Ethella Richmonds's Story

A chill traveled up Avalon's spine at the sound of Yuri's voice when he began to reply to her. It was the voice that he used only when he was at his most peak of rage, and a voice that she did not hear very often, and had not heard in quite a while. When she would, though, she would often attempt to stop his rage, and just as often would end up hurt in the process, instead of the servant that he had turned the anger upon. This time, though, was different, and the rage was actually against her - the core of which she could not begin to understand. She could not see why he would be so terribly angry with her, when she had offered her own sister to play the boy.

The following events that would play out were a catastrophe, and most definitely not something that she had seen coming in her near future.

She felt the contact of his body against hers almost as though a wrecking ball had slammed into her. Her weakened state only intensified the feeling, and made it far more easier for the tackle to play out. A sharp cry escaped her lips as she was hurtled towards the hard tile floor of the kitchen, and as soon as she came into contact with it, a loud crackling sound could be heard, despite the loud shouts of Yuri, follow by intense stabs of pain throughout her arm.

Without any amount of time to resist, Avalon was flipped over by the smaller boy, who was far stronger than she due to his vampire race, and felt his hands wrap around her throat. Almost immediately she felt her windpipes cut off, the intention of him only to frighten her falling short, and instead being replaced by a choking sensation. Small gasps escaped her lips, her uninjured hand raising to wrap around his wrist, and she kicked her legs beneath him, his legs lessening the power of her kicks.

She couldn't breathe, and her chest was already beginning to hurt from the lack of air.

When he finally released her throat and moved his hands to her shoulder instead, she sucked in a large gulp of air, coughing on the exhale. She was panting at this point, her throat sore and her gasps giving a hoarse sound to them. The tightening on her shoulders was painful, but not unbearable due to the pain in several other parts of her body, and the injury to her throat was slowly fading, although bruises would undoubtedly remain.

The touch of his fingers to the bite on her neck, the bloody kiss that she had received from Andrei not too long before, was still fresh and painful to the touch, and she cringed back as his lips moved over the small dashes there, the fear of him piercing her throat more so than the fear of him strangling her again. In all honesty, she couldn't afford to lose much more blood, after having given so much to Andrei, and would undoubtedly die if the boy drank from her at this point.

"Why, Avalone?"

The question was confusing, seeing as she hadn't been paying too much attention to his earlier shouts, having been more fearful for her life than to have the later ability of answering him. She was still afraid to die, but not as immensely so as she had been.

"Y-you're mine, Avalon... you're not allowed to love anyone else, because you're mine... WHEN WILL YOU GET IT INTO YOUR THICK SKULL?!" He still didn't seem to be able to comprehend that, in truth, she belonged to him and his brothers. Until one of them took dominance over the others and claimed her as his own personal maid, or the others moved away, died, or found servants of their own, she would belong to each and every Ivanov brother in the household. Why he couldn't understand that was beyond her, but would undoubtedly end up killing her eventually.

The tightening of his hands on her shoulder brought her back to her current danger, and she let out a muffled cry of pain at the sensation of the squeeze.

"Please play with me now... Please? I-if you don't... I will break ..." His voice was a whisper and difficult to hear above the woosh of sound in her ears, but she managed to make out the words.

"Teddy and I will break, don't you understand? B-because... because we love you."

He what?

The press of his lips against her caused an immense discomfort to slam through her, and she struggled against his hold, her protests muffled by the connection.

It was only when he was yanked away that she was able to be free.

Her good hand rose and rubbed roughly at her lips as she attempted to remove the taste of him from them. Why he did that, why he would try to do something like that, only made her feel disgusted and put-off. He was four years younger than her, more of a brother or a son more than anything to Avalon, and she felt sick to her stomach that he had kissed her.

Viktor was at her side, gently helping her sit up, and she grimaced at the movement. Both of her shoulders and collar bones ached, as did her throat and head, but her wrist was the most painful of all. In all honesty, she was beginning to think that it was broken, perhaps even shattered. It was the affect of Yuri's tackle and her attempt to catch herself on the floor.

"Like ... Shit ..." She turned her head to the sigh and coughed hard, her entire body shaking from it, and looked up and into her sister's face as she approached.

"I'm okay," she whispered, managing a tiny smile for Ethel's sake. The response of her sister to Viktor caused her to grimace and shake her head. "I don't need a doctor ... I need ... I need to finish my chores," she barely managed, stars dotting her vision.

Ethel was shouting, and the sound of her retreating footsteps were dull and echoed in her mind.

But she couldn't stay awake. Instead, she gave into the darkness, her entire body going lax against Viktor's one arm - the only reprieve that she could get from the pain that she seemed unable to shake. "Master ... Andrei ..." she murmured, before slipping off into blissful unconsciousness.

---

"Oh, how I hate cleaning ..."

Her arm already sore and her fingers beginning to cramp, Ethel paused as she scrubbed the floor of the laundry room, awaiting the finished, cleaned clothes of the Lords. She leaned back on the heels of her black shoes, her skirts bouncing slightly with the sudden change in position. For a moment, she sat there, sighing as she stretched out her arms and fingers above her head, her blonde curls rubbing annoyingly against her skin. The shouting that occurred not too far away from the room didn't worry her in the least, seeing as it was a common occurrence in the mansion, and with a slight shrug, she turned to the washing machine, which was beginning to give off a clattering sound - something that sounded like it shouldn't be heard, and quite dangerous to say the least.

Moving over to the machine on her hands and knees, she shimmied between it and the dryer, scooting towards the back of it. Her hand reached up and clasped the the lip of the handle to the back of the washing machine, pulled down on it, and peered into the mixture of gears, chains, and electronic boxes for a moment. One of the gears had been catching on one of the chains, and could also use a shot of oil in order to make the movements of it more slick and easier.

Scooting out from between the machines, she pushed herself up and brushed off her dress. Moving over to the book shelf with random objects adorning the shelves, she went on her toes in order to remove the bucket of tools, and dropped back to the flats of her feet, losing her balance a bit due to the added weight of the tools. She lowered it from below her head, moving over to the machines once more and dropping onto her bottom. She slid back between the them and, once behind it, removed a small wrench and screwdriver.

It took Ethella a few minutes to fix the washing machine, gaining a grease- and oil-stained dress in the process, but the machine now rumbled healthily and in a nonthreatening manner. She slid out from behind the machine and rose, returning the bucket to the bookshelf. She rubbed her oiled hands on her skirt, making a face of disgust at the black of the oil.

Shouts could be heard from across the mansion, the voice belonging to Yuri, and she frowned at the resounding thud, which echoed in the mansion. It was deadly quiet afterwards, and as the seconds ticked by, worry began to itch at the back of her neck. Unable to stand being in the room any longer, she took off from the room, darted down the hallway, and skidded to a stop only when she reached the kitchen.

Her sister was sitting on the floor with the eldest of the brothers, Viktor, crouching beside her. Yuri cowered against a wall, and the bucket of cleaning supplies that her sister normally used lay scattered across the floor. Avalon, on the other hand, was trembling, her skin pale and her lips nearly blue, with one hand cradling the opposite arm.

Ethel lifted her head, her hands clenching at her sides, and could only begin to imagine what had occurred. The culprit of the incident was painstakingly obvious, and with a tight look on her face, she walked stiffly over to Yuri. She crouched down and stared at him for a few heartbeats, before her hand suddenly flashed out, striking the young man across thee face.

"I will never forgive you for this, Yuri," she whispered, already rising once more. She turned and hurried to her sister's side, dropping down to her knees and looking at her wrist.

"He broke her wrist, Master Viktor," she said, leaning up enough to get a better view of the shattered limb. "It will need surgery and a cast. We need a doctor, Sir," she said darkly, her jaw set furiously. She rest her hand gently on her sister's elbow, turning a look of concern on her. "Are you alright, Lonny?"

"I'm okay," came the whispered reply. Ethel took note of the bruises appearing on her sister's neck, and with a tightened expression, she approached Yuri again. Her hand reached out and grabbed his upper arm roughly, shoving him surprisingly easily against the wall.

"What is wrong with you?" she came close to shouting, slamming his shoulder once more against the wall that he leaned against. "How could you do this? I thought that we were friends, Yuri!" she sniffed, tears appearing in her wise, green eyes. Her lashes were already wet and were annoyingly sticking together with each blink, and her lower lip was beginning to tremble. "I thought you were my friend, Yu-Yu!"

She released his arm, almost throwing it against the wall, and rose. With a flick at a stray tear that had escaped from her eye, she quickly exited the room, almost fleeing it, her escape was so swift.

She didn't stop until she was upstairs and in her room, with the door shut behind her. Young human teenagers were often the most unpredictable in the things that they could do, especially when they were female. For her, she couldn't seem to control the explosion of emotions that she had just felt, nor could she control the flow of tears down her face. With a trembling hand, she turned the two locks on the door, moved to her bed, and collapsed across it.

Victor honestly didn't have time for this. Morlocks words were still playing in his mind, and Although he didn't feel deafened by them, he was annoyed. Despite how angry he was with Yuri for misbehaving in such a manner, he knew the child vampire probably hasn't meant it that way. It was true that Yuri loved Avalon- he looked up to you greatly, even if he didn't wish to admit it. But it was more of a brotherly kind of love. The child didn't know the difference between brotherly love and the romantic kind of love. Yuri didn't understand the difference between lust and love either, which the brothers honestly only could thank the twins and Yuri's mother for. However, Yuri being who he was and only having seen one kind of 'love' growing up, had no idea how to show these feelings. It because even more evident as a shameful confused, not to mention slightly embarrassed look spread over his features as he started to calm down.

Yes, Yuri didn't understand at all. Well, he had known that the yelling and the tackling her to the ground part was bad- he had known that all along. However, when he t like that Yuri was incapable of keeping control of his emotions and actions. He just... couldn't. When it happened, he didn't exactly think of that he wasn't allowed to dos tuff like that- that it was crossing the line. Besides, he was confused. Really confused, even. Why had she been so repulsed by his kissing her? Wasn't that the way you showed you cared about people? His mother done so to all the men she cared about, so Yuri didn't understand why she reacted the way she did.. if it not she actually truly she didn't care about him at all.

"Yes, you do need a doctor, your sister is right," Viktor said gently bit sharply, feeling her lean against him. He carefully picked her up, "however, it would be troublesome if you fainted on your way there or there. I forbid you to work any more today..." he said, starting to carry her towards her room. "I'll take you to your room. Get some rest, I will call a doctor," he murmured to her softly, a genuinely concerned look crossing his features.

(If that's not alright, tell me! :3)

Yuri blinked and glanced up as Ethella suddenly was standing before him, slapping him across his face, just like Viktor had just moments before. Now both his cheeks were burning. He flinched in pain but other than that he didn't react. Yuri didn't even cry. Next thing he knew she was grasping hold of his upper arm and shoving him against the wall. Well, it would rathe rave to be pressing, since he was already leaning against the wall. He couldn't meet her gaze and he made no attempt to resist her but he didn't quite hear all of her words either. 'I thought we were friends'- he did hear that part, and despite the empty look on his face and in his eyes, the tone in her voice hurt more than anything.

What was wrong with him? There were a whole lot of things wrong with him- there was a reason as to why there used to be a straight jacket in the house during the time their father still lived there. It was not uncommon that he had restrained his son this way when the young got into one of his 'moods' or during punishment. However, because of this Viktor had disposed of such tools after his fathers disappearance. Surprisingly, all of the brothers had even agreed on it, despite that it meant it would be hard to keep Yuri under control without it. Raphael possibly was sadistic and had attitude problems, but he was harmless in comparison to Yuri's moods swings. The same went for the overly strict Clarence... although, once you get to know him you'd soon notice he was about as insane. Just in a different way. The same thing would have to go for Raphael as well, although he was more obvious about it.

Yuri felt her slam him against the wall again. A soft yelp escaped his lips and he shuddered in pain, though he still didn't speak. Even if he tried to, he wouldn't be able to. So there he was, sitting in the floor in the hallway and clutching his head, not knowing what to do at all. After a while, he crawled over to Teddy and picked him up, carefully hugging him tightly.

"Mama, would you be mad at me right now?" he mumbled into the fabric of the teddy, silent tears rolling down his cheeks. "Of course you wouldn't... you never were, "You never even gave me a glance... b-but now it doesn't matter anymore, because now you are all mine and I have your undivided attention... maybe it is good you died," he whispered, gently letting go of Teddy and turning Turing the stuffed animal around, placing him in his lap and gazing into his button eyes. "your body might be dead but your still is still with me, no?" he whispered to teddy.

Although he was trying to ignore it, the image of Ethella crying flashed through his mind over and over again. Biting his lip, he finally forced himself to stand up, still shaking slightly. He took a deep breath, and then started up the main staircase, not stopping until he had reached her room.

Hesitantly, he knocked at her door, hugging teddy tightly.

"Yuri?"

The voice was harsh and cold, almost emotionless. Yuri quickly turned around and glanced at his brother, Clarence, upon hearing his name.

"Yuri, where is Viktor? A letter has arrived from the Romanian vampire court..." a look of something edging towards nervous it's flashed through Clarence eyes- it was a rare display if emotion. In his hands, Clarence was holding threeletters, however... not just one. "And one from the Ivanov's in St. Petersburg..." he hesitated, "and the last one is from Omsk, Siberia." he but his lip.

Yuri stared at his brother blankly, wiping his tears with the back of his hand. "O-Omsk?" he asked weakly, looking even paler then usual. His purple eyes wandered to the letter from Omsk and the widened. "F-father..." he whispered in a tiny voice, expression and tone full with fear.

{I was half asleep when i wrote this, so I'm sorry for how crappy it is xD}



It wasn't until the softness of her bed touched her back that Avalon awoke from her unconscious state. She had obviously been there for a few minutes, seeing as there was no one present in the room, and a tray had been placed on the bedside table, with small sandwiches and a kettle with tea, along with a pitcher of water, and two glasses. The organization of the tray betrayed the person who had delivered it as Shennila, a young adult servant of the brothers, and a close friend of Avalon's. In all honesty, however, there wasn't a single person in the mansion that wasn't a good friend of hers - at least, in her opinion. Who knew if someone that she considered close instead hated her?

She shook her head a bit. Those weren't the type of thoughts that should be milling through her mind in that moment. Instead, she should be focusing on the current ache in her body. She swore that there wasn't a single part of her that wasn't in pain at that moment in time. Although, not every limb had been attacked that day, it still throbbed nonetheless, and there wasn't much that she could do about it.

"Knock knock ..."

The voice was soft, hesitant, and Avalon turned her head to look at the door, which was cracked open and had a familiar face peaking through it. It was the family physician, who had been to her room on many accounts due to her close state with the brothers.

"How are you feeling, Avalon?" the kind man asked, who appeared in his early twenties, yet was undoubtedly decades older than his features bespoke.

"Like I was sent through a garbage disposal and spit out to rot."

The man chuckled and approached her bed after quietly shutting the door behind him. "Well, I hear that you definitely went through something pretty close to that event. From what Viktor has told me, Yuri assaulted you and may have caused a broken arm and a mild concussion?"

A small grimace rose to her lips as she mulled over her reply, the incessant pounding against her skull causing it a bit difficult to think.

"I suppose that that would be correct. My wrist is undoubtedly shattered, my head is throbbing so intensely that I am seeing stars, and my throat hurts from Yuri's attempt at a strangle. Other than that, I did give blood to Master Andrei not too long beforehand, so I have a bit of blood loss, which could also explain the headache," she explained, turning her gaze up to the man, who smiled kindly in reply, his hand lightly patting her uninjured one.

"Don't worry, dear. I'll get you fixed up in no time," he assured her, already reaching for his bag.

It took around an hour for him to perform a full-body evaluation, not in the least awkward for her due to her past check-ins with the doctor, but it left her in nearly more pain than before it had begun. He managed to slip some anesthesia into her bloodstream during the check-up, removing a bit of the pain and giving her a bleary look upon everything, her eyes heavy as she fought off exhaustion. By the time he had finished his check-up and the last thing that he addressed, which was her broken wrist, she was asleep.

The doctor rose, lifting the blanket over Avalon's naked form, her freshly-cast arm elevated upon a pillow, and slipped quietly from the room. It took him mere moments to find one of the brothers, seeing as it would not change much who he told, so long as the message was passed along.

"Avalon should be alright when she awakens, if only a bit sore from what had happened to her. Make sure that someone wakes her every hour on the hour, seeing as she has a mild concussion, and have her take one of these," he began, withdrawing a small bag of pills he had retrieved from the human world, "Each time that she awakens. It will help with the pain and her healing process. "Make sure that she is given enough fluids, and increase her intake of sugar products. After the amount of blood that you took from her, I'm surprised that she was up and walking as soon as she was," he said, a brow raised at the young vampire before him. "Also, don't allow her to even leave her bed for an entire of twenty-four hours, especially to do any chores. I will return in two weeks to look over the cast on her arm and see how healed her wrist is. We may be able to get her out of the cast and into a brace of some sort. Oh, and do not allow anyone to take blood from her, under any circumstances," he said sternly, dropping the bag of pills and the list of everything that he had just told the boy into Andrei's hand. "Take care, Andrei," he said, disappearing down the hallway.

---

The knock at Ethella's door sent the girl flailing over the side of her bed, away from the access point to her bedroom. She had been sitting up at that point, sniffling softly to herself and attempting to wipe away the tears. She had failed to do so, only succeeding in smearing what little amount of makeup that she normally wore - just a bit of mascara and lip gloss was all that she owned. The brothers wouldn't allow her to buy makeup, and refused to buy them for her, so the makeup that she did own were gifts from her sister and aunt.

She landed hard on the floor, undoubtedly bruising her bottom, and a foul word escaped her lips - a word that would have gained her a sharp slap to the bum by her sister, had she heard her say it. But she was not present, and therefore could not punish the young girl for muttering the curse.

She knew it would be Yuri who was at that door. She could even hear him conversing with Clarence in the hallway. Straining to hear the words being traded, she managed to catch on at the end of the conversation, the word 'father' sticking out blatantly in her mind.

In all her life, Ethella had not met a person, or vampire, more frightening or cruel then the head of the Ivanov family. One would not think that the father was still alive, from the way that the boys acted and the fact that he hadn't been in their lives for quite some time. The man was terrible, awful, and a complete nuisance to the boys, who would have been better off without him ever being around during their lives while growing up. He had abused Avalon on multiple accounts, in ways that even Ethella could not begin to understand, and had been a hardhearted man towards his sons - especially Yuri. In more than one of her memories, she could recall the boy being placed in the restraints of a straight-jacket, something that frightened even her, although she had never been under the direction of the Head Ivanov's fury.

Now that she thought it over, Yuri had always stepped between her and his father when he did grow angry with her.

Yuri often took the brunt of all of the fury from his father, despite the fact that it was directed at her.

He wasn't a terrible person, but the things that he often did would upset her beyond comprehension. She supposed that that was what being a hormonal, female teenager gained her, but she wished that she could control a bit of it.

Finally rising from her spot on the floor, Ethel trudged across the small room. Her hand paused as it began to rise, and with a small gulp of courage, she flipped the locks and turned the knob, opening the door just enough so that she could peer out into the quiet hallway.

The ominous feel to the air was nearly so thick that she would be able to cut it with a knife.

Clarence, of all the brothers, was the least-threatening, but far more sarcastic and easily-annoyed than the others. He was the only one other than Yuri that did not frighten her beyond belief.

"Yuri?" she mumbled, ignorant of the puffiness of her face, and of why the aura of both vampires was sullen and gloomy. "What do you want, Yuri?" she asked, her voice dropping to a whisper as she slid from her room, shutting the door quietly behind her. "I want to be alone, and you cannot even give me that much. What do you want from me, Yuri?"

Yuri gulped as he leaned against the wall next to the door in order to steady himself, hugging Teddy tightly. The memories of his father were beyond horrible, and he knew some of his siblings had suffered under him even worse than Yuri himself. He took a deep breath, trying to regain control of his mind and words in order to speak one of the many questions which swirled around in his mind. He opened his mouth several times and then shut it again, his throat feeling thick as more tears threatened to come.

"W-what are the letters about?" Yuri asked quietly, instantly fearing the worst. What if his father would come back home? Without him there, Yuri's life had been paradise... b-but if he did return... Yuri shuddered at the thought, shaking his head a little. He bit his lip. 'No, no, no... he won't be coming back. He has been gone for years... why would he return now?' Yuri thought feebly, trying to convince himself that he never, ever would have to see his father again. Or well, at least he hoped for that... but Clarence totally shattered that tiny ounce of hope he had managed to build up with his reply.

"The first letter," he said, waving the one from Romania, "Is from the Transylvanian Court. It is nothing special- a letter which was sent to all possible heir's to the throne. They demand father, amongst other candidates, attend a council meeting," he waved the first, most formal letter with the prettiest envelope in the air slightly before putting it back on the stash with the others, picking one of th other letters. The one from Omsk. "This leads the fathers letter," Clarence gave a slight sigh and grimace, "He wishes Viktor, as his oldest son, to go with him... which I say could only be expected. However," Clarence grimace became clearer as he waved with the last latter in the air, looking rather annoyed, to be honest. "At the same time..." the black haired vampire trailed off and narrowed his eyes, shaking his head and, pushing past Yuri just as the door opened and Ethella peeked out.

"Why am I even taking this with you?" Clarence muttered to himself, though he was addressing Yuri, "you're just a little child, aren't you? Too dense to even understand what is going on..." the black haired vampire pushed up his glasses and then disappeared down the corridor in hopes to find his older brother, leaving the male vampire and female human on their own.

Yuri did hear what Clarence said about him, or well, only half, but he still wouldn't let it bother him. He quickly wiped his tears and looked at Ethella with his big, purple, innocent eyes. He was still scared because of the knowledge that there was something more about that letter from the father- and the one from St. Petersburg. He was pretty sure that letter could only come from one family- and that was another branch of the Ivanovs. The Ivanovs were a gigantic family, spread out all over the world with high positions everywhere- but their roots were still in Russia. If you zoomed out on the family tree, you would soon notice that Yuri's family was only one tiny little branch of a gigantic tree... but possibly it was the most crooked of them all.

The young vampire grimaced at her words, looking down in shame and sadness. "W-we..." he started, not quite knowing how to continue. Yuri had never been good at being nice or friendly, although he usually used polite language. "Teddy and I came t-to apologize... for our misdeeds," he said, hesitating before he quickly bowed slightly. "I-I don't know...what... why..." he trailed off and shook his head, tears filling his eyes again, "sorry..." he whispered, "we will never hurt your sister again, Teddy and I promise... we really do. W-we won't even look at her anymore... o-or think about her, if that would make you feel better. J-just please, Ethy.... please don't cry or be sad," Yuri whispered in a tiny voice before holding out his stuffed animal to her, smiling weakly- though it was filled with pain. "L-look... Teddy even wants to give you a hug," he said quietly. This was a very rare display... since Yuri would never, ever let anyone other than himself touch Teddy most of the time. The toy was just that precious to him. But, apparently... his friendship with Ethella was even so more important to him.

"Find her. I want you to find my sister ... And kill her."

"But Miss Nerine-"

"Did I stutter, Xander, or have you begun an outright defiance against your Queen!?"

"N-Never, Miss Nerine. I could never defy you! You are beauty personified!"

A sly smile curled up the lips of the young woman, her dark eyes flashing with malevolence. "Good. Now find my sister and her children ... And kill her. The twins must live, but my sister is to die."

The large room was deadly silent, the inhabitants of it pale and wide-eyed. How were they to react? Were they to listen to the woman, or defy her? If they were to follow her orders, they would therefore kill their beloved Princess. If they refused her wishes, they would die instead.

The first one to speak was the Bonded human to Nerine, who stepped forward, his head held high and his eyes dark with with irritation.

"Did you not hear your Queen? Find the Princess and kill her, and retrieve her children! Now!"

The scurrying of the servants was nearly comical to the young woman, who leaned back in her seat, one leg lifting to dross over the other, her elbow coming to rest on the arm of the throne, her chin dropping onto the back of her hand. Her opposite lifted in the direction of Vane, her bonded mortal, who approached her obediently. The room was once again silent, having been deserted, and as soon as he reached her, Nerine tugged him onto the seat with her, the sixteen-year-old more like that of a loyal dog than a human.

"You were quite the stunning defender, Vane ... You did well defending your Queen ..."

He shivered under the touch of her fingers, which ran across his cheek and down his throat. His head fell back, and for a moment, she simply smiled at the boy.

"What an obedient little human you are ..."

The sex and blood that followed were equal in pleasure and deliciousness.

~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~

I can't ... I can't stop running ... If not for my own sake, then for Diana and Michael's!

Lycoris coughed, the cold evening air causing a shiver to wrack through her body. Her arms huddled the two bundles against her chest, her coat little protection from the chill - something that could undoubtedly cause serious harm to such young infants, even those of the vampire race. One was wailing - from hunger, cold, or both, she did not know, but she could do nothing for either at that moment. Instead, she pushed on, the snowstorm causing great difficulty each time she took a step, the snow weighing down her booted feet.

Why? Why did her sister have to be so cruel? Without Anthony alive, all Hell had broken loose, and now her sister was determined to kill her and take her children. How could someone be so cruel? With her fiance dead, she was no match for Nerine, who only wished to raise the twins as her evil followers, or something along those lines.

A soft sob escaped her lips as Lycia stumbled, clutching the infants more tightly to keep from dropping them.

The words from her closest adviser, Tsune, echoed in her mind.

Follow the trees. Enter them beside the red rock, travel North and only North, and once you reach the end of them, you will find a small village. From there, go a mile into town, take an immediate left, and speak to the man in the third house on your right.

The man had turned out to be a good friend of Tsune's, and had given her food, clothes, and a small car. He also gave her directions to the famous, or so she had been told, infamous, Ivanov Mansion, with the order to speak to Viktor Ivanov, the eldest of the five brothers, and also the kindest.

"Oh, please ... Please do not turn us away," she whispered, burying her face between her twins's bodies. When she looked up again, she could just barely see the looming home that belonged undoubtedly to the Ivanov's.

Thank God she had made it. If she had been forced to travel much longer, she was afraid that she would have collapsed.

It seemed to take her hours to reach the mansion after that, her excitement and joy building with each step, and by the time she reached it, she was more then eager to sleep for hours afterwards. After a bit of adjustment of her hold on the twins, she managed to rap loudly on the front door.

Several moments later, during which time she had managed to quiet Michael, a young woman clad in simple yet beautiful maid's outfit opened the door, a curious expression on her face. The curiosity vanished as soon as her eyes fell on the shivering young woman before her and the two bundles in her arms, and was replaced by worry and fear, undoubtedly for the children's safety.

"My goodness, whatever happened to you?" the girl gasped, opening the door more widely and beckoning for Lycorise to enter, who quickly took advantage of the invitation. "You're nearly purple from the cold, and the clothes you are wearing are incompatible with this weather. Please, follow me. Jezabel! Fetch some tea and blankets for the guest!"

Another maid appeared, gave a nod in reply, and disappeared through a doorway. The one that stood before her turned and gave her a gentle smile.

"My name is Imora. If you would follow me, please, I will settle you in a room where you can warm yourself and the children, and perhaps rest for a while. I will fetch Master Viktor and return shortly. May I ask of your name?" Imora turned, already beginning away, and therefore forcing Lycorise to hurry in order to keep up to speed with the woman.

"Lycorise Dimozi ... My name is Lycorise Dimozi ..."

Imora stopped mid-stride, opened a door, and motioned inside of it, dropping into a small curtsy as she did so. "I will fetch Master Viktor. Jezabel will return momentarily with your tea and blankets."

With that, the girl disappeared from sight, leaving Lycorise alone. She stood there for a moment, but finally, with a slight sigh, made her way into the sitting room, which was quaint, yet welcoming, and extremely warm. She lowered herself to the floor, placing the twins before her. They were gazing our with large, wide eyes, their cheeks rosy from the cold, but otherwise healthy due to the intense bundling of their clothes and blankets. In fact, they seemed a bit warm, she noted after touching their foreheads.

It didn't take her long to remove them from the blankets, during which time Jezabel had come and gone, leaving the trey and blankets for her to do with what she wished. She managed to settle the six-month-olds on a large, fluffy blanket without much trouble, and they settled in to sleep, undoubtedly tired from the occurrences of the day, and their missed naps. She moved down and stretched out beside them, her eyes too growing heavy, and within seconds she was asleep, the infants curled in her embrace.

Imora, however, was hurrying in her search of Viktor, darting from room to room. It was ten minutes after she had admitted the Dimozi woman into the household that she had managed to find the man, who had just recently finished contacting the families' physician in order to assist Avalon - whom she had always seen as sickeningly faithful to the brothers.

"Master Viktor? There is a bit of an emergency ... A young woman arrived with two infants in her arms, claiming to be a Dimozi - one of the Spirit families that is pining for a seat at the Throne? She was quite cold and the babies seemed to be so, also ... I have settled them into your Sitting Room, and Jezabel delivered tea and blankets to them. She was wishing for an audience with you - the subject of which is unknown, but I believe that it would be a good idea to at the very least speak with her," she said softly, dropping into a curtsy as she spoke.

---

“Big sisters are fighting again, Vina …”

Rimu sighed, moving the stuffed animal across the floor in an attempt to make it appear as though it were walking. Instead, it made a sliding sound, but the idea of it walking was enough to make her content, a small smile crossing her lips. “I wonder if mommy and daddy will intervene and butt in this time. I hope so, because if they don’t, Nee-Nee’s going to kill Ri-Ri. Nee-Nee’s so spoiled … But don’t tell her I said that, so shh,” she giggled, placing a finger over her lips. She moved the kitty’s head so that it appeared to nod, a satisfied look on the girl’s face. She paused and leaned in close, her ear beside it’s head.

“Oh, yeah, I know! She’s a psycho. I like Ri-Ri so much better. She sings to me. I feel bad, though, because Anthony died and she’s really hurt now, especially since Nee-Nee wants to kill her and take the twins. What a mean sister!”

She paused, turning Vina to look into her face. A serious expression appeared on Rimu’s as a thought arose. “What if I told Nee-Nee that Ri-Ri went to visit grandma and grandpapa? D’you think that she’d believe me?” She gasped after a moment, a giggle exploding from her, causing her to flop backwards and toss Vina in the air, catching her in a light grip. “I know, she’d be silly to believe that. But you’ll always be there for me, won’t’chu Vina?” She bloomed into another smile, hugging the stuffed kitty to her chest. “I knew that I could count on you!”

---

“W-we … Teddy and I came t-to apologize... for our misdeeds ..”

He was apologizing? Apparently people who claimed the impossible cannot be done would be incorrect, because the only times that she could remember Yuri apologizing, were when he would accidently bite or push her down.

"I-I don't know...what... why…sorry…we will never hurt your sister again, Teddy and I promise... we really do. W-we won't even look at her anymore... o-or think about her, if that would make you feel better. J-just please, Ethy.... please don't cry or be sad …”

Her tears had already dried, but she sniffed a bit at the reminder of her sorrow, one hand lifting to rub at her eye. She looked up at him, her green eyes wide, swollen, pink, and damp from crying. Ethel was quiet throughout his apology, her finger curling and uncurling without her conscious control.

When he held out Teddy to her, however, she was struck speechless, not merely from her own wishes to remain quiet, but from the utter surprise that instilled her. Yuri never allowed anyone to touch his stuffed animal. Even she had only done so a few times during her life.

"L-look... Teddy even wants to give you a hug…”

Ethella stared at the stuffed animal for several long moments. Finally, she looked up at him, accepting Teddy and clutching him to her chest, his face pressed against her cheek. She snuggled him for a moment before, out of nowhere, she threw herself forward, her arms wrapping around his neck and her face cuddling into his shoulder.

“… I accept your apology … But don’t hurt Avy again, okay?” she said softly, tightening her embrace, Teddy dangling from her finger tips against his back. She leaned away slightly, her nose touching his, for they were still that close to one another. “She’s my big sister, and I don’t want her to be hurt. Besides … Jealousy isn’t a nice feeling,” she mumbled, her green gaze turned downward.

---

Was this a dream, or had Master Andrei truly just kissed her cheek?

No matter how intensely she willed her eyes to open, they wouldn't follow her commands, and it didn't take long for her to realize that this was, in fact, reality. The heavy feel of the blankets told her as much, but she could not move. Perhaps whatever drugs the physician had given her, had inadvertently rendered her incapable of moving ... Or perhaps that had been his intention. Who knew with that old man ...

"Tell me, Avalon ........ Tell me sweet little doll ......... What is the point of life ... If all God has to give us is pain?"

Whether it was the gentile nickname for her, the way that his voice gave off a sorrowful tone, or the question itself, something about it pierced her heart. It went out to him, the fingers of her unbroken arm curling against the mattress. It wasn't until he had been gone for nearly five minutes that she was able to move.

Avalon had heard everything the doctor had said, and found it ridiculous that she would need to remain bedridden for so long. Yes, she was exhausted, and yes, she wasn't truly able to think straight, due to the drugs that he had slipped into her system, but it was her decision if and when she would leave her bed. And the decision had come to that moment being now.

It was a slow progression from laying to standing, and by the time that she was on her feet, she was exhausted. However, she couldn't quit when she was only just starting - besides, Andrei deserved an answer, even if it made her sick to her stomach to stand. She pulled a robe on over her naked, bandaged body, along with an extra blanket, which she held together with one hand.

Who knew that walking could be so difficult? It was hard for her to even leave her room, and even more difficult for her to traverse the hallway, peeking into each doorway as she did so.

When she heard the water running in the bathroom that was connected to his room, she hesitated. What if she walked in on him in the nude? Not that she hadn't done so before, so there was nothing that she hadn't already seen - in truth, she had seen all of the brothers without clothes, having had the misfortune to dare to enter their rooms early in the mornings. She had learned long before to knock before entering, but with the water running, it was doubtful that Andrei would hear her. After a moment of thought, she wrapped her fingers around the knob of the door, turned it, and slid inside.

"Master Andrei?" she called quietly, her hand lifting up to her blanket once more, the rub of the sling against her neck annoying her ever-so-slightly. She shut the door quietly behind her, moving further into the room. It was empty, but steam was curling out from the half-open door to his bathroom, and the familiar sound of water pattering against flooring reached her ears.

Bundling up all of the courage that she could manage, she made her way to the bathroom, pausing just outside the door.

"Master Andrei?" she called, a bit more loudly than before. She frowned, her expression uncertain, before she leaned in just enough to see inside.

"... The point of life is to live it to the fullest. Even in times of great despair, there is always something that you can find happiness in. No matter how difficult something may seem, you need only to find your motivation to continue going, and push right on through the barrier that stands in your path. Whether it is an inanimate object or not, you need to find that one thing, or person, that you can depend on for joy and happiness. And once you do, all of those heartaches and heartbreaks make sense. They were leading you up to you meeting that one thing or person that gives you the peace and love that you have been seeking - and it makes all of that pain worth it," she said quietly, her fingers curling around the door. Halfway through her speech, she had turned around so that her back was pressed against the door, her uninjured hand flattening against the door itself. "And there's sex," she joked, a slight smile twitching at her lips. "Sex helps with all of that, too," she laughed softly, her face turned slightly downward. "Oh, I forgot ... You are not very experienced with the art of sex, now are you? How long has it been since you took a woman? Seven months?" she teased, humor obvious in her features. "Why, you are practically a virgin in your mind!" she laughed.

The sky was clouded and gray and the pitter patter of rain could be heard wide and far. The snowy ground was wet and mushy as the snow was starting to melt and Raphael started making his way through the forest nearby the Ivanov mansion. His hair had already become wet from the rain and was clinging to his head and neck annoyingly. He sighed and stuffed his hands in his pockets, just wanting to get his hunt for a new toy over with as soon as possible.

He stopped as the scent of a human female nearby caught his attention.

And then he heard her voice.

Quickly but silently, he started making his way there.

Raphael stepped out behind the human girl, an eyebrow arched and his blood red eyes bright with a playful but dark glint. "True... you're out here, all alone and vulnerable... it is as though you actually want to be attacked by a hungry vampire or idiotic pervert... what a moron you appear to be. Then again, what else is there to be expected from a blond, human girl, hmmm?" before she could react, the white haired vampire slid his arm around her waist and pulled her up to him, so that her back was pressed against his chest. He frowned as he noticed the bite marks on her neck. "Or maybe you have become addicted to our bites? How... disgusting," he stated with a repulsed snort, leaning down and sniffing her neck.

"Hmmm? You smell like Viktor... why in the world would my brother want an impudent little whore like you?" Raphael arched an eyebrow, shaking his head. It wasn't that she smelled like Viktor that made him say that. It was because she smelled even stronger of another vampire too, and... because she actually behaved like she wanted a vampire to find her. Repulsing. He thought and then frowned. Her blood did indeed smell good, but not heavenly. He truly didn't understand his brother. Oh well.

"Whom were you seeking, little human?" he asked after a while, tracing her neck with his fangs, almost pricking her skin but not quite. He was slightly annoyed at Andrei, for being so irresponsible with Avalon. Now none of the other brothers, including Raphael, had been able to feed. Then again, this was only to be expected of his older brother. Andrei was an irresponsible slob, not worthy of the Ivanov name. At least in the opinions of Raphael and Clarence too.

He smiled diabolically. "Who knows? Maybe I can help you, little human..."

---

Yuri smiled slightly in relief as she accepted teddy and hugged him, then blinking in surprise as he was hugged. First he was tense and stunned, not knowing how to react, but then he relaxed and carefully hugged him back. His nose twitched slightly as he scent filled his nostrils and he gulped, doing his best to keep himself steady. Like all the other brothers, it had been a while since he fed last, which probably had added to his strange mood before. Now, when she was so close to him, he could feel his hunger practically yelling at him what to do. Her head was buried in his shoulder, he could have just leaned down and...

Had it been any other person, he would have yelled at her for hugging him and told her off, before punishing by drinking her blood. Had it been any other day, he possibly would have done it with Ethella now too (it most certainly wouldn't have been the first time he bit her without permission or yelled at her without any particularly solid reason), but she had already been upset with him once this day, and he didn't want to upset her again.

“… I accept your apology … But don’t hurt Avy again, okay?”

"I-I promise..." Yuri replied quietly, biting his lip as she tightened her grip of him.

Not being able to hold back much longer, Yuri pushed her away somewhat roughly (without meaning to), quickly taking several steps away from her before turning around, so that he was facing the wall. Yuri fighting very hard to keep the hunger under control. His usually pale purple eyes were now glowing brightly and he was shivering all over. He clutched his teddy and shook his head, feeling a tear starting to roll down his cheek, not to mention that he felt dizzy after going through so much without having had any blood in such a long time. He was far weaker than usual. Still he had managed to tackle Avalon... which only indicated how weak she had been as a result of Andrei's bite.

“She’s my big sister, and I don’t want her to be hurt. Besides … Jealousy isn’t a nice feeling,”

He paused at her words, blinking away the tears and standing totally still for a moment before mumbling into the fur of Teddy's head. "I know..." he whispered quietly.

"There never was anything to hide... shouldn't it be obvious? When I never leave my bedroom for other things than... I don't know... playing my music or food? Heh, I think you are the one who has quite a dirty imagination, little doll..."

A small smirk played across her lips, her head tilting back even further, their close proximity causing her to have a bit of difficulty in seeing him. Her eyes sparkled with mischief, her hand lifting to drop to his chest, the water on it dripping between her fingers, which curled slightly against his skin.

"If I didn't have a dirty imagination, then I wouldn't have any fun fantasizing about you," she teased.

The movement of his arm around her waist caused her breath to hitch. A soft blush tinged her cheeks as the sensation of his touch flowed through her. His arm pulled her closer, trapping her against his chest and pinning her uninjured arm between them, her hand flat against his chest. The feel of his naked body pressing against her robed one was electrifying, causing goosebumps to arise on her skin.

"It seems you are more experienced, though... impudent little doll. I don't know if I should be jealous or excited..."

A soft laugh escaped her lips, and when she spoke again, her voice was husky, holding a seductive quality beneath it.

"You should be both ... Jealousy is a nice color on a man such as yourself. And besides," she said, lightly tracing his chest, "I can already tell that you're very excited," she teased, moving her hips ever-so-slightly to relay what she had been hinting at.

When his lips touched hers, the deal was sealed.

~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~'.'~

Avalon mumbled a soft curse beneath her breath as she rolled over, her body aching with the movement. She was on her side, the cast rubbing irritatingly against the skin that concealed her rib cage, but otherwise comfortable and satisfied. With one of Andrei's arms around her body, she was held against his side, her cast-covered arm trapped beneath her body and against his bed, her other hand resting on his chest.

"Hm, definitely a freshly, deflowered virgin," she murmured teasingly, tracing circles on his chest. She shifted so that her leg linked around of his, her head snuggling against his shoulder.

She suddenly leaned up, bracing herself on her one good arm, and looked down at him, her two long locks of hair brushing across his chest.

"You know, you really aren't that bad of a person. You should stop trying to come off as intimidating," she said, leaning down so that their noses touched. She held his gaze for several long moments, before moving so that she was laying in his arm once more. Exhaustion suddenly slammed through her, causing a large yawn to escape her lips.

"I never realized how tired I could become," she mumbled sleepily, her words slurring slightly. Her arm moved across his abdomen, almost seeming to be acting with a mind of it's own, and once it reached the opposite side of his body, her hand found his, their fingers linking together as soon as it slid into his own.

"You aren't a bad guy, Andrei ... So stop trying so hard to come off as an emotionless one ... I want to see the real you," she sighed out, her eyes fluttering closed. "... So stop pretending ... It isn't a good look for you, Andrei ..." With that, she was out like a light, her body relaxing against his side as she drifted off and into a much-needed sleep.

---

His promise reassured her, and for a few moments she was comforted, her arms twined around his neck, her eyes closed in peace. When he suddenly shoved her away, quite violently, might she add, she was stunned, to say the least. She stumbled back a few steps, blinking in surprise. Her eyes found him once more, his hunched shoulders and his slightly-trembling form causing a frown to arise.

For several heartbeats, she could only stare at his back. Finally, she moved over and gently dropped her hand onto his shoulder.

"You don't have to understand me ... But please respect how I feel. Because I respect how you feel ... And I care," she said quietly. Turning on her heel, Ethel returned to her bedroom, the door shutting quietly behind her. She stood on the opposite side of it for quite some time, her lips pressed together in an attempt to refrain from crying, but soon the tears escaped.

For what she was about to do could be either the worst, or the best, decision of her young life. She would find out quite soon, but until then, she would follow her gut feeling.

And she would leave.

It didn't take her long to pack a bag, seeing as she had few possessions that were worth taking along. Her sister would undoubtedly feel abandoned and would miss her, but this was the best decision that Ethella could make for herself at this point in time.

Ensuring that Sepharli was tucked safely within her bag, she cast a quick glance at her door, which she had locked in the process of packing, before turning back to her things. Off went her maid uniform, and in replacement of it, were a couple of long-sleeved shirts, a few sweatshirts, a snow jacket, several layers of long pants, and a pair of snow boots. Earmuffs, a hat, scarf, and gloves were last of the warm clothes added, and with a sip of her bag, she tossed it over her shoulder.

A glance at the note on her pillow caused her to hesitate, but she quickly disbanded the idea of staying, moving swiftly to the window. She shoved it open, flung one leg out into the freezing air, allowed the other to follow, and then began the treacherous climb down the side of the house.

My dearest Avalon,

You know that I've never been very good at writing these kinds of things, or even saying them, so I guess that I'll do my best.

I can't live like this any longer. You may be accustomed to it, and completely fine with living like a slave, but I, for one, am not. I can't live with the fear of dying present in my mind constantly.

I can't live so close to someone that will only ever care for their own emotions, and not for the feelings of the people around them. Teenage love sucks, and I can't deal with it anymore. Just remember that I love you, big sister, and I always will. I hope you live your life as you want it, and be happy. Maybe we'll meet again one day.

~Ethella Velvaldi Richmonds~

Her feet hit the snow, and she was immediately off, the sting of the crisp, cold night air not much in comparison to the endless amount of clothing that she wore. It stung her cheeks only slightly, her bag slamming against her back as she darted towards the forest. Hopefully, no one would notice her absence for a few hours. It would give her enough of a head start so that she wouldn't have to worry about being found and dragged back to the Hell House.

Andrei lay there with Avalon in his arms and a contented, almost dreamy expression on his face. A small blush was present on his cheeks and a tiny shiver of delight went through him. It had almost been as good as drinking her blood. Almost. Okay, it actually was as good, but Andrei somehow didn't want to admit it. He did, however, wonder how it would be to do both at once. Andrei would have to save that thought for another time and find out later, or at least so he decided. When Avalon was feeling better. Watching her like this, actually made him worry about her health slightly. He knew that humans were fragile things... maybe doing this now of all times hadn't been such a wonderful idea as he thought when he got it.

"Hm, definitely a freshly, deflowered virgin."

He chuckled softly and gently ran his free hand through her hair, smiling at her innocently as his cheeks were still a slightly tinged pink. Andrei didn't reply, though. He simply enjoyed being close to her and was content with that feeling. He smiled as she linked her fingers with his and changed position, carefully giving her hand a gently squeeze. There wasn't much more that had to be said, or at least so he thought until she propped herself up and looked down at him. He... wasn't entirely sure that was a good idea on her side either, since she obviously was in pain. He kept those thoughts to himself, though.

"You know, you really aren't that bad of a person. You should stop trying to come off as intimidating."

Andrei blinked in surprised at her words. "Huh... what are you saying, little doll?" he asked lazily, yawning as he gazed up at her, feeling her nose brush against his. "Have I ever tried coming off as intimidating?" he asked wearily, reaching up his hand and gently caressing her cheek. "That was not my intension, little doll... the only time I can remember when I might have done so is when you took my music player, which actually was justified... besides, you enjoyed your punishment so it can't really be seen as one... even if what followed was more like it. That... was however not my doing," he was smiling lazily all the while as she spoke, gazing back into her eyes with a mischievous look glistering in his own.

"I never realized how tired I could become."

"You're a human..." he reminded her, gently running his fingers through her hair, combing it carefully. "It is not really that surprising now, is it?" Andrei asked softly, yawning and shutting his eyes, though he continued combing her hair. He smiled slightly and yawned again, starting to slowly drift off to sleep he too. As she spoke again, he was suddenly rendered fully awake once more, however.

"You aren't a bad guy, Andrei ... So stop trying so hard to come off as an emotionless one ... I want to see the real you."

Andrei couldn't quite understand what she was implying. He never tried coming off as emotionless, he just didn't care showing his emotions most of the time. Or well, if he didn't like something he would actually make sure everyone knew it... like when Clarence had tried getting him to dress properly and not run around in a pajamas. Another time had actually been with Avalon, when he had freaked out as he was down in the kitchen with her, because... there was fire in the oven and Andrei had a fire phobia. So he had burst into tears, hid behind her and pleaded her to put it out. It would have been cute if he'd been a little kid at the time, but it had actually happened no more than a year ago. So, when was he pretending? Maybe the whole 'I'm too lazy, don't wanna attitude' was what she was hinting at? But he didn't think he pretended that... since he actually was lazy as hell. Or, at least he had been ever since he stopped caring about life and everything and everyone in general. Maybe that was what she meant? He wasn't sure.

He felt her body relax against his as she fell into a slumber, but for once Andrei didn't fall asleep. He yawned and gently kissed her forehead, watching her silently and thinking this over. Did she think this wasn't the real him? But then, what was? He bit his lip and shook his head, feeling it starting to ache from all the thinking. Sighing, he brushed a strand of her hair out of her face so he could see it better.

"What do you mean, little doll?" he asked in a whisper he was sure she wouldn't be able to hear. Then, he shut his eyes, and after a rather long while... he finally drifted off to sleep as well.

---

(Not entirely sure what we should do now? Move time for them? XD)

---

Yuri blinked at her words, still hugging himself and teddy and looking totally confused. H-he did understand her. He did understand her very much... so why would she say such a thing? All he wanted was to protect her. He shook his head, trying to make sense of this situation and her words. Why was she seeming so hurt? He didn't understand, what had he done? Wouldn't she get mad at him if he drank her blood? She usually was, so why was she mad at him now for refraining to do it? Yuri bit his lip, feeling tears burn behind his eyes again. He didn't want to cry, not now... but he couldn't hold them back. Soon the first tear was already rolling down his pale cheeks.

"E-ethy..." he started quietly, turning around in order to try and explain it to her... but she was already gone. W-why... why would she do that? Why would she abandon me? W-why would she abandon me like everyone else? Like mama... why? Why? WHY?! As the question swirled through his mind and the look of confusion left his eyes, it was replaced by rage and desperation. Tears were streaming down his cheeks by then, and he glanced out in bewilderment, hoping to still spot her somewhere. She wasn't allowed to leave him, she wasn't allowed to abandon him! He simply wouldn't allow it.

Without hesitation, he started running towards where he thought she was, hoping to find her so that he could explain it all to her... and punish her for being a bad friend. She couldn't just leave him like that, she wasn't allowed to just leave him like that! Yuri's breath was heavy and his eyes were wide with madness. Unfocused as he was, he fell several times on his way, hard and painfully, his tears and rage only becoming worse with each time.

"Why, Etthy?! Why would you do that?!" he whispered tearfully, slamming the door to her room open and glancing around. Although he had been just by her room when she disappeared in there, he hadn't thought of checking it because since he was so upset, he couldn't think clearly... at all.

He glanced around, feeling ready to throw anything which would break against the wall, when he noticed the open window. Instantly, his expression changed... from rage filled and crazed to hurt and sad. He walked over to the window slowly, soft sobs escaping his lips as he clutched Teddy.

"Why would she do that, Teddy?" he asked in a desperate whisper, shaking his head in bewilderment. "Why would she leave us like this? Etthy is a very, very, very bad human..." he rasped tearfully, his voice thick with emotion. Then, his expression hardened again. She wasn't allowed to go, not without his consent. She wasn't allow to leave the manor, ever. She wasn't allowed to leave him! B-because then... then Yuri would be all alone, without anyone to love him. Even if Teddy loved him, it wasn't the same as actual, human contact. His brothers didn't care, his mother hadn't cared, neither had his father... no one ever cared about little Yuri, and now he would make those who made him suffer pay! Starting off with Etthy... she was all his and was allowed to love only him... and she was not allowed to leave, ever.

He turned around in a swift movement and then walked out the room, giggling childishly as he wiped his tears. "Lets play, Teddy... lets play a game of the hunting dog and the rabbit..." he giggled again and then made himself ready to go outside into the rain and snow. Yuri had never been outside the manor before, other when his father had took him to his relatives... so this would be a whole new adventure... even if it scared Yuri slightly.

The young vampire took a deep breath as he stepped outside and then started down the path, still clutching his teddy. "Etthy!" he called, giggling, "Etthy, where are you?!" he giggled again as he glanced around, sniffing the air. He would find her, no matter what it took. He knew he scent from tasting her blood... there was no way he wouldn't find her. "Or maybe we should play hide and seek, Teddy... what do you think?" there was a dark, bloodthirsty and maddened glint in his eyes, as opposed to his childish and innocent giggle. "I start..."

With a small nod in reply, Imora turned on her heel, leading the way to one of the studies. As she walked, she mulled over what exactly could have led the Dimozi girl to the door step of a family of insane blood vampires, in the dead of a winter storm, with two babies in her arms - both of which she had put at risk of the cold.

Not that it was her business, per-say, but the girl most definitely had something to hide, the bottom of which she was determined to get to. Unless, of course, the woman revealed her motives to one of the Young Masters.

When they reached the room, she opened the door, immediately dropping into a curtsy before Master Viktor.

"Madame Lycoris Dimozi, my Master," she said timidly, backing away and disappearing around a corner, off to perform her chores.

Lycoris wasn't asleep for long, and when footsteps grew nearer to the room that she had been placed it, she was jolted awake. She shot up on the blanket, her hand fumbling for the dagger that was hidden beneath her shirt. As soon as the door was opened, she was on her feet once more, the dagger glistening in the poor lighting of the study.

When Imora revealed herself, however, Lycoris lowered the dagger, the potential threat gone and replaced by one of the young vampires that ruled the mansion.

Viktor Ivanov.

She knew quite a lot about the family - actually, she knew quite a lot about more things than she should know about, which was one reason why her sister was so keen on killing her. Knowledge was a treasure, but also a curse - at least, for her it was. However, in this exact moment, perhaps it was the key to her and her twins' survival.

Lycoris returned the dagger to it's sheath as the eldest lord of the mansion entered, calling all attention to himself. Thankfully, the twins continued to sleep, not causing any disturbance whatsoever, and she moved forward so as to prevent Viktor from being forced to walk too far into the room.

"You are Viktor Ivanov, I presume?" she asked, tilting her head slightly, her purple eyes looking him up and down, taking in the full appearance of his body. After a few moments, she met his gaze, her own dark and intense. "I have come to seek the aid of the Ivanov brothers. In my own opinion, we are all vampires, and specific races do not matter. I do not wish to gain any throne of any sort; I look only for safety at this moment in time. My fiance was killed, hunted down and slaughtered by a group of vampire hunters, and therefore left me to care for our two young children alone. I may be but of a child myself in age, but I am far older in maturity. I am unsure of whether or not you have heard of my family, but I suppose that I shall explain myself to you nevertheless."

"My twin sister, Nerine Dimozi, is attempting to hunt me down and have me join my fiance. In the process, she wishes to take my children and convert them to her evil mindset. I have managed to so far escape, but I fear that if I continue to travel much longer, not only will I succumb to the harshness of winter, but I will also loose my babies," she said softly, her hands clapsed before her. For a moment, she was quiet, but soon continued. "I ask you naught for shelter for myself, but at the very least for my children. They ... They are not troublesome," she said quietly, turning and moving back to the blanket. She lowered herself beside them, kneeling, her hand moving out to gently brush some hair from one of the twins's faces. "I understand if you are hesitant to help me ... Taking two spiritual vampire babies could be difficult. But at the same time ... You have so many servants here, would it be so hard to assign two of which to them?" she whispered, tears dotting her vision. After a moment of staring at them, she looked up at Viktor. "I know it is a lot for a stranger to ask, especially a spiritual vampire, but I am begging you take do this. I would even be wiling to stay and become a maid here, if you were to wish it. I would care for them, as I have been, seeing as they are my children, but I would also serve you and your brothers. I-I have money," she said quickly, scrambling back to her feet. She patted her coat, which she had laid across a seat, before removing a pouch. "My family comes from great money, and I can pay you for your help." She moved over to him, fumbling to open the pouch, and after a moment, it dropped from her hands, spilling golden coins across the floor. She shook her head, tugged on a lock of hair, before dropping to her knees.

"I'm sorry, I'm such a klutz," she whispered, tears sparkling in her eyes. "B-But I can offer you a personal healer for your family. I-I am connected to the Spirit Element, and can heal anyone that I wish to. I would need to find a human to bond with, but ... I can offer you the abilities of a powerful healer in the process," she hurriedly explained, attempting to pluck up the coins. She suddenly stopped, dropping the coins in the pouch before placing it in the floor. Her hands fell to her lap, a few tear dropping onto the backs of them. "Oh, what's the use ... It was foolish of me to come to you for help ... A person would have to be crazy to agree to help me in such a manner," she whispered, her voice hitching a few times. Several heartbeats ticked by before she spoke again. "If you would at least be willing to give my children and myself shelter for tonight, I would be eternally in your debt, Sir Ivanov," she murmured in a docile tone of voice.

---

A loud knock resounded through the room around a half an hour after she had nodded off. When Avalon awoke, it was hazily and sleepily, for she was still far too tired to be fully rested, or even anywhere close to such. The knocks grew more frantic with each passing second, and with a small groan, she opened her eyes. Andrei was still asleep, so she supposed that answering the bedroom door was left to her.

Somehow, she managed to stand, fumble around for her robe, tug it on, and stumble tiredly to the door. When she opened it, she was met by the worried face of Vincent, who looked down at her, his expression stricken.

Immediately concern slashed through Avalon, and with a look cast at the bed, she returned her gaze to the man. "What is it?" she whispered.

"It's Ethella," he said quietly, her lips drawn tightly across his face. Avalon frowned, her heart hammering in her chest, and she felt her shoulders drop.

"What happened?"

Vincent cast a look at Andrei's bed before returning his gaze to her. "She's run away. Master Yuri went after her ... He was extremely angry. I'm afraid that he may hurt her." His hand rose, and clasped in it, was a piece of paper, with the familiar scrawl of Ethella's handwriting slashed across it.

She took the paper, unrolled it, and quickly scanned the words. As soon as she finished, however, she felt her knees grow weak. Before she could stop herself, she had dropped to them, tears welling up in her eyes, her heart seeming to have stopped beating.

"No ... No, she couldn't have left ... She was ... She was just here," she whispered, her voice hoarse and choking slightly. Her lower lip trembled, her hand clenching around the paper with a loud crumpling sound. "We have to find her ... She can't survive in this storm, and she won't be able to survive in the human world. She doesn't know how ..." she said, an odd buzzing in her ears - the buzzing of stun. "I promised that I would watch out for her ... And I haven't ..." She lifted her arm and rubbed at her eyes, coming away with the wetness of tears. "Please ... Find her, Vincent. Send the servants who have finished their chores. I just pray to God that Yuri hasn't found her yet ..."

Vincent, obviously unsure of how to respond, finally nodded and left the room, shutting the door silently behind him.

---

"Etthy! Etthy, where are you?!"

Ethella froze where she stood, her eyes widening. Fear jolted through her, the tone of Yuri's voice maniacal and frightening in so many ways. Chills shot through her body, and she felt her heart pick up to an immense speed. Her breath caught, and she couldn't stop the trembling that began in her body.

She couldn't stop now, though. If he found her ... She couldn't even begin to imagine what he would do to her. Tears rose to her eyes, and immediately she was off again. Oh, she didn't doubt that he would catch her. But she wasn't about to just give up and allow him to find her easily. No, she would make it a difficult hunt.

The thought of the word brought the picture of a tiger stalking a gazelle through a quarry. The image wasn't pleasant, and she sniffed a bit, her hands clenching into fists at her sides.

"Stay away ... Stay away from me! I don't want to go back to that wretched place!" she whispered heavily, the exertion of running through the cold sucking the breath from her lungs. It stung her nose, and she could feel her lips chapping already.

What would she do when he found her? He would undoubtedly see it fit to punish her, and his punishments were often the most cruel. She wouldn't be able to fend his attack off. Why he was so determined to find her was beyond her, but she felt the fear of it nevertheless.

She suddenly stumbled, tripping to the ground. She slid through the snow, her bag slding several feet away. It was so cold, despite her many layers, and she hadn't a clue as to where she was. She could feel her eyes growing heavy, and not too long after, she slid into a cold, unconscious state, the snow slowly beginning to cover her heavily-clothed form.

(Since I'm on my IPad, I will be replying to each one of the posts individually, and in the order they were written. So if you don't see a reply to your post yet, that means I have yet to write it or am in the process of it. It'll be slow, since I have school. XD)

Raphael laughed softly as she pleaded him not to bite her, knowing she wanted to scream. She wanted to scream badly. but she was holding it back in order to keep herself from making this even more enjoyable for Raphael. What she did not know was that seeing her struggle like this, was almost as enjoyable for the white haired vampire. Sinking his teeth into her skin made t far more wonderful, and even if he did not enjoy her blood terribly much, he was hungry so it would have to do. Raphael did notice the girl, but decided to pretend not to, at least as long as he fed.

After a while, Raphael pulled back and let go of the girl. By then he had taken so much blood she should be rather unsteady on her feet, although not fatally so. Still, the young vampire was not sated. He wanted more than blood, but he knew he couldn't take that from this girl, for as she said; Raphael's brother considered her his and no matter how unreasonable Raphael thought that was, he still reaped his elder brothers choice of action.

"Be silent, Harlot!" Raphael said sharply, narrowing his eyes at the girl and shaking his head. "You have no room to speak. What belongs your brother also belongs to us, I hope you will learn that early on in your service to him..." Raphael smiled cruelly, "or otherwise it will become very hard and painful for you, little bitch," he chuckled darkly and then turned his gaze to the other girl, tilting his head.

Now, this one was pretty enough and the blood pulsing through her veins seemed far better than the blond girls as well. At least in Raphael's opinion.

He gave her a small, handsome smile which could have made every girl faint, his red eyes invoking a friendly and totally different air than just moments ago, despite their color. Within seconds he was behind her, gently wrapping his är,s around her shoulders and leaning close to her ear, whispering gently.

"Hello there, little human... you realize that now with what you have seen, I cannot let you... no?" he asked, chuckling softly. He was holding her gently but firmly, thus preventing her from breaking free without hurting her. Pain would come later, first was always pleasure on the list. "Okay? So be a good little human and come home with your new master..." he straightened up and gently let her go, lancing down at the blond girl. "And you better come too," he said, his tone turning unfriendlier again, "if you wish to see my brother, that is. And if you don't, I will have no regrets killing you."

Raphael trailed off and narrowed his eyes as he scent if another human girl filled his nostrils. This one, however, was familiar. He quickly turned his head in the direction the scent was coming from; in the direction of the manor. Shortly thereafter, Yuri appeared from the nearby trees, hugging his teddy and giggled crazily to himself, like he would doe so often. Raphael sighed and arched an eyebrow.

"What now, brother... have you let your little pet escape?" Raphael asked, spitefully.

Yuri stopped in his tracks, his head jerking upwards to face his brother... although he didn't quite seem to be there. Yuri's whole body was shaking and his maddened gaze intended slightly. "SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP!" the boy screamed, looking ready to attack Raphael any moment.

"Oh... look who's gotten a little angry," Raphael chuckled softly, remaining fully calm despite his brothers tantrum, "why now... since you're so good at crying, won't you cry a little for me, little brother? If you do it well, I may reward you by telling you the location of your toy. Your rage dulls your senses: there is no way in hell you are going to find her like this. Howl for me, little brother," Raphael laughed and yet his voice somehow remained elegant.

Yuri gritted his teeth and glared at Raphael in pure hatred. Yes, if it was anyone he despised more than anything, it was the albino in the family.

"How pitiful... can't even shed a few tears to please your brother? What about screams, then? What about screams when I shred your beautiful little body into pieces with the help of my tools, my knives..." Raphael suggested in a sing song voice, the tone of his voice and expression almost matching his younger brothers in terms of creepiness and insanity, "or maybe I shall kill your little pet, hmm? Then you can burn her body too, like you did our sweet mothers... and stuff the ashes inside your teddy. Wouldn't that please you? Then she could never run away from you again..." Raphael laughed again, evading Yuri with ease as his younger brother charged at him, screaming in rage.

Without hesitation Raphael drew his and swung at Yuri, impairing the young vampires shoulder with it and pinning him to one of the nearby trees. Upon hearing Yuri's scream of agony, Raphael's manic smile became intenser- as did the maddened glint in his eyes.

"See? It wasn't that hard screaming for your big brother now, was it?" Raphael asked, walking over to Yuri and leaning over him carefully. He reached out his pale hand and gently stroke the purple haired boys cheek before murmuring, "and look, you're even crying... what a good little brother you are," the albino mused, before pulling out the sword from Yuri's shoulder.

Yuri let out another pained scream, followed by several sobs of fear and agony. All rage from before had fled his expression, been replaced by fear as he clutched his injured arm and shuffled away from Raphael in the snow. Tears were rolling down his pale cheeks, like blood was trickling down his arm and soaking his clothes.

Raphael smiled and sheathed his sword again, tilting his head at Yuri. "Now, shall we find that little humans of yours? Or are you as weak as you appear and can't take a little pain?" his voice had remained calm and spiteful throughout all of this. He turned to face the two humans and tilted his head, bowing slightly before speaking elegantly, politely.

"Forgive me for the delay, my ladies... it seems I will have to help my brother, as he is so obviously incapable of doing anything at all himself... if you wouldn't mind, could I ask you to come with me?" It was not like he was going to give them a choice, but this amused him.

Eve's eyes fluttered open as she heard the door slam and someone enter. She sat up in the couch, the familiar in her lap narrowing his eyes and hissing at the stranger in a hostile manner. His black ears were flattened against his head and his blue eyes flickered to ember in a threatening manner, just as he showed his fangs. Instantly, Eve let out a small, frightened scream, quickly climbing down from the couch before starting to shuffle away from him, the daemon jumping down onto the floor as well, keeping on his guard. Obviously, this man was a blood vampire. Only an idiot would fall for his claim. Blood vampires and spirit vampires hated one another, even Eve knew that much. There was no chance in hell he would have been entrusted with taking care of a spirit vampire child, especially not the kings... even if Eve's true identity was not clear to Dae.

"N-no..." Eve stuttered out, voice and expression filled with fear as she shook her head, staring at the vampire in bewilderment. "N-no... you're...a...liar..." she whispered, feeling her back bump against the wall. Glancing around, she noticed she had pushed herself into a corner... which hadn't been very intelligent at the time, but Eve hadn't really thought before she acted. Her heart as well as mind were racing and she was breathing quickly in panic, trying to get a grip of the situation.

---

Andrei yawned and stretched out on the bed, opening his eyes as he noticed Avalon wasn't there anymore. For a moment, he was struck by confusion. That moment was over quickly, however, and soon a flush of embarrassment settled on his cheek as he noticed there was another man in the room. Automatically, he pulled his blanket over himself and hid beneath it, silently listening to the end of their conversation and then waiting for him to leave. He couldn't hear all of what they were saying, but by the sound of it Avalon was crying... which Andrei wasn't entire sure how to react to. Should he feel sorry for her? Well, yes... he did... but what do you do when you feel sorry for people? He wasn't really sure at all.

Sighing, once he heard the door close, he peeked out from under the covers and glanced down at Avalon on the floor, hesitating before crawling over towards her direction, though remaining on the bed. Andrei glanced down at her for a while, still not entire sure what he could do about her sadness, before reaching out his hand and placing it on her shoulder- carefully.

"Hey, little doll..." he said softly, a look of gentleness and affection flashing through his pale red eyes, "I'm sure your little sister will be fine, alright? I mean, Raphael is out there so he will probably find her and bring her home safely," Andrei did realize that this probably didn't comfort her, but even if Raphael was a moronic and sadistic idiot, he wouldn't touch Ethella. Andrei was sure of that. Honestly, he believed in his words about Raphael bringing the girl home safely.

Andrei sighed softly, gently playing with her strange hair and shutting his eyes, stifling another yawn. "Just you calm down, okay? Freaking out like this won't help you heal, and it won't do you any good in general..." he stated, opening his eyes again and leaning down, carefully kissing her cheek. Even like this, he found aroma of her blood tempting. However, he was content with the amount of blood he had gotten before and would not need feeding for today... or tomorrow, for that matter. Besides, Andrei DID worry about her health. He truthfully and honestly did. Was... her health all he cared about, though?

'Damn it, Andrei! Don't think like that, don't even consider it! Falling in love with a human can never end well... never... ever. What if all vampires suddenly went falling in love with humans? Their race would die out... and... they would eventually vanish. It is a terrible, terrible thought... and a terrible, terrible deed of a blood vampire especially. No! I cannot effort to start caring about a mare human... not even if she saved me from the 'fire devils' that one time'. He smiled weakly at his own idiocy both back then and now and shook his head.

"Just calm down..." he murmured soothingly.

---

Raphael watched the two girls suspiciously as he walked through the forest, rain whipping against his face and soaking his clothes as it started becoming worse. This was real spring weather. Sighing, he racked his hand through his wet, white hair and paused as the brunette spoke, turning around and arching an eyebrow, placing his hand on the hilt of his sword again.

"N....no, I refuse to go, nobody is my master, if you let me go I'll pretend I saw nothing okay." She asked timidly.

Raphael's expression went dead as he locked his pale, long fingers around the hilt, a look of discontentment flashing through his crimson eyes. "Do I have to repeat myself for you too, puny human? You may be pretty and your blood may smell good enough... but like I told the blond girl, I would only find pleasure in disposing of you," his lips curled into a small, cruel smile, "no one would ever find out, puny human... and you would just become another one of my 'dolls'. A pretty one, added to that... but still. Is that truly what you wish for?" he asked slowly, tilting his head to the side and chuckling darkly before walking over to her, grasping hold of her chin tightly and tilting her head up, leaning his face close to hers.

Just as it seemed as though he was about to kiss her, he pulled back again and shook his head, starting to walk once more and letting go of her chin. "I would suggest you come along, if you care about your life... that is," he said, still smiling like that as he made his way through the forest, sniffing the air regularly and glancing around.

After a while, they arrived when Ethella had collapsed. He sighed and leaned down, carefully picking her up before throwing her over his shoulder and glancing at the other three, Yuri keeping silently in the background, clutching his arm as tears rolled down his cheeks. At least he wasn't making any sound. With his injured hand, he was trembling to keep his grip of teddy, who now was as drenched as everyone else with rain. In fact, the purple haired young vampire was shivering, which came as no surprise to Raphael. After all, Yuri had never been outside the house before... weather was something entirely new to him, as was this kind of chilly air and the forest surrounding him. If Raphael was allowed to guess, he didn't think Yuri would go out in a very long time anymore.

"Get moving..." he said grumpily to the three of them, starting back towards the mansion."

(If you guys aren't alright with this post, tell me and I'll edit it. Christopher next...)

"Do I have to repeat myself for you too, puny human? You may be pretty and your blood may smell good enough... but like I told the blond girl, I would only find pleasure in disposing of you," she watched his lips curl into a small, cruel smile, "no one would ever find out, puny human... and you would just become another one of my 'dolls'. A pretty one, added to that... but still. Is that truly what you wish for?"
Hino tensed, she tried to be nice as she could but he threatened to kill her. She sighed.
Mentally she threw up at calling him master.
He chuckled darkly which made her skin crawl he walked over to her, grasping hold of her chin tightly and tilting her head up, leaning his face close to hers.
Is he going to...to kiss me?
Just as it seemed as though he was about to kiss her, he pulled back again and shook his head, starting to walk once more and letting go of her chin. "I would suggest you come along, if you care about your life... that is," he said.
She looked down at the ground clenching her fists.

As they walked on she saw the curly blond haired one fall to the ground. She pretended not to notice.
she mentally pretended to beat up her 'master' in her mind.
As the rain got worse Hino pulled up her hood as she listened to the white haired one state, "Get moving."
"Yes master." She said with hidden venom in her tone. Where were they going?

(ignore)

Arcadia stumbled forward and regained her balance again. She shrugged off her coat, but kept on her scarf, and offered it to the purple haired boy. She didn't mind the rain, after all, she couldn't have gotten any more cold than the night she had spent in that tree. "Go on, you have it." She told him gently. He looked cold, and his brother had stabbed him. Her mind drifted back to Albert, and she felt her eyes getting watery. She missed him a lot. She didn't believe what she had given up. But...She had, and now she was here. Just to touch him again, to be near him, to smell his scent...

She sniffed at his scarf, and Arcadia breathed in the sweet scent of Albert. She missed him a lot. She hoped that staying in Viktor's care would be worth it. She remembered all the sweetness of their childhood, but from what she had already seen, that was all different now. She could tell. There would be no love. All she would be was food. But if it kept her family from harm, it would be all okay. She was sacrificing herself for them, she reminded herself of that. She shook herself out of the thought.

She heard the white haired boy giving orders, and she obeyed quietly, walking (Not in a straight line, may I add) in the direction that he had indicated. She watched the darker blonde being carried and what was going on with the brunette and white haired boy, too, but she moved when told. She knew these were the people she would be with for a long time, and sighed inwardly. She missed Albert, and began drafting out a letter in her head to him.

(Again n my IPad, so I won't reply to everyone at once....)

Yuri followed his brother in silence, all the while is purple eyes focused on Ethella over his shoulder. He was clutching his arm where he had been stabbed and blood red like rubies was trickling between his fingers, though other than that he did not seem to care about the wound. His tears had long since dried on his cheeks; or rather been washed away by the heavy rain. Yuri was still shivering all over, however, but tried to hide how cold he actually was.

Suddenly, Raphael stopped in his tracks and swirled around, gazing at the three of them, a strange glint once more present in his crimson red eyes. "You two!" he snapped, baring his fangs as he pointed at the two humans with his sword, "what are you doing, following me around like some kind of stackers?! Humans truly become more and more moronic with each generation that passes, my father wasn't that far off the truth, it seems... now leave, GET OUT OF MY SIGHT!" he roared, watching the blood of his younger brother trickle down along the cold steal of his sword and dripping into the melting snow; as it too, was washed away.

"DID I NOT MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?!" he roared, loud enough to wake the dead and most certainly to wake Ethella. Shortly thereafter, his voice dropped to something right above a whisper, sounding somewhat like a rasp but still melodic in a strange way, "you are soiling my repetition by your mare presence. Quite frankly, just looking at you makes me sick... " his hand started shaking slightly as Raphael spoke as though he had never seen them before, as though what occurred moments ago had never happened. His eyes were gleaming with insanity, and he almost seemed to be slightly... in his own world. Okay, not slightly.

"NOW LEAVE!"

"Leave..." he whispered, his voice dropping down to the strange, raspy state once more. He looked down, his wet, white hair falling into his face and obscuring his eyes from his audience, "you all are planning to conspire against me anyways, aren't you? Thats what they always do in the end... when the pain becomes they either flee and break... or they start to fight back. I hate all of them," Raphael whispered and then yanked his head up again, staring at them wide eyed, "I HATE ALL OF YOU!"

Yuri winced at his brothers rage outbreak and watched Ethella carefully, hoping with all his heart Raphael wouldn't drop her in the process of raging at them. His brother didn't, though. All the while Raphael kept a firm grip of Ethella, so hard, Yuri started worrying about that instead of him dropping her. "Poor Ethy..." he said quietly. Only Yuri was allowed to hurt her...

Hino clenched her fists at her sides, and shook, one would think she's crying especially since her eyes were shadowed, But you could see her fake smile as her lips twitched "What. Did. You. Just. Say?! she said angrily.

She watched white haired male as he spoke.
"DID I NOT MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?!" He said
Hino turned to a tree and punched it making her hand red. It showed how angry she was, no not angry, furious.
"NOW LEAVE!" He shouted to her and blond haired girl.
many birds flew away at the way he yelled.
A vein popped on Hino's forehead. Her eyes became saucers, she narrowed her eyes.

"I HATE ALL OF YOU!" He said.
Hino's fist connected to the white haired males jaw, "oh quit your whining, pitiful, hurting others for your satisfaction !!" She said shaking her fist towards him.

Raphael's eyes narrowed as he quickly evaded the incredibly stupid girls attempt to punch him- only by a few inches, but still. Most likely, she would hit the tree. However, if she was fast enough which Raphael didn't think she was... there was a possibility she would be able to avoid the broken wrist. However, almost hitting him was as bad as actually hitting him, and suddenly, all Raphael could see was... red. Pure, flamboyantly, scarlet red. At least, that was how his eyes were glowing as she stared at her in the most dangerous kind of rage; the silent, brooding type. For a moment, he just stood there- frozen to the spot and staring at her.

Suddenly, however... a loud roar that could have awakened the death escaped his lips and he charged at her with his sword, first looking as though he was going to impale her with the sword... although he suddenly stopped in his mid tracks, remembering he was actually still carrying a girl over his shoulder. What remained him, was a yelp of concern coming from Yuri, who still just stood as far away as possible and cowered. Yes, that was indeed what he was, a coward. However, he would have been a moron to challenge Raphael in this situation... as there was no way he would have been able to beat him. Not even for the human. With a sigh, Raphael carefully placed her down in the snow- finding it curious how she had not yet awakened.

"You can have her, worthless brat..."

Raphael's expression went deathly, psychotically calm and he smiled at the human girls, a small and handsome, amazingly calm smile- judging his behavior just moment's ago. He swept a tiny bow and said in a slightly raspy voice from the screaming, but still calmly; "Forgive me for all the troubles I have caused you... my ladies. You better get out of this forest before any harm comes to you," and with that said, he turned around and started to march off towards the mansion, images off all the terrible things he would do to one of the servants. What a joy he would have in shredding a young maidens skin of her body; one piece after another. What a beautiful music their voices would make as their screams echoed through the dungeon, and what a pleasure it would be to see the blood run and stain... stain everything so wonderfully red. Torturing was like art, in Raphael's opinion. And he knew that one day this fine art he had worked so hard on perfecting... would come to use; when he disposed of one of his brothers after the other. Slowly ending their life's in the most painful ways.

His snake like smile widened as the insane look in his simultaneously increased and he suppressed the chuckle threatening to escape his lips. Okay, it was more than a chuckle. It was that kind of insane laugh you would expect from a mad scientist in a horror movie- or any other kind of mentally unstable villain, to be correct.

Suddenly, Raphael stopped in his tracks, glancing at the two girls and narrowing his eyes when he noticed Yuri was no longer with them. His lips became a flat line and all emotion from just moments before escaped his features, making him completely unreadable.

"You two?" he asked flatly, "what are you still doing here? And where did that idiotic brat go off to..." Raphael muttered the last part to himself, a slight hint of annoyance slipping into his voice as he shook his head, resuming his walk again. "Oh right... I do not give a damn. The human girl may die, if he so wishes... " he yawned and sheathed his sword once more, admitting wordlessly to himself that he shouldn't be so quick about drawing it all the time. Actually he would have to get a better control of his temper... Avalon did have a point earlier that day.

---

With his excellent hearing capabilities, Yuri could make out the sound of footsteps behind him very quickly. Because of his injury, however, he had no time to move. His eyes widened as a hand was placed tightly over his mouth and he was dragged into the forest. Honestly, he did actually try to bite the spirit vampire, but didn't exactly succeed. In fact, he failed miserably. Glaring up at the spirit vampire, he stopped his fist attempted of struggles.

Shivering as the stranger pushed him down onto the ground and averting his gaze, Yuri tried to let out a yelp of repulsion as his wound was licked by the stranger's... creature? Either way Yuri hated cat's, in whatever form they could appear. There was a very good reason as to why Yuri thought so badly of them. Raphael's familiar was a cat- an albino Siamese to that, and it was far from the loving and kind version of a cat you'd usually encounter. Especially Yuri and Set were not very good friends... not even in the slightest. However, it was not actually his wound the panther licked, but his thick leather coat. It was weird and wrong in every damn way Yuri could think of. He didn't understand what could it would do either, since nothing actually happened. The stranger sitting on top of him didn't really make the situation better either- he hated to be dominated. Actually, none of the brothers appreciated it much but Yuri was the one who hated it the most. Not only made it feel him uncomfortable, but since Yuri was such a skinny and small boy... he had trouble breathing with the weight of that person on top of him, and his hand over his mouth. What? Did he have the intension's of killing the poor little vampire boy?

"Forgive me, it was the only way I thought you'd come. Now if I let go of you, you wont scream will you? Wait never mind of course you will, some weird guy just let his cat lick on you."

Yuri simply squeezed his eyes shut, wanting get over with this situation as soon as possible and get to his Ethy, who was the main goal of his mission to go outside. If she ran away again, however... Yurie decided he would NOT go looking for her. The world outside was scary and cold and wet with awkward strangers sitting on poor little boys. Yuri didn't like that at all. Well, at least he still had his teddy, which he clutched tightly in this free arm.

Once he felt the weight from him being lifted, Yuri carefully stood up, not answering the vampire and simply glaring at the ground. He winced in pain the wound caused him, but ignored it; including the fact that he was still losing blood. Actually, some of it was trickling down his chin and now and then he let out small, raspy coughs, blood splattering from his mouth and onto the snowy ground. Once, he even lost his balance and fell onto his knees, coughing up blood violently.

However, eventually even Yuri managed to make it back to the human girls and Ethella. He wiped the blood from his lips and crouched down by her side, glad that Raphael finally was gone. At least he wouldn't have to deal with his most hated brother until he came back home... which he would do soon but it didn't matter.

Carefully, Yuri placed down his teddy on Ethella's chest so he would be safe from the snow, and then gently shook her by her arm with his uninjured hand, looking at her in tearful concern.

"E-ethy..." he rasped out weakly, trying to ignore the pain in his shoulder as she continued shaking her carefully, "w-wake up! Wake up! Wake up!" his voice and tears became more and more desperate each time he called to her, hoping she would somehow hear him and wake up. It would make Yuri very sad to lose his only friend... when the world was filled with almost only clowns like the human girls, or the impudent, moronic panther-spirit vampire. Yuri had already decided... that he hated all of them. "P-please..."

(Okay, guys! Remember to RP with each other, NOT ONLY me. Captio? :3 XD)

---

Eve flinched as he closed in on her, repeatedly shaking her head over and over. "L-liar..." she whispered weakly, "liar, liar, liar..." the familiar continued hissing at him, and Eve knew that if he didn't move away soon, he would attack. She knew he was a blood vampire, and she could remember how her father had always talked about how much he despised them... so why would he have made friends with a blood vampire family? It made no sense. Actually, it made no sense to Eve at all. What was curious however... was that he knew her name. How in the world did he do that? She hadn't ever told it to him- heck, he was a total stranger. Neither did she think her father had, since he had wanted to keep Eve a secret. Only a very few actually knew about her existence. That much was obvious to Eve so then... how?

Although his smile was indeed kind, she could sense something false about it. Why would he suddenly change attitude? Probably it was because he wanted her to let down her guard... so much Eve had figured out. Despite this and how kind he looked, however... there was another thing which made it impossible for her to trust him. It was his eyes. No, actually it was everything about him: his fair, almost corpse like complexion, that coal black hair glistering like a nights sky... and yes, those incredibly crimson eyes; filled with malice and blood lust. Those were eyes all blood vampires possessed.

"Liar..." she repeated in a small, tearful whisper, pressing herself even further into the corner, "m-my papa...w-would n-n-never..." she croaked between sobs of fear, continuing to shake her head, locks of silver hair wisping around her with her movements. She was shaking with fear, her heart beating far too quickly in her little chest; very much like a bird trapped in a cage. She was shaking with fear, just hoping he would go away and leave her alone. "P-please...go..." she whispered weakly, "away..."

"Hey, little doll..."

Avalon’s breath hitched as his hand dropped onto her shoulder. She tilted her head back to look up at him, her lower lip trembling slightly, the tears dripping down her face slipping between her lips. The name that he had given her long before had, for some odd reason, hit a raw nerve buried deeply within her.

Why was it that he was allowed to call her such sweet things, play with her emotions, and yet feel no remorse for how he made her face when he treated her badly afterwards? It wasn’t fair. It also wasn’t fair that she had a life that was going nowhere. It was doubtful that she would ever marry and have children, and what with her sister’s attempt at running away, she had no family.

She had no future.

I'm sure your little sister will be fine, alright? I mean, Raphael is out there so he will probably find her and bring her home safely.” This information gave her little comfort, but she did know that Raphael would not hurt Ethella. The brothers, despite their quirks, took their possessions quite seriously, and very rarely did anything to destroy what they had claimed as their own.

His hand on her hair jerked her back to their current conversation, and she turned her gaze up to his face as he began to speak.

"Just you calm down, okay? Freaking out like this won't help you heal, and it won't do you any good in general..."

He was correct in that statement, of course. Worrying wouldn’t bring her sister back to the house, nor would it heal her wounds. But that didn’t mean that she was going to stop ‘freaking out’, as he put it so blandly. After a moment, she sniffed a bit, her throat aching as she fought back her tears.

"Just calm down …”

“Why … Why are you so kind to me, Andrei? Viktor is the only other brother of yours that treats me even remotely right. But you … You’re different,” she said quietly, pushing herself slowly up from the floor. She moved onto the bed beside him, her robe drooping from her shoulder and down her upper arm, revealing a patch of milky-white skin. Her face was so near to his that their noses were touching in that moment, her oddly-colored eyes staring into his red ones. Her hand rose, dropping onto his cheek, and she managed a small smile.

“Could it really be that the gentleness I have seen in your eyes over the years wasn’t my imagination? Is it possible that you truly feel for me in the same manner that I feel for you? Because it seems that way,” she said softly, moving her hand down to his chest, her palm over his heart and her fingers splaying out across his skin. “Andrei … I can’t pretend to understand what you are thinking, and most of the time, it’s difficult to even guess. But I can try to guess. I imagine that you aren’t sure of your feelings for me, or that you are battling with our different races. Am I correct?” she asked, moving so that she was kneeling before him at this point. She was quiet for a few moments, before she dropped her hand atop his. She moved hers under his, linking their hands together and lifting them into the air. She held them up there, before extending their fingers and pressing her palm to his, her hand much smaller in comparison.

“Are we really so different, Andrei, that you can’t allow yourself to feel how you do for me? Because from the looks of it, there isn’t much variation between us … Your skin is pale, just as mine is … And soft, also … You have five fingers on each hand, a nose, a mouth, two eyes, two ears …” she trailed off, her eyes half-closed. Her opposite hand moved up and dropped onto his chest, directly above his heart. “And we both have hearts, which beat in our chests, that would not survive without oxygen. So really … Is there so much different between you and me? Because I can’t see any obvious features that battle each other. You merely drink blood for nourishment. So tell me this, Andrei … Why would it be so wrong for you to just give in like you did when we were in bed together, only with how you feel? Why can’t you allow yourself to love me?” she asked quietly, curling her fingers in the spaces between his.

“Because I … I know that I love you. And I can’t live without my love for you. Your kind, gentle, and strong … You treat me well, and you take care of me when I need you to. You are sweet, funny, and devilishly handsome … To sum it all together, you are quite the catch … So is it really so wrong?”

“Is it so wrong for me to love you, Andrei?”

---

When Ethella awoke, she was freezing from the snow coating her body, melting through her layers of clothing and chilling her to the very bone. She shot up, shouting out and scrambling to stand in an attempt to avoid some of the snow. Some that had been resting upon her chest began to fall, but she managed to snatch it before it came into contact with the wet snow. When she looked at it, it was to recognize Yuri's ever-present teddy. She turned her gaze upwards, locking them on Yuri's form.

"Yuri, are you ... Are you crying?" she asked quietly as she looked down at him. After a moment, she lowered herself to her knees in the snow, tears sparkling in her eyes.

"I-I'm so sorry, Yu-Yu," she whispered, the tears escaping and trickling down her cheeks. "I didn't mean to scare you. I ... I just ... I wanted to explore the world and see it for myself ... I couldn't stand living there anymore," she murmured, turning her face towards the ground. She tightened her fingers around his teddy bear for a moment, before suddenly throwing herself forward, her arms wrapping hard around his neck. Her face burrowed into his shoulder, a soft sob escaping her lips. "I'm so, so sorry, Yuri ... I'll never leave you again ... I can't survive outside of the mansion ... My place is beside you," she managed to force out. She leaned back, her tears beginning to chill her cheeks, the bite in the air stinging her skin. Her hands lifted to his face, her palms framing it, his teddy bear resting safely on her thighs. After a moment of looking into his eyes, she leaned up and gently pressed her lips to his, her fingers curling against his cheeks. "I can't exist outside of this world ... I can't exist in the human world ... And I can't exist without my best friend," she whispered against his mouth, her words slightly muffled but audible nonetheless. "B ... Because I love you, Yuri. You're my best and only friend ..."

(I'll be posting for the twins tomorrow, hopefully)

"Yuri, are you ... Are you crying?"

Yuri blinked as Ethella woke up and first scrambled away from him, looking horrified at the thought of Teddy falling into the snow. A small sigh of relief escaped his lips as she caught him, and Yuri glanced up at her as she spoke. Wiping his tears with his uninjured arm, Yuri shook his head, although his lips were still quivering with emotion. "N-no..." he stuttered out weakly as she lowered herself to his level.

"I-I'm so sorry, Yu-Yu. I didn't mean to scare you. I ... I just ... I wanted to explore the world and see it for myself ... I couldn't stand living there anymore."

He cried out weakly in pain as she threw herself at him, hugging him. His stabbed shoulder didn't take her weight very kindly and waves of pain radiated from the open wound. Blood darker than human blood should be, edging towards black, smeared onto her coat as she she threw her arms around him, but luckily Yuri managed to wriggle Teddy out of the way before he got stained. "You're really selfish, you know..." he muttered unhappily, tears still rolling down his cheeks as he carefully hugged her back with one arm, "Running away from me like that- even if it was to see the world. It was foolish and selfish..." there was something edging towards a dark undertone in his voice and for a moment, a look insanity flashed through his eyes. However, it was replaced by sadness just as quickly as it had appeared. And this look of sadness lingered.

"I'm so, so sorry, Yuri ... I'll never leave you again ... I can't survive outside of the mansion ... My place is beside you."

"Indeed, so do not run away again, will you? It makes the world horrible..." he mumbled bitterly as he watched her carefully. Why was she crying? Yuri didn't understand why. She had no right to be crying- he was the one who'd been wronged by her running away, after all. Or at least so he decided that it was.

"I can't exist outside of this world ... I can't exist in the human world ... And I can't exist without my best friend."

Yuri began to smile weakly at her words, carefully running his fingers through her hair and sighing softly, shutting his eyes for just a moment. However, his eyes snapped open as she pressed her lips against his and a look of shock crossed his features. Then he relaxed, enjoying it throughly. It was so different from when he kissed Avalon. Very, very different.

Then suddenly, without warming, he pushed her onto her back in the snow, leaning her over and straddling her between her legs, gently, but holding her in place nonetheless. Entangling his long, pale fingers in her hair, he leaned down and kissed her gently, very differently from when he'd kissed Avalon. After a while, though, he pulled back and gazed into her beautiful green eyes for a moment, before speaking- ignoring the coldness, snow and the pain in his shoulder.

"G-good... then please understand why I acted why I did. I-I'm hungry, Ethella... I haven't had blood in two days; I'm starving... and here you are, in fact, a human... with wonderful blood I would just so much love to drink. Not drain you or much or anything... but I would love to taste it. Just your presence teases me... especially when I am like this..." he trailed off and leaned down closer to her again, so that his cheek was pressed against hers and his lips were by her ear. "So please forgive me, Ethella... see it as a punishment for your disobedience, if you like," Yuri murmured softly, moving his head down slightly.

Ge gently licked her neck, tickling it with his tongue, an even hungrier look than before glowing brightly in his purple eyes. "I love you too..." he whispered, meaning every word his spoke. Then he parted his lips and sank his teeth into her skin, holding her in place with his weight. As far as Yuri knew, it would hurt slightly for a brief moment but then become very, very pleasurable. At least that was how a human servant has explained it to him once... and he hoped Ethella wouldn't hate him for this and see it as a good thing instead. After all, it was supposed to be nice... no?