Crimson Tides

[Willow]

For everyone who wondered what happened after.

Five Years After Bloody Meetings

Part One

Kirian was ignoring her again. The cloak-shrouded creature rested in the crook of a tree branch, sitting in an awkward cross-legged position. Willow brushed her silver her out of her face, scowling up at his lithe form.

"Oi!"

The half-elf stooped and picked up a heavy, round rock before throwing it with percise aim and catching him in the jaw. Nothing. Kirian didn't even blink, but after a few seconds, Kirian rubbed the spot. Finally the vampire returned to earth, looking around at her with hazy silver eyes, as if he still hadn't quite returned mentally to his current form. Gradually, he moved his gaze from the distant treeline to her face, smiling strangely.

"Strange," he said softly. "To belong to no one."

"What?"

"Of course. You wouldn't know," Kirian murmured, turning away once more. Willow bristled defensively, fingering the throwing knife at her hip.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she demanded, green eyes blazing. Kirian slid sideways and feel from the tree perch, falling freely and landing perfectly cat-like at the last moment. A sneer played on his pale lips, showing the very tips of his teeth, his slate grey eyes glittering wickedly.

"You belong to me, after all," he said slyly, waiting. Her temper was predictable, as was her actions. The girl's fist thudded into his palm, almost jarring him, and his long fingers closed over her hand, twisting her arm until it was palm up. His gaze lingered on the blue veins just beneath the lightly tanner skin. He grinned, once more showing the delicate points of ivory canines.

"I'm not a slave," she growled.

"To the disease, you are," Kirian replied smoothly, pulling her close. Willow stiffened, using her other hand to push away. The vampire chuckled at her discomfort. "You can either obey me or rot as you brain does. Decay is a worst master, sweetheart."

"How would you know?" Willow mumbled, averting his gaze. Kirian leaned down, drinking in her scent, listening to her pulse race. She swallowed, feeling her heart pick up it's beat with fear. Easily betrayed, she thought. "You've never died."

"But I have had your bood," Kirian reminded her painfully, much to her annoyance. "And I can taste it every time. The rotting. You forget I had a sister, who I saw rot before my eyes. Like you are."

A fang grazed her nek and she pushed away, twisting out of his grip and raising a hand in retaliation. Stop it. Her voice screamed within his mind, te result of too many feedings. An unplanned, unexpected, but not all that unwelcome surprise. Kirian gave her a look of mild surprise and enjoyment.

"Are you getting images, Miss Kytal? Of being in the ground, some roadside grave that no one remembers?"

"You would." Her voice was a traitor too, shaking with every word now.

"Perhaps. But I would feel no grief, vampires do no know such things. These few years have been no more than the blink of a eye to me."

"If I don't feel, maybe I don't want to be a vampire," she replied, turning on her heel and stomping further into the woods. Kirian, to her surprise, didn't follow her.

"Then don't," he called after her. "Die. It's one in the same to me. Just do me a favor."

Curiosity and dread stopped her. She turned back, eyes narrowed as she looked him over. "What?"

"Let me know. I don't want to lose a full body of blood," he said softly, smiling the strange crooked smile again. "Such a waste."

[anasa]

o_0 Why, thank you, Mr. Vampire. I'll keep that in mind.

lol. "Sweetheart".

[Gwydion Nefarine]

thats cool. I look forward to part two.

[Willow]

thanks you guyz.

Kirian is such a *CENSORED* and that's sad that I think that. =3

[Willow]

Part Two

The first drops of dawn sunlight filtered their way through the close branches of the forest, finding Willow in the depths. Something flashed in a single ray of light, and the knife thudded deep into the bark and wood of an oak. Willow glared at it, as if the crude piece of steel was the source of all her problems, then moved forward the few feet to retrieve it.

"You've got a steady hand."

Willow spun, holding the knife in one hand and ready to throw. How dare he come back? The half-elf kept the blade from flying by half a ounce of thought, startled. it was not Kirian who stood where the alders and silver birches twined, but a stranger. He wore the guise of a traveling warrior, a sword strapped to his back and clothed a little lightly for the cold nights.

"Sorry. I-" Her voice faltered even as she lowered the knife. "I thought you were someone else."

A smile played on the man's face. "Someone you would readily throw that at? What could this being have done to you?"

"That is none of your concern," she snapped, sheathing her knife. The stranger looked...well, strange. His tanned face was scarred lightly across the nose and left cheek, and his dark brown hair was choppily cut, as if he'd cut it with a blunt knife and no mirror. The way he moved reminded her of the way the wolf-folk did, their awkward two-legged gait on backwards legs so out of place. Except, his legs were..normal.

"Didn't mean to pry," he replied. "They say shadow monsters walk this forest. Aren't you worried about them?"

"You say you don't want to pry and then you ask more questions." She smiled faintly. "They don't bother me anymore," she said simply, throwing the knife again. Thunk. "What about you?"

"I've never seen one, and I'm starting to think they are just a myth, perhaps."

"Perhaps," she echoed before adding,"I'm Willow."

"Sterling. Like the silver," he said, grinning. Willow didn't see why, it wasn't very funny. "If you don't mind the questions, why don't they 'bother you anymore'?"

Willow wrenched the knife from the wood, watching sap bleed down the length of the trunk. How could you answer that question?

"The vampires of this forest leave Miss Kytal alone." A shadow seeped from the trees, shifting, making a human form just to Willow's right. Sterling drew his sword, watching Kirian draw closer as he spoke. "Because she has sold her soul to one of the damned." He drew up to Willow's shoulder, ignoring her completely while she stared at him with hatred unmatched. It was a beat before he spoke again, a single syllable. "Me."

This time the knife hit more than the damp wood of a tree. The blade clipped his shoulder as he stepped back, and growling, Kirian fixed his claws around her throat, finally shifting his silver gaze from Sterling to her.

"Oi!" Sterling shouted, moving rapidly forward.

Tell him to back off, Kirian hissed.

I hope he kills you, she snarled back.

Then you will die.

"Sterling, wait," Willow croaked finally. Sterling paused, only a few steps away.

"If it weren't for the approaching daylight, I'd kill you now, do my kind a favor," Kirian said, turning to face Sterling once more. Willow coughed, rubbing her bruised throat. He examined the sliced fabric of his cloak and at the pale flesh underneath, looking at the bloodless mark. The half-elf scowled as he spoke. "Give me your hand."

Not infront of him, Willow said, stepping away from him. Kirian's lip curled.

Embarassed? he asked, still watching Sterling, the quiet malice still glowing in his slate eyes. Willow didn't answer, and after a beat, the vampire vanished as suddenly as he appeared, melting into the shadows of the wood. Sterling was tilting his head from side to side, listening for retreating footsteps, but Willow knew there would be none.

"What he said." Sterling swallowed, looking a little unsteady, dazed almost. "Is it true?"

"I wouldn't have worded it the way he did," she mumbled, backing away. "I've got to go."

"Wait!"

"I've got to go," she repeated firmly, almost fiercely. Demetrius Sterling took a few steps after her in vain, as she had vanished as quickly and efficiently as her companion had. The man let out a growl of frustration, then cut off, catching the gleam of something in the grass.


"How could you do that?" she shouted, knowing he could hear her.

"Easy," he said, leering at her from the shadows that hadn't yet been banished by the rising sun.

"What's the point of being human if you won't let me live?" Willow demanded furiously. "This is just like with Lan!"

"Oh, because it wasn't awkward enough when he caught you stealing from him," Kirian said, voice dripping with sarcasm, and he rolled his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Lan, I should have introduced you to my stalker," Willow spat, mimicking his tone. Kirian crossed his arms over his chest.

"He turned out to be the Ice Monarch," the vampire pointed out. The half-elf gaped at him, as if unable to register the amount of hatred she was feeling.

"So?"

"Lan could have killed you."

"Because you never would," she snapped, spinning on her heel. Kirian caught her by the arm, growling deep in his throat. She looked around at him, gaze frosty. "Tell me, what was it like being encased in ice?"

He stared blankly, letting his hand drop to his side. Then, he shrugged. "Like nothing. It wasn't much colder than I always am."

The half-elf sighed, and took a few steps away. "Do you get a thrill out of...terrorizing people?"

"One of my many hobbies, yes."

"Go away."

"Fine."

She blinked, then narrowed her eyes, instantly suspicious. Whenever Kirian did what she asked without arguing, it meant he'd been waiting for an oppurtunity to take off, or he was angling for a favor. Willow suspected the latter.