For Eternity

* Note* This story takes place in the 15th century, somewhere in Europe, most probably Italy. Basically, this is a Sugi x Ryu and J x Ino. If the idea of yaoi disgust you, well, too bad, go back! Sugi’ s a vampire and Ryu’ s, well…just read the story! Oh, yea, don’t sue me, I don’t have a single cent.

***

How many days has passed…? How many nights has passed…? I don’t know…… I don’t know…… All I know is the hunger and fatigue in me… I see those men again… bargaining for a suitable price…bargaining for me… I’m so tired but I don’t want to sleep…no.

Ryu’ s eyelids slowly drifted close before snapping open again to repeat the same process until sleep claimed him totally. In his slumber, fractions of images pieced themselves together to form a dream. This particular dream took place in a meadow, green and blossoming with sweet little daisies. He saw pretty butterflies, colorful butterflies fluttering around.

He was in a cell, the kind used to confine slaves in that era. His stepfather had sold him, for maybe 5 shillings, to a Turk who was dressed in fine cloth and smelt of herbs and spices. The man had dragged him to the ship on which he was brought here. The walls were wet and slimy. He was the only one in the cell. He had no idea where he was. Russia was his homeland and this is certainly not Russia.

He suddenly felt something cold touching him, maybe a sort of stone or brass. Reluctantly, he pried open his eyes and saw pale white fingers stroking his cheek. The man looked at me with an indescribable expression on his face.

" Ryu," he said, almost in a whisper.

He was dressed in red velvet with black and gold trimmings at the hems of his cape. His blond hair was parted at the side and combed down to his shoulders. He had fine clear translucent complexion with mesmerizing yet defined eyes, giving him a regal bearing. And at the moment, his lips were pouted in the most sensual of ways.

Ryu stared at the man, longer than polite.

-I know him. I know I do. I just can’t recall where and when.-

" I am not God, don’t look at me like that," he said. His smile was kindly. " Come with me."

The tall man beckoned Ryu to follow him. The latter raised with great difficulty. His body ached from the long hours crouching down and his legs felt like rubber and was uncoordinated. He nearly stumbled as he followed the man through the long corridor. Empty cells lined the length of the walkway. No light greeted them when they reached the end; night has fallen. At the end of the corridor, the man paid the same Turk some money. Ryu could not see the trader clearly but he sensed him looking at him with disgust.

The man, who introduced himself simply as Sugizo, however, treated Ryu with great care as if he was a fragile glass that would break at the least carelessness. He lead Ryu to the magnificent carriage that awaited them down the road. During the entire journey to Sugizo’ s home, Sugizo looked outside with his head leaning on the edge of the window to admire the rapidly passing darkness while Ryu fidgeted with discomfort.

" From now on, you would stay here," Sugizo said as the carriage came to a stop.

‘Here’ referred to a castle-like mansion, so tall you could barely see its top. Ryu gaped at the structure with awe even as he entered the mansion. Servants dressed in black bowed to Sugizo in respects.

The room he was brought to by one of the servants was beautifully furnished with a big bed covered with blue satin quilt, a large wardrobe of fine wood, a dressing table lined with bottles of perfume on it, and some other pieces of furniture. Dark azure drapes furnished the windows and matching carpet lay on the floor. Ryu has never seen such beautiful things like the oil paintings that hung on the walls nor the finely crafted porcelain vases that decorated the halls.

" Impressed, are we?" Sugizo laughed. With a wave of his hand, he dismissed the servant as he stepped into the confinement of the room. Opening the wardrobe, he took out a luxurious dark blue robe.

Ryu tensed as he reached out to remove the rags that were his clothes. His hands were cold as marble as they brushed so gently against his flushed skin.

" Master," he said.

Ryu’ s age was already nearing twenty. Sugizo seemed to be his age too but the air of wisdom around him betrayed his looks. His eyes reflected centuries of experience although his face was free of wrinkles or any flaws. These made Ryu regard him with such respect and admiration. He was the Master.

" Yes?" he said as he slipped into the pool of bath with Ryu. He, too, was in the state of undress.

His body was perfect as if crafted by the most talented and gifted artists, Ryu noted with a blush tinting his cheeks. His own was pale and thin from all those days he went through without proper meals. Again he found himself staring at his Master.

" Why?" he questioned Sugizo.

" Why what?"

" Why did you choose me?" There were many other slaves you could have picked, why me? And anyway, is this how one treated slaves? He wanted to ask but kept quiet instead.

" I did not choose. This is fate."

Slowly, Sugizo leaned forward to capture Ryu’ s lips in a passionate kiss. Ryu was so shocked he didn’t even protest when Sugi slid his tongue between the parted lips to explore the his mouth. Instead he found himself flooded with pleasure. He felt some sort of liquid escaping Sugizo’ s mouth to enter his. No, not saliva as one might assume, but this liquid was thick and somewhat sweet and bitter at the same time. It had a metallic taste to it; blood. But how could one’s blood make you feel such ecstasy as Ryu was feeling? Ryu shivered as Sugizo’ s tongue sparred with his own, passing back and forth the elixir until finally it went down his throat, causing him to choke slightly.

Sugizo released his captive’s lips before he turned him around to scrub his back. Ryu did not bother to question any further; he merely let his curiosity rest. Sugizo washed him clean before fitting the robe onto him. Carefully he parted Ryu’ s ebony black hair and combed it until it shone. He was admiring Ryu’ s face when a knock disturbed him. With a frown, he answered the door.

There stood an innocent looking man with hair slightly pass his shoulders. His hand held a piece of paper. He showed the scrap to Sugizo. Sugizo let out a quiet laugh before retrieving the paper. To Ryu’ s surprise, he thought he saw the paper going up in flames in Sugizo’ s fingers. He dismissed it as an illusion.

" You shouldn’t worry about trivial stuff like this ,Ino," he said.

Sugizo invited the man, Ryu assumed his name was Ino, into the room. Ino smiled pleasantly as he greeted Ryu, offering his hand for a shake. Ryu held it, expecting it to be as cold as those of his Master’s, but they were humanly warm.

The next morning, Ryu woke up alone. He remembered going to bed with his Master lying beside him, stroking his hair as he lulled him to sleep. He remembered the warmth it brought to his body when he wrapped himself around Sugi. But he was alone in the room as the sunlight streamed in through the little opening between the drapes.

The banister itself was gorgeous. Ryu ran his hands through the black marble with golden brass borders as he descended the stairs. He was unfamiliar with the mansion, with it being his first day there and the size of the place. Fortunately for him, two servant, both girls in black cotton apron-like clothes, stood just at the bottom of the stairway to wish him good morning and bring him to the dining area.

A man sat at the table. It was the same man he saw the night before, the one with the kind yet shy face; Ino. They exchanged greetings and smiles. Breakfast was served. It was not like anything Ryu had ever eaten before. It was truly a delicacy. Ino simply laughed good-humoredly when Ryu told him so. Ryu had thought of Ino to be unsociable, but he appeared to be just reserved.

" We’re in Venice," Ino had replied when he asked.

" Venice?" Ryu had never heard of this place.

" Venice of Italy, of course."

The whole day passed without the presence of the Master, Sugizo. Ryu had had the urge to ask of the whereabouts of him but thought better of it. Other than that, he had learned that Ino was apprentice of Sugi. The Master only teaches at night, on certain nights. They spent the day walking in the big gardens of the mansion. Roses, begonias, lilies, carnations and flowers he could not name were planted beautifully in an arrangement. The sweet fragrance of the flowers were so heavenly too inhale that Ryu thought he would die absorbing the scent.

Night came. The mansion was eerily silent except for the occasional thunder that stroked, indicating a storm. Somehow, Ryu longed to see the face of his lord, his Master and the sweet yet manly voice that had cooed him to sleep the night before. Ryu had wondered all day long. Suspicion was growing upon him. Had the Master just decided to adopt him with no particular reason? The Master’s words rang in his ears.

-This is fate.-

He was sitting in his bedroom, or he thought it was his anyway, admiring the rain drops that pelted against the smooth glass window. They ran down the glass in sequence, he noted, using a finger to trace it lazily as he lay with his head on the desk.

The heavy oak door opened with a muffled creak, mildly startling Ryu. He turned to see Sugizo standing at the doorway, a smile plastered to his lips. Black satin adorned him this time instead of red velvet. In Ryu’ s personal opinion, he looked gorgeous in both.

" Welcome back, Master," he said as he knelt before Sugizo, bending down to kiss his feet. Somehow this occurred to him as a custom.

" Well, my dear. Seem to me you have recovered quite a bit."

Gently, he stroke the dark hair and pale cheeks before planting a soft kiss on Ryu’ s lips. Then, he strode to the desk where he removed a booklet from the drawer and began scribbling in it. Ryu sat idly on the bed, playing with a strand of gold thread that escaped the edge of his tunic.

" What are you writing?"

" Shhh…."

After a few minutes, Sugizo returned to the bed. Ryu was already lying down on in side, preparing for sleep to settle in. But this was not what Sugizo had in mind. Slowly, he kissed and nuzzled Ryu’ s neck, causing him to moan at the sensation.

" Is this what you want me for?" Ryu asked through the dreamy haze.

" Hmm…not only this," Sugizo replied playfully as he twirled his fingers around Ryu’ s hair to bring him close.

" Then what else, my Master?"

Sugizo stopped his caresses, much to Ryu’ s disappointment. He propped himself on his elbows.

" You don’t remember, do you?"

" Remember what?"

" Remember me, us."

Ryu knitted his brows, his mind whirring for any recollections that might lead to Sugi but found none.

Sugi gently wrapped his arms around Ryu.

" Never mind. We have forever…even if you don’t remember the past, we can make the future…"

Both of them descended on the bed and continued what they were doing before the short conversation.

***

Somewhere in another room in the mansion, a lonely figure stood waiting at the window, he too staring at the falling rain. But unlike Ryu, his windows were open, allowing the droplets of water to drench him. Nevertheless, Ino just stood there.

" You’re gonna catch a cold." A voice told him.

He turned around but he saw nothing but the darkness and the flickering candle that threatened to die at every gush of the damp wind. From the darkest corners of the room emerged a man, dressed in a gray robe. His delicate fingers holding a single stem of blooming rose. The petals were a dull shade of red but the stem was vibrantly green. He handed it to Ino who looked at it as if it was some spectacular gift.

" J…"

The man reached out to close the shutter to prevent the rain from invading the room. The carpet was already soaked. The way he padded on it made a squishy sound. In the dimness of the room, Ino could see the gleam of the ornament that held J’s robe together. It was a gray stone, rimmed with a gold edge that was encrusted with something that looked amazingly like rubies and emeralds, so similar with the one Sugi kept in his possession in the study room.

" Get out of those clothes, will you?" he chuckled.

Obediently, Ino stepped out of the wet tunic that was draped around him. In bare nakedness, he walked towards J who had his eyes glued intensely on the supposedly shy man. He wrapped his thin arms around the taller man’s neck before pulling him down onto the bed with him.

" Make love to me, J," Ino requested. He could feel fresh blood running through his veins to his cheeks, causing them to blush profusely. He had waited so long for this chance, for the chance to have the man he love loving him back, even if it was only physically.

J was slightly surprised at Ino’ s boldness though he camouflaged his feelings well behind the mask he called his face.

J smiled sweetly as his hands snaked up Ino’ s back. His lips descended upon the other’s own. Passion was built slowly as they caressed and embraced each other. J gently sucked on one of Ino’ s nipples, causing the latter to moan at the pleasure. He felt his own hands reaching up to caress the taller man’s chest, restricted by the heavy material of his robe. This, however, ended up discarded on the floor in the matter of a few seconds. Again, Ino’ s hand roamed the flat expanse of J’s chest.

Suddenly, J sat up and looked at his lover.

Ino blushed, his eyes avoiding J’s. Taking Ino’ s chin in his hands, J brought his face up so that he could brush his lips against the other.

" You’re so beautiful…" he murmured down Ino’ s neck, making the shorter man shiver ever so slightly.

Ino moaned and pushed up against J, desperately wanting the sensation of J’s skin against his. He felt his lover’s mouth moving lower to nibble at the delicate skin of his chest. Even in the cool air of the night, sweat slicked both their bodies, increasing the heat of passion between the two.

" J, please…ah!!!" Ino’ s plea was unheard when J traced a slippery path between Ino’ s legs.

Ino stifled a scream when J’s finger slid into his tight virgin entrance. His legs spread on both sides of J as he arched towards him. His eyes were lidded with pleasure.

Withdrawing his finger, J slowly eased himself into the entrance, causing Ino to tense up.

Fresh droplets of tears clung to the tips of Ino’ s eyelashes as the pain shot through his body. Seeing this, J hesitated and slowed down.

" J, it’s okay…" the shorter man reassured him.

-Ino, I love you- J thought to himself . J bent down to kiss him on the lips before resuming his speed.

Ino bit his lips to restraint himself from screaming.

" Ah, J!!!" Ino cried out J’s name as the pain was replaced was by the exquisite pleasure of the man inside of him.

*** " Ah, J!!!"

Sugi’ s head snapped up.

" Did you hear that?" he asked as he removed himself from his position.

He did not wait for Ryu’ s reply. Quickly, he picked up his discarded clothes and dressed before hurrying down the hallway. Being totally naked, Ryu took longer to dress before chasing after Sugi.

***

J thrust in and out of Ino, panting with each motion. Ino gasped and whimpered, his short nails making crescents on J’s shoulders as he neared climax.

" Aishiteru…" he whispered into J’s ear.

" Ahhh, Ino!!!" J screamed as he released his seed inside Ino.

At the same time, Ino reached his climax and released the thick white liquid on both their stomachs.

For a while, they lay on the bed entangled, gasping for breath. Then they repositioned so that the smaller man lay on top of J.

" You know, you taste so sweet," J said as he licked the liquid of Ino’ s abdomen. He laughed softly when the man gasped and pushed him away before returning to nuzzle at his neck.

" J, I love you," Ino confessed, looking up into his lover’s eyes.

J felt an uneasiness building up in him and frowned.

Softly, he whispered, " No, do not love me…"

Ino’ s delicate features were set in confusion. But before he could open his mouth to question J, his bedroom door opened with a bang.

***

Sugi stood there, staring at the sight before him. Behind him was Ryu in his silk sleeping robe, his hands clutching at the sash of it.

Ino sat unmoving on the soft mattress of the bed with J beside him. Both of them were stark naked, with only a blanket to cover themselves. Guilt crept its way into Ino.

" Master Sugizo…"

Sugi ignored him, all his attention seemed to be fixed on J.

" Well, well, who would have thought you would honor me with your presence in my unworthy premises," he said with a smile on his face, though the venom in his tone was unmistakable.

" Ah, Sugi-chan, it’s been so long since I paid you a visit so I thought it would be nice to stop by."

J collected his scattered clothes and was slowly putting them on. He took the stone ornament from the edge of the bed table and fixed them on his robe with deliberate slowness.

" Brings back lots of memories, ne?" he continued.

For the first time, he seemed to notice the figure behind Sugi.

" Ah, I see you found him!"

" Yes, thanks to you! If it weren’t for you, I won’t need to find him." Sugi pulled Ryu closer to him.

Silence hovered in the atmosphere with the sound of the torrent rain in the background.

" I think I’ll be moving on now. It’s been a pleasure to see you again, Sugi," he waved at the man, who waved back as if they were good friends bidding goodbye.

J stopped as he passed Ino, who was still immobile on the bed. Despite the presence of Sugi and Ryu, he bent down and gave him a peck on the cheek.

" Forget me," he said so softly and in a tone so low that it was only audible to Ino.

He exited through the window, his cape flowing as he leapt off the sill so silently. Remembering that they were on the fifth floor, Ino ran to the window, only to find J nowhere in sight. A few raindrops fell on his bare shoulders, sending a chill to his spine. He wrapped the blanket tighter around himself before returning to face Sugi.

Instead of the wrath he expected from him, Sugi merely looked at Ino with a trace of sadness in his eyes before stepping out of the room, leaving Ino to sob the loss of J alone. Needless to say, Ryu left too.

Ino slumped down in a heap on his bed. The smell of sweat and sex was overpowering in the room. Tears pooled at the rims of his eyes, threatening to roll down his cheeks. The rose J had brought with him lay on the bed table. He reached for it with shaking hands.

J……

He felt a prick. A drop of blood escaped his flesh as something sharp punctured his flesh.

A thorn……

-Forget me.-

Ino buried his face into his knees and wept uncontrollably.

***

-dear master, I am sorry but I love him. -Inoue

" We found this note in his room," the servant bowed as she handed the slip of paper to Sugi.

Sugi scanned the bedroom. The beds were unmade, other than that, the rest of the place was tidy and neat. His eyes narrowed.

" J, you will pay for this!" he hissed.

***

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