glanced away. 

“Well, if he does try anything, let me know,” he stated quietly. “Like I said I’ll try to help where I can.”

“I truly appreciate it, though I’m fine for now. Truly,” he reiterated again with a weak smile. 

Tartaglia smiled back before he felt a presence looming behind him. 

“Out of my seat,” the voice stated in a deep and low tone. 

The ginger vampire glanced back to see a very tired looking Kunikuzushi looking just as disheveled as, if not worse than, Kazuha.

“Your seat? You usually sit over there,” he said then pointed to one of the chairs on the right side. 

The shorter vampire winced at his “loud” tone and scowled, crossing his arms. 

“So noisy,” he muttered than looked at him. “I won't repeat myself again and I’m not in the mood to play these games with you right now.”

Tartaglia looked at him, trying to figure out if he was going to test Kunikuzushi’s limit. Though, he surprisingly backed down; most likely due to the lord’s unusual tone and grim expression. He waved goodbye to Kazuha, who politely waved back, then stood up

“Talk to you later. Have a good morning,” he stated with a grin before he walked around the man and left the dining room. 

Kunikuzushi didn’t even bother to watch him. He pulled out the seat and plopped down before he crossed his arms and crossed his arms. Kazuha was confused to see him there, especially since it was so early in the morning.

“……Are you feeling alright?” he asked.

“Speak quieter or don’t speak at all,” the vampire warned quietly, though his eyes were fully closed. “…..No. Is this really what it feels like afterwards to drink so….recklessly?”

“If you’re talking about feeling fatigued, sore and think everything sounds loud, then yes; you’re hungover just like me,” he stated quietly, having lowered his tone for him. 

“Never again,” Kunikuzushi muttered under his breath as he slumped back in his chair. 

“You could always just go back to bed and sleep it off.”

The vampire huffed. 

“I have my reasons for not going back to bed right now.”

Kazuha merely raised a brow, since he didn’t elaborate on what said reasons were, though he didn’t push it for a multitude of reasons. Though it did raise some more questions such as if the vampire drank so much yesterday to experience what it was like to be drunk or if he was doing it to reward him for good behavior. Yawning, he waited and glanced at Kunikuzushi, who was nodding off already. To say that seeing him be so tired and vulnerable was weird, was an understatement, though he had to admit it was an interesting development nonetheless. Was this a new way of Kunikuzushi showing affection and care towards him or was he being possessive over him yet again? Perhaps both? The vampire kept nodding off, barely being able to sit up straight before he slumped forward. With quick reflexes, Kazuha carefully caught him before his head could slam into the table. Trying to be quiet, he gently lowered his head and rested it on the table before he pulled away. The vampire was completely out like a light and Kazuha just left him alone. After several minutes of waiting, his breakfast (which was thankfully reasonably portioned this time) arrived and he began to eat slowly, since he still didn’t feel good. After the first bite though, he hadn’t realized how hungry he truly was and wolfed it all down. The vampire didn’t budge at all during it, seeming to just sleep the entire time.

Once Kazuha had finished eating, he got up then went to take a bath. A loud scraping noise echoed behind them and he felt Kunikuzushi right behind him. Yawning loudly, he leaned against Kazuha, while they walked to the bathroom. They bathed together again, though this time the vampire was oddly silent and just let the maids wash him. After the bath was finished, the maids clothed and fixed their hair. 

Kunikuzushi grabbed his wrist and led him back to his bedroom, which kind of surprised the samurai, but he didn’t complain, especially since the vampire was more agitated than usual today. He went to the bed then plopped down. The vampire  said nothing and patted the spot that Kazuha was sleeping in earlier. Still feeling tired, he accepted the invitation and cautiously got back into the bed and laid down, getting comfortable again. Honestly, Kunikuzushi’s bed was a lot softer and more comfortable than his own, but he presumed it was partially because of all the luxurious blankets. Stretching out, he got under the covers before he felt something hard and heavy on his chest. Glancing down, he saw Kunikuzushi’s head pressed against his chest while his arms wrapped around his waist. Thankfully, he was wearing clothes this time, so he wasn’t cold from his touch. He patted the man’s head and rested a hand on his back then closed his eyes. The two of them remained silent before Kazuha drifted off soon after. 

—————————————————————

Kazuha slept soundly before he felt the bed shift and heard footsteps. He didn’t bother opening his eyes, just adjusting his position to get comfortable again. After a few moments, he felt something cold stroke his cheek and lift up the back of his shirt. The voice whispered something, but his brain couldn’t process it into anything legible. There was a light pluck from his head and the footsteps seemed to walk away before a door clicked close. Shortly after, he fell back asleep. 

———————————————————-

“Kazuha.”

“Mmm.”

“Kazuha, get up.”

“Mmm….I’m awake. What do you need? You want to play a game or something?” 

Somehow he still wasn’t used to being on a night schedule. He was half asleep, but the constant jabbing and shaking stirred him from his slumber.

“No. We’re going out again.”

“………Are we going outside past the fence again?” he repeated quietly. 

“Yes. Now get up and get dressed,” Kunikuzushi huffed while he backed off of him. 

Kazuha yawned and got out of bed, then moved to put his hair up in a ponytail. He stretched out and felt Kunikuzushi shove clothes into him. 

It was his original outfit from when he first arrived with the maple kimono, scarf, shorts and everything else. Words could not express how overjoyed he was to see it again. Hugging it, he raised a brow at him. 

“Is there a reason why you’re giving me this back?” he asked softly. 

“We’re going to sneak out to a human village tonight. You’re from there, yes?”

Kazuha blinked and stared at him then shook his head. They were going to sneak out to a village? As excited as he was to see other people, the thought of Kunikuzushi going into the nearby town scared him. A man isolated from everyone for countless centuries, who openly and vocally despised humans and only viewed them as objects to “play” with was now going to go into a place full of them? People were going to die and Kazuha couldn’t do anything about it. It wasn’t like he could control him; hell, most of the time Kunikuzushi didn’t even listen to him. The most he could do is try to limit his human interactions and maybe persuade him to do more…..casual and isolated events. 

“….Are you going to go out wearing that?” he asked, pointing to the gothic Victorian garb he wore.

Kunikuzushi looked down and frowned. 

“I don’t see why not.”

“Well, if you’re going to go into town, you’ll need to dress like they would. As nice as your clothes are, people are going to suspect you’re a foreigner, so you’ll want to blend in as much as possible.”

It wasn’t like being a foreigner was a bad thing, but they would get looks from the locals and he’d rather not draw their attention….for everyone’s sake.

“So you’re saying I should dress like you?”

“Yes…..or more casual…possibly with brighter colors — to better blend in.”

Kunikuzushi tried to think before he went over to his closet and began to root through all of his clothes. Kazuha briefly watched him before he changed out of his sleeping attire. Once he got fully changed, he adjusted his scarf to fully hide his neck….or at least try to cover most of it. He had to admit though, it felt good to be wearing his old clothes again especially because he could move around. 

“This better?” 

He turned away and glanced at the vampire, who was wearing something similar in style to him but with darker colors, longer sleeves and shorter pants. It was pretty and fitting on him, butthe dark colors were a bit questionable. Though, it was night time and if this was the best the vampire had, then it would be fine for the most part. 

“Much.”

Kunikuzushi seemed happy and straightened himself out, then adjusted his accessories in the mirror. Once the two of them had finished getting ready, the two of them headed to where they snuck out yesterday with Kunikuzushi prying apart the gate bars for them to squeeze through before closing it behind them.

They walked through the forest while Kunikuzushi looked around, obviously trying to find something. something, most likely the human village? Kazuha tried to help him, though everything looked the same; not because they were lost, but because everything genuinely was the same. He hadn't intentionally noticed it, until they kept passing a tree with several pieces of bark torn off and deep scratches embedded in it. The forest must be another sort of illusion or trick by one of the other vampires, though how would they break free of it? Just walking around until they find the eventual exit or maybe there was opening?

Kunikuzushi looked around and frowned, before he saw an oddly placed crack just floating there. Kazuha looked at it with him as the vampire poked it. There was a strange rippling effect and the trees behind the veil flickered and disappeared for a brief second

“You’d think they’d make it less obvious,” he stated out loudly.

Kazuha could only watch, though he had several questions about the whole ordeal. 

“What is it exactly?”

“It’s an illusion barrier — to conceal the estate…. and perhaps to keep me in case I manage to break out of the fence. Haha have to give it to them, that’s pretty clever,” he stated loudly, before he poked it harder and more cracks began to form. 

The vampire stared at the cracks, before he wedged two fingers in and began to pry it open. The barrier began to shimmer and break away before a small opening formed. Pulling it open more, Kunikuzushi tilted his head towards it as Kazuha blinked and walked through it. The two of them briefly walked through the new area as Kunikuzushi stared up at the change in scenery. 

Everything looked and smelled so different. It was fresh and free, even the sky looked a lot brighter too. Kazuha was relieved, enjoying the wind once again in his face and in his ear. He had missed all of this and he smiled, just enjoying this freedom. Glancing around, he saw the village in the distance then headed over with him as they walked along the grassy, man made path. Kazuha just took in the scenery with a small smile on his face. When they got closer to the village, he felt Kunikuzushi grab his hand, though he didn’t push him away or say anything. Once they got to the village, Kunikuzushi only gripped Kazuha’s hand tightly, while they scanned around the town. 

Despite it being late, there was a fair amount of nightlife. People were strolling through the stone streets chatting, talking and buying stuff from a few of the street vendors that were open. The smell of smoke and greasy street foods filled the air and Kazuha had to stop himself from drooling. Seeing all this again was comforting and familiar. He had missed being in towns such as this, just passing by to see what they had and talking to the various locals to see what was around. 

His companion was pressed close to him and had a slightly sour look on his face; the air around him was thick with hostility and disdain. Did he not like being here? They had just got here and the vampire was ranting and raving earlier about how fun it would be to sneak off to see a human town again. Thinking on it briefly, perhaps he was jealous of and bitter towards all the humans who were out. He had to admit he was a little worried about how Kunikuzushi would react, especially with his talk of playing with them, though for now, the vampire was just silent and didn’t do anything to warrant concern at the moment. Glancing at him, he awkwardly smiled. 

“Um….what do you wanna do first?” he asked.

They were kind of just standing there. Kazuha was unsure of the time, but most things like the shops and restaurants would probably start to close in a few hours, so they needed to get a move in if they were going to fully enjoy the night. The vampire sulked in silence for a bit longer than gestured with a tilt of his head to a nearby store. His eyes followed and he looked at the store. It looked expensive from the handmade and detailed kimono displays at the entrance. He simply nodded and walked alongside him to the store. The vampire was strangely quiet, but Kazuha chalked it up to nerves and him just trying to take everything in.

Once they got into the store, a younger woman greeted the two of them. Kazuha politely bowed back whereas Kunikuzushi just glared, which was kind of the norm. 

“Hello. What can I help you with?”

Kazuha glanced at the vampire who said nothing. He breathed on and smiled at her. Honestly, he had no idea why they were at this particular store, so he kind of had to basis it off assumptions.”

“My friend here is looking for some new clothes. He’s trying to protect his complexion from the sun and we were looking for something with longer sleeves and possibly a hat with a veil or umbrella to accompany it.”

He snuck a glance at the man who said nothing, but did look at him. So his assumptions were right. 

The woman looked at Kazuha and nodded. “I believe we have some options available for him. I would just need to take some measurements,” she replied

Kazuha nodded in response and let go of his hand, praying that Kunikuzushi would go along with it. The man had no objections and approached her with a blank expression. 

Pulling the tape measure from around her neck and began to measure the man. He stayed perfectly still as she wrapped it around his waist and chest then checked his height. 

“We also do custom orders if you want as well.”

Kazuha nodded and smiled politely. “Thank you. We’ll consider it.”

The woman nodded and pulled her measure away. She looked at Kunikuzushi. 

“Do you have any style, pattern or color preferences?”

The vampire finally spoke, “Darker colors preferably, but I’ll try on anything that fits.”

She nodded and went to go show him to the dressing room, leaving Kazuha alone to browse around for a bit. Honestly, he had been to stores like this before, but he had never bought anything from them apart from an occasional new outfit, though he tended to look at the cheaper options. Looking at one of the women’s kimonos, he looked at the price tag and immediately pulled his hand away from it. There was definitely nothing in here that he could afford. Finding a chair near a set of mirrors, he sat down and just waited. He didn’t sense any hostility from his company when he followed the lady, so he wasn’t too worried that he’d do anything heinous here.

He waited.

It was rather boring, though Kazuha couldn’t help, but soak up the peace and moment of solitude away from the vampire and the estate. It felt good — familiar and welcoming. The things he missed most though was the wind whispering to him, wandering through nature and occasionally stopping by places to chat with the locals and share in their food and culture. He doubted they’d be able to enjoy such things right now, but he welcomed the start of it. Well, as long as Kunikuzushi enjoyed being out too obviously.  

After a few minutes, Kunikuzushi came out in a semi traditional kimono. It was beautiful. The Haori jacket was white that had unusually long sleeves which transitioned to a turquoise blue with diamond and curve patterns on it. The obi stash was a royal purple with a rope and tassels dangling off of it. Kazuha was impressed, since he looked very handsome in it. The vampire looked at himself in the mirror….or rather how the clothes looked, then turned to Kazuha.

“It looks beautiful. It highlights your complexion really well, not to mention how much skin it covers up. I believe it’s perfect. What do you think?” Kazuha asked.

Kunikuzushi mildly gestured with a nod of his head to his lack of reflection in the mirror, before he held up his arms then spun around. 

“…..The garments are indeed quite beautiful, though I have to admit that I’m not fond of the longer pants,” he commented. “But I suppose some sacrifices must be made in terms of comfortability.”

The woman came back with an extravagant hat with tassels and gold finishing. She smiled and handed it to the vampire. 

“You’re actually quite lucky. This headpiece matches the colors and compliments that outfit perfectly,” she stated

Kunikuzushi took the hat and carefully placed it upon his head, before he flicked it up and glanced at it in the mirror. Saying nothing, he just stared at himself for a long time then finally spoke. 

“….I like this one,” he stated. 

Kazuha blinked and nodded with a soft smile. 

“Do you wanna try the other options we have?” the woman asked. 

Kunikuzushi looked at Kazuha, who then tried to figure out why he was looking at him. Trying to figure him out based on the wind in the shop and minor context clues, he spoke for him. 

“Um….he’d like to try a few more options, especially if you have more like the one he’s currently wearing.”

The lady blinked and smiled at them. She ushered Kunikuzushi back to help him change into a new outfit. Kazuha didn’t mind just watching the “dress up show,” since Kunikuzushi started to gradually get more comfortable and perhaps even a bit overjoyed to try on these new human clothes. By the end of it, Kunikuzushi only seemed to love the first outfit, most likely because of that massive hat with all the cute trinkets on it. Personally, Kazuha had to agree that it suited him the best too. The lady carefully folded and bagged the clothes and hat for him, before she told them the price for everything. Kazuha’s mouth almost dropped at how much it was. There was no way he could ever afford something like that. Kunikuzushi was straight faced and reached into his pocket before he pulled out a small pouch. Casually, he flicked through a few of the bills then handed them to the woman, who bowed politely and waved them off. Kazuha walked out with him, still stunned that the vampire just had that kind of money laying around.

“…..The 9th lord owns multiple banks around the world from what I’ve heard, since he constantly gloats about it,” he began, before he gave the bag so Kazuha could carry it instead. “So he tends to hand out money to everyone like it’s nothing, including myself. So this sort of currency has been sitting in my room for who knows how long. I must admit it brings me such pleasure to buy such a luxurious outfit within.”

Kazuha should’ve expected something of the sort, but he supposed it made sense. He nodded.

“So if you’re concerned about monetary experiences on our…little excursion, I’ll cover it,” he remarked, before he smirked. “Hehe, but I expect compensation later.”

Of course. It was probably going to be his blood, considering the look in his eyes.

He couldn’t help, but laugh. 

“I suppose that’s fair. Thanks.”

Kunikuzushi watched him, then let out a soft huff and walked down the street with him.

“Anywhere you want to go next?” Kazuha asked with a small smile, while he held the bag for him. 

Kunikuzushi rested a hand under his chin then looked around at what was in the village. It mainly seemed like human houses with the food stalls and carts and other open shops. All of it was so strange to him and he didn’t know what else to explore. 

 “….I want some new books,” he stated.

Kazuha nodded and tried to see if there was some sort of book store nearby. It made sense actually, considering that Kunikuzushi seemed interested in literature and was probably bored of reading the same books over and over again. 

After a few minutes of walking and looking around, Kazuha found a hole in the wall store with rows and rows of books, which smelled like old books and incense. Kunikuzushi immediately seemed intrigued by all the new books, though his nose crinkled as he walked in. The storekeeper greeted them with a wave and Kazuha waved back. It had been awhile since he had come into a bookstore, but whenever he did visit one, he enjoyed skimming through the newest poetry and meditating booklet even if he couldn’t afford them. Honestly, he couldn’t remember when he last came to a bookstore. Glancing around, he found the poetry section and began to browse through what they had. 

To his surprise, it was full of classics, but also had a variety of new authors. Picking up one he had never heard of, he began to read through a few of the poems. He couldn’t help, but be impressed at how good they were. While some of them were haikus, several of them were also more experimental with unique rhyme schemes and lengthier verses. Most of them seemed to be more about their personal plights and experiences in colorful terms rather than comparisons to the natural world. It was rather refreshing and honestly gave him some inspiration for his own future poems.   

After a few minutes of reading, he decided to see how his friend was, since he didn’t see him around. Kunikuzushi was off in the far back, seeming engrossed in the book he had in his hands. Kazuha couldn’t make out what he was reading, but he was happy that the man found something he liked. Squinting, he tried to see if he could make out what book, but it was eligible to him. As long as he was happy, then it was fine with him, plus he didn’t mind spending a significant time here just browsing through all the literature. Going back to the poetry section, he picked up another book and began to flick through its pages

He didn’t know how long it was, but eventually Kunikuzushi strolled over to him with a large stack of books, though the spines weren’t visible. 

“….Seems like you found a lot of good books to read,” Kazuha mused softly.

“I did. I didn’t realize how much better books have gotten and I find myself rather excited to read them when we return,” he murmured, then looked at him. “Did you find anything?”

Kazuha closed the book back and gently pushed it back into its spot. He chuckled.

“There’s some books I’m interested in, but I don’t have the funds for them, so I don’t mind not purchasing them.”

“I didn’t ask if you could afford them, I asked which books you found.”

Kunikuzushi glared at him slightly, causing Kazuha to give him a slightly puzzled look. He tried to think and pulled the two books he enjoyed the most.

“I liked these ones.”

Kunikuzushi briefly glanced at the spines and covers, then turned to go to the counter where the old shop attendant was. He dumped the books on the counter whereas Kazuha set his two books gently beside his. Blinking, the worker grabbed each book one by one and began to put them into a bag for them, though Kazuha couldn’t help but notice that the man gave the two of them a weird look after picking up some of the books. What did Kunikuzushi even get? The storekeeper gave them the total and slid a dish over to them, before Kunikuzushi reached into his pouch and dropped the money in it. 

“….Thank you. You two young men have a nice evening. Hope to see you again soon,” he croaked.

With shaky arms, the old man held out the bag and Kazuha carefully grabbed it with a soft smile.

“Thank you, sir. Have a good night,” Kazuha stated, then bowed and left the store with the vampire. 

Once they were out, he looked at the vampire with a faint smile. 

“Thank you, my lord. I appreciate your generosity.”

“Kunikuzushi.”

“Hm?”

“You can just refer to me as Kunikuzushi, not around these humans though.”

Kazuha tilted his head slightly at this new development.

“Is there a reason?”

“My name is safe in your mouth,” Kunikuzushi remarked, while he glanced at him.

Kazuha blinked at the comment.

“…..So you want me to call you by your name from now on? But you don’t want me to share it when we are around humans?”

“Precisely. They’re not even worthy of even thinking about my name.”

Kazuha smiled softly. It was nice and more friend-like to call each other by their first names. He had also noticed earlier that the vampire started to call him by his first name rather than by his family name, though he was unsure of the change. Perhaps their drinking together last night changed his perspective on him? There was no need to further question it, but it made him feel some relief at being treated so normally rather than some sort of object. Honestly, he felt rather happy about this, especially since he did always find it a little strange to constantly call him “my lord.”

It was getting rather late and some of the shops were already starting to close up. They stood along the cobblestone street, while they watched some of the people walk by. 

“So what’s the next thing you would like to do?”

“…..I’ll leave it up to you as long as it’s interesting.”

Kazuha looked at the food stalls as the fragrance of greasy and hot homemade food whafted towards them. His stomach growled.

“Let’s go get some food. I’m rather famished.”

Kunikuzushi let Kazuha lead the way while they walked through the alley of just street food vendors in small wooden carts and stalls. Despite their shabby appearance, the food they were cooking looked delicious and the people who were around seemed to be buying and devouring it, though some of them definitely looked drunk. Kunikuzushi eyed the various displays of foods, though it was obvious that he was unsure of what most of them were exactly. 

“Do you want anything?” Kazuha asked with a soft smile. 

“…….I don’t need to eat any of your human foods, but I’ll get whatever you’re getting,” he murmured in response. 

Honestly, Kazuha didn’t know about his food preferences other than the fact he enjoyed sweets and blood. He probably didn’t go out of his way to eat human food, especially since blood provided everything for him. Though he supposed the vampire wanted to indulge a little bit in this new experience. As much as he wanted to go to a restaurant to sit and eat, Kunikuzushi seemed uncomfortable being around so many humans for now at least. Plus he didn’t want to endanger the other unsuspecting people nor did he want to have to deal with Kunikuzushi potentially wanting to play with them or losing his temper. 

The street vendors had a lot of food that he had missed from simple, yet delicious shioyaki to fluffy and sweet imagawayaki. What did he want to eat for dinner? Looking around, he saw to his right, a man with a small grill turning over multiple skewers of meat and vegetables. 

“Do you wanna try that first?” Kazuha asked, gesturing to the skewers.

“….Mmmm I wouldn’t mind. It doesn’t look unappetizing.”

Kazuha grinned and approached the stall with the vampire.

“Two yakitori please,” Kazuha stated, before Kunikuzushi handed the vendor some coins. 

The vendor handed Kazuha two skewers of perfectly grilled chicken and scallion with a tare sauce glazed over it. It smelled delicious and made his mouth water. Moving, he handed Kunikuzushi one of the skewers then headed off to the next vendor, who had rows of shioyaki sitting out. The vampire blew cautiously on the steaming meat then took a bite from it. 

“….So delicious and so....crunchy.”

“Sounds like you’re enjoying it,” Kazuha stated softly before he moved to buy the salted fish. 

The vampire stood beside him, while he pulled the pieces of chicken and scallions off with his teeth then chewed and swallowed. The white haired samurai bought the fish then gave the other skewer to him before he went to the other stalls to buy more food for the two of them to eat. Every once in a while, he would catch a glimpse of Kunikuzushi making little comments or faces at the various things he was handed.

The shioyaki: “Just looks like some ordinary fish covered in salt. I guess it tastes alright.” 

A small carton of takoyaki: “What’s with these flakes on the top and weird tentacles? …..Mmm this is really good. I want the rest if you’re not going to finish yours.”

Umeboshi onigiri: “Is this just a ball of rice? There’s a filling of pickled plums in the middle? Sour and tangy….I like it.”

Dorayaki: “Looks like some sort of pancake. It’s soft and fluffy. The filling is a little sweet, but it’s not a strong flavor.”

After giving him some tea, he noticed that his companion had gone relatively quiet. Did he lose him? He could smell and feel his presence. Glancing back, he caught Kunikuzushi watching some people walking around. Trying to follow his line of sight, he noticed that he was specifically looking at a man and woman holding hands in front of one of the stores. The woman giggled and hugged the man’s arms while she also held his hand and kissed his cheek. The man smiled and gently gripped her chin and planted a soft kiss on her lips. 

“What’re they doing?” he asked, gesturing to them with a tilt of his head. 

Kazuha blinked, feeling rather rude to be so blatantly staring at the unsuspecting couple. 

“It seems like they’re a couple on a date. As for what they’re doing, they’re kissing.”

“…..Kissing,” Kunikuzushi repeated before he watched them more and took a bite out of his food. 

Kazuha nodded. He tried to balance his food then walked to the right. 

“Let’s leave them alone and go eat,” he said softly with a soft smile. 

“…….Fine.”

Kazuha and Kunikuzushi walked to the outskirts of the city with their new goods and food. Glancing around at the scenery, he found a large and beautiful cherry blossom tree to rest under. He walked over to it, then he set some of the bags down and touched the tree with his now free hand. It was alive; no magic or anything strange about it compared to the plant life that was at the estate. Sighing in relief, he smiled and sat down before Kunikuzushi looked up at the branches and plopped down next to him. The two of them just sat in the silence. They ate their food, while just enjoying the night time atmosphere of the landscape around them. Kunikuzushi was just munching away at his snack, looking around and listening to all the new noises and sights: the cicadas and crickets chirping, the bubbling of the river, distant barking of dogs, little yellow lights buzzing around and the bustle of the nightlife so far away. It was a welcomed change of pace in comparison to the eerie silence or dying screams that so often resonated throughout the estate. Kazuha just enjoyed the atmosphere while he enjoyed his food.

After several minutes of the two just sitting in silence, Kunikuzushi eventually broke it.

“Why do humans kiss?”

It was a strange question to ask out of the blue and Kazuha wasn’t an expert in the area nor did he know the answer. Trying to think, he rested a hand under his chin.

“I’m actually not too sure,” he admitted genuinely with a shrug. “I suppose it’s human nature really? While often viewed as a romantic gesture, kissing can also be a way to greet someone, show affection towards a person, signify a friendship and more. I would liken it to a hug, though I would consider hugs to be…less intrusive”

Kunikuzushi thought about it, while Kazuha leaned back against the tree and ate his yakitori. 

“Have you kissed anyone before?” the vampire asked after some time.

“Yeah,” he stated, continuing to chew on the sticky snack. “When I was a kid, I used to kiss my father and grandfather on the cheek. Hmmm…I think that’s it actually. I don’t recall kissing anyone else.”

Kazuha wasn’t one for romantic or intimate relationships. He enjoyed his freedom and ability to travel however he pleased. Most people couldn’t handle nor did they want to be with someone who never stayed in one place for too long. So his entire life up to now, he had been single, never having kissed or had sexual relations with anyone.

“Have you?”

“Obviously not,” the vampire huffed, while he crossed his arms. 

There was a moment of silence while Kazuha just chewed his food, then the vampire spoke again.

“Kazuha.”

“Yes?”

“Kiss me.”

Huh? 

The man who just a few days ago loathed human touch was now asking him for a kiss.

“On the lips?”

His heart began to race and his stomach felt light. It wasn’t like he wasn’t attractive, quite the opposite actually. Though he had to admit, it was bizarre and made him confused, but it wasn’t like he would mind kissing him….as a friend, of course. 

“No shit. Don’t keep me waiting,” the man stated, while he watched him with crossed arms. 

He had to admit that this was a little strange and out of left field, but he supposed after Kunikuzushi saw some people kissing and holding hands right in front of him, he was intrigued by the act and in turn, wanted to try it. After a moment of hesitation, he took a deep breath in and scooted closer to him, while the vampire watched him. Kunikuzushi actually smirked, probably hearing the way his heart raced and how his normal, calm expression was nothing but a flustered mess. How does one approach kissing another person?

After a moment, he tilted his head as Kunikuzushi stared at him with that smug grin on his face. 

“……Can you close your eyes?”

“Why should I? I can’t see your expression if I do.”

Kazuha’s cheeks heated up and he let out a soft sigh. There was no reasoning with the man and he personally didn’t want to stare at him while they kissed. Closing his eyes, he moved and tilted his head, before he scooted forward and felt his lips touch something soft and cold. The kiss was surprisingly fine and he tasted green tea and sweet azuki bean paste on him. After a few moments, he pulled away then touched his own lips then looked at the man across from him.

Kunikuzushi glanced away with a small frown, though in the darkness he could see the tint of his cheeks change color. Did he not like it? The man was genuinely hard to read and he couldn’t blame him if he didn’t like it. Kazuha let him process it in peace before he was suddenly pinned against the tree. Just as he was about to say something, Kunikuzushi placed a finger on his lips.

“No need for idle chatter, Kazuha. I want to kiss you again,” he whispered with a smirk. “Your expression was so fascinating and the fact that I’m the one who did it? Haha — it really gets me going.”

Kazuha looked at him, before Kunikuzushi leaned in and kissed him again. He kissed him in such a gentle fashion, using his other hand to grip his chin. He practically melted into it, while he leaned against the tree and moved his free hand to rest on the man’s back. Sadly, the kiss only lasted a few seconds and Kazuha couldn’t help, but feel disappointed. Suddenly, Kunikuzushi leaned down and chomped down on his last piece of yakitori, happily pulling it off the stick and munching on it. The samurai blinked and stared at his now empty stick while the vampire chewed on the piece of chicken proudly. 

“…..You could've just asked,” Kazuha said with a sigh, putting the skewer in his pocket.

Kunikuzushi hummed and wiped his mouth, smirking. 

“Your reaction was so…intriguing. And to see it change into disappointment and surprise? Delicious.”

Kazuha frowned and blushed more. He should’ve known Kunikuzushi was going to be childish like this. The vampire watched him, while he swallowed.

“What? Were you expecting more?” he cooed, scooting close to him again before he touched his cheek. “Be honest with me and you’ll be rewarded.”

He breathed in to calm his racing heart. Something just felt really nice about being held and touched by someone after so long. The quiet and intimate moments he’d had with the vampire of the past few days were nice and he couldn’t help but notice that the man seemed to enjoy them too even if he never fully admitted it. 

“Yes. It was quite nice and I enjoyed embracing and kissing you,” he remarked softly. “I’ve never experienced something that has ever made me feel like that before, but I wouldn’t mind doing it some more…if you want to as well.”

Kunikuzushi stared at him. He pulled away and covered his mouth then scrunched his brows together. His expression was illegible, but Kazuha assumed he was embarrassed at his genuine honesty. The silence between them was loud and Kunikuzushi just seemed to process everything 

“It’s okay if you don’t actually enjoy it,” Kazuha stated softly, breaking the silence. “And merely wanted to indulge in this human experience. Partaking in such intimate acts with someone you care about and who cares about you just feels nice, especially when you’ve never done it before. Everyone wants affection and tenderness.”

“I don’t know why my head and chest feel the way they do right now,” he admitted with a frown after a few minutes. “I’m just so used to such bitterness and hatred, but this strange….warmth? It’s foreign and confusing.” 

Kazuha raised a brow. He wasn’t too sure about what the vampire was feeling, but it seemed to be a mixture of new, more positive emotions. A man so closed off from the world and everyone now experiencing such simple things like hugging, going shopping, being outside, etc was probably overwhelmed by it all. 

“That’s normal. You don’t have to know how or why you’re feeling the way you are right now,” Kazuha reassured softly. “And as I said, there’s no pressure to kiss me again.”

“But I want to,” Kunikuzushi said with a huff, before he pinned Kazuha against the tree and shook his head. “…..Whatever. I’m just not gonna think about it.”

Before Kazuha could say anything, his red scarf was pulled down and the vampire began to attack his bruises with rough kisses. His breath hitched and his hand grabbed at the man’s back. This was not what he was expecting. The vampire kissed each bruise, sucking and nibbling on each one to intensify the color and size. It hurt, but it felt so good and Kazuha couldn’t help, but blush madly. 

“Okay, okay. When I meant kiss me again, this was not what I was referencing,” he whimpered, feeling the man nibble, especially hard at the side of his neck. 

“Shut up. Are you really complaining about my affection towards you?” he murmured in an agitated tone, trying to find a new spot to suck on. 

Kazuha whimpered more and he sank into his arms, closing his eyes tightly. He was getting devoured alive by the man and he could do nothing to stop him. 

“No,” he murmured quietly, moving to grip the back of his head. “But my throat is going to be covered in purple and red because of you.”

“Not my problem,” he murmured, before he wedged a finger into the collar of Kazuha’s kimono and pulled it down to reveal his collarbones. “I want people to know you’re mine.”

This man was unbelievably possessive and Kazuha was the poor victim in all of it. He lapped at his bones, while he glanced up to watch his ever-shifting expression. After several long seconds of lapping and sucking at his collar, he pulled away and grabbed him by the throat and kissed him on the lips. Kazuha had expected another gentle, tender kiss, but the vampire was merciless; roughly kissing and biting on his lips. 

“Ow, ow, ow, that hurts,” he mumbled, trying to pull his now bleeding lips away from his fangs. 

The vampire licked the newly oozing blood away and smirked.

“Open your mouth. I want to taste more of you.”

Kazuha blushed even more, feeling his heart pound against his chest. He peaked his eyes open and saw the hunger in his eyes, so he obliged and parted his lips. 

“Just don’t bite my tongue.”

Kunikuzushi smirked and tilted his head up more.

“Hmph no promises.”

The vampire kissed him deeply, casually snaking his tongue into his mouth. It was weird having another person’s tongue in his mouth. His tongue was long and cold and Kazuha nearly choked, then tried to breathe through his nose. He didn’t know what to do, but cautiously scraped his tongue against his. The other man seemed to enjoy it and only pushed him into the tree harder. Kazuha’s tongue was immediately overwhelmed and overtaken by the vampire’s, who greedily explored his mouth and forced him to submit. It was unusual at first, but after a few moments, he couldn’t help but enjoy it. He adjusted himself and pulled him closer, resting his arms around his neck and just enjoying the sensation. Every once in a while, he made a soft noise and the vampire happily ate it up.

After several minutes, Kazuha pushed him away, panting heavily. For the first time in a while, he felt truly flustered and overheated, similar to what he experienced while Kunikuzushi drank from him. And right now, he didn’t want to be aroused like some hormonal teenager just from kissing. The vampire watched him and backed away, laughing.

Kunikuzushi seemed unbelievably proud, basking in the glow of dominating the other and experiencing the human art of kissing. Kazuha, on the other hand, was spent and flustered.The fact that the man was able to figure out things so fast and completely conquer him was frightening.

“That was fun. Let’s do that again,” he said with a wide smirk, wiping the saliva from his lips with a single swipe of his thumb. 

The samurai, who would consider himself youthful and full of stamina, had to concede. He slumped back into the tree.

“….Perhaps in a little bit? I need a break.” 

The vampire glanced at him and frowned, sticking out his tongue and blowing a raspberry at him, but respected his wishes and backed off. He moved and picked up his new large brimmed hat then put it on and touched the tassels on it, before there was a soft jingle from them. He then tilted his hat up and glanced at the night sky.

“Will I really be able to go out during the day with all this?” he asked. 

“You should be, especially with that sort of hat and umbrella,” he reassured. 

Kunikuzushi closed his eyes and kept a hand on the edge of his hat. His expression was relaxed and ethereal for once and Kazuha couldn’t help, but stare at him. The night wind gently blew on them, while the tassels jingled softly. The stars twinkled in the clear, dark blue sky; a beautiful sight — something of which he hadn’t seen in so long. After being trapped for so long in that estate, he finally felt at peace again…at least in this moment. Smiling, he pulled up his scarf again then got comfortable in their silence against the tree. He wished he could enjoy moments like this again, free from the fear of death and invisible restraints the vampires had on the both of them.

Without warning, he heard rattling and sprinting, before armed men in purple uniforms ran at them. He blinked in surprise and stood up, before he moved to draw his dagger, whereas Kunikuzushi tilted his head and stood up with him.

“Freeze! Kadehara Kazuha, you're under arrest by order of the Tenryou Commission and Shogun!”

Chapter Text

They were surrounded. Kazuha frowned and gripped the handle of his dagger while Kunikuzushi just stared at the men in uniform, perplexed. The samurai had forgotten about his status in the eyes of the law ever since he got kidnapped. He must have been too reckless with his trip around town and people recognized his appearance from the wanted posters and alerted the guards. 

“Who are these worms?” the vampire leaned in and asked, not taking his eyes off the uniformed men. 

Kazuha narrowed his eyes and readied himself, scanning to see if there was an opening or if they would have to fight their way out. 

“Put your hands up and come with us!” one of them ordered. 

Kunikuzushi actually laughed at the officers, who pointed their katanas and spears at the two of them. 

“These lowlifes really think they’re gonna take you in?” he questioned with a smile, clearly amused by the sheer audacity of these nobodies. 

The samurai couldn’t help, but feel uneasy by the way Kunikuzushi laughed and smiled. Now, it was something he was all too familiar with. 

“... We don’t want any trouble. If you let us leave, you won’t be harmed,” Kazuha warned as the men started to close in on them. 

The vampire stole a glance at him, clearly not onboard with anything that Kazuha was saying. The men only closed in more as one of the men went to grab Kazuha’s arms to try and arrest. Suddenly before Kazuha could react, the man’s arms were just gone. Loud screams pierced the peaceful night arm as strips of flesh and blood squirted all over Kazuha. The samurai just stared at the armless man, who spasmed and flailed violently, while his comrades staggered back and wailed.

“Filthy humans — always thinking they can do whatever they want without consequence.”

Kunikuzushi held the man’s arms with the tips of his right index and thumb. Looking at the limbs, he casually tossed them at the group of officers that were near him. Strings of blood from the disembodied limbs splattered onto them. Kazuha froze up, staring at the sheer brutality of the act.

“I was in a pretty good mood and I thought about letting you all go,” Kunikuzushi began while he reached into his pocket and wiped his hands with his handkerchief. “But I don’t appreciate anyone trying to take someone that is rightfully mine away from me.”

The armed guards practically froze in place and pointed their weapons at Kunikuzushi. He was unphased, casually tucking the handkerchief back into his pocket. Chuckling darkly, he glanced at them. 

“Let’s play a game: shall we? I’ll give you insects a 5 second head start,” the vampire said in a casual tone. “And if I see you in my line of sight after 5 seconds, I’ll kill you.”

The game was completely rigged from the start. The grassy area they were in was pretty bare of hiding spots with only a few trees spaced out every few meters and the river to the far right. Any sort of help or civilization was far off in the distance. Putting his hands behind his back, a child-like giggle swiped from the isolated man’s lips as the man began to panic; some decided to take his advice and flee, while some tried to rush him. Their feeble attempts to stop his game only made him laugh and smile harder, practically dancing around their sloppy attacks as he viscously cut down the stragglers. 

Kazuha had to look away and cover his ears. The sight, smell and sounds of everything that he had only faintly heard in the thralls of the estate were now real and right before him. He couldn’t do anything to stop him as the eccentric man was caught up in the spot game of his.  

Blood and entrails spilled everywhere. Despite how far away the men were, little specks of blood managed to fly and splatter all over his face and clothes. Even with his ears covered, their screams and pleads for mercy and help bore deep into his soul. He couldn’t help, but pray to the wind and gods that they would find some sort of peace in the afterlife. While the men were his enemies, he would never wish this sort of violence and savagery on anyone. It felt like a never ending eternity in darkness and Kazuha tried to just tune it all out with little success. He did try his best to shield himself from the unholy sight, but he managed to catch several glimpses of the vampire tearing into and pulling them apart like it was nothing.

The screaming soon died down and the only thing that remained was his heavy breathing and the faint echoes of crickets chirping. He peaked open his eyes and only stared at his feet and the wet, crimson blades of glass. Footsteps approached him and he saw familiar shoes draw close to him. Kunikuzushi was almost entirely spotless aside from the few droplets that were on his face and fingers. 

“Sorry. I didn’t intend for their vile filth all over you,” Kunikuzushi apologized for the first time.

Seeing how vicious and merciless the man was to others haunted him. He had never seen anyone or anything get completely torn into fragments so… easily and effortlessly. It didn’t seem possible, but now the lumps of yellow, melted fat and puddles of pink and red flesh were burned into his mind. 

That could’ve been him.

That could be him if the man before him ever grew bored or if he made one misstep. 

It rocked him, no matter how pleasant Kunikuzushi had been to him recently.

“Does all this bloodshed frighten you?” he mused with a smile, almost as if he could read his lingering thoughts. “I can smell your fear, and I see it plainly in your eyes.”

The vampire stepped right in front of him, then caressed his least bloody cheek. He smirked, then stroked him with his knuckles. 

“You’re amusing. Truly. I don’t know why you’re so scared. Did I not tell you that I wanted to learn about all that you have to offer me, and that I wouldn’t kill you because I hold such strong feelings of attachment and affection towards you?”

Moving his free hand, he pulled out his hand knitted, lace handkerchief then wiped some of the blood off of his face. 

“I’m a man of my word and I’ve proven that time and time again to you. But — if you so choose to believe that I’ll still disembowel you at some point, be my guest,” he cooed to him.

Kazuha studied the man before him, while he remained silent. Despite not being all too familiar with Kunikuzushi for long, the vampire kept his word every time. Hell, he even started to behave slightly better now that they were on better terms. 

Kunikuzushi pressed his forehead against his, despite the obvious look of disgust on his face from touching the blood. He stared him square in the eyes. 

“… I was joking about the last bit. I enjoy spending these moments with just you,” he whispered to him and only him. “I’ve never experienced anything like it before and I find myself hungering for more. This hunger is so intense and I don’t think it’ll ever die. I want you in one piece, alive and talking, just like this. So, trust me, Kazuha. There’s no need to fear your friend — I promised I wouldn’t harm you again.”

Kazuha looked at him and frowned slightly. It was strange seeing him so serious and close like this, especially since the man seemed to indulge in being intentionally mysterious to keep him on edge. Sighing, he gave in and leaned into him slightly. 

“I trust you,” he reassured. “But if I can make a request, I would like for you to not execute people in such a manner next time. It’s cruel and unnecessary.”

Kunikuzushi pulled away and laughed. 

“Now that’s a promise I can’t keep.” 

For a brief moment, Kunikuzushi tilted his head and leaned in closer, brushing his lips against his before he pulled away. He made an audible noise as he wiped the remnants of blood and chunks from his hair and face, then turned his nose away from him. 

“Go wash off or something. You fucking smell,” he grumbled, ushering him away as he tried not to take another whiff of him. 

Kunikuzushi always seemed to say the most unintentionally romantic and disturbing things only to immediately break whatever atmosphere he built up with childish remarks such as that. 

Kazuha blinked, getting shoved to the nearby river as he made a face. Well, there were some things that the man couldn’t change. Though, washing off was a good idea, especially since the blood was already starting to dry and cake on everything. His fingers slipped around his clothes and he began to carefully strip out of them. 

Smears of red were streaked across his nude body; some of the blood had seeped all the way through his clothes. His beautiful, maple garments would now be forever tainted with death and stains of blood. Sighing, he got completely nude and began to wash himself off, submerging himself and his garments in the cold, fresh water. Strips of red washed down the river and he just scrubbed his hair. Glancing back, he saw that the vampire was gone. He looked around and saw that the man was nowhere in sight actually.

Holy shit. 

Was this the opportunity he had been waiting for? Or was this a test in trust?

Thinking about it, he sat in the river and just soaked. Running would be the best option, but the vampire was unbelievably fast, and had anger issues. 

Wait. 

Where did he go?

Oh gods. 

He wandered off somewhere and here he was sitting around and having a bath. 

Fuck. 

He listened and smelled the air around him. Blood and water were the only things he could smell. The night was quiet, while the only ambient noises were the songs of sweet stillness, crickets and cicadas. If he listened a bit harder, he could hear the flow of the water and faint mumblings of the people in the town nearby, though there didn’t seem to be any sort of terror or bloodshed on the wind. 

Wait.

There was a new scent on the wind just as he backed into something.

“Boo.”

He jumped slightly from being startled, not expecting Kunikuzushi to be right behind him. The vampire was clearly amused with a small smirk painted across his face. 

“I couldn’t resist — you were so vulnerable and unaware. It was the perfect opportunity.”

In his hands, he had some sort of beverage and a new tote bag, along with the other bags of their newly purchased goods. Kazuha was still in the river as Kunikuzushi backed away and plopped down along the riverbank. 

“… Shouldn’t you be asking what I got for you?”

The samurai blinked and glanced at him. The vampire had a smug grin on his face, while he waved the new bag and drink in his hands. Was this another trick again? It didn’t smell or feel like one. 

“… What did you get me… Kunikuzushi?” he asked, calling him by his real name felt weird on his tongue, but it was pleasant — much better than calling him ‘my lord’ or ‘master’.

Humming, he set down the drink and opened the bag then held the items up. He held up an outfit similar to the one Kazuha was currently wearing, though the patterns were more intricate and length of the outfit was slightly longer. It was a short sleeved, white kimono and a black haori coat. The pattern on the sleeves were surprisingly maple leaves, though they were more colorful with yellow, orange and red. There were also gold wind-like patterns and outlines stitched in. The black hakama pants also had small maple leaf patterns on them. Sadly, there was no matching scarf, but the one he had would work just fine with it. Honestly, he was impressed by how Kunikuzushi was able to find such a thing. 

“I saw in the shop earlier when I was trying on clothes,” Kunikuzushi stated, setting it to the side for him. “Thought it suited you… considering it looks so similar to what you’re already wearing.”

Kazuha didn’t touch it as he was still soaking wet, though he did admire it. He couldn’t help, but feel grateful.

“… Thank you. It’s beautiful.”

Kunikuzushi hummed proudly then smiled and grabbed the drink. 

“I also got you orange juice, since you seemed to like it so much.”

Raising a brow, he watched the vampire shake the container of orange juice in front of him. Despite being grateful for his kindness, he had an inescapable feeling like something was off.

“Thank you,” he said again then pressed. “…I assume you must be wanting something in return — that being my blood.”

He laughed. The cup was placed to the side before the man uncrossed his legs and smirked. 

“How perceptive. You’re correct — I'm starving after killing all those worthless bugs,” he stated casually. 

Of course. The thought of getting fed from, after what had happened earlier made him physically ill. All the entrails and blood would haunt him forever. Even now, he could see every little droplet and hear every last dying scream. Just as he started to let his guard down around the man, he did something so heinous. He was thankful the violence wasn’t directed towards him, but even still. Though even after everything, something did surprise him: the vampire actually seemed to start to value his opinions and thoughts. While it wasn’t much, perhaps he could slowly try to help him not be so… intense. However, that was another problem in itself. 

Rubbing his eyes, he got out of the water and shook himself like a dog, considering he didn’t have a towel, and moved to set his sopping wet clothes out in the grass to dry. He grabbed the new set of clothes and carefully put them on. Kunikuzushi watched him, not saying a word, before Kazuha carefully sat down next to him.

“Where do you want to feed from this time?” Kazuha asked, looking at him. “And if I may make a small request, I would ask that you not bite my neck, given its current state.”

The vampire laughed at how frank Kazuha was, before he tapped his own lips. 

“How bold of you, considering that part of our agreement was that I get to choose where I bite from,” he remarked with a chuckle, before he grabbed Kazuha’s left arm, pulled up his sleeve to his shoulder and moved his lips to his wrist. “But, I’ll listen to your request for once.”

Before Kazuha could say anything, he bit down where his veins were on his wrist and began to suck. It actually hurt… a lot, as Kunikuzushi’s teeth dug deep into his flesh. He winced in pain, but stayed still for him, while he tried to get used to the stingy pain and discomfort. After a few seconds, he suddenly began to feel really, really strange.

His body felt incredibly hot, while his mind felt cloudy and flooded with thoughts of nothing, but indescribable impurities. Gods, why was he feeling like this again? Was it the blood loss? No. It couldn’t be. These strange feelings only happened the other time Kunikuzushi fed from him. So was it one of his powers that he kept hidden from him? Actually, the vampire was genuinely confused by his vomiting and other weird bodily reactions, so he probably didn’t know either. He needed to puke, or at least go somewhere away from him to relieve himself of this newfound pain. Panting hard, he got up and tried to get away. 

“Sorry. I’m not feeling good again,” he murmured through bated breaths. “I need a few minutes to myself… please.”

Kunikuzushi looked up at him and raised a brow, wiping the stray droplets of blood from his mouth.

“You acted similarly the other time and never answered my question, what is with this reaction?”

Of course he would ask about this. While Kazuha didn’t want to explain, he truly didn’t know why his body and mind were reacting so ‘intensely’ to his blood being drunk. And as much as he wanted to avoid the question, he knew how persistent Kunikuzushi could be.

“Honestly, I don’t know,” Kazuha blurted out of the top of his head. “I just… I don’t feel good; I can barely think, my body’s hot, I feel like I’m going to vomit and I’m painfully aroused.”

The vampire looked at him, seeming to think while he stared at him wide eyed. Was he not expecting such a straightforward answer, or maybe he was perplexed at his symptoms? The silence was palpable and the heat and pain only grew worse. Since the man sitting on the grass didn’t answer him, he huffed and turned to get away from him for a brief moment of time. His wrist was quickly grasped and he turned to see the vampire chuckling to himself. 

“Interesting,” Kunikuzushi commented, then pulled him back onto the ground. “I’ve never seen anyone react like this before.”

Without much of a fuss, Kazuha uncomfortably plopped onto the ground next to him. He tried not to pant and lose his composure, while he closed his eyes tightly. His face grew unbearably hot and his thoughts only grew more crude. All his thoughts, all the smells, all the external noises and now the hand on his wrist began to grossly overwhelm him. He was surprisingly silent and sat there, letting out staggered, but slow and deep breaths. Even with his eyes tightly shut, he could feel an intense gaze lingering over every inch of his body. It was quiet for several, painfully long moments, apart from his pants, before a chuckle resonated from his companion. 

“Tch…can you please let me go now? I don’t think I can bear this any longer,” Kazuha admitted and opened his eyes, finding it rather annoying that he was trapped by his mere hold. 

Kunikuzushi looked at him with a straight face before he smirked and hummed in contemplation. He tapped his lips with his free hand.

“You know….I could help you with your issue. If you let me, that is.”

His eyes blinked and narrowed in slight confusion.

Help? 

Wait….was he offering to help him masturbate? 

“….I mean I’ve never experienced or done something like it before, but I’m curious and as long as you don’t vomit, I’m fine with it.”

Kazuha stared at him, slightly dumbfounded by his quite unusual offer, to put it lightly. His heart thumped in his throat and he tried to think with what little sanity he had left. The thought of Kunikuzushi gripping him too hard, going too fast and even potentially ripping off his genitals did cross his mind, but…recently he had been shockingly pleasant and gentle towards him. There was no malice in his tone and the brief thought of him just getting relief pressed to the forefront of his mind.

“Fine,” Kazuha murmured, before he spread his legs out.

Never in his life had he thought about being intimate with someone or receiving such a favor, but then again, being with this man had crossed off a lot of nevers. Though, he had to admit he was rather nervous and didn’t know how to go about this. Judging by how the vampire looked, he didn’t either, but for some reason, there was an air of confidence around him.

The vampire moved and let go of his wrist then moved to sit comfortably behind him. A shiver ran down his spine as he felt his cold cheek press against the side of his face, before he felt his hand slide down his stomach. With one motion, he removed his obi belt then carefully set it to the side, before he pulled down his pants and freed his erection. There was a brief moment of hesitation and then….nothing. 

“Do I need some sort of lubrication to do this?” Kunikuzushi asked. 

The samurai couldn’t help, but let out a frustrated groan at having to explain this to him. His heart raced and he closed his eyes tightly, trying to be calm.

“When I pleasure myself, I don’t need lubricant, but it might be different for you. Lubricant won’t hurt, but it’s not necessary.” 

He felt Kunikuzushi nod, before he grabbed his erection with his inhumanely cold hand. A loud gasp resonated from him and he couldn’t help, but back up more into him. The vampire raised a brow at him, but soon after laughed at his reaction. 

“You’re way too cold,” Kazuha murmured, while his face was completely red.

“Haha you say that like that’s my problem,” the vampire mused with a chuckle, before he began to slowly start stroking him.

His heart raced even more and any sort of coherent thought escaped his brain, before he only focused on this very moment.

It felt so good. It was unbelievably good, despite his tight and cold grip. He didn’t know how a mere hand could make him feel like this. Any sort of self control he had was now gone; practically whimpering and whining while he desperately thrusted into his slick hand. Kunikuzushi remained oddly silent as his dilated red eyes watched the human come undone right at his fingertips. Kazuha didn’t question it and leaned back into him, before he felt a cold hand wrap around his throat. Surprisingly enough, the vampire only faintly squeezed and continued to stroke him. 

“Mmm just like that,” Kazuha murmured before he blushed even more and tried to thrust into his hand. 

The pain and urge to vomit dissipated, now being replaced by feelings of intense bliss. He couldn’t help, but mutter and whine under his breath.

“….I changed my mind,” he murmured, trying to thrust harder into his cold grip. “Faster. Go faster. Please.”

His smirk only grew wider, watching how the man before him seemed to react to every little thing. It was delicious. Chuckling, he pressed against him even more.

“I can’t believe all I had to do was bite you and drink a little of your blood to have you begging and pleading right before me,” he whispered. 

Kazuha moaned and felt the vampire’s thumb and index press into his neck. His mind felt fuzzy and the only thing he could focus on was releasing that painful tension built up in his loins. His free hand tried to grasp at anything before he gripped the back of his companion’s head. To his surprise, the vampire didn’t complain or make a rude comment for once, but rather chuckled.

“Haha, you’re so entertaining. Is this how all humans react when they’re aroused… or is it just you?”

The teasing and questions normally didn’t get under his skin nor did he mind answering them, but right now, he just wanted to release the pressure. He stayed silent and just tried to thrust into his pumping motion before his cold hand squeezed and prevented him from doing so. 

Kunikuzushi tsked and smirked.

“You really think I’m going to let you get off without answering my questions when you’re the one at my mercy right now?” 

Sweat dripped down his face and he clenched his jaw hard. The grasp around his cock wasn’t painful, but it was frustrating since he felt like he was so close. He couldn’t help, but pant and look at him with an intense hunger in his eyes. What left his lips were needy noises and heavy breaths before a mildly coherent sentence left him. 

“Sorry, sorry, sorry,” he babbled. “I don’t know. I don’t know. I’ve never felt this way before except that other time you drank from me. I just… I can’t think right now and I just wanna come.” 

If it were any other time, Kazuha would’ve worded things differently, especially not in such a crude manner, but he had other priorities right now. His fair-faced partner seemed amused by the answer, considering the glint in his eyes and smirk on his face. From his expression, he deemed the answer acceptable. Humming, he nosed the spot where he bit him and began to jerk him off slightly faster this time, earning him a quiet, yet relieved moan.

“You’ve been good today, so I’ll reward you. Besides, as your friend, it gives me such… warmth to see you like this because of me,” he murmured quietly to him with a smirk. 

Moving slightly, he gently kissed and licked the side of his neck, while he continued with his movements. Kazuha didn’t complain and just thrusted into his hand, grunting and groaning. He felt extremely light headed; his vision clouded with fragments of black dotting his field of view. His loins ached painfully as the pressure kept building and building before a sudden force pressed against the sides of his throat.

“You’re mine, Kazuha. No one else is allowed to touch you like this, got it?” 

Kazuha grunted and gripped his wrist tightly, digging the tips of his nails into his abnormally pale skin. He couldn’t think at all, so he just blindly agreed with whatever the man was saying. Knowing him better by now, the man would probably never let him come if he danced around the question or didn’t agree with him, so he might as well appease him in the moment. 

“Mhmm,” he hummed, simply nodding his head. “Only you are allowed to touch me like this.” 

“That’s what I like to hear. Good boy.”

Kunikuzushi’s stroking went faster and Kazuha whimpered in pleasure. Wet plumping noises filled the air and he leaned back into him, gripping his thigh with his free hand.  Why did this feel so good? It was indescribable and genuinely one of the best things he had ever felt in his life. Maybe it was the strange feeling and lightheadedness that he got due to the blood drinking that enhanced this euphoria. While he couldn’t think, he didn’t want this moment to end even after all the fucked up shit he had seen earlier. Something about the way Kunikuzushi just held him and the way his fingers seemed to perfectly wrap around his cock and pleasure him off. Gods, he couldn’t help, but love this. Suddenly, a strange request just slipped from his lips.

“Can you kiss me?”

“What was that? Could you repeat that?” Kunikuzushi asked with a smug expression.

“Can you please kiss me, Kunikuzushi?”

“Of course, my dearest friend.”

Moving every so slightly without stopping his stroking, he pecked his cheek, then removed his hand from his throat and grabbed his chin. Kazuha looked at him with half open eyes, while Kunikuzushi glanced at him. It was strange and the man couldn’t help, but notice that there was something different in his eyes. There was no hint of malice, no hint of bloodlust, no hint of jealousy, no hint of any sort of negative or bitter emotion. He didn’t have time to process it, before Kunikuzushi leaned in and kissed him….gently. It was a chaste kiss; no tongues and no biting. Honestly, he couldn’t help, but enjoy the tenderness. Surprisingly, it stayed that way, while Kunikuzushi’s stroking only grew faster and the pressure in his loins grew unbearable. Kazuha pulled away, wincing and letting out soft and needy moans. 

“I’m….gonna…cum,” he staggered out crudely in between his pants and whines.

He half-expected Kunikuzushi to tease him or make him beg, but he nodded and watched him.

“I’ll allow you to cum, since you’ve been so good,” Kunikuzushi whispered, while he felt Kazuha lean more into him.

After a few more seconds, the pressure became too much and warmth and pleasure pooled in his lower half. He whined before strings of hot semen squirted from his dick. Kunikuzushi watched and kept stroking him, while Kazuha continued to ejaculate; shooting cum onto the grass in front of him. Panting heavily, he stopped shortly after and the last remnants of cum dripped onto the vampire’s fingers. Kazuha tried to calm down, taking in slow, yet deep breaths while Kunikuzushi pulled away.

The fog of euphoria and post-ejaculation bliss soon cleared and Kazuha suddenly realized what he…well, what they had done. 

“… My apologies, Kunikuzushi. I don’t know what came over me,” he admitted before he moved to try and find a cloth to wipe his mess off. “Let me at least clean that up for you.”

Shame washed over him and heat radiated off of his cheeks. He couldn’t believe he acted so rashly and animalistically. His eyes glanced at the man, who held his soiled hand close to his face as semen dripped off his fingertips. Red pupils soon drifted over to his face and a laugh escaped him.

“No need to apologize. I wouldn’t do anything that didn’t interest me. Besides, your expressions and begging were well worth it,” he mused before he curiously licked the tips of his fingers.

A wave of embarrassment flew over him though he couldn’t help, but watch the vampire taste and lick his fingers clean. Though he had to admit the sight of it was erotic, despite how humiliating the act was. Suddenly, he felt extremely faint; visibly swaying from side to side while his vision grew dark. Just as he was about to fall down, something was shoved to his lips and a strong citrus flavor poured down his throat. He moved his hand and grabbed the cup, downing the remaining liquid. His body was still weak, but now that he had something in his system, he wasn’t going to pass out. Pulling away, he coughed and set the now empty container to the side. 

“Thank you,” he stated softly, before he wiped the orange juice that dribbled down his lips. 

“You’re welcome, though I only did that because I’d rather not have to drag you back again.”

Kazuha simply chuckled and accepted it before he laid down on the grass to try and rest a little bit. 

“Did you bring anything else back to eat?”

The vampire gave him a look. 

“No. I wasn’t hungry, and you didn’t ask me to.”

Sighing, he rubbed his eyes and just laid on the grass and stared up at the dark sky. His heart was still racing and his vision and thoughts spun around in his head. Breathing gently, he tried to calm himself and just relax, before a wave of nausea and faintness hit him again. Closing his eyes, he pushed the feeling back down into his stomach as he tried not to think about anything in hopes that this feeling would pass. He was grateful that the intense and unrelenting heat was gone now because he honestly didn’t think he could take it right now. 

“I expect you to return the same favor at some point when I desire it,” Kunikuzushi stated, breaking the silence. 

Kazuha let out a tired sigh, but faintly hummed in acknowledgement. 

“I suppose it is only fair. If you’re saying that because you want it done right now, then I will have to kindly decline as I am in no state to properly satisfy you.”

The vampire actually laughed at him. 

“Like hell I’d let you do anything to me right now, considering you’ll probably be sick all over me, judging by how pale you look. Disgusting,” he commented. “I’m just telling you so you’re aware.”

Kazuha simply nodded and went back to focusing on trying not to puke. He closed his eyes again and just listened to all the sounds of nature: the crickets chirping, the river rushing and the wind whirling. The scent of dust and a freshly opened book tickled his nose while he heard a page being turned right next to him. The world began to slow and the sounds began to slowly fade away.

———————————————————————————

Something cold poked his cheek once. Then twice. 

“I took us out to enjoy the world outside of the estate and you’re just gonna waste it by sleeping away. Seriously?”

“Hmm? Sorry. I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”

Kazuha rubbed his eyes and sat up. To his relief, he felt a lot better, though his neck was sore. Glancing down, he saw that Kunikuzushi had properly redressed him. 

“You make such weird noises and move so much when you sleep,” Kunikuzushi commented, closing his book and putting it back into the bag. “Why is that?”

Kazuha was perplexed and moved to fix his now probably messy hair.

“Could you demonstrate?” he asked

Kunikuzushi gave him a look then laid down and began to twitch slightly, while he made hoarse noises with his mouth. It only took a second, but Kazuha blinked and actually laughed slightly.

“Oh….I guess I snore and twitch a bit in my sleep. I’ve never really had someone watch me sleep before and as much as I would like to give you the answer, I don’t quite know it myself, but moving and snoring is common in humans. It might just be because I was exhausted,” he explained then glanced down at him. “You must not snore because you don’t breathe.”

The vampire almost immediately sat up and brushed the strands of grass and dirt off of his clothes. He nodded.

“That’s rather peculiar,” Kunikuzushi admitted. “Humans are so odd with all their quirks.”

Kazuha couldn’t help, but chuckle and agree with him.

The pair then went silent before Kazuha tried to think of what to say next. While he enjoyed the silence and freedom, he also had several questions he wanted to ask, since now seemed like the perfect opportunity given how good of a mood the vampire was in. He had a lot on his mind, ranging from what had happened two nights ago with Columbina to the rest of the members of the estate to the eternal night to just getting to know more about the mysterious man beside him. Though, he did have one pressing question.

“What did you do with all the people you killed?” 

“I disposed of them; dug a big hole, threw them and their stuff into it. Don’t give me that look. I could’ve just left them there, but I’d rather not let the other lords of the estate find out that I got out for this little outing. And as vapid and idiotic Childe is, hearing and seeing such a gruesome sight would definitely make him point his finger at me. I’d rather not jeopardize our chance of being out here.”

That did make sense, though even if no one heard their shrill, dying screams, sooner or later, people would realize that a bunch of officers were just gone. If they ever went out again, they needed to lay low next time, especially himself, given how easily they recognized him. He nodded and brought his right knee up then rested his arm on it. 

“Now's my turn to ask you a question,” Kunikuzushi remarked before he looked over at him. “Why were the police after you?”

Kazuha frowned in response and glanced away. His face and mood suddenly dropped, before that muted gnawing pain gripped his chest. All the pain in his past started to bubble up again, before he pushed it back down. He quietly laughed it off.

“I’d…I’d rather not discuss that topic…at least, not right now,” he muttered.

Kunikuzushi watched him, but didn’t push it. His nose seemed to scrunch up slightly in contemplation and crossed his legs.

“I’ll never understand how you’re so calm and collected, despite everything,” he commented, then bared his teeth. “Don’t you feel angry? Don’t you feel bitter?”

“I’m only human, so I do sometimes feel angry and bitter. If one's heart is empty, all under heaven is empty. If one's heart is pure, all under heaven is pure,” he remarked, looking up at the dark night sky while the wind blew through his white hair. “Having those negative feelings built up within me would only lead me to a path of destruction and in the end, it wouldn’t solve anything. I’d rather try to make do with my circumstances and forgive and watch that those who have wronged me change into better individuals.”

Kunikuzushi looked at him and frowned. “So you would’ve let those men from earlier take you?”

“Just because I choose to live peacefully doesn’t mean I’m not a samurai,” he remarked. “If need be, I would’ve killed them.”

The vampire thought about it, then crossed his arms and chuckled, “You never fail to surprise me, Kazuha.”

The two chuckled before Kazuha broke the laughter and looked at him.

“So what did you think about going out tonight?”

“I liked it,” Kunikuzushi admitted plainly. “Humans have changed so much from the last time I went out. While I still don’t trust them, the goods they offer are quite fascinating, especially their literature, food and clothing. It makes me want to attend the cherry blossom festival even more and explore what else humans have to offer, especially during the day.”

Kazuha couldn’t help, but notice how Kunikuzushi seemed slightly excited. At least the vampire seemed to enjoy himself and he was well behaved and normal, apart from the incident with the officers.  

“Let’s go back to the human village during the daytime,” he remarked.

“As in today?”

“Hell no,” Kunikuzushi remarked with a snort. “They’re gonna be suspicious if we’re gone for a full day, plus I’d rather have some time to rest before we go out again.”

Kazuha nodded in agreement. Thankfully, they were on the same page because he definitely needed some time to rest and process this entire night. 

“We should probably head back soon,” Kazuha admitted, seeing a barely visible streak of red at the bottom of the sky. 

“Your napping ate up most of our time. I'm kidding obviously.”

The two of them stretched out and got up, before Kazuha grabbed their bags of newly acquired items. 

“Kazuha.”

“Yes?”

Kunikuzushi stood in front of him before he wrapped his arms around him. It was rather awkward and Kazuha reciprocated, giving him a hug back. 

“Thank you for tonight. This is the most fun I’ve had in ages.”

Kazuha couldn’t help, but smile.

“You’re welcome, Kunikuzushi.”

Chapter Text

When they got back, Kazuha thought he would have some alone time, considering Kunikuzushi looked rather worn out by the time they returned to the forest, but he was wrong. Just as he was getting undressed to settle down for the night, the vampire unceremoniously swung open the door without any sort of warning. Luckily, Kazuha had heard his stomping before then and was able to put on some pants. He raised a brow and looked at the man, who was in a nightgown and was tightly embracing a book.

“… I thought you were going to bed,” Kazuha commented, sliding the hair tie out of his white locks.

“I was, but I remembered that you still have all my stuffed animals, and it’s hard to sleep without them,” he huffed.

The mountain of stuffed animals that Kunikuzushi so graciously lent him when he was recovering still sat upon the left side of his bed; neatly stacked and sat on the blankets. The only one that was out of the place was the finch, who was tucked under the covers, and had its head up against the right pillow. The vampire briefly glanced at the display before he walked to the bed.

“Do you need me to help you bring them back to your room?” he asked.

“I’m too tired to go back to my room now,” Kunikuzushi remarked proudly, then comfortably sat down on the plushie-free side of the bed. “So I’ll be staying here for the night.”

Kazuha watched him, making a slight face at him — so much for having time alone. The sheets rustled and he watched as Kunikuzushi tried to just settle in, shifting around back and forth. 

“Your bed is so stiff,” the vampire remarked as the samurai went to the candle holders to blow them out.

“Is it? It’s honestly one of the most plush beds I’ve ever slept on. Aside from yours.”

“Feels like a bunch of fucking rocks. I don’t know how I’ll sleep on it.”

“I could carry you back to your room if you wish,” he remarked softly.

“It’s fine. I’m settled,” he said with a snort, then glanced at the bedside dresser and casually opened up the drawer.

Kazuha went around and carefully blew out the candles, before he navigated in the dark to ‘his’ side of the bed, trying to move some of the animals politely so he could lay down. Once a sufficient amount was moved, he laid down. Then heard a chuckle from the man on the other side of the unintentional plush barrier he had built.

“Scarlet Devil Land? You’re more clever and sneaky than I originally made you out to be,” Kunikuzushi stated, moving some of the plushies to wave the book at him.

He should’ve better hidden the book or kept it on his person. Was he mad that Kazuha had overheard what that meeting was about? Was he going to go back on his word and punish him for his misdeed?

“Color me impressed that you managed to go through the library and find this book,” Kunikuzushi admitted with a chuckle. “Hehe. Don’t look so scared — I’ve known since the start that you eavesdropped on that meeting, though I’m still unsure about what you heard exactly.”

Kazuha sat there in silence, before the other smiled in a disturbingly smug manner.

“You must be curious if you looked into it. I guess I could give you some information that you so desperately crave. For a price, that is.”

“… Do you want me to return the favor from earlier?”

Kunikuzushi made a slight face and Kazuha could’ve sworn he saw the tint of his cheeks grow dark. He glanced briefly to the side, then huffed and glanced back at him. 

“No. I’m saving that for another time,” he murmured, then tried to think. 

Admittedly, he was surprised that Kunikuzushi turned down the offer; maybe he was nervous, or just not in the mood right now.

“Not everything has to be transactional between us,” Kazuha replied, breaking the silence. “I’ve noticed that you seem to be keeping slight tabs on what you do for me and what I do for you.”

Kunikuzushi crossed his arms and chuckled, “all relationships are transactional. Why bother with such things if there’s nothing to gain from it?” 

It made sense that he had such a warped perspective on such things, so his relationship with the other lords must be that way, too (if you could even call it that.) 

“While that may be true, I think one’s relationship with others should be transformative.” 

“… You’re gonna try and lecture me again, aren’t you?” Kunikuzushi questioned with a certain look on his face. 

“I wouldn’t call it a lecture,” he replied softly. “I just think our relationship should be more… balanced.”

“Balanced? As if I would ever be equal to a human like you,” he remarked. 

Of course. Despite how more friendly and relaxed their friendship had been over the past few days, Kunikuzushi was still a stubborn and self-centered bastard, whose obsession towards him was only for his own amusement, and because Kazuha was probably one of the one positive influences he’d ever had. Obviously considering that he was held captive, their relationship would never truly be equal, but there was that slight glimmer of hope. 

“Balanced may not be the best word,” Kazuha admitted, then got comfortable on the bed. “I guess what I want is a relationship that doesn’t have a definitive end goal.” 

“What are you saying?” 

“I’m saying that despite everything, no matter how much fun you’re having with me or how much affection you say you have towards me, or how much you promise you won’t grievously harm me again, I have this sinking feeling deep down that you’re just going to kill and replace me whenever you get bored… or as some sort of collateral for one of your fits,” Kazuha admitted rather bluntly as he stared up at the ceiling. “I know you’ve changed a lot since we first met, but your attitude and personality hasn’t gotten better. I simply can’t brush off that feeling.” 

He could feel the man glare daggers at him. A few of the plushies near him exploded into a flurry of stuffing and felt. However, Kunikuzushi said nothing and remained silent, because what Kazuha said deep down must have been true. It was silent for a long time and he closed his eyes. 

“The story within Scarlet Devil Land is supposedly true,” Kunikuzushi stated, breaking the silence after several minutes. “From what I know, it took place in a world outside of our own, though how the story got here is completely unknown. The Tsaritsa wants to shroud the entire world in eternal darkness, so we creatures of the night no longer have to dread the tyranny of the sun. If I’m being completely honest, I think it’s all bullshit, but everyone supposedly made progress on their way to achieving her dream. I wouldn’t put it past the Doctor to somehow make this mist a reality, but I doubt it’ll last eternally.”

Kazuha thought about it in silence, somewhat surprised at how he just put all that information out there. Even though he could feel the tension in the air, he spoke again. 

“Blocking out the sun would kill everything though,”  he murmured. “Trees, birds, cats, boars, fish… All living creatures rely on the sun for growth.”

“Mmmm, I suppose it’s quite unfortunate that you’re mortal then, because we vampires will still be able to feast as much as we like,” he replied rather casually. “But I could care less if everything dies around me so long as I’m having fun or if you’re around.” 

His lips curled into a frown. Even with their little outing and the glimpse of utter awe and wonder in the vampire’s eyes, he still had this negative attitude towards everything. It was perhaps wishful thinking that his attitude would just change over two days, but Kazuha had time to fix that, considering how Kunikuzushi seemed to want to go out more. 

“I’ll change your opinion on life,” Kazuha murmured definitely, before the vampire chuckled. 

“Hehe, I’m glad that you’re my friend because I’d love to see you try.”

The vampire was stubborn and put up a front, but whether he wanted to admit it or not, he was changing; be it by the way he had started calling Kazuha by his first name, how he started to actually touch him without wiping his hands and how he was now just casually lying in bed with him and planning to stay the night. It may take some time for Kunikuzushi to change his attitude on humans and everything around him, but it was possible. 

“The ending,” Kazuha began. 

“Hm?”

“The ending of Scarlet Devil Land — what or where is it? It was rather apparent that the last chapters were ripped out from it and it left off on the mistress fulfilling her plans,” he stated. 

“I thought the ending was stupid, so I tore the pages out, not sure where they are,” Kunikuzushi admitted with a shrug. “I’m sure it must be hidden around the library somewhere if you’re dying to know about it, but frankly, it’s better off ending right there.” 

Usually, Kazuha would be somewhat satisfied with not having a definitive ending — of course, it was all too common to never get a satisfying or certain answer, but for this, it just felt… wrong. He noticed how Kunikuzushi lingered a little too long on the word ‘stupid’ and how he seemed to give some sort of excuse for it, not to mention how he simply just tore the pages out rather than completely obliterating them with his absurd strength. If he asked, the vampire would probably dance around the answer or tease him about wanting payment for it. 

“Alright. Thank you,” he said softly, before he tried to get comfortable again. 

He had a lot to think about: the deaths he had seen earlier, how to help Kunikuzushi and what the ending of Scarlet Devil Land could be. Hopefully tomorrow will be better, though he may have potentially soured the vampire’s good mood. 

“I still want payment for telling you about the Tsaritsa’s plans,” Kunikuzushi said stubbornly, peeking at him through the barrier of animals.

Kazuha was a bit hesitant and slightly irritated that the vampire seemingly didn’t listen to what he had said, but he gave in.

“As long as it isn’t too big an ask. I’m rather worn out.”

“… I want to do the thing we did the other night.”

His white brows scrunched up slightly in confusion. What thing? His brain flipped through what he could possibly mean before it clicked. 

“You mean you want to… cuddle?”

“Is that what’s it called: the act of embracing another while they sleep?”

“Yes, although I thought you were going to cuddle with your stuffed animals instead?” 

“I usually have them keep me company while I rest.”

“Mmmm, I suppose we can cuddle for a little bit, then,” Kazuha murmured, before he let out a soft yawn in pure exhaustion.

Rubbing his eyes, the half naked samurai dragged himself closer to Kunikuzushi; mildly tearing down the animal barrier in the process. A strong arm wrapped around his waist and pulled him close. He was pressed close to the cold man and he rested his head against what he presumed was the side of chest. Getting comfortable, he almost immediately dozed off, but not before he heard the man beside him open a book.

—————————————————————————————

The afternoon soon came and Kazuha woke up beside the short vampire, who was fast asleep. He felt a lot better, though his neck dully ached from all those damned hickies Kunikuzushi covered him in last night. Stretching out, he tried to be quiet so as not to disturb the man, carefully wriggling out of his grasp. Once he got free, he went to the bathroom for a much needed bath. Afterwards, he went downstairs and ate a quick breakfast, then went to visit the library to get some much needed time alone and to see if he could find the last chapters of the book. 

To his dismay, he couldn’t do anything, though he was able to only go through about one shelf from top to bottom: opening up each and every book and flipping through each and every page. After hours, he slumped against a pile of books, utterly drained. There was no way that the last chapters were here. 

Knowing Kunikuzushi, he probably tore up the pages into a million pieces, but he had to be positive, especially since the vampire did say the pages were here. Sighing, he leaned back against the pile and closed his eyes. It wasn’t like he could just guess the ending either, nor ask anyone else about it. Maybe, just maybe, there was another book around that was a sequel, or perhaps there was a hidden copy of Scarlet Devil Land in here somewhere. Rubbing his eyes, he rested his head against one of the books and dozed off.

He didn’t know how long he was out for, but heard someone approach him. Judging by the footsteps without even opening his eyes, he knew who it was.

“Hello Tartaglia,” he stated softly.

“Haha, how’d you know? You weren’t even looking,” the familiar ginger man asked with a smile, carefully stepping over the books scattered everywhere.

“Your footsteps are confident and cool, plus I could smell your cologne,” he admitted, then sat up and rubbed his neck.

“Huh. Impressive. So what’re you doing here anyway? You made a whole mess.”

Kazuha glanced up as the ginger man casually picked up one of the books and flicked through it. It wasn’t like he could tell him what he was looking for. Kunikuzushi was kind of a wild card and held no loyalties to anyone, but himself. Tartaglia, on the other hand, was different. While he and the man were on rather good terms and friendly with one another, he was still partially a mystery. One thing was for sure though: he was loyal to this Tsaritsa. How would he react if he told him what he was actually looking for? 

“I was looking for some poetry, and I wanted some space away from Kunikuzushi.”

The last part was true. Tartaglia glanced at him and nodded, not asking him any questions. 

“Oh… I see. He did a number on your neck,” he stated, gesturing to it, which caused Kazuha to make a face. 

“He did, but uh… unrelated. He didn’t hurt or force himself on me if that’s what you’re implying,” he reassured quietly. “I just needed some time alone.”

“Oh,” Tartaglia said in understanding before he casually sat down next to him. “Do you mind if I hangout with you?”

“Not at all. We haven’t hung out in quite a bit,” Kazuha admitted with a small smile.

While something was off about Tartaglia, the taller man was friendly and helpful during every interaction, even if he may have some ulterior motives. The ginger hummed and tried to get comfortable in the unintentional book fort Kazuha had built.

“So what have you been up to lately?”

“Oh! I’ve actually been working as per usual,” Tartaglia admitted, propping his legs up. “I’m trying to get in my hours, since there’s some sort of festival coming up? What was it called again? The Cherry Blossom Festival? Well, I’m trying to make enough money, so I can buy some stuff to send to my siblings.”

Kazuha nodded in response. “That sounds nice. I wanna go to that too,” he admitted softly. 

The taller man next to him tapped his chin. 

“I forgot you haven’t been out of this place in awhile. I could take you with me, but I don’t know how Kunikuzushi would react to that. I’m guessing he’d be pissed and throw a fit.”

“You’re damn right I’ll be pissed,” Kunikuzushi interrupted as he stood in the doorway of the library, glaring at the two of them. “He’s my friend! Not yours!”

Tartaglia glanced at him and rolled his eyes, staying up. “Geez. Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this evening.”

Kunikuzushi marched over to them and Kazuha knew all too well by now to just back away and give those two some space. The shorter man shoved a clawed finger in Tartaglia’s face. 

“Who do you think you are, hanging out with Kazuha like this?”

“Someone who also lives in this place. You act like you have some sort of monopoly on him.”

“Because he was brought here for me! So I get to decide who he hangs out with, which is me.”

Kazuha was about to interject to try and resolve the obvious screaming match that was about to go down, but Tartaglia only narrowed his eyes and got up. His placid attitude turned enraged, before he laughed and placed a gloved finger on his own hip. 

“What gives you the right to control who Kazuha hangs out with? Gods, you act like such a spoiled manchild all the time. No wonder no one likes you, aside from him. Hah, now that I think about it, he only likes you because you’re basically keeping him prisoner here!”

“Please don’t make assumptions about how I feel, Tartaglia,” Kazuha tried to interject, but it was a little too late. 

Kunikuzushi just stared at the two of them; completely blank faced. The room was completely silent, but there was something heavy in the air, and Kazuha felt like he was physically suffocating; the air from his lungs faded and his entire body felt heavy. The candle light that illuminated the library flickered violently and Kazuha felt lightheaded. It felt like an eternity, but when Kunikuzushi saw how the samurai was slowly turning blue from a lack of oxygen, his gaze softened. Kazuha desperately gasped for air, coughing and hacking, thankful that the unknown pressure had dissolved. 

Tartaglia seemed to be affected by the pressure, though he chuckled and brushed it off. His hand ran back through his hair and smiled.

“I just think you can’t accept the fact that Kazuha likes other people, and that I’m better friends with him than you.”

“Kazuha and I are great friends. You probably don’t know jackshit about him, you arrogant bastard.”

“Oh yeah? I bet if we had a quiz solely about him, I’d win, despite us not even hanging out that often, since you’re so damn self centered,” Tartaglia challenged.

“You wanna make this a game? What’re you willing to bet?”

The hapless samurai watched them, frowning. Were these two adult men seriously arguing about who was better friends with him? As much as he didn’t want to deal with this, he’d rather not get his arms or limbs tugged apart again, so he only stood there.

“Hmmm~” Tartaglia stated, tapping his chin in contemplation before a smile frowned on his face. “Okay. I’ve got it! If I win, Kazuha and I get to keep being friends and he gets to spend the whole day with me, and not you. And if I lose, I won’t hang around Kazuha anymore. Sound fair?

Kunikuzushi looked at him through narrowed eyes. Only someone completely confident in winning would make a bet like that, but it was also Tartaglia, and he was a cocky dumbass. 

“Fine. I accept this challenge of yours,” the vampire replied, before his gaze shifted over to Kazuha. “Alright. Let’s get in with this friendship quiz — choose however many questions you like, but don’t go overboard.”

A ‘friendship quiz’ was rather foolish to put it lightly. Friendship wasn’t something that could really be tested with some sort of on-the-spot quiz. He didn’t want to engage nor entertain such a petty idea, but judging by how the men were urging him to ask them questions, he had no choice, but to relent.

“Alright. I’ll ask some questions then,” he stated, trying to think off the top of his head of what he had told the two about himself, which wasn’t a lot in all honesty.

“First question: how old am I?”

Tartaglia and Kunikuzushi seemed to think about it, while Kazuha watched them. Oh gods, did he even tell them his age? 

“21,” Tartaglia remarked after some thought. 

Kunikuzushi huffed and glared at the ginger, since he clearly didn’t know the answer, but Kazuha nodded. 

“You’re correct. Next question: what’s my favorite color?”

“That’s pretty easy — white,” Kunikuzushi stated confidently.

“Did you not see his clothes before he came here? He likes red… like those maple leaves on it,” Tartaglia replied.

“Tartaglia is right yet again. My favorite color is scarlet,” he stated softly, seeing that the shorter man actually looked rather confused as to how he got it wrong. “Third question: what’s my family name?”

“Kaedehara,” Kunikuzushi stated, letting out a small sigh in relief.

“Mhmm. Good job, Kunikuzushi,” he praised softly with a small smile, while Tartaglia raised a slight brow at this new development. 

“Fourth question: how many siblings do I have?”

The two before him thought long and hard, while Kazuha tried to think of a last question to ask him. 

“I feel like one,” Kunikuzushi muttered. 

“Mmmm, you’re an only child,” Tartaglia chuckled. 

“Tartaglia’s right — I have no siblings,” Kazuha commented, rather impressed, since now that he thought about it, he actually hadn’t told them much about his family, apart from how he had a father and grandfather. “Um… next question: what is my favorite food?”

“Orange juice.”

“I’d have to say fish, since you seem to ask for it every meal,” Tartaglia admitted with a smile.

Okay. It was a little unusual that Tartaglia knew about what he had for his meals, but he awkwardly nodded. 

“Yep. That’s four for Tartaglia and one for Kunikuzushi,” Kazuha replied. “If Tartaglia gets the next one right, then he wins.”

The shorter vampire seemed unusually distressed as his eyes twitched and his hands clenched into fists, but he surprisingly said nothing. Kazuha couldn’t help, but feel pity for him. It was pretty awful that someone who was so obsessed with him didn’t even know his favorite color, but this was Kunikuzushi’s first time having a friend, so he could excuse it… just a little bit. They could talk about this later on.

“Last question: what is a hobby of mine? There’s multiple correct answers, so I guess the first person who can name one wins?”

“Napping in the sunlight!” Tartaglia stated almost immediately. 

Kunikuzushi didn’t even bother trying to answer. He just crossed his arms and glanced down at the book covered floor, before he immediately left the room without another word

“… Correct. Um… congratulations Tartaglia — you win,” he murmured, watching the door shut.

“Score one for Tartaglia! Finally I got one up on him!” 

Tartaglia casually walked over to Kazuha and patted him on the back.

“Aww, don’t look so down, buddy. He’s just a little sore he lost is all, — he’ll get over it… probably… maybe… hopefully. Anyway, since I won, we get to hang out tonight.”

“Please tell me you are not going to make me play some sort of dark twist on a children’s game.”

Tartaglia looked at him and squinted slightly in thought, then let out a chuckle.

“… I don’t think sparring counts as that, right?”

He should’ve expected that this was what Tartaglia wanted to do, considering he mentioned bloodshed and fighting every single time they interacted. Now that he mentioned it, sparring seemed like a good idea. It had been sometime since he last practiced with his blade and his skills may have dulled from not practicing. 

“I actually wouldn’t mind a spar, so long as you have some practice blades,” Kazuha admitted with a smile.

Tartaglia’s face lit up with utter joy as he couldn’t help, but laugh.

“I do! Come on! I’ll show you to my room,” he chirped before he practically skipped out of the library.

Kazuha watched him practically disappear, then glanced around at all the clutter. He’d clean this mess up later, since he didn’t want any of the servants to sort out the disaster he caused. After cautiously maneuvering through the books, he managed to make his way back into the hallway. Towards the very end was an all too happy figure waving at him. He blinked before he walked over to him.

“Come in, come in,” he stated, side-stepping out of the way so Kazuha could get through.

The room was practically identical to Kunikuzushi’s with the same wallpaper, same bed, same bed sheets and same furniture (though most of it was pressed along the wall.) His room was somehow less messy than his friend’s, with a few pairs of clothes and trash littered on the ground, and random weapons scattered here and there. 

“Uh… I probably should’ve cleaned a bit. Feel free to make yourself comfortable and have a look around, while I move some stuff out of the way.”

Kazuha nodded, though frankly, he didn’t mind; he was a guest in his room after all. Stretching out, he looked at the massive wall of weapons in awe. It seemed like he had everything — ranging from bows to spears to claymores to swords to strange weapons that he had never seen before. What truly caught his eyes though were the swords. He admired each one in awe before he saw a katana.

“Tartaglia, may I hold your katana?” he asked, pointing to it.

The ginger man dumped the dirty clothes into the closet and tried to shove the door closed. He didn’t even look up and smiled.

“No need to be so polite. If you see something you like, feel free to grab and test it out.”

Kazuha stood up on the tips of his toes and carefully pulled it down from the mount. Gripping the casing, he unsheathed it and examined the blade. It definitely hadn’t been used in quite a while, but somehow it was still in good condition. 

“You like it?” Tartaglia asked, suddenly peering over him.

“It’s quite nice,” he stated, carefully gripping it in his hand, before he carefully and precisely swung down. “And it feels good, too.”

“Keep it.”

“Keep it? But it’s one of your weapons — I couldn’t possibly take it from you.”

“Yeah, go for it. I don’t need it anymore. Plus, I felt really bad that you lost your weapon against Columbina,” he admitted, patting his shoulder. “So it’s all yours.”

Kazuha blinked and sheathed the weapon with a small smile. 

“Thank you, Tartaglia. I am truly grateful.”

“You can just call me Ajax when we’re alone. It’s my actual name.”

“Ajax,” Kazuha repeated before he went to carefully place his new weapon down on the table. “Am I allowed to ask why you go by Tartaglia here?”

“Apart from everyone going by various titles here like Dottore and Columbina, I want to separate my personal life from my work life, so to my colleagues, I’m Tartaglia or Childe, but to my friends and family, I’m Ajax.”

“I see,” Kazuha replied with a nod. “… Can I ask how you were able to get most of the questions I asked correct? I don’t remember telling you some of those details.”

“That’s because I can read minds,” Ajax said with a completely straight face, before he broke into laughter. “I’m joking. I remember what you briefly told me about yourself and I’ve been keeping an eye on you whenever I’m around, but I can just read people pretty well, since I have a large family.”

“So the color, siblings and age were just a really good read on your end?”

“Sort of,” Ajax replied with a nod. “The color thing was a shot in the dark. As for you being an only child, you give off the vibes, especially because you’re so quiet and independent all the time. And as for your age, I remember you mentioning that you were three years younger than me.”

Kazuha had to admit that was pretty impressive, especially considering Ajax was multitasking with something every time they interacted.

“No need to look like that!” Ajax teased before he ruffled Kazuha’s hair with a warm smile. “I’m just used to having to keep track of what my family likes from all the letters they send me.”

“I see,” he remarked with a nod before he went to explore more of the room 

“I have to admit, though. It was pretty embarrassing on Kunikuzushi’s end that he got a lot of those answers wrong, considering he practically spends every waking moment with you.”

“Well, he did only recently start calling me by my name,” Kazuha stated softly, looking at the concerning amount of skulls on a nearby shelf. “So I’m giving him a bit of leniency.”

“If I were in your position, I’d be pretty pissed off.”

“That’s fair, but I find being angry about it rather unproductive. So long as he learns from his mistakes, I’ll be happy,” he admitted. “And I think he will. It just may take some time, is all. Besides, I’m not too hurt about him not remembering my favorite color or age. It’s a little trivial and honestly I haven’t exactly talked too much about myself around him.”

Ajax gave him a look. 

“You know you don’t have to defend him, or pretend like you’re his friend right now.”

“I’m not pretending: I view him as a friend now even if our relationship was really bad until recently,” he stated, looking up at him. 

At first, he did force himself to pretend to like Kunikuzushi so as to not anger him, but as he got to know him more, he softened and so did the other man. He could speak more frankly with the other, and the vampire actually listened and valued what he had to say. There were definitely some issues with their friendship, namely the obsession, transactions and control, but they’d work on it. 

“Geez. Being stuck in here for so long has really done a number to your head, comrade.”

“You’re probably right, but even still, I do like Kunikuzushi.”

Ajax sighed and looked down at him, seeing that he was truthful with every word he spoke. He scratched his head and looked around. 

“Oh! Right! We were supposed to spar. Ah, shit! Lemme go find those practice blades,” he stated before he walked back over to his junk-filled closet.

Kazuha watched him, stretching and rolling his shoulders back. He had to admit he enjoyed having a break from his ever present friend to hangout with a man, who tried to help him whenever he could and used to be human. This opportunity was quite rare and he should use it, but there wasn’t anything he could really ask that he wouldn’t just ask Kunikuzushi. 

“I know this is rather late, but can you tell me more about the other lords of the house?”

“Huh? Did Kunikuzushi not tell you about them by now? How typical,” he remarked, before he found the practice blades, which were basically just hardy pieces of wood with a nice grip. 

He moved and tossed one to Kazuha, who caught it with ease.

“Honestly, in your case, I wouldn’t worry about most of them because they’re usually out on business most of the time. Everyone tends to avoid each other unless there’s a meeting. Like I know Pierro, Capitano, Pantalone, Signora and Arlecchino are out right now on missions. Pulcinella is always out, since he’s mayor of a town. He’s really nice and sends stuff to my siblings all the time. You already met Columbina; she’s the third lord and she’s kind of a mystery. No clue what she does honestly, but there’s some really, really wrong with her. I’m still surprised you’re even alive, but just avoid her. I think she hangs around her room or is out most of the time, but I really don’t know. Sandrone is usually in the house, balled up in her room working on her automatons, so need to worry about her. Dottore also stays in his lab a lot, but there’s also like multiple segments of him that run around. I haven’t ever really interacted with him, so I don’t know much about him,” Ajax explained in one breath, while he was stretching.

That was actually pretty helpful. It seemed like the ones he should really worry about were Columbina and Dottore. Hopefully, he’d never interact either again, especially Dottore. Nodding, he thanked him before Ajax eagerly bounced up and down. 

“Okay, okay, enough chatter! Let’s fight! Let’s fight!” he cheered. “Don’t worry! I’ll go easy on you!”

Kazuha watched as the man got into position. 

Chuckling, he moved and readied himself. Without another moment of hesitation, Ajax struck at his face and he barely managed to block him. His hands and arms shook at the weight, while the taller man laughed in delight. This was him going easy because the vampire was definitely not holding back at all. His left hand pressed hard against his blade, trying to push him off, while he stared at him square in his dull blue eyes. Sweat dripped down his face, before the man jumped back and tried to swing at his side, but Kazuha managed to block him again. His strength faltered and he could feel the piece of wood slowly start to split.

“This doesn’t feel like you’re going easy on me,” Kazuha muttered, grinding his teeth together.

“That’s because you’re human.”

Wincing, he felt his knees wobble, while Ajax simply smiled at him. He couldn’t even beat the weakest lord, who was only using one hand, in a sparring match. Was he really that weak in comparison, or had his skills declined from lack of practice? Before he could think anymore about it, something hard hit his left side and he grunted in pain. 

“Come on, comrade! I expected you to pay a little more attention,” Ajax cooed.

Suddenly, he got hit again and again, trying to block his ungodly fast attacks in vain. After getting hit several times, he managed to memorize his pattern and block a few of the attacks. His blade slowly splintered and cracked more and more before finally splitting in half. He stumbled to the ground, before Ajax pinned him down with his teeth. Smirking hard, he bared his teeth and tried to close in around his throat. Glancing at the pieces of wood on his hands, he shoved one half horizontally into Ajax’s mouth. The other blinked in surprise as Kazuha head-butted him violently and then kicked him square in the stomach, before rolling out from under him.

Ajax grunted in pain and backed off of him. Blood trickled down his forehead onto his nose and he wiped it off with his heavily scarred hands. A muffled chuckle left him and he spit out the hunk of wood onto the floor.

“Not bad, not bad,” Ajax praised, wiping the blood from his forehead before he pulled away and offered a hand to him. “I see how you managed to escape Columbina now.”

Kazuha panted, tossing the broken blade to the side before he grasped Ajax’s hand. The ginger smiled at him and pulled him to his feet. He let go of him and walked over to a wooden table near his bedside, looking through one of the drawers.

“Good sparring match, Kazuha! Now you’ve made me really excited for when we inevitably fight to the death!”

“Um… thank you? Though, I’d rather not have to fight you to the death. Ever.”

Ajax only chuckled, before he found what he was looking for — a rather large and plain bottle half full of clear liquid with two shot glasses, resting on top. Humming, he set the bottle down, then moved to pop it open and pour them both a shot. Kazuha glanced around and went to take a seat on the velvet couch, rubbing his now sore sides. 

“Do you drink?”

“Um… on occasions,” Kazuha stated softly, before Ajax handed him a shot glass.

“Would you mind having a few drinks with me then?” he asked with a grin. “I’ve always wanted to drink with someone here.”

Kazuha blinked and sniffed the contents, before his face twisted. It smelt like strong alcohol, none he had ever tasted before. Ajax laughed at his reaction, then took a seat next to him. 

“It’s vodka — the good kind, since it’s directly from my homeland. Try it!”

He raised his glass to him and Kazuha blinked as he gently clicked glasses with him. He sniffed the liquid again before he downed it in one go. Almost immediately after, he began to cough and rubbed his chest. That tasted like pure alcohol without any hints of any other flavor. 

“How… do… you drink… this… stuff?” he asked, trying to get the taste out of his mouth. 

“It’s because I’m used to it. It’s a big part of the culture where I’m from and it’s also a way to keep you warm during the harsh winters over there,” he explained with a smile, downing another shot with ease. 

“Definitely feeling the warm part alright,” Kazuha murmured, then held his glass out to him. “Give me another shot.”

His belly already felt warm and fuzzy while his face felt like it was on fire. Thankfully, his clothes weren’t too heavy, otherwise he would’ve started to take them off by now. 

Ajax looked at him while he held the neck of the bottle. 

He awkwardly laughed, “you sure? You don’t have to have more if you don’t like it. I’m not pressuring you or anything.”

“You’re sharing your traditions with me, so I’m going to appreciate them.”

“Haha, no need to be so nice, Kazuha. Just let me know when you wanna stop,” he remarked with a grin before he poured him another shot, which the samurai immediately downed.

Ajax stared at him and laughed, leaning against the arm of the couch. 

“I can see why Kunikuzushi likes hanging out with you so much. You’re a pretty cool guy.”

Kazuha’s cheeks burned bright red and he rubbed them with the back of his hand. His body felt heavy and his mind started to cloud.

“This may be out of nowhere, but you mentioned the Cherry Blossom Festival,” he murmured. “I was wondering if there was anyway that you could help Kunikuzushi and I go to it.”

Ajax blinked in surprise and rubbed his chin.

“Even if I wanted to, I don’t have the authority to let either of you go. That’s something Kunikuzushi is probably going to have to ask someone above him like Dottore, but Dottore is kind of crazy, so I feel like he’d give him permission to go. But I guess I could bring it up to one of the superiors if I see them around.”

“I’d really appreciate that. Thank you.”

Their drinking session was actually really fun, with Ajax telling him about his life back in his homeland and Kazuha listening and nodding along, occasionally telling him about his own adventures. 

They finished off the rest of the bottle, though Ajax drank most of it, despite Kazuha trying to match him shot for shot. When the younger man made a comment about the alcohol tasting like nothing, the ginger casually started to replace his drinks with water instead to try and help him sober up a little, though it didn’t work. By the time they had finished the bottle, Kazuha was completely intoxicated. His face was pure red and he could barely keep his eyes open, nodding off frequently while he tried to engage with Ajax’s comments. He slumped back into the couch, slowly leaning against his friend’s shoulder.

“I think you’ve had enough to drink tonight, dude,” he said with a small laugh, trying to shake him awake.

“Hm… huh… mmm, I’m fine… I’m fine… Pour me another shot please. I can handle it~” Kazuha slurred, sitting up for just a brief moment before he leaned against Ajax again.

“That proves it. Come on. Let’s get you to bed.”

Ajax stood up and moved to help Kazuha up, but the drunken man waved him off.

“I’m fine. I can… uh… walk without help. Thank you… though. That’s so nice~”

It took several attempts of the white haired man hyping himself up and dozing off, but after a few minutes, he managed to get on his own two feet with any help. He rubbed his eyes and wobbled to the door, while Ajax watched him.

“You sure you don’t need help? Your room isn’t that far away.”

“I’m a grown man. I’ve been drunk before. I think I can walk a few meters down the hallway,” Kazuha huffed, taking long and slow steps towards the door.

Ajax squinted, but nodded, since he seemed intent on doing things by himself. 

“Alright. Well, thanks for hanging out with me, Kazuha. Let’s do it again some time,” he stated, walking to open the door for him.

“Mmm… thank you for having me. It was really, really, really fun… and thanks for the booze,” he stated with a small smile.

After shuffling to the door, Ajax made sure he was okay before he bid him good morning. Kazuha let out a small sigh of relief before he glanced down the dark, twisting hallway. 

This shouldn’t be too hard, right? 

The samurai stumbled down the hallway, bumping into everything — ranging from the paintings on the wall to the tables to the lamps. Oh Gods, everything was spinning. Even when he closed his eyes, everything kept spinning . Each step felt slower than the last, but he made progress, dragging himself along the wall. After what felt like an eternity, he managed to get to his room and immediately laid down on the cold tile floor. 

“Hehe, this feels nice,” he muttered, sprawling out before he closed his eyes and relaxed. 

Just as he was about to doze off, there was a faint knock on the door. They didn’t said anything, but he could barely make it out and only made a muffled noise in response. The door creaked open then shut before someone approached him.

“Gods, you absolutely reek of booze — I could smell you through the door. Why are you laying on the floor?” Kunikuzushi asked, looking down at him.

“You’re so mean. I’m really hot and the floor is cold,” he muttered.

Kunikuzushi stared at the pathetic heap of white on the ground, before he pulled him up by his arms. Kazuha whimpered and slumped hard, trying to go back to sleep. Sighing, the vampire hauled him to the bed and set him down. 

“… Mmm… thank you… thank you,” Kazuha murmured, trying to get comfortable, before he stretched out and hugged his pillows.

“I’m impressed you can still talk,” the vampire mused before he pushed something next to the bed and sat down near him. 

He watched the samurai shift from side to side, then let out a soft sigh and crossed his arms.

“You know, I was going to have a serious conversation with you, but you’re completely wasted,” he replied in an agitated tone. “I’ll just talk to you tomorrow.”

“Mmm, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” he slurred. “But I promise I’ll listen to whatever you have to say… Really… Promise… I promise.”

Kunikuzushi looked at the man, who awkwardly tried to sit up to show that he was being serious. Kazuha tried so hard, though he could barely keep his eyes open for him.

“I’m sorry.”

Despite his drunken state, Kazuha blinked in disbelief at the words that stiffly left Kunikuzushi’s lips. No way was this real. He just stared at him, not uttering a word, before the man in front of him spoke again.

“I’m… sorry,” he uttered out with much difficulty, before his hand moved up to obscure his eyes. “… About the earlier spat with Tartaglia and about our relationship and not answering the questions correctly.”

That firewater vodka that Tartaglia had given him was definitely fucking him up to put it lightly. He couldn’t believe that the proud lord, who frequently looked down on others and sneered at whatever displeased him, was apologizing. This couldn’t be real. 

“I don’t know why I feel so… ugh… soft around you,” he admitted with a frown. “Nor do I know why I hate seeing you upset with me, but I’m sorry. I should’ve paid more attention to the things that you did tell me about yourself. I know it’s not really an excuse, but you’re the first person I’ve gotten close to in a while.”

Kazuha blinked in surprise. This was a new development. He thought he was the first friend that Kunikuzushi ever had, so for him to say ‘in a while,’ meant that he had been close to others before him. 

“… You were close to others before me?”

“It was a long time ago,” Kunikuzushi murmured, scrunching his brows together. 

His expression seemed pained, while he tried to remember what it was. 

“I… I can barely remember anymore,” he whispered with a small growl. “Dammit. I don’t know if it’s my mind playing tricks on me or what, but I swear I knew people before you… before this whole mansion bullshit. All I can remember now is how much it hurt.”

Kazuha felt rather guilty for stirring this up within him, judging by how the man was glaring down as his eyes seemed to be darting around trying to piece together his old memories. He was about to say something before the man spoke again. 

“Whatever. I’ll deal with it later. I just… we’re friends and I do value our relationship,” he murmured with a small sigh, before he sat down on the side of the bed. “I don’t feel the pleasure I once felt in watching you suffer or tormenting you — I hate it. I enjoy spending time with you and I like it when you smile and touch me and laugh and show me your human rituals. Everything about you is so… nice and I can't help, but be drawn and obsess over it.”

The drunk one laid there in silence, while the other spilled his guts out. To be honest, it was nice to hear Kunikuzushi be so open about his feelings for once.

“And I know having this infatuation with you is unhealthy and so is making every little thing a transaction between us, but I’m going to work on it,” he replied, though he begrudgingly muttered the last part, probably because he was embarrassed. “I truly and honestly feel deeply for you, beyond affection and care. I don’t know how to word it, but… I like you, Kadehara Kazuha. I like you a lot.”

Kazuha sat there a bit dumbfounded as he remained silent for a long time, just staring at the man who seemed to be blushing. He didn’t know what to say as his thoughts sloshed around in his head, while he tried to stop the world around him from spinning. After a moment, he couldn’t help, but laugh.

“I believe you,” he murmured, though his speech was slurred. “Mmm… I need to see it though, but for now, I’ll take your word for it… because you really… really put yourself out there. I appreciate your apology… and taking some time to think about what was said.”

Kunikuzushi looked down at him and tried to brush away the red tint from his cheeks. His nose crinkled when the scent of alcohol on his breath hit him, but said nothing. Kazuha sat up and pulled him into a gentle embrace and the vampire leaned into it, before he buried his head in his neck. There was a long silence and the samurai awkwardly tried to rub circles on his back. It was nice and he could feel the shorter man’s facial expressions shift and something warm and wet touched his neck. After a few minutes, Kunikuzushi pulled away and wiped his now slightly puffy eyes, before he huffed.

“I’m going to let you rest now because you are drunk as hell and look tired,” he grumbled.

Just as he was about to get leave, Kazuha gently grabbed his hand and smiled, albeit slightly lopsidedly.

“Hehe… Oh. I like you too,” he reassured softly.

Kunikuzushi stared at him before he brought his hand up and covered his mouth and cheeks, though Kazuha could definitely see that his entire face was red. Huffing, he went over and sat back next to him.

“… I’ll just stay here until you fall asleep… so you don’t choke on your vomit … because that’s something that can happen to drunk humans from what I read.”

Kazuha scooted over and made some room for him to sit down, while he giggled. 

“… Also, don’t say anything about all the sappy, soft shit tomorrow or I’ll kill you, got it?” 

“Okay, okay,” he laughed, since Kunikuzushi was clearly joking about the killing part. “I promise… hehe… I won’t say anything about what you just said.”

Kunikuzushi watched him, then glanced to the side.

“Can… can I kiss you, before you go to bed?”

Kazuha giggled to himself about something, but wrapped his arms around his neck.

“Just one… hehe… and no tongue and no biting ‘cause I know you would do that if I didn’t… spec… wasn’t… specific.”

The vampire scoffed. He said nothing then gently slicked back some of the strands of stray hair from his face. Surprisingly, he hesitated and he looked at Kazuha, who could barely keep his eyes open. After a moment, he leaned in and simply pecked him, before he coughed slightly and patted his head

“Oh Gods. Whatever you drank with Tartaglia tastes like pure poison,” he grumbled, rubbing the taste off with the back of his hand. Despite being rather unsatisfied with their kiss, he plopped down beside him and crossed his arms. “Anyway, go to bed.”

Kazuha snickered and let go of him, then flopped down onto the bed again. He stretched out and got comfortable in bed. A cold set of hands went under him and flipped him to be on his side.

“And if you’re going to puke, there’s a bucket on the floor.”

“I’m not going to —” He cut himself off as he felt the urge to vomit, before Kunikuzushi gagged and shoved him towards the edge of the bed, shuffling away from him.

“Not on the bed! Not on the bed! The bucket! The bucket! The fucking bucket!”

Kazuha dry heaved for a bit before he swallowed and let out a soft whine.

“I—I’m fine, I’m fine,” he coughed out, trying to get comfortable in bed again.

The vampire eyed him wearily, while his face was painted with pure disgust. 

“I was going to stay until you fell asleep, but now I’m actually worried that you really are going to suffocate if I leave you alone.”

Kazuha made a soft noise in response and didn’t object. He didn’t even drink that much vodka, but for some reason, he was absolutely wasted. And as much as he hated to admit it, he’d rather Kunikuzushi keep an eye on him, since he couldn’t imagine trying to navigate the mansion feeling this way to get a mere glass of water or go to the bathroom inebriated. Closing his eyes again, he got comfortable again and tried to doze off. Kunikuzushi watched him, then gently ran his fingers through his white hair. 

“Good morning, Kazuha. I like you.”

“… I like you too, Kunikuzushi.”

The vampire smiled and chuckled, before he got comfortable beside him and shortly after, Kazuha fell asleep

Chapter Text

With a half-hearted groan, Kazuha woke up. He stretched out his limbs before he rubbed the back of his neck. Why was he so sore? Aside from sparring with Ajax, he didn’t do anything strenuous. A cold chill ran down his spine before he glanced down and saw his bare chest underneath the comfortable fabric. When did he take off his clothes? Actually, when were the bed sheets changed? Putting the two things together, he must have puked some time last night, hence the fresh clothes and the new bedding. He didn’t smell any vomit on him nor did the taste linger in his mouth. After a moment, he sat up abruptly and glanced around, spotting a black cocoon on the sofa nearby. He grabbed a blanket nearby and wrapped it around himself, then approached it on the tips of his toes. 

There on the couch was a sleeping Kunikuzushi, tightly enveloped in his black, bat-like wings. His head poked out ever so slightly; his brows were knit together and his lips were curled into a deep frown. He had actually never seen him sleep before as his face was always hidden from him. What had him so troubled? For several moments, Kazuha just stood there and watched him, before he gently reached out to touch him.

“I was expecting you to sleep in more,” the vampire murmured. “I’m pretty sure it’s still morning.”

“I’m still rather tired, but I was going to get some water and food before I go back to bed.”

“You should also take another bath,” Kunikuzushi commented before he sat up stiffly, staying wrapped up.

Kazuha nodded in response and was about to ask him why he was sleeping on the couch, when suddenly, he got grabbed and dragged down to stare at him square in the eyes. 

“Never drink whatever you drank last night again,” Kunikuzushi warned in a low voice. 

He gripped his shoulder uncomfortably hard and looked him square in the eyes. From his tone and the way he looked, it was almost like he was begging him not to? 

How unlike him.

Perplexed, Kazuha tried to remember what happened last night: the spar, drinking with Tartaglia, chatting with him, going to his room and small fragments of listening to Kunikuzushi spill his heart out. That was it. However, he did remember hearing Ajax laughing, while Kunikuzushi was borderline whisper-yelling at him, but he thought that was a dream. Piecing it together along with the lack of clothes and bed sheets, he only came to one conclusion, but still decided to ask. 

“… What happened exactly?” Kazuha asked, glancing at the visibly exhausted man. 

“You slept fine for a few hours and then you just puked on yourself and half of the bed. So being the wonderful friend that I am, I attempted to take you to the bathroom, but it just smelled so bad and I didn’t want to touch it. I guess that flea Tartaglia heard me struggling in the hallway and helped me clean you and the bed up,” he snorted, then crossed his arms.

Oh. 

His pride must’ve gotten a little hurt having to rely on Ajax of all people to help him. That explains all the quiet arguing, laughter and the feeling of his limbs being slung around. He couldn’t help, but chuckle. 

“Oh… I see. Thank you. I’ll try not to drink anymore vodka again.”

Kunikuzushi scoffed hard, but let go of him. Stretching out his wings, he let out a loud yawn and got up. 

“…. How much do you remember from last night exactly?” Kunikuzushi asked, glancing at him. 

“Most of it, aside from the puking part. I was going to ask you to elaborate more on what you said last night, but you said you didn’t want to discuss it so I wasn’t going to push.”

The vampire gave him a look, something Kazuha had become all too familiar with at this point. It was strangely silent for a few moments before the vampire let out a frustrated groan. 

“… You’re sickeningly respectful, you know that?”

He waved him off with a flick of his wrist, then went to his bed and laid down on the unclaimed side. Getting situated, he looked at him and crossed his arms. 

“Do whatever it is you have to do, Kazuha, and come back to bed with me when you’re done.”

The ‘command’ was worded rather intimately, but knowing the other a little better by now, he probably just wanted to talk about yesterday. Or cuddle. Given how he was feeling now, he didn’t mind either, especially since the air around Kunikuzushi seemed a little different today, despite his grouchy attitude.

Kazuha simply nodded. He quietly left the other to rest as he went to take a bath first. 

When he got to the bathroom, the servants helped start the bath before he gently dismissed them since he wanted some time to himself. Once they left, he enjoyed a hot bath in peace, though he admittedly spent a little too long there, partially because he dozed off. When he was done, he grabbed a towel, dried off and got dressed in the outfit provided by the staff. Yawning, he headed downstairs to enjoy breakfast and drink more fluid, hoping that having a full stomach and getting hydrated would help relieve the soreness and fatigue.  

Surprisingly enough, Ajax didn’t badger him during breakfast, since he never came down. It was rather strange, especially since it felt like routine at this point. Perhaps the man was hungover too, despite how sober he may have seemed last night. He enjoyed his breakfast in silence, savoring each bite while downing several glasses of water. All of this felt oddly normal, aside from that ever-present fear of one of the other lords trying something on him. 

As nice as everything was in the estate, aside from the countless and growing list of downsides, he missed his life of wandering. He missed traveling around and enjoying the whispers of the wind. He missed getting caught in the sad hymns of the rain and trying to find shelter to dry himself off. He missed taking a midday nap on top of a comfortable rock in the sun. The two outings they had only made him yearn more of his old life.

Gods, he couldn’t live like this forever. 

Maybe he could convince Kunikuzushi to let him out more, though he didn’t think it’d be too hard considering that the vampire was mildly in the same situation he was in. Besides, he seemed to enjoy the two outings they did go on. The only downside was still his loathing of human life. They needed to work on that… a lot. How they were going to work on it exactly was a different problem in itself. 

Sighing, he finished off his meal and stretched his legs before he returned back to his room.

The vampire was casually lounging in his bed. His hair was brushed and he had changed his clothes into something more comfortable. He glanced at his pocket watch, then up at Kazuha. 

“4 hours? Really? I would’ve thought you’d be preparing for a ball with the amount of time you’ve been gone,” he sneered. 

Kazuha just looked at him. 

“I’m kidding. It was a joke… obviously. It’s only midday, anyway. I slept in more while you were gone,” he stated, clicking the watch closed and stuffing it back into his pocket. “Are you feeling better now?”

“Much.”

Kunikuzushi scooted over for him and Kazuha went to his side of the bed and laid down. The white haired man stretched out and rested his hands on his own chest.

“So, was there anything in particular you wanted to discuss or did you just want to sleep in with me?”

“Both.”

He had to give him credit for being so forward about everything. Yawning, he glanced at him. 

“Alright. What did you want to discuss?” he asked softly. 

Despite having a better understanding of him, Kunikuzushi was a little unpredictable at times. Plus, he didn’t know what exactly the vampire wanted to talk about unless he was joking about talking about the ‘sappy shit,’ as he would call it.

“I want to play with you later.”

Kazuha raised a brow, since he wasn’t expecting that. He glanced over at his companion, trying to see if he could figure out what he was thinking, but Kunikuzushi was completely straight faced. 

“Um, alright?” he replied in a confused tone. “Is there something in particular you want to play?”

“Partially, but I was going to let you decide this time.”

“You’re not going to shoot down my suggestions, are you?”

“Not unless it’s something really stupid.”

This was rather out of nowhere, but he guessed this was Kunikuzushi’s own little way of trying to make things equal. The two days they had gone out of the estate and Kunikuzushi enjoyed each trip, so he could probably convince him to take another. Though thinking about it, they’d probably need to lay low around the human village for now or at least until the festival, considering what happened with the police the other day. 

“I want to go camping,” he admitted. “I’m rather sick of being in this place.”

“Camping’s not really a game,” the other remarked dryly with a frown, then leaned back. “But I agree with you on getting out of this place.”

“Uh… we could make it a game. We could play-pretend while we camp if that’ll make it more fun for you.”

Kunikuzushi glanced at him, actually considering it. From what he remembered last time, the vampire was way too into their game of pretend. After some thought, the vampire nodded in agreement with a small smirk.

“Fine. I suppose I could make up a character. Where would we go camping though?”

“Not sure. I was thinking of the outskirts of the village?”

Honestly, he wasn’t too familiar with the area, considering he ended up in this predicament. From what he could smell and see from their outing and when he was traveling alone, there were beaches on both the east and west sides along with some wooded areas. 

“Sounds perfect,” Kunikuzushi replied without much thought.

“You might want to pack a change of clothes and a stuffed animal, but I think you’ll be okay since we’ll only be out for the evening.”

The man nodded simply, getting comfortable on the bed. Suddenly, Kazuha remembered something a little more important of note. 

“Also, I wanted to finish checking the library for the missing chapters of Scarlet Devil Land before we go out.”

“You’re still on about that? It’s just a stupid fairytale and I told you all the important shit from it.”

Kazuha looked at him and sighed, “yes. I’m grateful you told me about the other lord’s plans along with the brief history of the book, but I want to know the ending.”

It wasn’t just him wanting to know the ending, but also this feeling that there must be answers to stopping the plot of the scarlet mist that loomed in the background. If anything, the last chapters had the answers or at least pointed into the direction of them.

Kunikuzushi looked into his red eyes for a little too long. He glanced away, then let out a snort.

“… I’ll help you look for it later if you’re so eager about it.”

Kazuha smiled and gave him a small hug. 

“I would very much like that. Thank you, Kunikuzushi.”

The vampire looked at him and huffed, but didn’t say anything and awkwardly patted his back. He brushed Kazuha’s hair away from his bruised neck then chuckled and brought his lips close.

“But for a price~”

“Kunikuzushi…”

“Relax. It was a joke,” he replied, pulling away. “I’m doing it because I like you. Besides, it’ll probably take you forever to try and find it.”

That was a fair point, especially with how long he took going through only a small portion of the library yesterday. It would be easier if Kunikuzushi just told him the ending, but for some reason, he’d rather help him dig around hundreds of books than tell him. He nodded and accepted his help.

“Anything else you wanted to discuss?”

He expected that he wanted to discuss something more meaningful, but the man simply shook his head and grabbed him by his waist, pulling him close again.

“Maybe later,” he stated in a more playful tone with a smirk. “But there is something I want from you before you take a nap.”

Kunikuzushi’s strong hands grasped his waist before they slowly glided down to the small of his back. He couldn’t help, but blush. When did he learn how to do something like that? Oh gods, did he want payment for that favor right now?

“… Did you really mean it last night when you said you liked me?”

Kazuha blinked.

That was innocent enough. 

The vampire looked at him, eagerly awaiting his answer, despite how distant he looked. 

“Yes. Why would I lie about that?”

It was true. He did genuinely like the vampire even if he was, to put it gently, an asshole most of the time. Though, Kunikuzushi started to come around and be more pleasant to hangout with now that they were friends. Besides, he had started to see a more pleasant and softer side of him these past few days. It was nice and he had to give him credit for changing and taking his feedback to heart. Most people would probably call him insane for liking such an awful man, but he tried to see the good in everyone.

The vampire laughed. Maniacally. 

Kazuha made a face and just let him laugh it out. It was honestly frightening, but the vampire simply just laughed. Laughter echoed in the dark room for what seemed like an eternity before he calmed down.

“Say it again. Say you like me.”

Kazuha raised a brow, but decided to humor him again, especially because he had never seen him so happy before.

“I like you, Kunikuzushi.”

“I like you too, Kazuha.”

Kunikuzushi actually smiled, before he let him go. 

“I’ll let you take a nap then,” he murmured softly. “But only for an hour.”

That wasn’t a lot of time, but he assumed that the other probably suspected it’d take a considerable amount of time to search the library. He simply nodded and turned on his side to get comfortable, only to admittedly get embraced by the other again.

“Is it okay if I hold you like this?”

“… Sure — just don’t squeeze too hard.”

He moved Kunikuzushi’s arms up to his chest since the grasp in his waist hurt like hell. The other didn’t protest and buried his face into the crook of Kazuha’s neck. Yawning, he closed his eyes and got comfortable before he almost immediately dozed off.

——————————————————————————

True to his word, the vampire woke him up in exactly an hour. He was dressed in the outfit that he had bought during their trip. Honestly, he looked rather beautiful, though Kazuha had to admit it wasn’t exactly camping attire, but then again, Kunikuzushi was able to do a considerable amount of things in his usual gaudy clothes. Watching the man fully wake up and get out of bed, the vampire held out a familiar pair of clothes. 

“The servants finally got out all the blood off your clothes,” he remarked. “Figured you’d want it back when it was done.”

Kazuha blinked and gently took the maple leaf-patterned kimono from him. 

“Thank you.”

He smiled and gingerly set it down as he almost immediately began to change back into his old clothes. Once he finished, Kunikuzushi rolled his shoulders back and headed out of the room with him to the study.

“Right. Time to get this library-thing over with.”

Kazuha should’ve expected that his friend was going to pull something to make the search a lot faster, which were his clones again. They all flew around and flipped through each page, which he sat on the ground — double checking and setting the looked-through books to the side. It only took an hour or two at most, but they didn’t even find a single page. However, one of the copies flew down over to him and held out an old leather-bound book. 

“What’s this?” Kazuha asked, briefly skimming through the book.

It had the same illustration style as Scarlet Devil Land, though the characters were different. The same illustrator probably worked on this book, too. Though, he noticed two familiar characters in some of the later pages. 

“... Is that the Scarlet Devil and her maid?” 

The clone peered over his shoulder and nodded in response, while the original and the others were halfheartedly cleaning up the mess and bickering amongst each other.

“Mhmm, that’s them,” he replied casually with a shrug. “They actually appear in some other books, too.”

Kazuha blinked at how honest this copy was, especially since the real one skirted around most questions relating to the book. But this was a new development, considering the note that the book was a bit grim: the mistress having conjured up the mist with a witch who resided in her mansion and blanketed the entire land in the scarlet mist, leaving everyone in a sea of red and darkness. So she was fine? And she even made more friends? He skimmed through the rest of the book, seeing that everything else looked completely normal. 

“Don’t read it now,” the copy snorted, closing the book on him.

“So, does this book tell me the ending of Scarlet Devil Land?” 

“Hell no, but since you’re so eager to find out the ending, Eternal Night Vignette is close enough.”

Kazuha frowned, but took the book and tucked it away for later. He would skim over it later and see what he could gather from it. It was at least something, until Kunikuzushi either told him the information or told him where he put the rest of the pages. Sighing, he thanked him when suddenly, a thought occurred to him.

The basement. 

The room in the corridor that he searched through during the game of hide and seek. He remembered seeing tons of papers scattered around down there along with several torn up books. 

The missing pages were probably down there, though from the oppressive and dank atmosphere, and how adamant his friend was about him not going down there without him did unsettle him. But he had to know the answers and the basement was one of the areas he hadn’t explored. Though when would he have the time to go down there? In the morning?

“Hey!” Kunikuzushi snorted, snapping his fingers at him. “You done? We looked everywhere and still no pages.”

Kazuha blinked, seeing the original along with the copies looking at him. Putting his hands on his own hips, he sighed and nodded his head.

“Yeah,” he murmured. “Let’s get ready to go out then.”

————————————————

It took some time to properly get ready for their camping, along with setting up his clones to cover for the two of them, but thankfully not too long as it was still pretty early on in the evening.

Threading through the woods, he hummed and tried to think of where exactly they should go camping. The human village was a big no for the obvious reasons and it was best to lay low until things settled down. Along the river would be fine, but they had already been there before.

After a brief moment, he figured it out: the beach. It would be secluded and they could do some fishing and swimming there. The scenery would be wonderful and all the noises and smells would be fascinating and soothing to his companion. 

Listening to the gentle breeze and smelling the air, he navigated through the terrain while his friend was silent for the most part, probably just taking in the new scenery. 

“Wanderer,” he responded after some time. 

“Hm?” Kazuha hummed softly, glancing back at him. 

“I want to go by Wanderer while we’re out camping,” he replied in a strangely soft tone. 

It was an odd name, but it made sense especially considering the naming conventions of the author of Scarlet Devil Mansion. He smiled, immediately going along with it. 

“Greetings, Wanderer. I’m Kadehara Kazuha. It’s been quite some time since I’ve been accompanied on my journey. What brings you out on this spring night?”

The Wanderer glanced at him, gripping the brim of his hat to obscure his features while his tassels jingled delicately in the wind. 

“… Wouldn’t you like to know, Kazuha?” he asked calmly. “I’m just a fellow traveler passing through — nothing more, nothing less.”

Kazuha didn’t mind his sharp tongue or how vague he was being. He had encountered “mysterious” passerbys before and this man was no different. 

“I see,” he said softly with a smile. “Well, let us make the most of our time together no matter how transient that may be.”

The Wanderer peered at him from under his hat before he drew closer to him. 

“So, where are you headed?”

Kazuha blinked and tried to think. Ever since he had started to live at the estate, his original journey had been pushed to the back of his mind. He wasn’t particularly good at this whole roleplaying-thing, so he decided to be honest about it. 

After a moment of thought, he replied. “I’m heading to the port to catch a boat out of this country,” he admitted softly. “While this may be the land of my birth, it’s no longer safe for me to stay here and I wish to explore what the other regions have to offer.”    

The man flicked his hat up and strolled beside him, glancing up at the dark sky.

“… I’ve seen your posters around,” he admitted camly with a chuckle. “You sure you’re going to be able to go to the port without the authorities noticing you?”

“It’s worth a shot. I’ve heard tales of other people being smuggled out in cargo ships or fishing vessels, so I believe I have a fair chance,” he replied.

Though, most of the people who did manage to flee were just regular people looking to leave the country, but a wanted criminal such as himself? 

“You’re optimistic,” he mused with a small smile. “What do you hope to find if you do manage to leave?”

Kazuha gave him a small shrug. 

“I don’t necessarily have a set goal,” he admitted softly. “I just want to explore the world and meet new people.”

“What if you come across people who don’t like you or come across difficulties in your journey?”

“I accept them. Challenges are just a part of life and you learn how to deal with them,” he replied softly. “I guess we wouldn’t be truly alive if we didn’t struggle and grow from it?”

The Wanderer looked at him then at the ground in quiet contemplation. He rested his hand under his chin, walking beside him before Kazuha stopped a few minutes later.

“Well, here we are,” he replied with a smile.

Before them was a completely empty beach. The sand was a soft white littered with various seashells, seaweed and pieces of driftwood. Gentle waves brushed along the shore line as the calm ocean stretched out past the horizon. Above them, bright specks of yellow and white dotted the deep purple and blue ombré sky. 

“I hope you don’t mind setting up camp here for the night. It’s far away from the village and we can catch some fish,” he stated.

The Wanderer couldn’t contain his disdain as his feet sunk into the white sand and got all over his stockings and shoes. He wobbled, trying to get unstuck and away from the sand, while Kazuha tried to not laugh at his struggling.

“Um… perhaps… we should uh… set up a fire for the night?” he suggested, trying hard to suppress himself. “You dig out the pit for it and collect some rocks and I’ll go gather some branches.”

 “… Fine. Whatever,” he grumbled, trudging over like some sort of newborn bird.   

Kazuha watched him for a few moments, then went back into the woods. Gathering some thick, dry branches, he walked over to the pit that the Wanderer begrudgingly dug and lined with gray stones. He gave him a quick bow, set the sticks and leaves down before he put a few small sticks and arranged the logs to lean against one another. Reaching into his pockets, he felt around for something then pulled out a small rock. Looking around, he grabbed another larger one and began to strike the smaller one against it. It took a few hard strikes, several sparks slipped into the sticks before the fire roared to life. He backed away, then glanced to thank the Wanderer for his help, but his reaction was off.

He just stared deep into the depths of the fire with a completely blank expression.

Kazuha watched him, sensing an air of melancholy and anxiety around him. He frowned and approached him cautiously.

“Hey. Are you okay?” he asked gently, deciding against touching him for the moment.

The Wanderer stared for a long time before he snapped out of it and glanced to the side. He shook his head and wiped his eyes then looked back at him.

“Fine,” he murmured, while Kazuha looked at him.

“Alright,” he replied, not wanting to push him. “Well, I just want you to know it’s okay if you’re not good. I’m here if you ever want to talk about it.” 

His companion remained quiet, before he brushed him off and sighed, “… Whatever.”

Looking over at him, the Wanderer yawned and sat down, trying not to get sand all over his clothes, but couldn’t avoid it. Stretching out, he rested his arms on his knees and glanced at the fire. 

Kazuha left him to it, though he was unsure if his friend was trying to keep up with his character or if he just wanted to unwind. Though, one thing he knew for sure was that he wanted to take a swim in the ocean as the sea breeze called his name. Watching the dark waves, he smiled and began to strip, casually tossing his clothes to the side much to the Wanderer’s confusion. He stretched out, fully nude then threaded across the cool sand to the soft, wet shoreline, before he carefully made his way into the water. The salty air filled his nostrils while the water lapped at his body. After wading the water for a few minutes, he glanced back towards where his companion was. He smiled and held out a hand to him. 

“Come on. The water’s pretty warm!”

Usually on nights like this, the ocean would be chilly, but it was the perfect temperature to take a dip in. The salty waves caressing his body, while he enjoyed the gentle breeze that blew through his wavy white locks. Gods, it had been an eternity since he had enjoyed the beach. The last time he had enjoyed this was back when his beloved friend was alive. Has that much time really passed? Not a day went by where he didn’t think about him or their time together, but there was nothing he could do now and he knew that his beloved friend died happy. He wondered what he would think if he saw him in this situation. Probably laugh and poke fun at him, no doubt. 

His thoughts were interrupted, hearing the grumbling of his pale partner along the shoreline. He couldn’t help, but chuckle and carefully trudge through the dark water.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“I don’t want to get my clothes and hair wet and dirty, and the water seems deep!”

“Just take off your clothes! Put them on top of mine if you want!” he called, knowing that the other would complain if he even got a single grain of sand on them. “And the water this far isn’t deep! See!?”

From where Kazuha was standing, the water only came up to waist, which meant that it would come up to the Wanderer’s waist too, since they were roughly the same height.

The Wanderer looked at him, visibly frowning. He stood there and watched Kazuha just hold out his hand to him. After some reluctance, he started to strip, taking off his clothes painstakingly slowly as he folded them with precision. He then placed them on top of Kazuha’s before he set his hat and shoes down, as well. 

Kazuha watched as the Wanderer frowned, trudging through the white sand before he set one foot in the water and then another. The man’s face contorted into one of disgust and uncertainty, while he carefully maneuvered around the rocks and shells that stuck out. 

“You’re doing great,” Kazuha reassured.

Smiling, he decided to help speed along the process by walking up to him. Humming softly, he held out his hands to him. His friend eyed them, then grasped both his hands as Kazuha gave him a reassuring squeeze.

“Now, I’m going to lead you to the deeper part, okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m not a child,” he snorted stubbornly, looking directly at him while he followed him. 

Kazuha simply smiled and carefully stepped backwards, trying to avoid any sort of sharp objects embedded in the sand. The two just stared at each other; the Wanderer made strange faces every so often while Kazuha just kept on smiling. And before they knew it, they were in the waist deep portion of the sea, but even then, the Wanderer didn’t let go of his hands.

“You did it,” Kazuha praised. “It’s not so bad now, is it?”

The Wanderer looked at him, then huffed, “no, but now what? We just stand around?”

“Well, you can if you want. I like to just float and swim around a little bit.”

Kazuha let go of his hands before he stretched out and relaxed in the salty water. He enjoyed the gentle push and pull of the waves, humming softly. His friend watched him, clearly not understanding what was so good about the ocean. 

Peeking open one eye, a pretty mischievous idea popped into the samurai's head. He couldn’t help, but smirk as he swam over to him. The Wanderer made a face and raised a brow, before he was abruptly splashed in the face. Blinking in surprise, he glanced up at Kazuha, who giggled at his now drenched appearance. 

“… Kaedehara,” he growled, while the other backed away from him, still giggling.

Black bat wings sprouted from his back before he flapped them hard, sending a current of water straight at the white haired man. Kazuha couldn’t escape and gasped as they crashed into him, completely burying him in a rush of water. 

The Wanderer blinked when he disappeared, before he glanced around to see where he went. Kazuha was briefly sent tumbling slightly underwater for a mere few seconds before he resurfaced, spewing out the overly salty water. 

For once, the Wanderer actually looked rather apologetic as he looked at him. 

“You started it first, but I didn’t mean to-“

The completely soaked man merely laughed and waved him off before he wrung out his white hair that was caked to his wet skin. 

“No harm done. That was fun,” he remarked before he casually splashed the other. 

The Wanderer blinked at being splashed again before he huffed hard and splashed him back. The sight was rather silly: two grown men chasing after each other slowly and completely nude as they splashed each other back and forth. 

Kazuha giggled, watching how flustered the vampire was about his hair getting completely wet. After several minutes of splashing around, the strange man huffed and straight up tackled Kazuha, sending the two fumbling into the deeper parts of the ocean. Thankfully, it wasn’t too deep, probably about 6 feet, and the samurai resurfaced without any issue. His companion, on the other hand, did not. 

“Shit,” Kazuha murmured before he took a deep breath and moved to dive back down. 

Kunikuzushi wasn’t too far struggling, wildly flailing his arms and wings. Despite how dark it was, he could see the bubbles and rough currents from his movements. Swimming over to him, he somehow managed to avoid getting hit in the face as he maneuvered his arms under his armpits and grabbed his shoulders. That kind of caused the man to flail even more as Kazuha flinched at getting smacked around, but he took the hits and towed him up to the surface. 

He surfaced as did the other man, though he still kept a firm grasp on him. Coughing up a bit of water, he floated backwards, paddling his feet to get them back to the shallower end. His companion was a bit shaken, but otherwise fine as he spat the salty water up. 

“Sorry. I should’ve paid more attention to where we were swimming,” Kazuha apologized, catching his breath. 

The man’s wings retracted back into his body while he let himself get pulled along. He seemed mad with narrowed eyes and a scowl painted on his face, but surprisingly enough, nothing hateful came out of his mouth. 

“… Sorry for tackling you,” he murmured quietly. 

“It’s fine,” he reassured with a smile, before he glanced at him. “Are you feeling okay?”

“I’m completely soaked, but I’m perfectly fine otherwise.”

“You sure? You were down there for a good minute or two,” he asked again while he repositioned him so he could better swim. 

“I don’t breathe, so I can’t drown. I just couldn’t resurface because I don’t know how to swim,” he openly admitted. 

Honestly, he forgot that there were certain aspects of the man that weren’t human, including breathing. Holding him carefully, he paddled back to the shore and let the man go. The orange glow better illuminated their surroundings, allowing Kazuha to get a better look at his friend.

The Wanderer, as he liked to call himself right now, was completely drenched and unkempt: his dark locks of hair tangled and matted to his pale skin and he wore a sour, but tired look on his face. He leaned over to the side and spat up some water before he begrudgingly trudged through the sand to go sit by the fire.

Kazuha watched him, slicking his hair out of his face as he went to join him. The lean figure dug in his leather satchel, pulling out a fluffy towel before he thoroughly began to dry off his body. Since Kazuha didn’t pack anything apart from the bare essentials, he simply grabbed his clothes and began to put them on.

“You’re seriously just going to throw on your clothes?” the man asked with concern, eyeing him up and down. 

The samurai stood in front of the fire for a few moments, then shook his hair out like a dog. He glanced at him and nodded, then moved to put on his undergarments and shorts.

“I think I’m dry enough. Besides, I’m used to this kind of thing,” he said casually with a smile.

The Wanderer stared at him, drying off his hair with pure look of disbelief. Scoffing, he went over to him then started to pat him dry with the towel, starting with his hair.

“You’re not a damn animal,” the vampire murmured, squeezing the water out of hair then carefully drying his white hair off. “So don’t act like one.”

His movements were gentle and he was definitely not expecting him to dry him off, considering how much he mocked him for not really packing anything, and how he would laugh at him if he actually needed something from him. Kazuha wasn’t going to complain though, especially when the Wanderer was being so nice. He smiled and relaxed, going along with it.

The Wanderer was surprisingly thorough with his towel drying, getting every inch of his body. Once he finished, he allowed Kazuha to get dressed while he folded up the towel.

“Thank you,” Kazuha said while his companion remained quiet, though he could definitely tell the man rolled his eyes. 

Stretching out, he fixed his hair to the best of his ability and plopped down comfortably on the sand. The Wanderer looked around, then found a nearby log and dragged it over, then plopped down on it.

“Not a fan of the sand, fellow traveler?” Kazuha teased gently while he watched him.

“Of course not,” he murmured, moving to brush the strands off of his feet. “It’s uncomfortable and gets everywhere.”

The samurai smile. He chuckled and got up, approaching him.

“Mind if I sit next to you?”

The Wanderer glanced at him and crossed his legs, then gave him a smirk.

“I suppose I could so graciously allow you to,” he remarked, teasing him in return.

Kazuha thanked him with a bow then sat down and stretched out his legs. 

The campfire crackled as sparkles of orange and ash trickled into the deep blue sky. Smoke and the salty wind filled his nostrils and the songs of the waves and cicadas echoed in the night sky, while Kazuha enjoyed the warmth of the fire. It was a familiar and comforting environment as he just relaxed. His companion sat beside him, staring at the bottom of the fire, before he eventually spoke and glanced up at the stars.

“On nights like this, I would often sit on the roof of the mansion and watch the stars. I was always jealous of how beautiful they were; how they were always clustered together and always shining bright in the black sky without a care in the world,” the Wanderer stated softly. “Even with a house full of people and all the toys and books I could ever want, I’ve always felt alone, but I knew that no matter what, nothing would ever fill that empty feeling in me, nor would they ever understand me.”

Kazuha simply listened to him as he glanced at the traveler beside him. He remembered Kunikuzushi talking about bits and pieces of his life every so often, especially when they drank that one time, but it was strange for him to be so forward about it now. 

“Some of the memories of my time outside the house escape me for some reason, but the most painful are burned deep into my very core. Back when I was naïve and weak, I remember I tried to live amongst humans. At first, I thought they truly cared about me even when the one person I considered my family found out my true nature, but I was wrong,” he remarked in a laced with bitterness. 

The man beside him stared deep at the bottom of the campfire. The look on his face was something he was all too familiar with: grief and contempt. He couldn’t even begin to imagine what sorts of things the man had experienced but the hurt in his tone and blank stare on his face told him everything. Glancing at the fire with him, he scooted his hand close to his, gently brushing it against his. The Wanderer continued to stare at the fire, but moved his pinky and wrapped it around Kazuha’s.

“They thought that I killed my only family — drank his blood and left him to rot in the woods,” he laughed with a bitter smile. “Can you believe that? 

Kazuha remained silent and just listened. What could he even say to such a horrific claim? 

“All that time, I thought the humans of the village viewed me as one of their own, but the Doctor opened my eyes. They always viewed me as a bloodthirsty, heartless monster who would feast on their flesh and destroy their homes. I lived with them for years. How could they even think that?”

His voice wavered and the bottom of his lip trembled. Kazuha looked at him and gently rubbed his hand, remaining quiet for him. Some thoughts raced through his mind, but he let his friend speak his mind. 

“… And you know what they did? They tried to kill me — set the home that I shared with my family ablaze with me inside, probably hoping I would slowly be devoured by the flames,” he murmured, looking at his hands. “The pain was excruciating and honestly, I thought about dying there that day — why would I want to live in a world where the only person who liked me was dead and the rest of them viewed me as inhuman? I don’t know why I lived that night, maybe it was pure loathing towards humans or some childish desire for a better future, but I did. I don’t know what came over me but I became that monster they viewed me as. I killed every last one of them and feasted on their disgusting blood.”

That was a lot to process. He couldn’t imagine being burned alive let, alone by the same people he viewed as friends. But now, everyone poking at him about the whole ‘killing a whole village’ thing made sense. Kunikuzushi didn’t have to say it, but that massacre was probably why the other lords of the estate kept him imprisoned. 

“After all of that, I was invited to join and live with the other lords, who too detested humans. They promised that as long as I worked with them, the Tsaritsa would create an eternal paradise for us and in turn, I would get whatever I desired. Over time, my hatred for humans only grew and they started to become nothing more than toys for me to entertain myself with,” he remarked and let out a soft sigh. 

Kazuha blinked as his friend moved his hand and gripped back tightly.

“But even after all of the bullshit I had to go through, I’m glad I met you, even if the circumstances we met in were unpleasant. I feel truly content and like someone understands me for once,” he stated in such a gentle tone. “So, thank you, Kazuha, for being my friend… and I’m sorry about treating you so poorly in the past.”

The samurai looked at the man before him and squeezed his hands back with a small smile. Even after everything, Kazuha sympathized with him and he was glad that Kunikuzushi was changing and recognized how awful he was. He smiled and held his hand gently for a long time, while they enjoyed each other’s company and the fire.

“I forgive you, and I’m glad you’re making up for it now,” the samurai murmured softly.

The Wanderer huffed and grabbed his hands, gently massaged the tops of his hands with his thumbs. He drew close to him and touched foreheads with him. 

“I promise I’ll make it up to you,” he whispered in just a soft tone that almost made him melt. 

Kazuha couldn’t help, but smile and faintly nodded, then just looked into his eyes. The two just stared into the depths of each other’s eyes before the Wanderer pulled away and let go of his other hand. The silence returned between them, while they just sat together with their fingers intertwined and their shoulders pressed against one another.

Kazuha pondered for a few minutes, while he looked up at the sky. All this talking and bonding over these past few days allowed him to be more honest with the man, while in turn, Kunikuzushi had started to open up to him. The one thing that stuck with him was the first time they ran off into the forest and he drunkenly talked about running away with him. The idea of running away seemed foreign and Kunikuzushi scoffed at the mere thought of two people throwing away a luxurious life when they first met, but now, things seemed different. Now was a better time than any to bring up the subject again. 

“I know I vaguely brought this up when we were drunk and the time before that, but have you thought about the possibility of us running away together?” he asked quietly then let out a soft sigh. “It’s okay if you haven’t, and I know you enjoy living in the estate, despite everything, but I don’t.”

The Wanderer stared at him in shock, but remained quiet. 

“I miss my life as a mere wanderer. I miss the grass beneath my feet and sleeping under the stars. I miss conversing with other travelers and listening to the whispers of the wind. I miss my old life. I feel like a caged sparrow: while I may be treated well, I long for the open sky and the morning sun.”

The pale man’s lip twitched as he squeezed his hand unbearably hard, almost crushing his hand.

“… Do you not like me?”

Kazuha frowned and let out a soft sigh, since the man had taken a leap from what he said.

“Kunikuzushi, I wouldn’t be telling you this if I didn’t like you,” he stated genuinely. “And I know you don’t like being trapped in the mansion constantly either, so I’m inviting you to run away with me. Just think of all the new places we could see, all the foods we could try and all the people we could talk to.”

The vampire’s eyes shifted to his face, studying him in silence. Kazuha didn’t say anything and let him, before his hand was released from the grip.

“… Mmm, even after everything, I’m a little hesitant to take such a drastic decision,” he admitted. “Being outside has been wonderful, but the sun and humans are still an issue.”

“I suppose that’s fair, though in regards to the sun, we have yet to test if your new attire actually works,” Kazuha admitted quietly. 

The Wanderer looked at him and then glanced at the fire. His eyes lingered at its orange hue before he closed them. 

“Are you going to run away if I decline your offer?”

It was a difficult question and he could hear how hurt he was. Frankly, he didn’t want to just leave him in the estate trapped and alone again, despite how much he personally wanted to leave.

“… No.”

As much as he wanted to flee, he couldn’t just leave like this; not after he and Kunikuzushi had gotten so close. Even if things had settled down for the most part at the estate, he couldn’t help still having that sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. He didn’t know why, maybe it was his instincts telling him that something was wrong, but it only grew worse and worse each passing day.

“You don’t have to decide right now, nor do I expect you to have such a life changing decision so soon, but just think about it… please,” Kazuha pleaded. 

Glancing at him, the Wanderer sat there in contemplation before he nodded.

“ I’ll think about it,” he admitted quietly. “And I’ll see what I can do about going outside more often with you. Though if it brings you any sort of joy, I actually had a brief discussion about it today with Dottore, and we’ll see how our deal goes in the coming days.”

Even if it was small, the thought of going outside more often did bring him comfort. Perhaps, the opportunity would even allow him 

“… Thank you.”

“No need to look so happy. I’m partially doing it for my own selfish reasons, too.”

Kazuha smiled gently and let out a soft sigh in relief, since the conversation went better than he anticipated. He rested his free hand on his knees and looked at him again.

“You know, I'm rather happy that you’ve been more open tonight, even if revisiting the memories on your end were painful. If you ever want to discuss more about it, and I may not always know what to say, but I’ll always listen.”

The Wanderer gave him a look.

“It’s rather obnoxious that you’re so nice and kind to me all the time,” he sneered. 

The man moved his hand and dipped the brim of his hat down to obscure his face from him.

“You deserve kindness and affection, even if you may not think you do. Besides, we’re friends after all.”

Suddenly, the man was right in front of him again. A cold hand covered Kazuha’s mouth to prevent him from speaking as his companion was blushing like mad, despite how much the man tried to hide it.

“For all that is unholy, shut up. Please shut the fuck up,” the Wanderer pleaded. “I can’t take anymore of your… pleasantries and… advice . I don’t think I can like you anymore than I already do. I was expecting a fun outing where I got to pretend to be a fellow traveler with a mysterious past and do camping activities, then it turned into this angst fest of me spilling my heart out to you.”

Kazuha looked at him and tried to hold in a laugh.

“… I think you already fit the whole mysterious traveler persona,” he replied, though his response was more muffled. “It’s actually pretty common to exchange personal information like that during camping or at least from what I’ve experienced during my travels  — and I’m glad I got to know more about you.”

The Wanderer removed his hand off his mouth, before the tip of his thumb brushed against his lip. His eyes lingered a little too long on his face as he sighed.

“How about the two of us just stop talking?”

Just as Kazuha was going to ask what he meant by that, he felt his lips on his. It felt different from all the other times they kissed. Maybe it was because it was so tender, or maybe it was because they finally better understood one another, but one thing Kazuha knew for sure was that this didn’t exactly feel very friendly.

His companion’s right hand on his cheek with his left hand firmly planted on his hip. 

His own hands rested gently on his friend’s shoulders, keeping him close. 

It was pleasant and he welcomed it. 

The chaste kiss lasted for a while, before Kazuha had to pull away to breathe though the Wanderer seized the opportunity to kiss his throat and work his hands into his shorts. The samurai didn’t mind as he spread his legs for him, while he worked his hands into the back of his companion’s jacket. He didn’t know how it happened, but the two managed to topple onto the ground and it made the Wanderer even more feverish. He practically tore off Kazuha’s clothes, spreading them out underneath him, while he assaulted his throat and chest with his kisses. Kazuha somewhat was able to take off his jacket and hat, trying to carefully set them on the log so as to not damage or dirty them, while he relaxed under him. Warmth and pleasure coursed through his body as the Wanderer’s hand stroked his cock in a painfully slow manner. Red spread across his face as he buried his nails into his back and felt something wet trail down his chest. He then winced slightly as sand started to spread onto the clothes and into his back. The Wanderer pulled away every so often, grumbling and muttering as he dusted his legs and hands off. After a few seconds, he pulled away from him completely, shaking and brushing himself off as he tried to get the sand off.

“Gods fucking damnit!” he snapped, trying to clean himself off, though no matter what he did, bits of sand still kept getting on them.

“The sand is kind of an issue,” Kazuha murmured. 

Despite how much they spread out their clothes, the sand managed to sneak its way over to them and it was extremely uncomfortable, especially since he was partially nude.

“We should probably find a place with less sand.”

“That really kills the fucking mood,” the Wanderer snorted. 

Kazuha got off of him and carefully brushed the sand off of his legs and feet, before he slipped his undergarments and shorts fully back on. His companion begrudgingly got up and slipped back into his clothes as well, before he grabbed his hat and placed it back onto his head. Kazuha moved and snuffed out the fire, before he moved to grab the rest of their belongings. 

The Wanderer waited, then eagerly grabbed his hand then rushed off into the depths. Kazuha didn’t seem to mind, trying to keep up with his urgent pace.

“Where are we going?” he couldn’t help, but ask.

His companion flashed him a dark smirk, then chuckled.

“I guess we’ll just have to see.”

Despite his tone, Kazuha simply laughed and smiled back.

“Sounds good to me.”

Chapter Text

Kazuha should’ve expected that the Wanderer, or rather Kunikuzushi, would choose something so luxurious. It took a lot of roaming around, judging buildings from a distance and bickering to finally arrive at the place the vampire was trying to look for: a large, secluded inn off near the mountainside.

“An inn? We’re supposed to be camping.”

“Listen, I’m enjoying this little camping thing we have going on, but I also don’t want to dirty my clothes or lay on the grass,” the vampire stated, giving him a look. 

Fair enough. Plus, having intercourse for the first time on a bed would probably be more comfortable than on the bare ground, but this particular ryokan looked expensive. He would’ve preferred something a little cheaper with just one room, a futon and access to a place to bathe, though there was no arguing with Kunikuzushi, since the last time he was told that money wasn’t an issue. His thoughts were interrupted when the man placed his hat on him and they headed inside. 

Despite how late it was, there was still an older woman dressed in a kimono cleaning the entranceway with a broom. She glanced up at them.

“Oh… we weren’t expecting any guests so late in the evening. We stopped serving dinner a few hours ago.”

The Wanderer waved her off. 

“That’s fine. We’re just travelers passing through. We wanted to get a room for the night and possibly into tomorrow morning as well,” he replied. 

“Oh… I see,” she stated, looking between the two of them though she seemed to spend a considerable amount of time looking at Kazuha. 

The Wanderer stepped in front of him and looked at her with slightly narrowed eyes.

“So with this room, do we have access to the hot springs outside?” he asked.

“Oh, yes of course! Hot springs are included in the fee and breakfast will be provided,” she remarked.

Glancing around the beautifully handcrafted interior while the two chatted, Kazuha looked around, rubbing the back of his neck. He had never stayed in a place so nice before, aside from the estate, but he felt a little underdressed for the occasion. 

The woman came around from behind the counter, and then she smiled. 

“Follow me and I’ll show you two to the room.”

She walked down the corridor, before the Wanderer gently grabbed his hand and followed after her. Kazuha didn’t mind and followed beside him, though he had to walk a bit cautiously considering how big the hat was. They reached the end of the hall and the lady politely bowed.

“Here is your room. Please enjoy your stay. Have a goodnight,” she stated softly, opening the door for them before she eyed Kazuha again and shuffled back down the hall.

Kazuha walked in first, sliding out of his sandals before he stretched out and stepped into their room.

It was very spacious and completely in tatami mats. There was a small table with four seats in the living area and an open balcony that overlooked the bamboo forest. Moonlight crept through the windows, illuminating the dark room as Kazuha walked to the other open area, seeing a larger white futon and a few decorations like a dresser, vase and scroll. It was definitely quite the contrast compared to the overly decorated and borderline claustrophobic estate. He walked around for a few moments before he went to the bedroom and set the hat down to the side.

Despite never staying at a ryokan before, it felt familiar — it reminded me of his childhood home. Stretching out, he rubbed his neck and shoulder, then set the bag and hat down. Even if this wasn’t the wilderness, he wouldn’t mind spending a night here, especially when there was a natural hot spring to enjoy. 

A set of hands wrapped around his chest and right thigh before he was suddenly pinned into the nearby wall. 

“Don’t forget why we’re here,” a low voice warned against the back of his neck.

His scarf was slowly pulled off and tossed to the side, before he felt cold lips on the nape of his neck. The kisses were soft and tender, slowly trailing down to his right shoulder while Kunikuzushi’s hands roamed down his body. 

Kazuha just breathed quietly through his nose, leaning back into his affection. Gods, when did his friend suddenly get so good at this? The once light kisses almost immediately turned rough as he was shoved harder into the wall. Blush spread across his face, while Kunikuzushi gnawed and licked at his neck, grinding against him. 

He leaned against the wall, before he let out a soft sigh. Was this guy going to keep him trapped forever here; having his way with him, while he just had to take it? Sighing quietly, he felt as his hands slowly started to roam down his body, while his loins began to ache. He glanced at the position he was in, seeing an opening before he slipped out of his hold and playfully shoved his hand over his mouth. The vampire was clearly caught off guard and the samurai smiled at him, using his free hand to caress his cheek.

“There’s no need to rush,” Kazuha reassured him quietly before he slowly removed his hand from his mouth. “I’m not going anywhere — enjoy the moment.” 

Kunikuzushi gave him a look, clearly irritated at being told what to do. Despite his expression, he seemed to take his words into consideration and carefully began to undress him as Kazuha did the same. The tension in the air was palpable and he could feel the vampire drink in the sight of his skin. He couldn’t help but laugh awkwardly and delicately set his obi belt, accessories and white kimono to the side. Just before he could work on the rest of his clothes, his entire body was forcefully pinned against the wall again. 

“I want to take my time with you,” he teased with a smirk. “And I want you begging for mercy.”

He should’ve figured that he was going to pull something like this. Just as he was about to say something, the man simply kissed him, let go and slowly slid his hands down his hips. 

“I’m just kidding about the whole begging thing,” the man stated softly before he pulled him close; their bodies practically rubbing up against each other. “But you don’t need to undress me, I’ll do the rest myself.”

Kazuha simply nodded and relaxed in his hold, then wrapped his arms around his neck. A faint blush spread across the vampire’s cheeks and he briefly glanced to the side, then snaked his fingers down to the seams of his shorts; the tips of them simply tracing the skin underneath. A soft sigh escaped his lips before he felt something warm and wet on his chest. 

Glancing down, he saw the vampire kissing each little imperfection — every mole, every scar and every freckle. Gods, he couldn’t understand why it felt so good, especially when the man lacked any experience in this area — or so he thought. He couldn’t help but make soft noises as he felt laughter ripple and teeth scrape against his skin. Suddenly, he was lifted off the ground and he glanced to see Kunikuzushi carry him to the futon with ease. Blinking, he was carefully set down before the vampire practically pounced on top of him and started to kiss his face. 

“I can’t believe you can make such cute noises, Kazuha,” he purred with a grin. “Mmm, I wonder what other noises you’ll make for me?”

The samurai felt his face heat up at his musings before the man kissed the corners of his lips then directly. The kiss was soft and gentle, despite the lust growing between them. It was pleasant at first before Kunikuzushi started to nibble and pull at his bottom lip. 

Letting out a small grunt at the tugging, the vampire happily seized the opportunity to invade his mouth and deepen the kiss. His hands worked their way to Kazuha’s lower half before he slowly removed each layer; his shorts, undergarments and socks. He pulled away and ogled him for a few moments, then grabbed his bag and dug through it. Kazuha moved and placed a white pillow behind his back, trying to get comfortable and relax his racing heart. The vampire carefully stripped out of his clothes, folding them with perfect precision before he set them on the floor. After a moment, he grabbed a small vial and yanked open the cork off of it, then spread Kazuha’s legs apart.

“What are you doing?” the samurai asked.

“I need to finger you so we can have intercourse or else we can’t do it,” he replied simply, moving to pour the liquid into his hands.

Kazuha made a face and looked at his razor-sharp, red nails. There was no way in hell he was going to let them go inside of him, especially not after what they did to his back.

“Could you please cut your nails first? You might tear into me,” Kazuha admitted quietly, then gestured to his hands.

Kunikuzushi looked down at them, then frowned a bit, rubbing his thumb across the surface of them. He let out a deep sigh. 

“Give me that dagger of yours,” Kunikuzushi said. 

He held out his hand to him before Kazuha dug around in his pants pocket to find it. Feeling the hilt, he grabbed it and placed it in his palm. The vampire glanced at it, tilting it around from side to side with mild interest before he began to haphazardly trim his nails; tossing the cut bits into a nearby trash can. He then presented his hands to him. Kazuha examined them, running a finger across them and nodded.

“That’s good,” he stated quietly.

Kunikuzushi scoffed and narrowed his eyes at him, frowning pretty hard.

“You better be grateful. I loved my nails,” he grumbled.

The white-haired man rolled his eyes and grabbed his right hand, giving the top of it a small peck. 

“I’m very grateful,” he reassured softly with a warm smile. “Thank you.”

His companion stared at him, completely awestruck and yanked his hand away. He grumbled under his breath and poured the cold liquid all over his dominant hand. Scooting close to him, he spread apart Kazuha’s muscled legs and planted himself between them.

“This is going to feel odd,” he warned, glancing down at him. “So you need to relax.”

Nodding, he gave him a soft, yet nervous smile, while he tried to steady himself. His breaths were shallow and ragged as the man brought his coated fingers to his entrance before he inserted the tip of his ring finger in. 

Odd was an accurate way to describe the feeling. It was not only uncomfortable, but a dull pain pulsed throughout him. It hurt, but thankfully not too bad. Tears welled up in the corners of his eyes before Kunikuzushi brushed them away and gave him a soft kiss.

“You’re doing so good,” he praised quietly before he fully inserted his finger all the way in.

Kazuha took it, kissing him back on the cheek before the vampire began to rhythmically explore his insides; pressing and rubbing his finger against his insides then sliding it back out. Pain and discomfort churned in him, while he breathed through it. Did intercourse always start like this? Wincing, he relaxed around him while he felt red eyes watching his every movement. 

Eventually, something else entered inside him and touched just the right spots. His head started to spin at the sudden intense pleasure as he let out a loud gasp. The vampire chuckled and shoved his fingers again and again into those same spots, while soft, needy noises that he didn’t even know he could make flooded the room. His legs shook and his chest heaved. Kazuha glanced to see his companion with a smug smirk plastered on his face.

“How are you so good at this?” he asked quietly while he draped his hand over his own eyes, trying to relax more for him. 

Kunikuzushi focused on carefully and methodically preparing him, trying to visibly hold himself back from going too hard while also trying to figure out what got the most reaction out of Kazuha. He glanced at his face and simply tilted his head with a small smirk. 

“I read it in a book,” was his answer. 

Kazuha’s normally calm demeanor broke for once and he pulled his arm away from his eyes to look at him. 

“You read about it in a book?” he repeated to confirm. 

“Yeah,” Kunikuzushi replied casually like it was something normal. “I bought some informational books with pictures when we were in town and read them. Most of the actions described are pretty easy enough to do.”

Kazuha just stared at him. 

Out of all the things the short man could do, being able to perfectly replicate actions described in a pornographic book was up there as one of the most horrifying. Suddenly the weird look from the shopkeeper and Kunikuzushi reading those books around him made sense, though it only raised a slurry of other questions. But before he could think more about it, the man in front of him added another finger, thrusting harder. Kunikuzushi smirked and leaned down, watching the way Kazuha’s face contorted in surprise and bliss. 

“Relax,” the vampire cooed sweetly. “Don’t even think about it — I want you to enjoy yourself.”

Kazuha felt a hand grab his wrist and move his arm above his head as Kunikuzushi gently pinned him. Chuckling darkly, the vampire moved and began to bite and nibble at his chest, while he listened to the sweet, sweet noises his friend was making. 

It was rather uncomfortable, having three fingers swirling and thrusting inside of him, but it was most likely due to the new sensation. Thankfully, Kunikuzushi was trying to ‘soothe’ him with kisses and hard bites along his chest, especially his nipples, which he found a little obnoxious. 

The more he kept fingering him, the more Kazuha grew used to the sensation and relaxed around him, enjoying being filled. It felt like an eternity of just pure bliss with his thoughts being consumed by nothing but carnal desires. After a moment, he felt empty and Kunikuzushi pulled his hands away. He couldn’t help but sigh at the pleasure disappearing so abruptly.

“Hehe, don’t look so down. I’ll fuck you properly soon enough,” he stated before he kissed him gently on the lips.

Kazuha gently kissed him back, before he wrapped his arms gently around his neck. Kunikuzushi let himself get pulled close, touching foreheads with him. They stared at each other before they began to kiss over and over again; each kiss growing longer and longer, while he couldn’t help but grind against his cock. 

The vampire could barely contain himself, struggling to pry himself away from him, before he pecked his cheek. Kunikuzushi watched him, then grabbed his own member and lined it up to his entrance. After a moment of hesitation, he inserted himself into him, before he gritted his teeth.

“Relax — you’re so fucking tight,” Kunikuzushi muttered, trying to slowly and carefully insert himself into him. 

Kazuha tried to just breathe through it, trying to relax as best he could. Even with all that preparation, it was pretty uncomfortable and much different compared to several fingers. He gripped Kunikuzushi’s shoulders gently, watching how concentrated the man on top of him was. After several minutes, the vampire managed to insert himself fully. 

“You ready?” Kunikuzushi asked, glancing down at the now-flushed man. 

“Mhmm,” he hummed, giving him a small nod as he moved to get a bit more comfortable underneath him.

Leaning down, he placed one hand beside his head and used his other to keep a hand on his right hip. He stayed completely still and then began to slowly move, thrusting his hips slowly.

Kazuha had to admit, it was a strange sensation; one which he had never experienced before, but it wasn’t unpleasant. For once, Kunikuzushi looked a little unsure, awkwardly grinding and moving his hips into him, while Kazuha moved and rubbed his back gently.

“Are humans always this warm or is it just you?” he whispered quietly; a rhetorical question perhaps.

The samurai didn’t say anything and watched him, trying to get used to it. He then slowly moved a hand up, grabbing a fistful of the vampire's silky hair, to pull him closer. His eyes visibly twitched, but he didn’t say anything about it and he actually saw red spread across his face. 

“What?” he whispered quietly.

“Can we kiss, please?”

Such a simple question surprisingly got a cute reaction out of him; his face grew even redder in the darkness and his eyes shifted away from him for a few seconds. Why was he so embarrassed by the request? They kissed several times. The vampire sighed and nodded.

“Fine, fine. Just keep your eyes closed the whole time.”

He could do that. Agreeing with him, he closed his eyes and felt a pair of soft, cold lips press against his; a simple peck. He pecked them again and again, then slowly trailed them down to his chin then his neck. They started off light and gentle before they grew longer and more passionate; teeth and tongue scraping against his bare skin. Kunikuzushi’s thrusting grew more confident and faster, not too fast, while Kazuha relaxed around him. 

The intercourse was a little more pleasant now, enjoyment pooling in the pit of his stomach. Pale flesh slapped against his more tanned skin at a more rhythmic pace, while he sighed and grasped at his skin. Pleasure slowly coursed through his body, spreading his legs more for him, so his partner could better fuck him. Laughter escaped from the vampire, while he experimented with his thrusts; ranging from slow to fast to pulling out all the way to barely pulling out at all. It was all so good. Just as Kazuha was starting to get wrapped up in the pleasure and feeling, Kunikuzushi pulled out all the way and tapped his hips. He peeked open an eye and glanced up an eye at him, while sweat dripped down his face.

“Flip over. I wanna try a different pose,” he ordered.

Kazuha raised a brow, feeling a hand around his throat as he was suddenly dragged closer to him. The vampire tilted his head and kissed him so sweetly, then pecked the tip of his nose.

“… Uh… please?” he added awkwardly, removing his hand from him.

The samurai studied his expression, though he couldn’t figure out what the man was thinking. He stretched out and gave in, laying down carefully on his stomach, before he spread his legs out as best he could. Kunikuzushi crawled on top of him, kissing the long scars that littered his back. His lips lingered more on his fresher ones before he muttered something barely audible under his breath. After a few minutes of the vampire practically worshipping him, he pecked the top of his head and pinned his wrists down with one firm hand. Chuckling, the vampire inserted himself into him roughly, slamming hard into him before he started to do it over and over again.

The sudden slow and experimental pace that he had been going at previously, was a major contrast to what he could only describe as animalistic and rough thrusts. It was fine for a few seconds, but the intense pounding mixed with the new, rugged friction was all too much for him.

“You’re… hgh… going a little… ugh… too hard. Can you… stop for a minute?” he whimpered through staggered moans. 

He half expected him to keep going before the man almost immediately halted his actions.

“What’s wrong?”

Kazuha hugged the pillow nearby and let out soft pants, trying to catch his breath and recover from the pain in his backside. 

“It was starting to hurt an unbearable amount. I think we need more lubrication,” he admitted, then moved a hand to wipe the tears that had naturally formed in his eyes.

Kunikuzushi visibly winced and shot him a rather apologetic glance. He moved and kissed the top of his head then reached to get more oil from off the nearby nightstand. Eyeballing it, he poured a more generous amount of it onto Kazuha’s entrance and his own member. 

“… Hopefully, that should be enough, but let me know if you start to hurt again in a not-so-pleasurable way,” he stated in a gentler tone. 

Kunikuzushi leaned over and pecked the corner of the cheek then went to work. Kazuha simply nodded, feeling his fingers slide into his entrance and scissor him again. He took deep breaths and relaxed around his fingers since he was already used to the repetitive thrusting sensation. 

While mildly uncomfortable, it didn’t hurt anymore. After just a few minutes of Kunikuzushi fingering him, he felt him remove his fingers and replace them with his member again. It was still a tight fit, but it went in a little easier this time thanks to more lubrication and relaxation. 

“Better? Now, do you plan on interrupting me again?” he asked in a slightly agitated tone, moving to be on top of him again. 

Kazuha couldn’t help but chuckle and situate himself to be comfortable on his stomach again, knowing that Kunikuzushi was merely joking. 

“No, unless something like that happens again, but I highly doubt it,” he murmured. “… Thank you.”

The beautiful man huffed and pressed his chest into his back while he placed one hand on top of both of Kazuha’s wrists, pinning them down into the soft mattress. He pecked the top of his head and then began to thrust, albeit a bit slower this time. 

That fuzzy knot formed in his stomach once again while he enjoyed the sensation. It still hurt, but he could endure, especially now that it was straight in to feel more pleasurable again. 

The room was quiet apart from the ambient nighttime noises outside and the rattling and squeaking of the bed. Kazuha breathed through his nose, trying not to be so noisy this time as something cold started to nudge at his neck. Letting out a soft sigh, he glanced to see his friend with irises completely red — just staring at him with an intense hunger like he wanted to completely devour him. His heart pounded against his chest, unable to do anything, but this time he wasn’t scared at all.

He trusted him.

Actually… 

He felt more than just trust in him.

More than care.

More than affection.

More than like.

It may have just been the heat of the moment, being so intimate and so vulnerable like this; the way their bodies seemed to fit so perfectly together and the way they were trying to figure out what the other enjoyed. 

It was like they finally understood each other perfectly.

It was all so good. 

He couldn’t help the words that soon spilled out of his lips.

“I love you.”

Kunikuzushi somewhat blinked out of his trance and pulled away ever so slightly, halting his movements.

“What?” he whispered in a tone of pure confusion and disbelief.

“I love you,” Kazuha repeated in a soft tone.

The three-word statement seemed to have struck something in Kunikuzushi. He just stared at him as if he tried to process what was said in silence for a few moments before he spoke again.

“What does that mean? Is it not like the word ‘like?’”

Has the man never heard the word love in his life? 

“Um… it’s different,” he said, while he tried to think of a way to perfectly encapsulate the word. “It’s stronger and more intense than just affection and like. I suppose it happens gradually and it’s based on a lot of things like trust and understanding. It’s a lot to explain really, but you can just feel it.”

That was a simple way of putting it. Honestly, he could probably go on a whole tangent trying to describe it to him with metaphors and poetic quotes, but they were in the middle of something right now.

“You just really enjoy being with the person and want to be with them — imperfections and all,” he finished simply.

Kunikuzushi listened to him before a few tears began to roll down his cheeks. A few tears turned into multiple as the vampire started to sob. Warm droplets fell onto Kazuha’s cheek and neck, while he listened to his quiet wails. There wasn’t much he could do to comfort him, considering he was pinned to the bed, so the most he could do was somewhat lift up his leg and rub his thigh with the side of his foot.  

“You love me, despite everything?” he asked quietly.

“Yes, and I can see that you’re actively trying to change and be a better person,” he admitted in a genuine tone.

The vampire continued to cry before he leaned in and kissed his cheek.

“I love you too, Kazuha,” he murmured, then kissed him on the lips. 

It was so soft and warm, with no tongue. He enjoyed it before he felt him start to thrust again more intensely. A gasp escaped his lungs and he pulled away, letting out soft sighs in bliss before he closed his eyes tightly.

“Say you love me again,” Kunikuzushi whispered.

Even if he couldn’t see him, Kazuha could picture the smile on his face. He whimpered and gripped a handful of sheets, feeling a little overwhelmed.

“I love you,” he repeated, gasping.

Kunikuzushi chuckled and thrust into him hard, shooting a wave of pleasure through his body. He practically screamed, but almost immediately stopped himself so no one else would hear him.

“Again.”

“I love you.”

Another hard thrust and Kazuha had to bury his face into the sheets to muffle himself.

“Again.”

“… I love you.”

The vampire made him repeat the same three words over and over again, rewarding his obedience with long, hard thrusts that gradually grew faster and faster each time. Kunikuzushi kept hitting different spots each time until he hit one that resulted in a pretty intense reaction; Kazuha’s entire body shook and he kept out a loud moan, despite his face being into the mattress. 

Smirking, the vampire hit it again when Kazuha uttered the same three words, getting the same reaction. He kept hitting it over and over, leaving his poor friend a pleading and shaking mess. Wiping his tears away with his free hand, he stopped his movements, before he peppered Kazuha’s neck in little kisses and bit down hard.

It hurt like hell, especially since it felt like Kunikuzushi was not holding back.

“Damnit. I should’ve known you would’ve done this,” he hissed in pain, though he wasn’t mad about it.

The vampire pinned him down even harder before he moved his free hand to his hair, forcing him to tilt his head more to the side. Kazuha could do nothing but breathe through it, staying completely still. 

The similar symptoms from every other ‘feeding’ resurfaced again: clouded thoughts, flushed face and increased body temperature, but for some reason, he didn’t feel dizzy or nauseous. He actually felt euphoric. Gods, he had never felt this fucking good before and there was nothing he could do right now to relieve it.

It was rather embarrassing, but he started to moan and whimper pathetically, hoping that it would be enough to get him to stop or at least start fucking him again, to put it crudely. Thankfully, Kunikuzushi caught on and pulled away after a few more moments, giving the puncture wound a few licks to close it up. Chuckling, he wiped his own mouth and carefully pulled out of him, then sat up and slicked his hair back.

“Fuck — you taste amazing tonight,” he mused, licking the remnants of blood from his fangs and lips. “… I love you so much.”

Once Kunikuzushi let go of him, he sat up as well and rubbed his neck, then got a glimpse of him. The usually beautiful and well-groomed man was utterly unkempt; his hair stuck out in all directions, beads of sweat dripping down his body and face and the bottoms of his eyes and cheeks were puffy and red. Despite how messy he looked, for the first time, Kunikuzushi seemed genuinely happy with a soft smile on his face and Kazuha was truly happy for him. 

He leaned over and kissed him gently, which the vampire eagerly accepted. Humming softly, he moved his hands to his cold chest before he shoved him down into the bed, clearly catching the vampire off guard. His mouth opened, but Kazuha shushed and straddled him, grabbing his cock again to reinsert it.

“I’m a little tired of your constant teasing and you getting your way so often,” he admitted with a small huff. “I think it’s my turn to get what I want.”

Normally, he would be a little passive and respectful, but his patience had grown thin, probably because of the side effects of the bite. He stared down at the red-eyed man, then carefully situated himself. Surprisingly enough, he didn’t argue before Kazuha began to ride hard. A loud whimper left the vampire beneath him, while he tried to get that hot feeling in his loins and stomach again. His hair and body bounced up and down; soft whimpers and moans fled from his mouth while he glanced down at the vampire’s face.

Kunikuzushi was embarrassed?

For once, the man was at a loss for words. Grunts and whimpers spilled from his lips pathetically with such ease, while he glanced away. His hands scrambled awkwardly up and down Kazuha’s body, before the samurai grasped them, sliding them carefully to his waist. Honestly, it was cute how shy suddenly he was acting and it was definitely doing a lot to get him off. 

Blushing hard, he moved his dominant hand down, starting to stroke himself to relieve that intense growing pressure in his lower extremity. Gods, maybe it was that weird aphrodisiac effect from the bite, but he could feel and hear everything and it felt so damn good that it was a little too overwhelming for him. He couldn’t keep his usual calm persona and completely gave in, desperately grinding against him and stroking himself, practically begging for release.

After a few moments, he felt a cold, wet hand on top of the one that was stroking himself. 

“Let me,” Kunikuzushi murmured in a hushed tone, moving to apply a little lubricant to his hand. 

The vampire appeared a little more disheveled now and he looked like he was starting to cry again. Kazuha looked down and let him before he moved his now free hand to his cheek. 

“You okay?” he asked quietly before even more tears began to run down his pale cheeks. 

Kunikuzushi sniffled and bared his teeth at him, then began to stroke him. He glared, obviously trying to stop himself from crying, though it only caused more tears to dribble down his cheeks. Despite being desperate to cum, Kazuha halted and leaned down, gently wiping away his tears with his thumbs. 

“What’s wrong? Do you not like this?” he pressed again, while he soothed him as best he could.

The vampire stopped and sat up, wrapping his arms around his waist. The tips of his pale fingers dug into his back as he buried his head into the human’s chest, pressing his ear against his heart. Surprised, he moved his hand and began to gently massage and play with his dark locks, while the man silently sobbed into him. Maybe he was still overwhelmed by everything. Warm tears dripped down his chest, while Kunikuzushi’s dug into his scarred skin, causing Kazuha to wince slightly. 

“This doesn’t feel real,” the vampire murmured after several minutes of pure silence. “I feel like I’m dreaming.”

“… And why’s that?” 

“I’ve never felt so warm or so close to someone before,” he mused, dragging his fingers down. “It’s all things I’ve only read about in fairy tales or in my childish dreams, but actually feeling and experiencing it is something else. I don’t ever want to let you go — I don’t ever want this feeling to stop.”

Kazuha looked down at him before he gently pulled away and cupped his cheeks. 

“Nothing lasts forever, so that’s why you need to just enjoy the moment while it lasts. As for what you’re going through right now, once you indulge more in the outside world, you’ll be able to experience and feel so many new things.”

Kunikuzushi sniffed and squinted at him, clearly annoyed by the man’s musings. He sighed and closed his eyes again.

“… Geez — there you go again giving me advice and spewing poetic shit,” he sneered, then peeked open his eyes.  “… I know this may sound obsessive, but I want to experience and feel these things with you. I just can’t imagine feeling so… warm and light with anyone else.”

His statement was so intimate and earnest, though he couldn’t help but feel like Kunikuzushi was feeling this way because it was his first time. He was about to utter something before he was pulled even closer to the man; somewhat arching his back in his embrace.

“I don’t care about whatever reasonable or philosophical thing you're going to say,” the vampire remarked. “Maybe one day I’ll meet new people and befriend them, but I will always like you the most — I will never feel the same way with them as I do with you, Kazuha.”     

Kazuha looked at him before his pale companion grabbed his hand and dragged it to his chest; placing it right where the man’s heart would be. His red-slitted eyes pierced his very core as he breathed quietly while he felt his heart racing inside his chest, feeling the embrace grow tighter and tighter.

“I love you. I adore you. I want to consume every ounce of you — piece by piece.”

His confession of love was heartfelt, but Kazuha knew he was being completely genuine in his own peculiar way. The hold grew unbearable; the air fled his lungs and his organs were being crushed. He scratched at his back and managed to say something.

“Love… you… too… but you’re… ugh… kind of… hurting me,” he wheezed.

Kunikuzushi blinked and loosened his grip on him.

“Shit — I didn’t mean to hold you so hard,” he apologized, while Kazuha took several gasps of air before the vampire awkwardly massaged his sides.

The samurai just waved him off and relaxed, feeling better now that he could breathe again. He then blinked, feeling something slowly start to thrust in and out of him again. 

“Now, let me indulge in your body again,” Kunikuzushi cooed in such an intoxicating tone, glancing up at him.

The tears that once coated his cheeks had dried, though the bags under his eyes were slightly red and puffy. His hands rested comfortably on his waist, while he slowly thrust into him. 

Kazuha blinked, noting how quickly the man seemed to be his normal, obnoxious self. Well, at least he was better now, but he couldn’t help but feel there was definitely more to unpack about what he was saying. Though, he couldn’t think much of it as his friend began to thrust harder, moving his hand back to his cock again. 

“Don’t worry. I’ll be nice,” Kunikuzushi said calmly, though he was clearly lying through his teeth. 

The intense ecstasy that went dormant suddenly resurfaced, stirring that fire in him again. He would argue about how it was his turn, but Gods, his friend was just fucking and touching him perfectly that he didn’t want him to stop. Letting out soft sighs again, he tangled his fingers into his hair, trying to match his thrusts and stroking with his own grinding in some sort of halfhearted display to maintain that dominance. 

The vampire watched the way his face twisted and contorted in pleasure, while he licked and kissed his chest. His hands worked him up and down his cock, precum already dripping down. Chuckling, he pulled him even closer.

“Just relax — relax and enjoy yourself,” he cooed quietly.

Thrusting harder, he adjusted his hold on him, trying to hit that spot that got such a reaction earlier. He didn’t think he could actually do it again, chalking it up to pure luck last time, but after a few moments, electricity coursed through him. Kazuha was completely speechless since he didn’t think this sort of pleasure was even possible. Kunikuzushi gripped his waist tightly, embedding his fingers into his skin, but not hard enough to hurt him. He nibbled and lapped at his collarbone, watching and feeling how close Kazuha was by the way his body shook and tensed up around him.

“That’s it,” he coaxed quietly, stroking him to match the pace of his thrusting. “Just like that.”

Kazuha moaned loudly, not being able to contain himself any longer while he released that pressure. His hot seed squirted onto Kunikuzushi’s chest as he dug his fingers into his back, burying his face into his throat. Warmth and intense pleasure filled his entire core before he snapped out of it when he felt Kunikuzushi still relentlessly fucking him. Short gasps and pleas escaped him, begging for the man to just come already. 

Amused, Kunikuzushi smirked at him, though just from the tired, yet hungry look in his eyes, he was probably close. Moving, Kazuha leaned down and pecked him over and over again, while his companion gripped his waist, thrusting fast. It didn’t take long at all before the vampire grunted loudly and buried his head into the square of his neck, then chomped down. He winced and clawed at his back, feeling a new hot sensation inside him, while staying still for him. His head spun around and all of the energy just left his body, somewhat going limp in his grasp. Eventually, Kunikuzushi carefully pulled his cock and fangs out of him, then embraced him and let him go.

Kazuha panted quietly, trying to calm his racing heart and shaking body. He felt strangely lightheaded as the sound of staggered breathing, the bed creaking and the ambient nighttime noises filled his ears. It was all too much and he couldn’t take it, but there wasn’t much he could do other than just breathe calmly and relax. Kunikuzushi gave him space, while he was chuckling to himself and just laid there in silence until his companion settled down.

“How are you feeling?”

The back of his cold index finger traced along Kazuha’s cheek. Adoration and concern glowed in his now violet eyes. It was a little weird seeing him look so perturbed before, but it was pleasant. He couldn’t help but lean into his hand and then let out a soft sigh.

“Fine,” Kazuha admitted softly. “I’m a little sore and overstimulated, but other than that, I feel good.”

Stretching out, Kunikuzushi pulled away and went to clean up, while Kazuha yawned and scratched the back of his head. Cum dripped down his legs as he rubbed his neck and then his hips. Honestly, he really needed to bathe, but that workout along with his blood being drawn made him hungry. Getting out of bed, he stretched out his legs then grabbed his clothes and started to lazily throw them on. He wondered if any of the inn staff were still up to cook at this point — probably not, along with the restaurants nearby, so he’d have to go out to the forest and gather some supplies. 

“Where are you going?” Kunikuzushi asked, carefully wiping himself off with a complimentary towel.

“Uh… I’m feeling rather famished, so I was going to go out to the woods and see what I could hunt,” he admitted.

The vampire gave him a weird look, eyeing him up and down. He could barely contain his disgust and scowled.

“… Just like that? You’re not even going to bathe first?”

Kazuha raised a brow and glanced at him, a little confused as to why he was so concerned about it. 

“Yes?” he answered in a confused tone. “I’m going to bathe afterwards. It’s no big deal.”

Kunikuzushi frowned even more and approached him. 

“That’s not only disgusting but you just got fucked and your blood drawn,” he replied crudely. “You should be resting.”

“I don’t see what the issue is. I feel fine,” he reassured before he was suddenly lifted off his feet 

“You’re going to stay here and rest,” Kunikuzushi replied stubbornly, hauling him back over to the bed with relative ease. 

“… But I’m hungry,” he protested quietly before Kunikuzushi set him down on the futon carefully. 

The vampire frowned and glared at him, then went to get dressed, only putting on the necessary layers like his pants, undershirt and jacket. He glanced at himself in the morning, fixing his hair that stuck up at all ends.

“I’ll get you some food,” Kunikuzushi reassured, looking at him. “And I’ll find you some clothes to wear so you don’t ruin those ones. Now get out of them.”

Kazuha blinked and compiled, slowly taking off his clothes again. He was a little weary of just laying around doing nothing when he could go out, not to mention he didn’t want to make his friend go out and try to look for food. Did he even know what humans could really eat? Well, he did mention he lived with humans a long time ago.

“Are you sure? Because I really am—“

“Just stay here and get some rest,” he growled with bared teeth, appearing right in front of him and pointing his finger in his face. “I’ll get everything for you.”

It was a strangely comforting demand and Kazuha didn’t have the energy to argue anymore. Kunikuzushi gave him a little peck on the forehead and tucked him in before he turned on his heels and headed out the door, sliding it closed. The samurai was left alone in the room, while he glanced up at the ceiling.

Never in his life would he ever expect to have intercourse with anyone, especially Kunikuzushi of all people. It wasn’t like it was bad or anything; quite the opposite actually. He didn’t think he would get so attached to him, but maybe it was because he genuinely connected and related to him in a lot of ways. Maybe he was a little delusional from being trapped in the estate for so long, but it felt so real and Kunikuzushi definitely had caught on too, especially with how much he was willing to change and was now treating Kazuha so kindly or as nicely as he could muster. 

Fuck. 

He was really into him. Sighing, he rubbed his temple and then laid down, trying to relax just as he was instructed. They probably needed to have a more extensive conversation about all this when he got back, especially since the whirlwind of emotions between the two would probably clear up by the time Kunikuzushi got back. For now, he’d just relax and enjoy the feeling of warmth and fondness that lingered in his body.

Chapter Text

Footsteps — slightly heavy ones that paced back and forth down the hallway along with very muffled talking. Despite how exhausted he was, he couldn’t ignore it. Something was off about them and they definitely weren’t Kunikuzushi’s. Having lived with him for some time, he had memorized what his movement sounded like — childish, stomping around or very elegant and confident steps that barely made any sort of noise, and they were neither of those.

Sighing, he rubbed his eyes and dragged himself from under the sheets, then glanced outside of the open patio when he heard even more noise. Cicadas chirped deafeningly in the surrounding forest while strange animals, presumably deer and other native beasts, rattled and cried in the dead of night. The moon was high up in the pitch-black sky though the once white celestial body now had a slightly reddish hue.

All of this was odd. 

Was he dreaming about the plot of Scarlet Devil Land again? Or was he so exhausted from sex and the blood loss that he was hallucinating? 

He couldn’t tell given his drowsy state and it wouldn’t hurt to investigate, while Kunikuzushi was out. Stretching out, he glanced around and went to the closet, sliding it open as he saw a few sets of yukatas with dull and lackluster patterns. Grabbing one, he made sure it was his size and carefully put it on, then tied it with an Obi belt. He grabbed the katana Ajax had graciously gifted him and went over to the front door pressing himself against the thin wall.

“You say you saw Kaedehara Kazuha here?” a familiar male voice pressed. 

“Yes. He was accompanied by some beautiful man with black hair, blue eyes and roughly the same height,” a feminine voice replied; Kazuha recognized it as the lady from earlier. 

“…Strange that he’d show his face here with some unknown man, but I suppose it shouldn’t be too out of the norm for a wanderer like himself,” the man mused out loud. “The last time anyone saw him was roughly a month ago and supposedly last week. For him to show up out of nowhere and stay in such a luxurious inn — very peculiar indeed. Thank you for the tip, ma’am! I’ll look into it.”

The footsteps disappeared and he heard a door slide shut. He stood still for a few minutes just listening as a familiar set of steps approached. His heart thumped against his chest and he held the katana tight to his chest before the door slid open and then abruptly closed. Waiting, the steps drew closer and closer as the wooden floorboards creaked under the intruder. He took a quiet inhale in and readied himself to strike before he lunged. The tip of his katana was aimed squarely at the man’s stomach, merely inches away from impaling into his stomach. 

Kunikuzushi was back with a wooden tray and teapot in his hands. Kazuha couldn’t help but feel relieved to see him.

The vampire was perplexed at the sudden hostility and because of how riled up Kazuha looked, his hair messy and his heart loudly racing and thumping in his ears. His red eyes watched over him before Kazuha shot him an apologetic look and sheathed the sword, but the vampire did nothing except carry the items to the table and set them down.

“I told you to rest. What’re you doing with a katana no less?” Kunikuzushi questioned. 

His tone was gentle — no hint of anger or mistrust. Kazuha let out a soft sigh and walked to the table, then carefully sat down, setting his katana off to the side. 

“I heard the lady from earlier talking with a detective,” he admitted.

“About you?” the vampire presumed, moving to pour the both of them a cup of tea. 

Kazuha nodded and rubbed his eyebrows before the small cup was slid over to him. He thanked him politely with a dip of his head then sipped it. Picking up his chopsticks, he leaned down to take a bite of his food. It was surprisingly delicious; warm and comforting. He hadn’t eaten unagi chazuke in ages, but this version was simplistic yet extraordinary in its flavor. The tea was bitter yet mixed with the sweet and soft rice and the umami from the well-seasoned eel. He couldn’t help, but wolf it down insatiably.

Glancing up, he saw the vampire watching him — his elbow rested on the table while he leaned against his hand. For a second, he couldn’t help but notice a soft pink spread across his unnaturally pale cheeks. He looked at him and blinked.

“…Did you make this?”

“What? You thought I couldn’t cook?” Kunikuzushi asked.

“You have no reason to, considering you really only need to drink blood to survive and if you want food, you have servants to prepare it for you.”

“I used to live with humans, so I learned to cook, though I haven’t really found the need to utilize the skill.” 

“You should cook more. This is exquisite,” Kazuha complimented with a smile, enjoying his meal.

“…I’ll cook for you again when I feel like it,” the vampire murmured, then tapped his left hand on the table. “Anyway, I doubt anyone will do anything so late in the evening. I wouldn’t worry about it.”

“I think you are grossly underestimating how relentless the police are here.”

“Knowing how you are, I doubt you’ve done anything heinous. Besides, don’t they have anything better to do?” Kunikuzushi sneered out loud, crossing his legs as he leaned back, planting his hands firmly on the wooden floor.

If only he knew how militaristic the surrounding lands ruled over by the Raiden Shogun were. She ruled with an iron fist and in turn, all those beneath her carried out her will; hunting down and arresting anyone who so much as spoke out against her. No matter what he did, the only way to get away from the police was to flee the country, but that was nearly impossible (even if he did manage to truly be free again.) Frowning, he moved to take another bite of his food. 

“…I suppose not,” he stated, stifling out a small laugh. “But there’s not much I can truly do about it.”

“If they do try anything, I could always just kill them again,” the vampire replied with a shrug, glancing at the world outside.

“Killing them would only make them want to pursue me even more.”

Not only would there be unnecessary bloodshed, but if the police did find out about it, they’d surely cut him down without hesitation. Kunikuzushi clicked his tongue to the roof of his mouth.

“Looks like you really are a bird trapped in a cage yet again.”

“I know things seem… a bit fucked,” he began crudely grabbing his cup. “But I have some semblance of an escape plan to flee the country.”

“Oh?” Kunikuzushi seemed intrigued and raised a brow, leaning against his elbow; his fangs poking out in his sly smile. “And what would that be?”

Kazuha hesitated ever so slightly, debating on whether or not he wanted to divulge such an idea, but Kunikuzushi seemed to be in a good mood. 

“I’ve thought about this for quite some time, but the best and potentially safest way to leave would be to find a way to get onto a merchant ship, hide in one of the boxes and get smuggled out. Of course, getting to a port would be rather difficult, considering how many soldiers are stationed there and that they go through any product shipped into the country, but there are ways around it,” he elaborated. 

It was really risky, but from what he had overheard, many people had managed to escape that way. Hell, it was the only way to escape. The vampire leaned against his hand and stared at him. Honestly, Kazuha halfheartedly expected him to taunt and tease him about his plan, but he didn’t. The room grew silent and Kazuha quietly continued to eat, glancing down at his meal to break that intense gaze.

“It’s a foolish dream, especially in your case,” Kunikuzushi remarked, actually seeming to think through his plan. “But I will give it to you, it is a decent thought, though then again I’m rather unfamiliar with how the world is outside of the manor.”

Kazuha seemed rather relieved and continued to eat the delicious meal made just for him, occasionally sipping his tea. It was silent for a few minutes then the vampire coughed slightly.

“…Would leaving really make you happy?” Kunikuzushi asked, out of the blue. “I know you brought it up earlier and asked me about my opinion on it, but even with the major flaws of the estate, I’d say you and I are living decently — we have each other, we eat well, we can play whenever we want, we have a roof over our heads and whatever clothes we want. What more could someone human possibly need?”

It caught him a little off guard. Was the vampire trying to bait him? No. He was just making a simple conversation based on what they were just discussing. Every time they had conversations like this though, Kunikuzushi always got a little agitated, but now, he seemed rather intrigued by his choices, trying to understand what in the world was going on in Kazuha’s brain. 

In truth, his experiences were not as traumatic as Kunikuzushi’s. He dealt with his own hardships; ranging from the deterioration of his clan to the death of his father to living life on the run to whatever this was. Despite how well-versed he was, there were no words he could use to perfectly describe everything he had experienced, why he loved his life as a traveler so much and why he hated being confined to one place and living such a ‘mundane’ life.  

“I could spend my entire lifetime trying to explain it to you; describing everything I’ve seen and experienced to try to get you to understand why I love living in the outside world so much,” he began softly, looking at his cup before a small smile formed and he took a sip. “You’ve gotten but a mere taste of what the norm for me is, but that freedom to come and go as you please, to see whatever sights your feet carry you to, to meet and journey with strangers you encounter along the way — the joy of it all is something you cannot replace. Living a life of luxury, being waited on hand and foot has never been one for me. I suppose to put it lightly, I just enjoy wherever and whatever the wind has to offer me.”

The man before him shifted his gaze and was about to say something before they were interrupted by a firm knock on the door. Kunikuzushi raised a brow and looked over at Kazuha, who was equally as confused as him. Who could be at the door at this hour? Quietly, he got off the pillow and walked to the door, the wooden floorboards creaking under each step.

“Tenryou Commission — I’m here to conduct a search and ask a few questions.”

That voice was oddly familiar, the same one from earlier. Now that the owner of said voice was closer, it was definitely from someone he was acquainted with. Pausing for a moment to think, he shifted, pressed himself near the door and peeked through the small crack. 

Just as he suspected.

The man on the other side of the door was none other than Shikanoin Heizou — the number one detective of the Tenryou Commission. He had run into him with his beloved friend in passing a few times, exchanging pleasantries and indulging in home-cooked meals and drinks together under the stars before he became a wanted man. The man was pleasant and polite, even inviting him to the Tenryou Commission office to look over some cases, due to his sensitivity to the natural world. Now to be at the end of one of his investigations — this was the end. 

Kunikuzushi glanced through the gap as well and looked at him. 

“Is that the detective you were talking about earlier?” he whispered.

Kazuha backed away from the door and nodded his head, immediately breaking out into a cold sweat. His mind raced through a million different options: Fleeing was a no-go, especially since he didn’t know who else was here with him and he would rather not do a repeat of last time. Fighting would be difficult, considering Heizou’s proficiency in martial arts, especially in such close quarters, but there was also Kunikuzushi, who would mercilessly crush him into a million fragments of bloody chunks and bone. He’d rather not have to resort to bloodshed against the man he considered a friend. 

Surrendering wasn’t an option or rather, Kunikuzushi wouldn’t allow such a thing to happen. Running would be rather impossible and if there were other officers here, then the poor humans would be screwed and they would draw yet more unnecessary attention to themselves. Hiding wouldn’t really be good either, there weren't a lot of places he could fit in here anyway, so what else could he even do?

“Go onto the roof,” the vampire murmured.

“Huh?”

“Hide up on the roof and I’ll cover for you.”

Kazuha stared at him. How was that going to work, especially with Kunikuzushi’s rather lacking social skills? 

“Just go!”

The man frowned and pushed him towards the patio, though not before giving him a small peck on the cheek. The objects around the room floated around behind him as any trace of Kazuha actually being there seemed to vanish or get tucked away. The samurai blinked and quietly crept outside, trying desperately to not make too much noise despite the creaking wooden boards. Gods, he hoped that Kunikuzushi wouldn’t do anything crazy, but he had to have faith in him. Besides, if the vampire really wanted to do something heinous, he would’ve done so by now. Grabbing onto the wooden pillar, he climbed up on it and grabbed the edge of the tile roofing before he pulled himself up and crouched down.

————————————————-

“Mind if I come in now?” the detective called from behind the door.

Kunikuzushi gave the room one last look before he reached up and ruffled his own hair up and violently rubbed his eyes. Most humans were pretty dumb and this one was probably no different, so playing innocent would be easy. Besides, if the detective even suspected something was off, ripping him to pieces would be oh so easy.

But Kazuha.

He promised him he wouldn’t mindlessly kill people again. 

Damnit. 

Worst case scenario, he could always use another one of his powers to throw him off.

Sighing, he slid open the door and rubbed his eyes.

“Apologies, officer. Had to put my clothes on,” Kunikuzushi replied weakly with a soft smile before he stepped to the side.

The burgundy-haired man smiled at him, strangely optimistic despite the current situation. 

The air around them was thick and painfully suffocating, with only the loud chirping of cicadas and crickets to fulfill the silence between them. Oddly enough as he tried to listen in on him, Kunikuzushi heard nothing but a steady heartbeat, no sign of fear or anxiety whatsoever. Glancing at his exposed arms, he saw not even a goosebump or the thin hairs standing up. 

Strange.

While not understanding humans in their entirety, the one thing he did know was that they were born with an innate fear of vampires and any sort of creature that had some semblance of human features. Their minds may not process the danger lurking before them, but their body would at the very least react. So for this man and his body to not even react was deeply unsettling. Something wasn’t right about him and he couldn’t figure it out, especially when he smelled and looked human.

The detective walked in and took off his shoes, casually setting them next to the two pairs near the door. His eyes glanced around the room, silently observing the sudden stillness compared to moments prior.

“Haha. No need to apologize. I know it’s quite late in the evening,” he said, stepping onto the wooden floor that creaked with each step. “Oh! How rude of me. I forgot to ask your name.”

“Sukāretto Kousaku, but please just call me Kousaku,” he replied, offering him a hand. 

Heizou took his hand without a second thought and shook it firmly. Kunikuzushi couldn’t help but notice how uncomfortably tight he gripped him and how his hand suddenly started to tingle and burn. The brief exchange only lasted a few seconds and Heizou turned back around, pulling away, yet that burning sensation remained.

“My apologies for disturbing you. I got some reports that a rather infamous criminal was seen around these parts.”

Rubbing his hand, he followed after him as the detective scanned around the living space.

“Infamous criminal?” 

“Yes. A man by the name of Kaedehara Kazuha — wanted for several counts of murder, battery, assault and conspiracy against the Shogun,” Heizou listed in a nonchalant manner before he went to the table and sat down on one of the unfluffed cushions. “Anyway, mind if I ask you a few questions?”

Kunikuzushi stared at him.

What an obnoxious bastard already and Kazuha had to put up with people like this constantly? He couldn't even begin to imagine what that was like. Though there was something up with the overly calm detective, especially his bizarre way of investigating, he couldn’t pinpoint why something was off — not yet at least. No way out of this, unless he used violence, though he supposed toying with him would be rather fun — it would be like a game of pretend with higher stakes.

“Oh, by all means,” Kunikuzushi replied then he went to get the teapot and cups. “Would you like some tea? Though, it may be a little cold. I made it quite a while ago.”

“Sure. I wouldn’t mind,” the detective replied.

Kunikuzushi got the two tea cups and poured some of the leftover liquid into them before he slid one cup over to him. The detective took the slightly warm cup and brought it to his lips before he took a long sip. 

“So… what do you do for work, Kousaku?” he asked.

Kunikuzushi smiled and held the warm cup in his hands. How typical. This man was trying to befriend him so he could get him to lower his guard and easily interrogate him just like in those crime stories he browsed through so often in the library. 

“I’m a vagrant, so I do the odd job or two whenever I pass through,” he replied.

Heizou nodded and pulled out a small notepad, jotting down some notes. He sipped his tea and glanced up at him.

“Haha. I assume you don’t often stay in such a nice place like this.”

“You’re correct,” Kunikuzushi admitted. “But sleeping in the wild and asking strangers for shelter has gotten a little strenuous for me. Besides, it’s nice to spend money on yourself every so often.”

The detective simply smiled in response, all the while scribbling something down. 

“I can imagine that. I also like to travel and do a little sightseeing in my free time,” he replied. “Have to say though, you must’ve had a lot of money on hand to come to such a nice place.”

The vampire’s eye twitched ever so slightly. The pads of his fingers pressed tightly against the ceramic cup — a small crack forming along the rim. He should’ve suspected this man was going to analyze every little detail, but not this much in depth. 

“I used to come from money…long before my days of wandering.”

Geez. He couldn’t believe he was basically copying and parroting Kazuha’s history to this fruity man. 

“… So this was a rather deep dip into those funds, but it’s worth it to stay in such a nice place for a little while.”

Whether or not the detective bought it, he was unsure as his face still bore that same unwavering smile. He sipped his tea and then set it down on the table.

“Can I be frank with you? I find it a little bizarre that someone like yourself would wander into a place so deep in the woods like this, especially at night,” Heizou admitted, leaning in. His face was still calm, yet his brows and the ends of his brows were pressed together slightly, but his tone was uncomfortably casual. 

Kunikuzushi stared back at him, digging his sharpened teeth into his tongue. His mind raced, trying to piece together some excuse, almost as if he could read his very thoughts the detective simply got up and smiled.

“No need to look so upset. I’m not accusing you of anything, just find it strange is all. Anyway, mind if I take a look around the rest of the place?”

The man was already here and it would only look more suspicious to try to usher him out the door. Begrudgingly, he simply nodded and gestured for him to look around as he stood up. Thankfully, he and Kazuha hid any trace of him, so this annoying bug couldn't find anything to try poking his nose into. Walking through the room, the detective remained silent, glancing at a few things every now and then.

“Kousaku, are you from this area?” he prodded as he walked into the bedroom.

“No.”

Heizou glanced at him and smiled. “Well, that makes sense why you’d be out so late then. You probably don’t know about the rumors of the vampires that live around here.”

Kunikuzushi watched him, trying to remain completely straight-faced. Something about his calm demeanor really irked him. There was no way this man suspected anything unusual about him, right? Or was he just playing dumb to see if he could get a reaction and use it against him? There was no way he was that smart for a human. The only smart humans were Kazuha and… him.

“I’ve only heard about it in passing,” he replied finally, a curious smile painted across his lips. “Thought it was just local legend.”

“Hehe, that’s what I thought, too. But they’re real,” Heizou stated, walking over to the mat bed and squatting down. “The amount of missing persons cases that sprout up around the area, the strange crime scenes and not to mention the Tatarasuna Incident : all vampires.”

Kunikuzushi stood there completely frozen, an onslaught of long-forgotten and hidden memories flooded to the forefront of his mind.

Tatarasuna.

The Tatarasuna Incident.

He balled his hands into unbearably tight fists, his trimmed-down nails burrowing into the palms of his hands. His normal-looking pupils completely shifted into thin red lines and he stared at the overly charismatic detective before him. The memories rushed back into him and his mouth grew dry. Everything around him grew hot and blurry, the cores of every object making themselves known. 

How?

How did he know anything about that?

“…So many people around this country go missing in the dead of night, never to be seen again or if they do, they turn up in some shallow grave completely drained of their blood; leaving nothing but a dried husk of skin and bones,” the man began as he squinted at the blanket and hummed. “No one dares to venture far from civilization once the sun goes down, lest they become just another face on a missing person’s poster.”

The vampire stood behind him utterly silent as he could hear that stable and undeniable thump of this ‘human’s’ heart. Any sense of reason or desire to toy slowly slipped out of his head, only leaving an animalistic desire to completely crush him before any more nonsense slipped from that smart mouth of his. 

“If I’m being completely honest, I think the same fate befell our dearest Kazuha,” he admitted, picking up something by the tips of his fingers on the bed and then flicking it to the side. He looked at the bulky bag and glanced through it, opening it up just slightly to take a peek then stood up. “And you, my friend, I’m only telling you this so nothing happens to you as well.”

The detective smiled at him.

Kunikuzushi simply stared in response. His body quivered and he glared daggers at him, unable to control the way the corners of his mouth twitched.  

“…Or perhaps you know more about both the vampires and Mr. Kaedehara’s whereabouts than you let on?” he pondered in a hushed tone, drawing uncomfortably close.

For the second time in his life, the ever-regal and powerful vampire was cornered. Kunikuzushi remained completely silent.

Relax.

He’s trying to stir you up so you out yourself.

You promised Kazuha that you wouldn’t harm anyone.

But it’d be so easy to kill this guy. He is just some lousy detective. No one would even notice he was gone.

“I’m only kidding,” Heizou replied before he pulled away and headed towards the door. “Anywho, thank you for allowing me to look around your room this late, Kousaku. I hope you have a nice rest of your evening.” 

Kunikuzushi snapped out of it, seeing the man just stroll to the door as if nothing ever happened. The overly happy disposition with which he walked, practically skipping with his hands behind his back irked him. And with a simple slide of the wooden door and a two-finger salute, he was gone; his footsteps disappearing down the hallway. 

The vampire stood there stunned, left alone in the massive room. He stared at nothing, trying to wrap his head around what just happened. A lousy detective with a flamboyant attitude had left him utterly speechless, hitting him with such statements and questions that he could barely answer without revealing too much. He should’ve killed him on the spot, but Kazuha was so insistent on him not mindlessly doing such a thing. The nerve of him, but the sheer audacity that he would listen to him in the first place. Sighing, he shook his head; who knew he’d be so damn soft over this guy. Was this really what love was about?

————————————————-

Listening closely, he heard the faint sound of heels clicking against old wooden floors fading out before all together coming to a halt. There was the sound of a door, click and then nothing. Kazuha remained quiet. He lay flatly against the tile roof, one hand clutched on the edge to prevent himself from sliding and the other clenched tightly around the handle of his katana. It was hard not to zero in on their conversation, especially when his hearing was so sensitive and Heizou of all people had decided to involve himself. 

There was something suspicious in him being here, over sightings of himself no less because Kazuha knew the young detective didn’t involve himself in such trivial affairs that were normally left to the standard officers. He would admit that he was a wanted criminal, but there were bigger, more dangerous ones out there, ones who actively pursued and harmed the innocent. In his eyes, the law should be using its resources on them and the multiple issues that plagued their country, but he supposed in a country ruled by the Shogun, going against her and her ideals was the greater threat. 

That was one thing he and the burgundy-haired detective could agree upon, but it made him ask why he was involved, asking questions about him of all people. Was it for the Tenryou Commission, or was it a personal investigation? He couldn’t help but wonder. For now, though, he was gone, or at least, it seemed like it and he’d rather not get him dragged more into this mess too; the heavens only knew what kind of hell Kunikuzushi and the others would put Heizou through, especially with that mouth of his. 

Waiting for just a brief moment, he holstered his blade in his belt and carefully gripped the side before he lowered himself down, gracefully landing on his feet. Sighing, he brushed himself off, flicking the dust and dirt off his clothing. His eyes lingered up the moon noticing that the reddish hue from earlier had all but faded and he simply chalked it up to his eyes having played tricks on him. He headed back inside, seeing Kunikuzushi plopped down on one of the cushions at the table, elbow firmly planted onto it while his chin rested in his hand. The air was thick, completely palpable, and despite the blank look on his friend’s face, he could tell he was in a sour mood. 

“What happened?” he asked.

Sneering, the vampire narrowed his eyes before he closed them, grumbled under his breath then answered.

“Nothing much other than him snooping around and asking ridiculous questions, but he shouldn’t bother us anymore,” he replied curtly.

Kazuha tilted his head and sat down beside him. He had heard fragments of the conversation and it seemed like Heizou’s typical investigation procedure, trying to play buddy-buddy and lull said suspect into a false sense of security, though he had to admit, the detective had gone surprisingly easy on him. Maybe it was because he didn’t have enough evidence, aside from the words of the innkeeper, or maybe his intuition told him that despite Kunikuzushi’s human-like appearance, there was something off about him and he had tread lightly. Either way, whatever was said seemed to have pissed his companion off.

“I see,” he stated, not wanting to push him any more than that. 

Glancing up at him, he couldn’t help, but notice how miserable he looked. His heart ached and so, he reached out a hand and patted his head. He ran his fingers through his silky, bluish-black locks, massaging and scratching his scalp in a repetitive circular motion. Rather than Kunikuzushi throwing some sort of harsh words or glare at him, he simply leaned into his touch, nuzzling and leaning into his hand in a rather cat-like manner. It was pretty cute actually, and Kazuha found himself relaxing alongside him; the lids of his eyes drooping slowly, while he saw the vampire’s shoulders drop and that furrow in his dark brows disappear.

“Feeling better?” 

“Hmph… yeah. Your hand feels pleasant.”

Humming, he kept up the motion for a few more moments before a jolt ran through his body as something cold traced along the protruding vein on the underside of his forearm. He glanced down and saw a lithe, index finger then Kunikuzushi pulled away from his touch. Was he hungry again? His question was almost prominently answered, icy lips pressed against the square of his wrists. A cool tongue lapped where his veins faded into his palms before his overly sharp canines scraped at them, though not hard enough to draw blood. He simply raised a brow at him.

“You want a bite or something?”

“It’s a tempting offer, even though I fed off you earlier,” he muttered, continuing to lick and nibble at his wrist. “But I simply like how you feel, especially that pulse of your heart against my mouth, and I just want to enjoy it a little more.”

Kazuha couldn’t help, but find his comment strange with that semblance of an erotic and romantic undertone. He tried to make some sense of it, though simply concluded that his friend enjoyed his humanness, the fact that he was alive — his flesh and blood warm to the touch and that undeniable thumping of his heart, something of which the vampire could never obtain. His insatiable curiosity was unnerving at first, but now that they were friends, Kazuha didn’t mind it too much anymore, letting himself get poked and touched every so often while answering his questions. He stayed still for him, watching the man lap at him gingerly for a few minutes before he pulled away, leaving his wrist a faint pink. He leaned forward and kissed him on the lips. 

“Thank you for entertaining and indulging me this evening,” Kunikuzushi cooed, that familiar smirk spreading across his lips. “We should do it again sometime — tomorrow maybe?”

Soft scarlet spread along his cheeks and the bridge of his nose, followed by a snort and a laugh. 

“I think my body needs a break from these activities you’re dragging me through,” he remarked, looking at him as Kunikuzushi snickered. “But I’ll consider it.”

The rest of the stay was rather uneventful and surprisingly quiet after the initial surprise visit from Heizou. It was warm, domestic even; a stark contrast to the life that he had grown all too accustomed to at the estate for over who knows how long at this point. Frankly, it was a welcomed change, even though he would much prefer to be out in nature, out in the wilderness, but he wasn’t complaining — a break from Hell was a break nonetheless. And in the mundanity of it all, he felt that he and Kunikuzushi had grown closer.

After the unexpected visit, they soaked in the hot springs and chatted about nothing in particular. He found it quite fun, really; Kunikuzushi actually acted like just a regular guy aside from his normal oddities, mainly his weird comments here and there. But he enjoyed it, loved it even. The fellow he had gotten to know over time was actually more fascinating than he had intentionally anticipated. From the comments here and there, he was able to paint a better portrayal of the vampire so often shrouded in mystery and beautiful clothes. 

Kunikuzushi was familiar with human concepts that were associated with swordsmithing and manual labor. What he once chalked up to interest in swords and weaponry because of what he had read in the library, was genuine knowledge; knowledge of which could only be obtained through actually participating in the craft. Of course, it had been who knows how long since he had actually crafted a weapon, but to quote him, “If you give me a hunk of steel, a hammer and a furnace, I could make the finest blade that you’ve ever seen — no mortal could dare compete with me.” 

Aside from weaponry and cooking, he knew about things such as sewing, cleaning and various domestic tasks. Was it those humans he mentioned living with earlier? He did say they treated him like family before they eventually turned on him. Overall, Kazuha found it odd how people could turn on him like that all because he wasn’t human and supposedly killed someone he considered family. Kunikuzushi admitted that his memory of such events was blurry, his retelling of events vague at best and filled with inaccuracies at worst. 

Even with his more violent and crueler tendencies being something that he was all too familiar with, he had a gentler side too; one filled with that childlike whimsy and desire to make friends and be accepted. The more he learned about his friend, the more questions that were raised: What happened to said family member that Kunikuzushi killed? Was it an accident due to his overwhelming strength or something else? How did the other lords hear about him? Why invite him to join their ranks if they were just going to keep him trapped all day? Kazuha would probably never know and it wasn’t like anyone in the estate would answer his questions, but he just couldn’t help but let the questions swirl in his mind.

Morning came not too long after they were finished with the hot springs. Despite how exhausted he was and how much he loathed having to go back to “Hell,” Kazuha really just wanted to get some rest, that desire for sleep starting to sink its fangs into him, which meant they had to trek back to the estate. He yawned and tossed on his clothes, not exactly bothering too much about his appearance or aligning them properly, except for his noticeable red steak which he tried to tuck into the rest of his white hair. In comparison, Kunikuzushi was meticulously getting ready, grooming himself properly, making sure the long layers of his garments covered his arms and legs and that his hat actually provided adequate shading. Kazuha gave him a look over before he picked up their bags and headed out with him. Thankfully, the innkeeper wasn’t around, so they were able to sneak out without an issue.

Exiting the inn, they kept along the deeply shaded trail, the sun thickly blotted out by forestry around them. Kazuha led the way, draping the bags over his shoulders as he tried to retrace the way back. A few minutes into their walk, the sunlight started to slowly grow more dominant as the bamboo and trees started to grow slightly more sparse. He glanced back at his companion. 

Kunikuzushi followed him closely and looked around silently, but wide-eyed; his large violet-blue irises scanned over the brightly illuminated scenery. The shades of colors were now in full view; dark green almost bluish leaves were now warm and lush, brimming with life, the bamboo and trees stretched out over their heads, their long brown and green twisting and tangling into such alluring shapes, the rocky path in front of them filled with all sorts of grays and speckles of yellowish sandy dirt. The birds were chirping and tweeting their morning songs, while the buzzing of insects lurked around the bushes and trees. Soft orange clouds littered the deep blue sky that faded into a husky orange.

It was beautiful — marvelous even and yet it frightened him. 

In the darkness, he found a refugee, a home unyielding, offering him shelter from the likes of those filthy daywalkers who would sneer and stake him if they knew what he was. The sun was but a bane of the existence of all his kind, both the born and the turned, scorching and incinerating all those who dared venture into it. A wretched curse on an otherwise almost perfect creature. Truly, a cruel fate, one almost worse than death, which was why it needed to be completely blotched out.

And yet.

Glancing to the side, he looked at Kazuha, the white-haired man happily basking in the rays that illuminated the stone path they treaded upon. He looked so happy, his lips formed into a wonderful smile that would put even the stars to shame with its intensity, while he tilted his head back, letting the light beam down on his face. There was something so enamoring about him — about the way he twirled around, how his normally calm expression just brightened over something so mundane and how his movements became so fluid, carefree and light. He couldn’t help but be drawn to him, however, he hesitated and stayed firmly planted within the shadows of the bamboo grove. 

Kazuha noticed that his companion wasn’t following him. He glanced back and saw the shorter man lurking several feet away from him, unmoving and just watching him. Blinking, he stopped spinning around and politely bowed his head. 

“My apologies. I should’ve been more aware of your discomfort and hesitancy to go outside in the daylight,” he explained, approaching him. 

Surely the wide-brimmed hat with veil and long-sleeved attire would shield him from the sun, but he supposed an extra measure or two wouldn’t hurt. Adjusting his Obi belt and the other accessories that adorned his attire, he carefully shed his black yukata and draped it on his arm. He extended a hand and a warm smile.

“Whenever you’re ready. I promise I won’t let anything happen,” he reassured in such a calm and gentle tone. 

Kunikuzushi stood completely still for a moment, something flashing in his eyes that the samurai couldn’t interpret. There was silence between the two while the choir of morning birds and cicadas echoed behind them before a slim, cold hand grasped his own. Kazuha simply smiled, letting him take his time as he held his hand reassuringly. 

Eventually, the vampire took one step out of the speckled darkness and into the sunlight. There was that faint moment of hesitancy, that unspoken half-anticipation that some violent reaction akin to a burst of flames would happen before his eyes, but thankfully nothing — not yet at least. His gaze wandered up to his companion, who wriggled his foot in the light. So far so good. Another moment of pause, before Kunikuzushi took a step forward. The ronin crept after him slowly inching along the path until they were fully immersed in that warm morning glow.

Kazuha’s palm began to vibrate, then his arm and then his entire body. Kunikuzushi was petrified, or what he would liken to some sort of fear, probably anticipating something to happen now that he was fully out in the open, but he was fine — his entire body was out in the sun, shielded by his multiple long layers and veiled, wide-brimmed hat. A faint laugh spilled from Kazuha’s lips and he smiled at him. 

“You did it,” he muttered in hushed excitement. 

He massaged his knuckles gently, running his rough thumb over them. The vampire was blank-faced, staring off at the forest around them before he glanced over at him. A small noise tumbled from his throat, then his eerie cackling started to fill the air as that familiar sharp-toothed smirk grew across his face. Kazuha blinked as his other hand was suddenly grasped and they started to spin around. He barely had any time to react to it, his feet scrambling and shuffling rapidly to keep himself upright. 

The entire world swirled around him, hues of vibrant green and blues filling his vision as they danced around. Kunikuzushi looked so beautiful: joyful laughter rippled from him, his smile sharp, yet beaming with that childish glee and that dark silk streaming behind him like an inky ocean. He kept chanting over and over about how happy he was, and how he and Kazuha could finally, finally , play out in the sun together. His happiness and excitement were infectious, soft giggles rippling from Kazuha’s own chest as they twirled along; their red and blue outfits twisting and spinning into a lovely spiral of maple leaves and diamonds. Eventually, they slowed down, though Kunikuzushi’s laughter slowly turned maniacal.

“…To think it was this easy all along,” he muttered.

An intense pain shot through his hands, the vampire’s hands clamping down hard onto his. He made a face and tried to wriggle them free.

“You’re crushing me again. Please let go.”

He glanced up and saw a wild look in his eyes as it became apparent that his words weren’t getting through to him at all.

“All this time, sitting around in these damn houses rotting away when all I had to do was wear this. Would they have accepted me then? Huh?”

“Kuniku—“

“Worthless insects, the whole lot of them. I’ll show them all. I’ll go out on my own and have them begging for mercy.”

Grinding his teeth at the pain that coursed through him, he tried to break free from his grasp, but it was in vain, his grip was like an iron vice. At this rate, he was going to crush his hands into bloody puddles. Seeing how ineffective trying to talk to him was, he firmly grasped his hands back and shook him quite hard to get his attention. That seemed to do the trick and the vampire’s eyes shot back at him, his nose crinkled in a half snarl before Kazuha gestured with his head to his interlocked hands. Kunikuzushi mumbled an apology and promptly released him. Examining his hands, he was thankful they weren’t broken, though they were completely numb, his palms and fingers a deep purplish-blue. Glancing to the side, he saw the shorter man had averted his gaze to the path, his arms tightly crossed over his chest in some sort of pout.

“We can still interlock arms or you can hold onto my sleeve. Just don’t clamp down so hard. My body isn’t as resilient as yours.”

“…Last night spoke otherwise,” the vampire muttered.

Kazuha gave him a look as Kunikuzushi simply smirked before they began to walk side by side. 

“Since when were you a comedian?”

“I’ve always been funny — you and all the others just don’t appreciate my sense of humor.”

“Because being maimed and fearing for every waking moment of my life on a daily basis is so humorous.”

The vampire huffed and glanced at him, frowning a bit. 

“I already apologized and you forgave me since you’re my friend. I don’t know what else you want me to do.”

It was true and Kunikuzushi was making an effort to change for him, slowly yet surely and Kazuha had to give him credit for it. He moved a hand and pinched his squishy cheek with a smile.

“I can also be funny, but I know you’re trying to make up for everything. And I appreciate it.”

Kunikuzushi narrowed his eyes at him but didn’t say anything. The two walked side by side before the vampire eventually opted to hold onto Kazuha’s arm while they walked. He gave him a warm smile, just strolling at a rather leisurely pass while taking the beautiful morning scenery with him as they didn’t say anything, merely enjoying each other’s company. The longer they kept walking, his right arm started to grow heavier. He looked to the side and saw Kunikuzushi drag his feet, his movements growing more and more sluggish as his eyes kept fluttering shut.

Glancing at him, he let go of his arm and offered his back, getting down on one knee. He half expected some sort of snarky comment from the man, but none came — the vampire simply shuffled over to him before he climbed onto his back and draped his arms loosely around his neck. 

Adjusting him just slightly and standing up, he began to walk again while he carried him carefully, making sure he had a secure hold on his shorter companion while also making sure he was comfortable in the hold. Kunikuzushi had been oddly placid ever since his encounter with Heizou. He wished he had heard the full extent of their conversation to see what could have possibly gotten him into such a state, but he didn’t seem to want to talk about it and Kazuha wasn’t going to push it. Humming, he hauled him on his back, while he navigated his way through the sunlit path; making sure that he didn’t linger in the sun for too long just to be safe.  

“Kazuha,” he stated in such a gentle, yet exhausted tone — a new tone that was completely foreign to him.

The samurai glanced back at him, feeling his forehead press into his shoulder.

“Hm?”

“As pathetic as this sounds, I was worried about you last night — about how you’d run away or get captured by that… man.”

It was rather childish, but Kazuha appreciated the sentiment. What he would once deem unrelenting possessiveness, now he saw as possessiveness with genuine concern — a lonely man who feared losing his first and only friend: someone whom he loved and adored so much. He supposed he had a soft spot for people with strange, yet strong desires. A smile crept on his face, enjoying the brief moment of vulnerability from the normally fortified man.

“Thank you. I appreciate the concern.”

Kunikuzushi merely muttered something inaudible in response, before once again growing silent. The samurai shook his head and continued down the path, left alone to his own thoughts as he enjoyed the peaceful stroll through nature. Finally, he had some peace and quiet, some actual time to soak up and enjoy the gentle caresses that the nature world had to offer him.

It had been so long since he had been out in the sun, out in nature, out where the birds sang their songs, the rustle of leaves, the crinkle of the grass under each step, the babbling of brooks, the voice of the wind. 

Truly, it felt like an eternity and it was an eternity, really. 

At first, he had been counting the days he had been hauled up and imprisoned, clinging onto it to stay sane, but after a few days, he lost count. Day and night began to blur together, his sleep schedule grossly erratic and nonexistent as he tried to savor the daylight. There was comfort in knowing that he had made it to see that rich blend of red and orange and deep blue, knowing that whatever residences dwelled in the mansion would back off, withdraw to their chambers and leave him with some time to himself.  

But even if he was ‘friends’ with Ajax and something akin to friends with Kunikuzushi, there was something about Heizou’s voice that felt comforting — nostalgic, even if they were now technically on opposing sides. Despite their brief encounters that only lasted for a few hours, he missed him. He missed their idle chatter, conversations that had no meaning and just something fun and lighthearted to pass the time while they lounged around waiting for their meal to cook on the campfire. He missed the way his lips pressed together, his brows knitted, his hand under his chin in quiet contemplation while he closed his eyes trying to figure out where the next clue was or where to go only for Kazuha to use his attunement with nature and point him in the right direction. It wasn’t just Heizou he had missed, but all his companions, even the ones he only met once and never again. 

He missed so much.

He missed home, even if his definition of home was ever shifting; one day being nothing more than a grassy field full of weeds and flowers or a cavern tucked away full of cobwebs and abandoned camping gear.

He missed his freedom.

He missed his beloved friend — someone who he had spent so much time aimlessly wandering with, someone who had seen him at his worst, someone who gave him guidance and made him question topics he’d never ever considered in his whole life, someone who cared for and loved him.

Just thinking about him again made his heart ache. He had passed several months ago and in those months, he became but a shell of his former shell — an empty husk that wanted to do nothing, but fulfill his friend’s wishes. It was miserable and every night he went to bed, wishing, hoping and yearning for his equal. Sometimes in his dreams, he would recount their moments together; how they shared meals during cold winter nights, how they would giggle and laugh in the pouring rain as they scurried for shelter, how often they would Iay in fields of wheat and barley and stare at the starry sky above.

And then the fragments of their last conversation hit him again in full force. Worth dying for — how his beloved friend had pursued his dreams even if it meant him being mercilessly slain in the process. 

…

It made him think. 

It made him truly and genuinely think.

Technically, he had been trying to escape the estate, quietly plotting and familiarizing himself with the environment he was in, but within a day, he had discovered it was impossible. Then later on when he actually got out with Kunikuzushi, there was a strange barrier. The younger-looking man opened it up with ease, but given their vast difference in strength, Kazuha didn’t think he could possibly cut through it even with a sword. But then again, he didn’t really know. Based on all the information he had gathered, whatever he tried was essentially suicide, not even taking into consideration the mist scheme the other vampires were plotting. And it wasn’t like he could leave now knowing that of all things, right? There was still the issue with the mist that he had to figure out how to deal with as silly as that sounded, being a mere human samurai. 

Shit. 

He didn’t know what he was going to do about that, especially since Kunikuzushi couldn’t find those pages from Scarlet Devil Land and even still, there was no telling if said missing pages even contained the answers. Well, it wasn’t like he had very many choices, most of which involved some sort of bodily harm and mutilation, and/or death. Glancing back at the hunched-over lump, beautifully clothed and clinging to his shoulders, his eyes temporarily studying his sleeping form. 

Here was the perfect opportunity right before him: the opportunity to escape, the moment he had been waiting for — to say goodbye to the world of night and the bloodsucking creatures who wanted him and everyone else dead. He could ditch Kunikuzushi right now and leave him to fend for himself in this world completely foreign to him in the daytime. But that was a fate too cruel and even after everything, all the merciless barrage of abuse for the sake of entertainment and fun, he still loved him, be it as a friend or something more. 

Just like Kazuha, Kunikuzushi wanted to be free, to escape that god-forsaken mansion he had been in for who knows how long and play outside to his heart's content. There were a lot of problems with him, but they were smoothing and working the major ones out since the vampire had started to value what he said. 

Aside from that, there were only two major issues: one was the scarlet mist and the other was finding some way to convince him to leave. Kunikuzushi seemed like he was on board with the whole scarlet mist plan — why wouldn’t he if that meant he could play outside all day without that fear of bursting into flames? Though now that he knew that he could actually go outside so long as he was draped in these garments, that eliminated one issue… somewhat. The only thing now was to fully convince Kunikuzushi to help him figure out a way to stop it and then escape with him. It was easier said than done, but he would just need to think about it a little more.

The rest of the walk was relaxing, Kunikuzushi was fast asleep on his back while Kazuha stayed on the path. It felt good to actually stretch his legs and have some ‘alone’ time out in nature again with all those wonderful sights, sounds and smells. At least this outing was fun, despite that strange turn of events last night: he and Kunikuzushi got even closer and they were able to get out of the estate for half a day. 

After what seemed like an eternity, he made it back to the god-forsaken estate, that eerie silence greeting him the moment he slipped through the barrier. Scanning around, he ran through the hole in the gates and squeezed back in. He adjusted his hold on his friend and headed inside, making sure to be as quiet as possible. Thankfully, the only people around were the maids, who didn’t even bat an eye when he walked through the doors. He scaled the winding main staircase and headed down the hallway to Kunikuzushi’s room.

Pushing the door open with his foot, he hauled him over to the bed and comfortably slid him onto the red velvet sheets. Kunikuzushi was still out of it, sleeping rather peacefully as he slumped onto the bed sheets. He must have been really exhausted after their day outing, though he did admittedly find it strange. 

The vampire had been abnormally quiet and even sluggish ever since last night, specifically after that meeting with Heizou. Did a physical altercation happen without him knowing? From what he could tell, the detective merely interrogated him and looked around the room. With his acute hearing, he surely would’ve heard some sort of commotion. Maybe the interrogation mixed with being around humans outside of the estate was exhausting? He’d ask him about it when he woke up. 

Rubbing his face, he decided to go back to his own room to get some rest, wanting some alone time. Stretching out, he went to the door though he noticed something odd resonating from the vampire’s satchel that he just couldn’t shake off. Curiosity got the better of him and he flipped the lip of it open. Everything looked normal, though touching the inside he noticed something peel off at the mere touch of fingers. Two thin slips of paper gracefully landed on the floor, slightly singed and curled at the edges.

Strange.

Picking one up, he flipped it over and blinked. An ofuda? Where in the world did Kunikuzushi get an ofuda of all things? He examined it closely, reading the calligraphy so elegantly written out — it was some sort of protection spell against yōkai? Holding it up, he glanced at the lump buried under the luxurious, red bed sheets, slowly putting two and two together. He knew about ofuda being used against yōkai, but surely vampires didn’t fall into the territory of yōkai, did they? 

It was absurd, but one of the characters in Scarlet Devil Land did use these things, considering she was a shrine maiden, and they did have some effect on said vampires in the story, but he simply chalked it up to a fantasy trope. Knowing this new bit of information actually brought him some relief, hope even. If the details about the ofuda and scarlet mist were true and able to be replicated, then that meant the way to stop that ‘eternal night’ from happening was in those lost pages. 

There was a moment of contemplation, while he ran his fingers along the worn paper before he opted to put them in his pocket as he headed out of the room and shut the door behind him. Taking a deep breath, he walked down the quiet hallways with only the sounds of his echoing footsteps to keep him company as he tried to gather his thoughts.

Well, things took a sudden, but interesting turn and yet, he couldn’t feel a surge of dread course through him. Escape from this hellhole seemed like it was just around the corner, but at the same time, there was also that possibility of another person getting ensnared, too. Whatever the case, it looked like the next couple of nights were going to be long and he just hoped he’d get through it, though in his gut, that sinking feeling only grew. Things had been going too smoothly for too long.