Half Kiss: Chapter 2

The stories tell of a legendary Prince, born from the first King and Queen of the Night that ruled over the realm before humans took over. He was abeautiful child, even within the Night society. Fair skin, pink lips, midnight hair. But, what made the Prince stand out was his unique amber eyes. The citizens of the realm all looked up to him, awaiting the day he would turn the proper age and take over the responsibility of ruling. The kingdom prospered as did the young prince for a century, but no story is made without a turning point.

The one tragic point of this story, they say, occurred around fifty years ago, when a renegade Blood managed to steal away the young Prince and escape untouched. The King and Queen were devastated and their kingdom came to ruins with the coming of the humans. Unable to survive in this realm, the rest of the Blood retreated into the darkness of a second parallel realm, where they bided their time, awaiting the return of their Prince.

The forest was silent except for the occasional whinny from one of the horses and the shifting of the leather harnesses.

"Ne, Saeki," Fuji suddenly said, breaking the silence.

"What is it?" Saeki answered.

"It's been seven years since I was last at home."

"What about it? It's the same way for everyone."

"Do you…do you think I'll be accepted?" Fuji asked, his hands tightening on the reins he held, the leather creaking in response. "Seven years is a long time, after all."

"Give them a chance. I'm sure they'll be amazed with all you've accomplished."

"I'm sure you're right. You always are," Fuji said with a smile at Saeki. He clicked his tongue twice, signaling his mount forward.

Shortly thereafter, the pair broke through the covering of the forest into an open field of farmland surrounding a large, wall-enclosed town. And in the center of the enclosure was a large stone castle.

"It's bigger than I remember," Fuji commented, looking down on the town.

"It's been a while," Saeki said. "Come on. They're all awaiting your return. It wouldn't be polite to make them wait." Without another word, he rode ahead.

"Hey, wait for me!" Fuji said, laughing softly as he rode forward to join his friend.

Together, the two of them rode toward the large castle gates that granted entrance to the city inside.

"Name and purpose," an attentive guard demanded when the pair reached the mouth of the gates.

"What's with the attitude?" Saeki asked, an eyebrow raised up. "Can't you see that we're just two knights looking for a place to rest?"

"Don't play with the man; that's rude," Fuji murmured to Saeki. In an apologetic tone to the guard, he said, "My name is Fuji Syusuke. I'm just returning home, that's all."

The man's eyes opened wide. "Syusuke? The oldest son of the Fuji family and heir to the estate?" he blustered. "Please, go right ahead! I'll announce your return at once!"

"Wait, that's quite all right…" Fuji trailed off as he watched the guard run off to tell a messenger.

"So much for a quiet return," Saeki joked. "Come on. The sooner we get this over with, the sooner I can get a hot bath and decent food. Weeks without a soft bed can change a person."

The two guided their horses down a street heading in the relative direction of the castle.

"This is all so strange," Fuji commented to Saeki. "I don't recognize any of the streets here. How is it possible to have grown so much?"

"You should be glad that your land has prospered," Saeki responded. "Not all lands are this lucky, you know."

"Are you talking about the path of destruction that's been sweeping up the manors in the far north?"

Saeki nodded gravely. "It won't be long for it to reach here if it continues at the rate that it's going. But, let's put that thought aside until a different time. This reunion should be a happy one for you today."

Fuji nodded in response.

"Looks like the news of your return has reached them," Saeki said with amusement, tilting his head in the direction of the crowd that started to gather on the side of the street, some glancing in curiosity, others gawking without disguise at the two knights as they moved down the street.

Fuji gave his most professional smile. The farther they journeyed in, the thicker the crowd grew. Strangely enough, they were silent in front of Fuji, but hushed whispers could be heard behind him.

Finally, the pair reached the gate leading into the castle, which swung open automatically. They rode into the courtyard and were greeted by a crowd of gatherers, mostly consisting of the staff of the castle. Fuji's mother and father were at the front of the crowd.

Fuji swung off his horse and walked towards his parents. "Otou-san, okaa-san," he said in a formal tone. "I'm home." He stood there rather stiffly, unsure of how to act after being apart from them for so long.

His mother was the first one to drop all pretenses of formality. She rushed over to him and Fuji found himself in a flurry of ruffles and petticoats. Smiling warmly, he hugged her back, suddenly hit with the nostalgic feeling of warmth that only mothers can give. Fuji only broke away when he heard his father clearing his throat in a meaningful manner.

"Welcome back," his father said in a proud voice. He made no move to embrace Fuji as his wife did, but Fuji understood his father all the same.

"Thank you," Fuji replied. He walked to his father and the two of them clasped arms before breaking apart and heading past the receiving hall of the castle and into the parlor.

"So, Fuji, I trust your journey back has been relatively uneventful?" his father asked as the four of them sat in the parlor relaxing with cups of tea and slices of fruit pastries.

Fuji nodded. "Luckily, Saeki was here to keep me company." Before he could say anything else, the doors to the parlor were thrown open roughly.

"Aniki!" Yuuta exclaimed as he stood in the doorway. "They said you were back, but I didn't believe it until just now."

Knowing that was the closest he would get to a 'welcome home' from Yuuta, Fuji gave his little brother a wave and a smile. "It's been a while." He was surprised when Yuuta grew red in the face and stormed back out as loudly as he had entered the room.

Saeki blinked in response. "That was interesting," he commented to no one in particular.

The doors opened a second time, although it was much gentler this time around. "Syusuke, welcome home," Yumiko said as she strode toward her brother.

Fuji stood up to warmly embrace his older sister before gesturing for her to take a seat next to him. "Thank you, Yumiko."

"What's up with Yuuta?" Saeki asked bluntly. "You must've seen him before you came in."

Yumiko laughed lightly. "Oh, don't worry about it too much. He's just really happy that Fuji came back." She gave a reassuring smile to her parents, who were clearly still a bit shocked by Yuuta's abrupt entrance and equally abrupt exit.

But Fuji sensed that there was something left unsaid. "Okaa-san, otou-san, I hope you don't mind that we continue this a bit later. Saeki and I would like to get unpacked and perhaps clean up a bit so that we're more presentable for everyone."

His parents both stood up. "Ah, but of course. We can adjourn shortly for dinner and talk more about your seven years away."

"Remind me why we're moving again?" Ryoma asked his mentor and long-time guardian. His hands paused in the middle of tying up a small satchel.

"Because the villagers are starting to notice us and, before long, they'll start asking unnecessary questions," Tezuka answered quietly as he tended to his own belongings. He finally looked up at Ryoma. "Are you done?"

"Just about," Ryoma responded as he picked up his bag and slung it over his back. He kept the satchel in his hand. "Where are we headed now?"

"I'll let you know once we're out of here," Tezuka said. He headed out the door and Ryoma followed him. It was a cloud-covered night outside, but their eyes had no problems navigating the darkness.

They were halfway out the village before Ryoma halted. "Wait, Tezuka."

Tezuka turned to look at Ryoma. "Did you forget something?" he asked.

"I think so," Ryoma said as he dug through his bag. "Yeah, I did. Go on ahead and I'll meet up with you soon." Without another word, he turned and headed back towards the direction of the house.

Slipping inside quietly, he headed back towards the bedroom and lifted up his pillow. "I can't believe I almost forgot about you," he murmured quietly to himself as he gently picked up the crimson cloak. He tucked it safely into his sack before heading out the front door. It didn't take long before he met up with Tezuka in the forest.

"Did you find whatever it was you were looking for?" Tezuka asked.

Ryoma nodded as the two started walking together, away from the village. It was silent for a moment before he spoke up once more. "You know, it's a pity we have to move away again. I was really starting to like this place." He waited expectantly for an answer, hoping that Tezuka would finally tell him about his past. He couldn't remember much past the day that he met Tezuka, only that it was filled with confusion and pain.

"You know we have to. We don't age nearly as fast as they do. And I can't tell you anything else that you don't already know," Tezuka responded. "I'll tell you when it's the right time."

Ryoma rolled his eyes, wondering when Tezuka would know when the right time was. It was something that his mentor said over and over again, but Tezuka never mentioned anything beyond that. Nothing seemed to ever trip him up.

"So, can you at least tell me where we're going yet?" Ryoma asked.

"The Fuji estate. What is it?" Tezuka asked as he saw Ryoma look at him sharply.

"Isn't that a little too close to where we were just over seven years ago?"

"We were only in the vicinity," Tezuka explained. "Besides, this particular fief is on the larger side. As long as we keep to ourselves and stay out of sight, we can stay here for at least a couple of years before having to move on."

"How long will it take us to get there?"

"It's close to midnight right now. If we're quick, we can make it before sunrise," Tezuka said.

"Tezuka, I...never mind," Ryoma said, deciding against asking Tezuka questions about what had happened to him a little over seven years ago.

Now it was Tezuka's turn to look at Ryoma, but he didn't push him for answers.

Several hours later, the two of them stood just outside the gates. Ryoma was pale and slightly out of breath.

"Just hold on a little longer," Tezuka murmured to Ryoma as he supported him with an arm around the waist. The two walked towards the gate.

"Name and purpose," the guard asked, staring at the two of them.

"We're no one important," Ryoma said to the guard, staring intently into his eyes with his own.

"But—"

"You're going to let us in and not remember us," Ryoma said in a firm voice and never broke eye contact with the guard.

Slowly, with a slihtly dazed on this face, the guard moved aside and slowly waved Tezuka and Ryoma in. It was after a few steps past the gate that Ryoma collapsed and fell into Tezuka's arms.

"Ah, crap," Ryoma whispered hoarsely.

"You pushed yourself too far again," Tezuka said as he scooped up Ryoma into his arms. Luckily, it was still early out so there weren't too many townspeople out but for the ones that were there gave the two of them long stares.

"Can you do it once again?" Tezuka asked. "I need to get us a private room."

Ryoma nodded tiredly as he leaned his head against Tezuka's chest, his hands still clinging onto his bag and satchel.

Tezuka walked into the first inn they saw.

"Hi, can I help you...?" the innkeeper's voice trailed off at the sight of the two of them.

"We need a room," Ryoma said in a strained but steady voice. "We can pay you, but we need absolute privacy. No questions, understand?" Ryoma opened his satchel and took out a small pouch of coins.

The innkeeper nodded slowly and took the pouch from Ryoma. "Second door on the left upstairs," he said slowly, as if not quite convinced but unable to refuse just the same.

Tezuka nodded his thanks and carried Ryoma upstairs. Once inside the room, he put Ryoma gently on the bed. "How long has it been since you drank?" he asked.

"I'm fine, I just need to rest a bit," Ryoma said tiredly.

"No, you're not," Tezuka said. "I shouldn't have made you Charm them. Here, take some of my blood." He sat on the edge of the bed and lifted Ryoma up onto his lap so that the younger boy was straddling him.

"No," Ryoma said as he weakly pushed Tezuka away.

"It's going to take days for you to recover if you don't take any blood right now," Tezuka said. He cupped a hand behind Ryoma's head and tilted it towards his neck.

Ryoma made one last protest before he sunk his fangs into Tezuka's neck.

Tezuka inhaled sharply as he felt the teeth break the skin. He felt the familiar feeling of warm blood flowing out before Ryoma lapped it up with his tongue. This continued on for a few mintues before Tezuka started to feel slightly lightheaded. He had to clear his throat twice before Ryoma finally took notice.

Ryoma lifted his head up and looked away with embarrassment. "Sorry," he said to Tezuka. He noticed that his hands were clutched tightly onto the front of Tezuka's shirt and loosened them.

"Are you good now?"

Ryoma nodded in reply. "Oh, wait—" He leaned into Tezuka's neck once more and swiped his tongue across the bite, sealing the wound. As he climbed off of Tezuka's lap, he sighed heavily.

"What is it?" Tezuka asked him as he stood up and opened up his own bag of belongings.

"You know I hate taking your blood," Ryoma as he flopped face first onto the bed.

"It doesn't hurt me at all. Besides," Tezuka added. "I don't need to drink as often as you do. I'll be fine for a couple more days. At least this way we can have you healthy sooner."

Ryoma turned so he was facing Tezuka. "Do you want to drink my blood, then?"

"Absolutely not!" Tezuka said loudly.

Ryoma's eyes opened in surprise at Tezuka's unnatural outburst.

He cleared his throat. "I mean, that's not necessary," Tezuka amended in his usual voice. "I can find other sources to drink from. Anyways, I'll be going out now to conduct some business. Stay put until I get back." He grabbed a cloak from his bag and opened the door. "Are you going to be okay for a couple of hours by yourself?"

Ryoma nodded. "Yeah, I'll be fine. You go ahead."

Tezuka shut the door quietly, leaving Ryoma alone in the room. Ryoma listened intently as Tezuka walked down the stairs. Right as he heard the door of the inn open and close, he rolled off the bed and walked to his own bag. He took out his own cloak—a nondescript black one—and donned it. He headed out the inn and into the streets. He glared with annoyance at the small rays of sun that managed to break past the heavy morning fog. Muttering darkly to himself, he pulled up the cloak's hood and walked off to explore the city.

Fuji rolled over in his sleep, enjoying that peaceful state of bliss before reality sets in. However, he was interrupted when the door to his room was abruptly pulled open and Saeki burst into the room.

"Wakey, wakey, it's morning already, sunshine," Saeki said cheerfully as he pulled the covers off of Fuji.

"And a good morning to you, too," Fuji said as he sat up and yawned. "Why are you so awake right now?" He got out of bed and stretched before heading over to the washroom to deal with the morning essentials.

"You promised me that you'd show me around once we arrived," Saeki said as he followed Fuji. "Now, seeing as how I was nice enough not to bother you about it yesterday, I only thought it would be appropriate to take you up on your offer now." He gave his best friend a wide grin.

"You know, a less cheerful person would push you into the moat," Fuji said. But, despite his words, he gave his long-time friend a grin in return.

"And I believe they would, if your castle had a moat in the first place," Saeki said. "It's a pity, really, that your mother replaced it with azalea plants, though they do give your castle a less dreadful atmosphere. Now, come on! I believe some breakfast is in order."

Fuji walked over to his closet and pulled out a simple tunic and breeches, plain except for the embroidered insignia of his family's coat-of-arms in the corner. Without another thought, he undressed and changed.

Saeki whistled under his breath. "You know, you're going to make a lot of lasses cry by the time you settle yourself in."

Fuji turned to face Saeki. "What do you mean by that?" he asked as he slipped on his breeches.

Saeki raised an eyebrow. "Have you looked at yourself in the mirror lately?" He tilted his head at Fuji, indicating his reference to Fuji's face and body.

"Oh, you. Always with the flattery," Fuji said, mockingly fluttering his eyes at Saeki. "Now, come on. I thought you were ravished. I think there's a plate of scones with your name on it just waiting for you." He exited the room with Saeki next to him.

Down in the kitchen, they managed to charm two large plates filled breakfast items from the cooks and they took it back up to one of the highest balconies to enjoy alongside the view.

"So, what do you want to know?" Fuji asked Saeki as they dug into their respective plates with relish.

"No way you're getting off that easily. I want a personal tour today. Besides, your parents said you're free to enjoy yourself for the next week. It's about high time you got a break, considering you've been working yourself to exhaustion for the past seven years."

"It wasn't that bad," Fuji said.

Saeki rolled his eyes at the understatement. "You practically just threw yourself into the training, working all day like a demon. It's no wonder you were the top of our class and made the rest of us look bad in comparison. What was your motivation?"

"You know what? I actually don't remember anymore," Fuji said as he pushed his eggs around with his fork. "All that was left was the drive to work myself into exhaustion until I couldn't think anymore. I guess it worked since I don't remember anything."

Saeki wisely kept quiet and the two of them ate the rest of their breakfast in a companionable silence.

After they finished with the meal, they headed down to the stables and saddled their mounts.

"Where do you want to head to first?" Fuji asked.

"Take me down your childhood hangouts," Saeki replied.

Fuji laughed softly. "I'm afraid it's been too long since I've returned. I'm pretty sure that most of the places from my childhood have also disappeared or at least altered."

Saeki shrugged. "I'm good with just wandering around. That is, at least until lunchtime at least. Then I'll just follow my nose to wherever delicious cooking can be found." He gave Fuji a wink.

"Sounds like a good plan," Fuji agreed wholeheartedly. They took the main gate out of the castle grounds and headed off towards the general direction to the heart of the city.

Apparently, word of his return had spread like like wildfire and the townspeople gathered in crowds along the street to stare at Fuji. However, they were more boisterous today and Fuji found himself being greeted by many of them.

"It's lovely seeing you again, Fuji-sama."

"Congratulations on completing your training!"

"We know you'll do a good job of helping your father run the estate."

Fuji waved and said the appropriate responses, all the time smiling.

Saeki, meanwhile, paid more attention to the comments that came after the greetings.

"My, he's grown up so handsome."

"He has the air of a good lord about him."

"I wonder if his hand is already promised to someone. Oh, lucky her!"

Saeki chuckled quietly underneath his breath, pleased that his predictions were spot on. "You're quite the popular figure," he said in a low voice so that only Fuji could hear him.

"I'm sure this is just a temporary thing, like a child with a new play toy. The novelty of my return will die down within a couple of days," Fuji responded as he continued to smile and wave at the people.

"I doubt it," Saeki said. "They seem rather interested in more than your return."

"Enough about me. I thought I was supposed to show you around today. Is there anywhere in particular you want to look?"

"Hey, how about taking me to one of your taverns or pubs? I'm feeling a little thirsty right now..."

Saeki's voice trailed off in Fuji's ears as his roving eyes fell upon a figure cloaked in all black. Something in the back of his mind was telling him that there was something out of the ordinary about this sight. The figure made only a brief moment of eye contact with him, but it was Fuji nonetheless felt something like a jolt of electricity run through his body.

I've never seen such a distinct pair of amber eyes in my life.

Fuji turned towards his friend, "Ne, Saeki, did you see—?" His words were cut off when he turned back towards the mysterious figure. Or, rather, where that figure used to be, but was now occupied only by empty space.

"Did you say something?" Saeki asked.

Fuji shook his head slowly, telling himself that it was nothing more than an illusion. "No...never mind. It's nothing. Now, where did you want to go?"

Ryoma quickly ducked into an alleyway, surprise and shock running through his body. He hadn't realized that Fuji Syusuke had returned. Last he heard, the boy was off in a distant estate studying and wouldn't be back for at least a couple of years. Seeing him brought back the same memories that had been haunting him since he left so long ago. Now, they returned with a vividness that brought on a wave of emotions as well. Shaking his head as if to clear it, he headed towards the one place he could find peace within himself.

When the chapel came into sight, he breathed out a sigh of relief. Every place Tezuka had taken him to stay at had a chapel, no matter how big or small the place was. Usually, the larger and more prosperous the establishment, the more grand the chapel was. This estate was not an exception. Ryoma's eyes took in the grand structure of the church and noted the large glass windows, a sure sign that this city was wealthy if it had spare expenses to spend on luxuries such as glass windows. He walked up the stone steps to the ornate wooden doors guarding entrance into the holy place. He pushed against the doors and they swung silently to admit him. Ryoma had to gruffly admit that this was one of the more impressively-designed chapels he had ever visited. The large glass windows weren't just for show. They let in the sun's rays and lent an air of peacefulness to the atmosphere. The high ceilings had large, iron-wrought candelabras and the dark wooden pews gleamed brightly. A soft murmur from the visitors filled the air. Some were at the front of the room, lighting candles, while others were seated on the pews, their heads bowed down in prayer.

"Welcome, Child of God," a priest greeted Ryoma.

Ryoma nodded respectfully at the priest and took a seat on a pew towards the middle of the room, all the meanwhile suppressing the small laugh that threatened to escape his mouth.

Child of God? I highly doubt that. What Child of God takes pleasure in drinking the blood of others? What Child of God has the ability to charm others, forcing them to do their biding against the person's will. I am a being without a soul. No...I am no Child of God.

He was just about drift into a meditative state when someone cleared their voice. Looking up, Ryoma saw another priest looking intently at his hood with a slight frown on his face. Ryoma lowered his hood and murmured an apologetic sound. The priest, mollified, walked towards another parishioner.

Ryoma was fully aware of the irony of the situation, but he never felt more peaceful in any other place. Despite popular stories and rumors about vampires, the holy place had no repellent effect upon Ryoma. Oddly enough, he found himself attracted to it rather than repulsed. His breathing became slow and deep as he fell into a contemplative state, letting his mind wander as his body relaxed.

In a tavern, Fuji stared in amusement at Saeki, who was currently engaged in an argument with a local on the merits of using a mare versus a stallion as a warhorse. Both were obviously slightly tipsy from their consumption of spirits and it seemed to Fuji that it was going to take a while before they would reach a middle ground.

"Ne, Saeki, I'll be back soon," Fuji had to practically yell in his friend's ear. "There's something I want to take a look at." Taking Saeki's half nod in his direction as agreement, Fuji walked out of the building, relishing in the fact that his next breath of air wasn't filled with heavy smoke and the heady scent of alcohol. Although he didn't object to a drink every so often, it wasn't in his character to down so many glasses in such a short period of time. He took a minute to check up on his mount tethered outside before heading off in an arbitrary direction. He stopped by a small flower cart on a whim.

"Are you interested in a flower or a bouquet, sir?" the flower girl asked, smiling at Fuji.

"Ah, no," Fuji replied in an apologetic tone. "I'm afraid I don't have any money on me at the moment."

"Well, if you were to choose a flower, which one would you pick?" she asked him, gesturing with her arms.

"Do you have any lilies?"

Her hand felt around slowly before she plucked a white lily out of a bouquet. "For you," she said, handing the lily to Fuji.

"Thank you, but—"

"Consider it a gift," she said. "I'm a pretty good judge of character from voices, and you seem to have a kind voice." Her head tilted to the side and she had a wry smile one her face. "I've had plenty of practice, as you can tell."

It was at this point that Fuji realized the flower girl was blind. But, instead of staring in silence, he took the lily from her and said, "Thank you. I'll be sure to repay you for your generosity when I can." As he walked off, he memorized where the cart was, storing the location in his mind for future reference. Eventually, his feet led him to the steps of the church. He entered it and walked directly up to the front of the church. Bowing his head, Fuji placed the lily next to the candles and murmured a small prayer.

After close to an hour of contemplative silence, Ryoma stood up and stretched slightly. He walked out from between the pews and approached the front of the church to light one last candle before returning to the inn. "I'm sorry, but I don't have any coins on me right now," he said to a priest.

The priest smiled benevolently at him. "We do not demand money from our parishioners, but encourage those with a little to spare to consider donating to the house of God so that we may continue to offer grace to his Children." He handed Ryoma a match. "Go in peace, Child of God."

Ryoma thanked him and took the match. Striking it, he lit a candle and placed it among the mass of candles already lit on the stand. Whispering one last prayer, he turned around to leave but bumped into someone.

"Ah, my apologies," Ryoma said. "I didn't realize—Fuji Syusuke?" That last part came out as a question.

Fuji opened his eyes as his prayer was suddenly interrupted and, for the second time that morning, made eye contact with an extraordinary pair of bright amber eyes.

A/N – As always, I feel like my chapters are too long. I feel like there's too much going on and I'm not going as in depth as I could (but imagine, it would be even longer than it is right now). Anyways, it was a weird chapter to write because there are so many aspects that I had to incorporate. I hope at least one person notices them! But I'm definitely not talking about the accuracy of my story. Once again, this story is not meant to be historically accurate, but if there are any major glaring flaws, feel free to point them out to me. Oh, and I understand that I've left a lot to be assumed by the reader, so more will definitely be explained in the next chapter.

Reviews are greatly appreciated, criticisms will be considered, and flames will be used to keep my toes warm (because heating in my room is terrible). Thanks for reading!

-The Unreal Phantom