The Death of Bloodlust

[RanmaBushiko]

You know. I officially hate my muse right now. But it's been itching at me to take that first plot bunny I had for ArcueidxShiki fanfiction ideas, and write it as a story, rather than work on Blades Under a Crimson Moon.

I was actually thinking about saving it for after my week long vacation starting Sunday... but I thought I'd rather start posting now. And I re-did the prologue so it would flow a bit better than the bit I did in the other post.

And... tell me if I get the characters wrong, for personalizations. I wrote this all when my muse screamed "DO THIS!" until I went through with it.

As always, please read and review. I'm eager to see how this goes over with everyone.


Prologue

My Eyes can see death in all it's forms.

Why do I think of that as I look at Arcueid, in my classroom? Staring at me, with the sunset behind her...? She's going to leave me. I know that. But I still...

My heart's beating.

"Arcueid... will you trust me?"

An idea.

"Shiki...?"

"I have an idea... but I need you to trust me."

A memory. My link to Roa. His bloodlust.

Could I use this?

"Shiki, if I get close to you, I could drink your blood."

"Arcueid. I have an idea on how to fix that... but you'll need to trust me."

"Fix...?"

"I felt it, remember? Roa's bloodlust. Through my dreams, my link to him."

"Eh? Shiki, you..."

"If I remember the bloodlust... my mind comprehends it."

She's still confused.

"If my mind can comprehend something, I can see the death of it, right?"

And saying that, I take off my glasses, then look at her.

I can see the lines, but I can't fully comprehend them.

But I still focus. No. To keep her with me... I have no choice but to focus.

My heartbeat again.

Still... I focus harder. I have to find that line. The line that governs her bloodlust.

"I see it..."

I walk towards her. Everything's starting to fade to white. My mind... can't take this. It can't. At this rate, it's going to stop working on me. She said it herself. If I overstrain my eyes... it'll be like a car engine burning out.

My heart's pounding.

But I have no choice. For her and my happiness... for that, even if it costs me my life... I will do this for her. I have no choice. Between a life without her, and a life with her in my arms... there's no choice at all.

I pull out my knife, and kill her bloodlust.

I'm falling. Everything's white, and I can't see anything but dots and lines... and she caught me.

It's allright, now. Even if my eyes have overstrained themselves to the point where I'm permanently blind except the dots and lines... I can do this for her sake.

"Are you better Arcueid?"

"Shiki... you..."

"I won't be able to see for a bit. So please take care of me until I regain my sight."

"You fixed me Shiki. I don't feel the craving anymore. Of course I'll take care of you!"

-Fade Out-

[RanmaBushiko]

Chapter 1

She's taken me to her apartment. It's nice and familiar, even if I can't see.

"Shiki... how did you fix..."

Her voice trails off. She doesn't fully understand. No... she can't fully understand what happened.

"Do you remember... how you told me that if I overstrained my eyes, by seeing the concept of something that's not alive... it could hurt my brain? Even kill me?"

"Yes, Shiki, but... oh..."

"I'm blind right now for everything but the dots and lines... but I did it. I saved you from your bloodlust..."

"Shiki, you... why did you..."

"Because I love you. I can't let you go. Even if it kills me, I can't let you go. Not again... not after... seeing you die before like that. To Roa."

"Shiki..."

She's holding me. And I can feel... her crying?

"And if my sight is what I have to pay to see you happy... then so be it. As long as you're beside me, I can be happy."

"Shiki, you stupid fool... I'm not worth that."

"Arcueid. You are too. And you're stubborn, as well. You know that, right? Stubborn, and sweet..."

She's gone silent, but she's holding me close. It feels so good... I can't help but say it aloud.

"I feel good to you, Shiki?"

"Of course you do! I love how you feel. I loved looking at you. Why do you think I couldn't stop helping you? Because you're a beautiful woman, and I can't help but want to make you happy... no, it's more than that.

I just want to see you smile and enjoy life. Even if I can't see... it's still worth it if you can smile. My vision as a cost for that, is no cost at all. Because you deserve joy and happiness, Arcueid.

All the things I've shown you... I want to show you more for the rest of my life, by your side, Arcueid Brunestud."

She's holding me tight. It feels so good...

And she just kissed me...

"Shiki, what do you want me to do now?"

"...don't leave my side again, Arcueid. Please. Stay with me as long as I live. And if I can live long enough, maybe I can find a way to stay by your side for longer than that.

I want to spend the rest of my life with you. As long as I live. Just... having you by my side."

"Oh, Shiki... that's really what you want?"

She's holding me closer, now.

"Yeah. It is. In those moments, after you said you couldn't be close to me... I went numb. I wanted to die rather than lose you."

She's frozen, motionless. But I can still feel her. So I try to hug her back.

-Fade Out-

[RanmaBushiko]

Chapter 2

It's been a week since that day that I told her that I would die rather than lose her.

She's been acting weird ever since then. Getting more quiet every day. I hope I haven't upset her...

My eyesight has been returning as well, although it's been slow. Slower than I ever thought something like this would happen.

But my glasses... are... mostly worthless now. I can still see the lines. At least I don't see the dots, right...?

Still.

It's rough on me to see at all. I have to keep my eyes closed a lot.

I'm guessing... I nearly broke my mind's ability to percieve anything with my eyes.

If I ever do that again...

I really will be blind.

Or my eyes will be too strong for my glasses to ever save me from my sight.

Akiha's over again. She's come over to visit ever since the accident happened. She's worried, but... she's also been thanking Arcueid for keeping me safe.

In between bouts of being a Tsundere, of course.

I blame Arihiko and his games for knowing what one is, too.

Arcueid shut her up with a glare, though.

Thank god for that.

Still... she's been getting to like Arcueid.

I'm so grateful for that, I have no words.

"Nii-san..."

"Hello, Akiha. Are you ok?"

I turn towards her. It's not like I can see well yet, but I can still tell where someone is generally, even with my eyes shut like this.

And she's just started hugging me tight.

Am I hearding Arcueid going towards the door...?

"Arcueid, are you going somewhere?"

The footsteps stopped, then started coming back.

"Aheh. You could tell?"

"Yeah, I can hear your footsteps pretty clearly."

My heartbeat's pounding again.

"Nii-san..."

"Is that why I heard zippers last night, when you thought I was asleep, Arcueid?"

They both just froze.

"Are you planning on leaving me...?"

"Shiki. It's for the best. Akiha can take care of you, and I can't..."

"...will you come back to me if you go?"

I force myself up.

My heart's pounding... and I have my knife in my pocket.

"Shiki, if you can't see, then you can't follow me."

I'm not as blind as she thinks I am, thankfully, so if she runs off... I have my glasses in my pocket. Not that I'll be able to see more than vague outlines of people... but I know her lines. That'll be enough for me.

"I can still see the lines and dots, Arcueid. Even with my eyes shut."

"Shiki... you should find someone that you can be happy with."

"I've already found you."

She's pausing. I open my eyes a crack. She still thinks I can't see her... and my vision's improved. It isn't just outlines, but just in black and white right now... Thank god for that. And slowly fading back into color, as well.

She just opened the door... and is picking up her bags?

"I'm sorry, Shiki. But to protect you..."

And she just shut the door. So I run.

I force my eyes open, slide my glasses on, and run after her.

The door's easy to kill.

She's jumping...? Tch. I don't care. If I get hurt, then it'll be a small price to pay.

3 slices, and the handrailing's gone. So I jump too...

And grab her arm.

I'm going to get hurt if I don't land right, though.

If I kill the cement... then won't it die as I hit, putting my body through less damage? May as well try it to take less damage...

She pulled me into her arms... while we're in midfall. And I can only kiss her.

"My eyesight's been coming back today... I was going to surprise you."

"Shiki, you stupid fool..."

She just landed on a rooftop with me.

-Fade Out-

[RanmaBushiko]

It gets a bit dark here and in the next chapter, due to Shiki bluffing, and failing.

Chapter 3

I can't stop holding her. No, I won't stop. Even if it kills me.

"I won't leave you, Arcueid. I won't."

"Shiki, I'm sorry, but you have no choice in this."

"Arcueid, if you knock me out, I'll kill myself if I'm not with you."

She just froze, and I can see tears in her eyes.

"Shiki, you..."

"As I told you. I'd rather die then leave you. Did you not understand that?"

She's glaring at me now, and so... I put the tip of the knife closest to the point on my left hand, with it ready to stab. I'll bluff her. This'll be a bluff that'll make her stop. I won't actually hit the line or dot there, but...

"If you knock me out, I'll stab this death point on me before I go unconscious, Arcueid. Do you want to live knowing that I killed myself rather than lose you?"

Now her eyes are gold. I can see in color again, but that doesn't matter to me.

I can feel myself growing numb, and I hear a voice in my head telling me to put it away. To put it away and have a happy life.

I can hear my heart pounding.

The numbness is nice. It's hard to think of anything but obeying that voice.

But.

I start pushing the knife closer to my hand anyways. Closer to that point. To ensure I can stay with her.

She just grabbed my arm that I was about to stab.

So I am for a point higher up my arm, an inch from a line or a dot.

Now she's got my other arm. Crap.

I can feel her voice in my head. Telling me to put it away, and give up. Her eyes are beautiful...

But I can't let myself lose her so easily. So I try for a point on my leg instead.

I can hear her voice... so loud in my head. It's screaming, begging at me... and now I can tell it isn't just in my head but in my ears, too.

"I won't leave you again, unless I'm dead, Arcueid. If that means I die here and now, at least it'll be in your arms, right?"

She's trying to stop me.

So I am for one of the lines in my chest, instead, now.

She's crying. She's sobbing, and asking me to stop. Begging me to stop, and find someone better than her.

There's no one better. No one better.

I don't even need my knife, do I? I just need my fingernail.

Tch. Not deep enough. I only cut the line of my shirt.

She's pulled my arms away from my body now. And she's hugging me. Begging me to stop. I can barely hear her over my heart pounding like this, but... I won't tell her no if she's wanting me that much.

"I'll only stop if you let me stay with you for the rest of my life, Arcueid Brunestud. Otherwise, I have nothing to live for. And so if you want me to be yours, tell me. Otherwise, I have no reason to live. And no matter what you do... I'll end myself."

She's frozen in my arms.

"I know I should live. But being with you the last week was the happiest week of my life. Knowing you were there for me as my eyesight slowly recovered... knowing you've been waiting for me to recover, and humming happy songs you heard in that movie with me... was the most wonderful time of my life.

And I can't let that go. No. I won't let that feeling go. If being with you makes me this happy, then losing you will break my heart and destroy me. And if that happens, I may as well be dead. I threw away my sight so I could have a chance to live with you. And I'm happy I'm getting it back. But if I can't see your face with it, then it's worthless to me."

"Shiki, you can't come where I'm going. So please... don't put me through this. Let me erase your memories of me."

"And why the hell not? I protected you from Nero, and killed Roa to avenge you!"

I focus. She's up to something...

"Shiki, my job is to fight Dead Apostles. Like Roa. Can you honestly say you want to fight 27 more monsters like him?"

27... more? More like him, that bastard?

Hah... For her, yes.

"If it's for you, yes. I would happily."

She's frozen, her golden eyes wide in shock. There's an antenna behind my hand that looks sharp, that she hasn't noticed. If I twist my hand just right, if she tries to memory wipe me... I'm not bluffing anymore, am I? ...Hell. I really would rather die than leave her. If that's the case...

"I'm sorry, Shiki. But that's not enough. You won't remember a thing, and..."

"Sorry, then, Arcueid. I love you, you know that, right?"

She looks so confused at me. Like she doesn't expect this.

And I twist my hand... to not come in contact with it. She felt the twist, and froze in shocked horror...but her freezing stopped it a millimeter from the antenna. Shit.

So I swing my leg at it, to try and hit a death point there.

"Stop it, Shiki!"

She stopped my leg with one of hers...

"Then stop trying to push me away, damn it!"

"I don't want you hurt, Shiki!"

"I don't want you to hurt alone, Arcueid!"

She's stopped holding my arms... to stare at me in shock.

"I don't want to sleep knowing that you're hurting. I don't want to lose my memories of you. I treasure you, god damn it! I love you, and I want to spend my life with you. If that means hunting 27 other fucking people like Nero and Roa, then so be it. I'll do that for the rest of my god damned life if that's what it takes. BUT I WILL NOT LEAVE YOU TO DO IT ALONE!"

And she's hugging me tight. And I can only hug her back.

"I won't let you do it alone, Arcueid. You've been alone for so long... I can't let you do it alone."

She's sobbing in my arms. And I can only cry while holding her.

"I'm sorry, Shiki. I'm so sorry..."

"Then let me be with you..."

She just looked up with her golden eyes again.

-Fade Out-

[RanmaBushiko]

Last Chapter for now. As always, read and review. And tell me what you think of what I've written.

Chapter 4

I can feel her in my mind, trying to make me forget. Trying to make me forget everything. But... I can see my reflection in my knife. And if I focus...

It's getting white again. But I see the gold line in my head. The gold line removing the memories of the girl in my arms.

It's important, so I...

Kill the line using my knife.

She's important to me. Who is she?

"Eh? What...? Did it work already?"

I'm staring at her. I know her. I KNOW HER!

"You're not supposed to stay awake... but maybe that's a side effect of your eyes."

She's Arcueid. She's the woman I love. And as my mind flashes into gear...

I kiss her.

"I killed the line of your attempt to make me forget, Arcueid."

She stopped, and froze.

Everything's in black and white... except for her eyes.

And her eyes are narrowing now.

"So you can even kill something like that..."

My body aches. Trying to bluff her into stopping with the idea of my death backfired, didn't it? But still... my mind hurts, my body aches... and I want to sit down.

But I can't. For her, even if it hurts me... I can't.

"I'm sorry Shiki. But I have to deal with the Dead Apostles. And I can't take you along with as you are."

"Then make me better."

She just went still.

"There has to be weapons, artifacts, spells, and the like left over from the Shinso that would do that, you know."

She's... surprised?

"That's... pretty smart of you, Shiki. But if you go that route, there's no going back."

"It'll be worth it. For you, I'll do anything."

She's hugging me tight again... and not tense now.

"You win, Shiki. You win. If you can even kill a memory wipe... you win. I'll bring you with me. Just understand you can't go back. Ever."

"It's worth it, Arcueid. It's worth it. Ah... a warning, though. I can't see in color again, just in grayscale... so can you help me down from the building if we get off this way?"

"Well, we're going to have to stop by a supermarket anyways... I mean, if I'm going to be dragging you to the Millenium Castle, we may as well have food, right?"

Eh? What now?

"Millenium Castle...?"

"Oh, I'll explain later..."

And she's giggling and dragging me off like none of that ever happened.

-Fade Out-

[Kieran]

Interesting concept - and I'm certainly eager for the next chapter. I think you'll be the first author to ever describe the castle interior.

[ttestagr]

There are... some issues though. First thing, which wouldn't normally matter since it works as an in story character mistake, is that Roa's bloodlust does not equal Arc's. They are not the same thing at all, since DA need it to live where for a TA it is more of a drug.

Which leads me to the mechanics of the thing. What did Shiki do? Did he just kill the craving she's had since she first had blood, or did he wipe out the flaw in her that all TAs are born with? This is important because he did kill vampirism in himself in one route if I remember correctly. Just wiping out her craving shouldn't have laid him up like that.

Finally, you made a major mistake about Arc which forced the subsequent angst. Her duty was to wipe out bloodlusted True Ancestors, not hunting down the DAA. Some of those aren't even normal DA for her to have anything to do with, a la Primate Murder and ORT. There is no reason for her to be running away, and we see in her good end that she doesn't even if she still has her bloodlust. It's pointless angst and it falls a little flat.

[RanmaBushiko]

There are... some issues though. First thing, which wouldn't normally matter since it works as an in story character mistake, is that Roa's bloodlust does not equal Arc's. They are not the same thing at all, since DA need it to live where for a TA it is more of a drug.

Which leads me to the mechanics of the thing. What did Shiki do? Did he just kill the craving she's had since she first had blood, or did he wipe out the flaw in her that all TAs are born with? This is important because he did kill vampirism in himself in one route if I remember correctly. Just wiping out her craving shouldn't have laid him up like that.

Finally, you made a major mistake about Arc which forced the subsequent angst. Her duty was to wipe out bloodlusted True Ancestors, not hunting down the DAA. Some of those aren't even normal DA for her to have anything to do with, a la Primate Murder and ORT. There is no reason for her to be running away, and we see in her good end that she doesn't even if she still has her bloodlust. It's pointless angst and it falls a little flat.

Ok. I read this, and thought I should reply while having breakfast, soooo...

First: He partially nullified the flaw. That huge difference in terms of bloodlust is exactly why he's laid up so badly now. Fully doing so would need Len's help.

Second off, for the angst, Arcueid still has to worry about THEM attacking her. Remember Nero Chaos, aka Nrvnqsr Chaos? It's wiser to kill off the ones she can now, rather than having them go for her and kill innocent civilians off later, like Nrvnqsr did. Plus, you have to remember Altrouge technically could classify as a Demon Lord in her own right.

And my third point is... she's scared for Shiki, which is why she's done all this in the first place. She's trying to keep him safe, because in her mind and eyes, he can't stand up to another fight like the Dead Apostles. Think about it. His eyes nearly stopped seeing anything but the points of death. And he honestly told her that he'd rather be dead than lose her. She understands that he wants to go with, but on the other hand, she doesn't want him to get involved in case Altrouge sicks Primate Murder on her, as an example. And she has no problems in killing off vampires that go after her. But she's learned about worry now. And learning the person that you love, that loves you back, would rather die than not be with you... is hard for anyone. She's a good example of this.

If you were in her shoes, would you rather kill off the bratty little sister that would happily sic a legion of vampires on you, or would you rather leave the threat around for her to make the first move? And get swarmed by a legion of vampires, and possibly Primate Murder himself, to ensure you're dead?

Because Altrouge could technically be classified as one of the ones Arcueid has to kill, with her half shinso status and all, she's a Grade A threat to Arcueid and whoever she's involved with. And Shiki doesn't realize that. Thus the angst. And the point that there's 27, was simply to stop him, and make him think of himself, which he didn't do. She was exxaggerating only slightly to ensure he would stop and THINK, which would let her memory wipe him.

Interesting concept - and I'm certainly eager for the next chapter. I think you'll be the first author to ever describe the castle interior.

Well, I'm hoping my muse does a good enough job of it. Might take a while, though.

[Erlkonig]

I saw, I read, I came.

[RanmaBushiko]

Chapter 5

We're walking down the street together.

When I pointed out it might be easier to buy modern food and cooking supplies, we decided to buy camping gear and a lot of extra food.

Now we're trying to find a small store that won't let us run into Akiha, Kohaku, or Hisui.

And I'm trying to find a place to buy her a ring. Hm...

"Arcueid? What's your favorite colors?"

"Oh? Hm... I'd say blue like your eyes when you're using them right. Purple, which is why I wear purple skirts, and... I'd say red and gold as well. Why do you ask, Shiki?"

Hm. Then I should get amethysts, sapphires, rubies, and a big diamond for her ring.

"Ah, I have plans to buy you a surprise later, if I can."

I take her hand, and walk with her. She's so soft, even though she's also strong. It's a bit of a paradox, but one I can live with and enjoy. We're in a quiet area now. It's nice.

"Shiki..."

"Yes, Arcueid?"

"Why... would you rather die than not be with me?"

Ah... this is what it's about.

"I... want to see you happy, Arcueid. I want to make you happy, and smile, and have fun. Like we did together on our dates. I want to show you how fun the world can be, and have a happy life with you.

And knowing you're living, alone, without me to show you the fun things in life... it's just too cruel a thought for me to live with, if I lose you. I can't think about it, the idea just hurts me so badly."

"It's... because you want me happy that you're..."

She's paused again.

"You want me happy to the point where the idea of me not being happy makes you want to die...?"

I can only hug her, and nod.

And then I freeze.

I just saw Ciel and Kohaku pass by a street near us. If we weren't in the shadows, they would've seen us. And Kohaku was giving Ciel some syringes.

"Aheh. Hell. I just saw Kohaku and Ciel pass by... and Kohaku was giving Ciel syringes. I think Akiha's gone over the top and ordered them to bring me in unconscious."

Now that I think about it... didn't I leave Akiha in Arcueid's apartment...?

Hell.

So, to avoid detection, I pull Arcueid into a jewelry store.

I've got something like 100,000 yen in my savings, because I'm such a skinflint when it comes to spending money on lunch, as Arihiko can attest to. So I should have enough for this and the camping gear.

Arcueid's eyes are wide in surprise at all the rings.

A "Mystical Jewelry" section... hm...?

Rings for protection? Interesting.

"Ah... what's this ring supposed to do? It looks rather unique, like Arcueid might like it."

Rubies, Sapphires, Amethysts, and a huge diamond. And it's well priced, too. 25,000 yen...?

"Ah. It's 25,000 yen for a mystical potential revealing spell."

25,000 yen?!

I wonder... and taking off my glasses, I can see it doesn't have any lines, unlike the other jewelry in the store.

"Can you say who made this?"

"Ah, an Touko Aozaki. Perhaps you've heard of her?"

"Ah, Sensei's sister made this?"

"You know Aoko?"

"She's where I got my glasses."

The shopkeeper just froze up, and started twitching.

"Arcueid, do you like this ring?"

The shopkeeper's twitching more. You know...

"Aheh. I didn't know that my cousin gave you those glasses. She stole them from her sister, and that was the last we had heard of them."

Stole? Oh... crap.

"Ah...heh. I really needed them, though."

"Eh?! Exactly how do you need them?"

"They seal off my Mystic Eyes. But... they haven't been working that well lately. Even with them on I've been seeing part of what I can with them off. Would you happen to know where Sensei's sister would be so I could get them fine tuned, or anything?"

She's blinking in shock. And laughing now, too.

"Exactly what do you see, boy?"

"I can see how to kill everything."

She just froze.

"What?!"

"I can see the points of death for everything. If sensei hadn't given me these... I would have gone insane or my brain would have broken from the strain."

And now she's rather white.

"So she did have a good reason to steal those. Poor boy. Here, let me see them, and I'll try to help."

"Ah, do you think you could possibly get this ring in Arcueid's size, too? Well, if that won't be a problem..."

-Fade Out-

We're leaving the store, a ring in a box in one of my pockets, and my glasses a bit more fine tuned to my eyes alone.

Hopefully that'll help for a while, at least.

And only 58,000 yen for all that.

Now, what am I forgetting about...?

"NII-SAN! I'm going to HURT YOU FOR RUNNING OFF ON ME!"

Hell.

Arcueid just grabbed me and started running. I guess the idea of calming down a rampaging Tsundere doesn't sound good to her either.

-Fade Out-

[Erlkonig]

25,000 yen? That's pretty cheap.

[RanmaBushiko]

Ye old Magic shop. And note that the shopkeeper was aiming for another 25,000 yen for the "checking of the spells". Plus she was planning on milking him for extra for "special enchantments of all his clothing" ect. ect. ect.
Then the knowledge that he knows family put the fear of Aoko into her.

[RanmaBushiko]

Currently it's 301 dollars for 25,000 yen, so it IS rather expensive, Erlkonig. And, on to the next chapter.

Chapter 6

Running from my little sister wasn't pleasant.

When Kohaku and Ciel joined in, it only got worse.

Still, I thought that asking Arihiko to stop them was a wise idea.

I hope he eventually forgives me for using him as a shield like that.

Or telling him that rampaging Tsunderes were after me.

I shall mourn his loss to the wrath of 3 scary women.

Especially since he asked them if they were Tsundere's like he did.

So, we're at a camping store now. Trying to find some cooking gear.

After this, Arcueid will be buying the food for us.

Still... I'd better get a single Sleeping bag, one meant for two people. Just in case there's no beds there. Or if we need to... "share body heat" to stay warm.

Mmm... that reminds me of having sex with Arcueid.

Still, I have to stay focused. Or else 3 pissed off girls will get me.

-Later-

"Why the hell does everything we buy disappear after a few minutes, Arcueid?"

"Oh, I'm sending them to my castle..."

"Really? You'll have to tell me more about it on the way there."

She's blinking in confused shock.

"It's not that hard for me to get us there."

"Shiki, you'd better run."

Arihiko? Why's he...

"Nii-san... why did you call me a Tsundere?!"

"Yes, Tohno-kun. Why did you call us Tsunderes?"

Hell. Kohaku, Ciel, and Akiha are coming our way... and they're glaring.

And Arihiko's ahead of them, being pushed by Ciel...

Um...crap.

Aheh...heh...heh...

Arcueid's looking irritated. Hopefully she's going to smack them. I don't think I can take Ciel on by myself.

"Shiki, what's a Tsundere?"

...oh. She wants to know what one is.

"Ah... it's a term for a woman or a girl that's really mean to everyone, but actually really nice if you get to know them well enough."

She's blinking.

"Nii-san..."

"Tohno-kun..."

"Shiki-san..."

Hell. They're even more pissed off.

So, I have only one option for this situation.

I point behind them, and shout as loud as I can, "HEY LOOK! A DISTRACTION!", grab Arcueid, and run for my life.

And as I glance back, they're still looking.

Yup, works every time.

-Fade Out-

[Neir]

Uh, Ciel and Kohaku aren't even remotely tsun.

[RanmaBushiko]

I know. He got Arihiko to call them that to piss 'em off.

More specifically. He got Arihiko to call them that so theuy'd get distracted by him, and beat the crap out of Arihiko instead of going after Shiki himself.

[RanmaBushiko]

A lot of Ki techniques, when done properly, can, for lack of a better term, chime like a bell's been rung. I used that for this to have an easy explination of when the teleport's done.

Also, please note that if I usually have someone call someone something that they aren't, during a chase scene like that. It's usually a distraction, and not actually true. As I noted with last chapter.

Read and Review!

Chapter 7

Getting Arihiko to think that Ciel and Kohaku are both Tsunderes doesn't seem to have worked like I had hoped it would, back there. Though he served as a good meat shield for me and Arcueid to get away earlier... they still got utterly enraged and found us quicker. Considering he's never met Kohaku, and doesn't remember Ciel, it was a bright idea on my part, at FIRST... but didn't pan out well.

Not the brightest planning on my part, I have to admit.

...but here I thought him pissing them off by calling them that would have worked. Or at least that he would have held them off much longer.

Still, my distraction trick worked well at getting them to look away... and they just ran past the little alley we're in.

Thank god.

Arcueid's hugging me tight. It feels nice.

And it feels like... We're dissolving?

What the hell?!

"Trust me and stay still, Shiki. Otherwise this could go bad."

I freeze in my position for her.

And everything fades out...

The first thing I'm aware of is everything's cold.

The second thing I'm aware of is that Arcueid's nice and warm to my back.

There's mountains all around us, and I'm staring at a field of flowers in front of a massive castle.

And I can see the moon overhead.

The castle is... massive.

Massive beyond massive.

It also looks elaborate. Well designed, even to my unexperienced eyes, to withstand a massive siege from damned near anything. And... my eyes can pick up a massive magical barrier as well. One that covers every inch of the place.

Contains it.

This is a fortress. One meant to keep everything out.

"This is my home, Shiki. The Millenium Castle Brunestud."

"This is... incredible..."

"Don't talk too much, Shiki. The teleport isn't quite done with you."

She's right. I don't dare move around. It feels like my body's only half here, though I don't know how this works.

"When you feel your body resonate like a bell, it'll be finished."

I can hear a shout of "Nii-san got away! DAMN IT ALL!", right before my body seems to chime, for lack of a better reason, like a bell's been rung.

Arcueid's grabbing my arm, and... dragging me off to the front gate, happily.

-Fade Out-

[RanmaBushiko]

Interesting concept - and I'm certainly eager for the next chapter. I think you'll be the first author to ever describe the castle interior.

Decided to put out the next chapter today, for you, since you were eagerly anticipating this. Part one of the exploration of the castle.
For this, I copied to notepad most of Kagetsu Tohya's stuff for the dream leading up to, and the "10 days of dream" segment, involving the castle. Not so I'd copy and paste. But to get a good idea of the structural archetecture.
I also used a copy of the manga that I found, to ensure I had a proper idea of the structure of the castle, as well as screenshots from Kagetsu Tohya to have a much better understanding of the structural design.
The first, and biggest thing I noticed, was that the entire castle changes it's appearance, airflow, even temperature, to Arcueid's moods. So I hope I got this well enough.

And a picture of the throne. Most likely, it had gold running through the cracks at one point in time, too. Thus me adding that in.





Chapter 8

The castle is like a Maze. Every single room is similar. It's irritating, but Arcueid knows the way. And every door, even the gates, are white. Like Ivory. With long lines going down the center, and having a moon etched on them. They're beautiful.

Sad, but beautiful.

I can feel a gentle breeze in the air. No, not just a breeze, the air is circulating.

We're heading towards the very center. As we walk, I notice the air seems more... old. No, not just old. Almost... forlorn. Like something terrible happened here. And chains are everywhere. Snapped, shattered, broken all around.

I see a garden to the right. It looks like it hasn't been tended to for a long time, but flowers are growing there. Shakily, perhaps. But growing.

And there's a fountain. It doesn't put out much water, but it does have some spurts coming out now and again.

It's colder as we go to the center. To someplace in the very middle of here. I can see the air in front of my face. Still, she doesn't even notice. And I am warm from having her near...

So I continue on.

I can see a massive room. A throne room, perhaps? With what seems like a million chains in it. And in the very center...

Is a massive ivory throne.

The throne reminds me of what the doors look like. But the lines along it, going downwards are different. 7 jagged lines on either side. And... they look like there's pure gold, or something polished to look just like it, inlaid down the middle of each line. Also... there's no decorative moon.

Just a massive skylight overhead.

"This is where I usually sleep while waiting for Roa to reincarnate, Shiki."

On... this?! That's... not right...

"Is... there... anywhere else we can go, Arcueid? Someplace...a little warmer maybe?"

"Shiki?"

"I'm getting a bit cold. And I can see my breath in front of my face... my long sleeved shirt isn't as good as your sweater is for this weather."

"Ah... I've... never figured out how to get it warm, either. Let me warm you up with a kiss, instead."

She just kissed me. God it feels good.

And the air just heated up noticably in the throne room.

And she noticed it too.

"Arcueid, if it's just that warm from a kiss... do you want to experiment?"

She's dragging me to a new area, and smiling broadly.

I can tell I have the same broad smile on my face.

Hey, some of the chains are gone. That's handy...

And after we find a bedroom... well, we'll warm up the bed in a different way.

-Later-

The room was rather drab when we came in. At least there was no cockroaches, or anything, right? Right.

Now... it looks like a bomb went off, destroying only the dust and grime.

The entire palace looks completely different. Every room is made with white marble, and the columns look to have bands of pure gold put into the tops and bottoms of each one.

The gardens are beautiful... the entire place looks like it's brand new... and the chains are gone.

I think... this place changes to the mood of the people inside it.

Or Arcueid's mood, at least.

She's asleep in my arms, but she's smiling happily.

And... a cat's nearby.

I smile at it, and fall asleep in her arms.

-Fade Out-

[RanmaBushiko]

By Copy of the manga, I mean a copy of the "Ever After" chapter of the manga. I found it on http://scarletmoon.dasaku.net/?category_name=typemoon and they referenced Beast's Lair for where the webmaster got it. Just thought I'd clarify myself, there.

[Kieran]

Wow - very elaborate. That's the first time I've seen the throne room, and suddenly my own descriptions of it seem inadequate. The castle sounds pretty, though, if . . . Forlorn. (I have a sudden urge to cross Tsukihime with Ravenloft - bad impulse, very bad!)

You're very quick, too - I had no idea there were this many chapters waiting for me. They were fun.

[ringlhach]

Aw, but Ravenloft's fun... for the DM, anyway. Nothing better to piss off your players, though. ^_^