Along the Great Divide

Chapter 15--New beginnings

When Mamoru came out of his entranced state, having delved deep into Ludwig's mind. When he opened his eyes, Ludwig's stared back in shock, white with no color to them. Mamoru sat up, the vampire arching and writhing on the ground. The Belvasi mages still were chanting, calm and focused. The man on the ground arched, letting out a struggled scream.

"Ludwig?! Ludwig what's wrong?!"Mamoru said, holding the vampire's shoulders down as he thrashed around. His mouth fell open when he saw that something looked like it was trying to burst out of his chest. As the mages continued to chant, it began to opening him up slowly, like a knife along the skin. A large, black mass erupted from Ludwig's stomach, pouring around the circle and beginning to dissolve as it touched the circle.

Ludwig screamed arching and writhing until he came to an absolute stop, collapsing. The last of the black gunk that poured from out of him faded from existence. Mamoru bit his own hand, letting the blood slip into Ludwig's mouth. The vampire licked his lips, drinking in and feeling relieved when the pain in his stomach dulled.

Soon, the massive gaping hole was gone and Ludwig unconscious, left to recover with his head on Mamoru's lap. Moro put a blanket on Mamoru's shoulders, smiling. "He will be fine. Day's rest, he back on feet in no time."He said with a nod.

"I know…I still can't help but be worried. It was…scary…"Mamo said as he petted some of Ludwig's hair aside gently.

"That was the evil that had been inside of him. He clean now."Moro said as he sat down with him. A mage came by bringing some hot food. Moro thanked him, giving Mamoru one of the wooden bowls. "Should eat something. Pointy-ear going to be veeeeery hungry when he wake up."

"Right…"Mamoru said, smiling softly.


The next day, Mamoru woke up to feel something heavy on top of him, looking down to see a tuff of black hair underneath the blanket. Lifting it up, he saw that Ludwig had moved on top of him and snuggled his head against his stomach. He didn't know that vampires could drool but now seeing that Ludwig had created a puddle on his robes, it made him smile.

Ludwig snorted a little in his sleep when Mamoru moved, rolling his head and reaching up to pull the blanket over his head again.

"Luuuudwwiig…"Mamoru whispered softly, bringing his hand under the blanket to locate one of Ludwig's ears. He ran his fingers along it, seeing it flick underneath the blanket and giving it a little rub. Ludwig grumbled something, trying to worm his way southward.

"Come on you…wakie wakie…"Mamoru said softly, lifting up the blanket and seeing a pair of violet, sleepy eyes staring at him.

"Is it night yet…?"Ludwig yawned, Mamoru shaking his head. The vampire pulled the blanket back down. "Then I'm not supposed to be awake."

Mamoru blinked, chuckling and patting Ludwig's head over the blanket. "Ten more minutes then breakfast okay?"He said, shifting his legs a bit. "Um…Wiggy…Can I get up?"

"No, you may not. Your stomach is my pillow."Ludwig yawned, reaching up and pulling Mamoru back down under the blanket. Mamoru squeaked, laughing little when Ludwig began kissing him on the exposed skin of his open robes. He laughed, running his fingers through Ludwig's hair.

"I missed you…"Ludwig whispered into his chest, peeking up at him. "Where have I been all this time?"

"Some place you don't have to go back anymore."Mamoru said in return. Ludwig reached up, kissing him for the first time since waking up from that terrible nightmare.

"Goood Morning!"Moro chimed as he walked in the room with a hot bowl of breakfast for Mamoru.

Mamo peeked from underneath the blanket, smiling up. "Morning Moro…"He said, Ludwig squirming up to see who it was. He had not actually been introduced to Moro, his jealousy rising a bit as he held onto the mage, sitting up with him. Mamoru wrapped his legs about Ludwig's hips, chuckling.

"Relax Ludwig. This is Moro. He and the other mages here at this temple are the ones that helped me take care of your jealous butt."He said with a laugh. Ludwig growled a little as he stared at Moro.

Yep. The old Wiggy was definitely back.

"Like Lily-flower mage say. Relax. I good mage, pointy-ear."Moro said with a grin. Ludwig raised an eyebrow at him. Mamoru gave his cheek a little tug to get his attention, whispering into his ear. Moro and the other Belvasi mages usually didn't learn names quickly or know how to pronounce it. So they gave them nick names.

Wiggy raised an eyebrow, his ears twitching. "Ooooh…Well, 'Moro'…Thank you. Mamoru appreciates the breakfast."He said, Moro beaming and walking out of the room with a chipper step. Mamoru looked to Ludwig with an awkward smile.

What if all the bad things that had happened never happened? Would Ludwig ever really act like this? Mamoru pushed those thoughts out of his head, picking up his bowl of…mush…for breakfast. Sighing, he only wished that Ludwig had the strength to walk in sunlight for the day to prepare a proper meal.

A jerk in his hands brought him back to his reality, seeing Ludwig peer down at the mush. "This…is not food."He said, sticking out his tongue. "It's mashed worms."

"Really?!"Mamoru squealed, reddening.

"No. It looks the right color though."Ludwig said, sticking out his tongue. "Hurry up and eat your mashed worms, I'm hungry."

Mamoru rolled his big blue-violet eyes, flicking Ludwig in the ear. The vampire did a goofy grin, adjusting himself so he was resting on Mamoru's lap, his eyes closing. The mage ate, shaking Ludwig awake so he could feed. It was hard not to be tempted to just take the mage right there in the temple guest room, yearning to hear that voice cry out his name for the first time in ages.

Or what felt like ages.

Ludwig could only remember things slowly a few things at a time. The memories that came didn't make him black out anymore, just made him think a lot or zone out quietly while Mamoru chatted with the mages in the time they stayed at the temple.

Soon it was just time to move on. Mamoru received a colorful pack, woven from some strange animal that they kept in a pen out behind the temple, with food and provincials that he would need. Ludwig didn't really need anything but they gave him a dark wrap to give him some cover, if not something to wrap Mamoru in at night.

Arja, one of the other mages, lead them to a direct path out of the jungle and into what was a 'civilized' area once they got out of the cover of the canopy. The town wasn't very large but passing through it, it was just as lively as a city. Belvasi itself wasn't a huge country either, soon reaching the border of Mita, a mountainous area.

"This'll be fun…"Mamoru said, scratching the side of his head as he looked to the mountains from the path they stood on.

"At least you can fly."Ludwig said, fluffing a bit of Mamoru's hair. Mamoru gave him a bit of a bop on the head with his staff, smirking and walking forward.

"And at least you have superhuman strength. Come on now."Mamoru said, wiggling his finger. Ludwig rolled his eyes, following behind him with a light trot.

"I wonder what else I can do…We already established superhuman strength, speed and the semi-ability to not so gracefully climb on walls. Can vampires do anything else?"Ludwig said, walking with his arms behind his head, his eyes to the sky. Mamoru was honestly giddy to see him do his funny poses and walks again.

"Maybe…We'd have to find another vampire to find out."Mamoru chuckled. "Wiggy, you're walking funny again."

"Funny?"The vampire asked, blinking.

"Your arms behind your head, your legs kicking out as you walk. I can hardly believe that this really is the old you again."Mamoru laughed, his face flushing with joy. "How do you feel?"

"Well…light. I guess it's probably just from having all that 'gunk' inside of me that it lightened a really heavy load. And now I can jump up and down like this!"Ludwig said, hopping up, during a flip in the air and landing on his own two feet. Unfortunately, it was on an uneven surface, causing him to fall backwards. Mamoru ran over, looking at him carefully.

"Are you okay?"He asked, helping him up. Ludwig rubbed his bottom, grinning.

"Never better cupcake."Ludwig said before getting a thwap on the head with Mamoru's staff. It looked light but it was actually hard as hell. Ludwig was on the ground again, holding his head.

"OOOOOOOH! That's the one thing that will never change!"Mamoru fumed, turning his back and crossing his arms. "I'm not a cupcake! My ass isn't two cupcakes!"

"Soooorrryyy…"Ludwig whined, crawling over and wrapping his arms and legs around Mamoru's leg. He looked up at him, his eyes growing big and watery. Mamoru peeked down at him, melting.

"Forgiven…for now."Mamoru said, reaching down and petting his hair. He still had the long strands of hair from the braids they had put in his hair back in the compound. "Let me see one of your blades." He added.

Ludwig looked down at himself, removing a blade from his side and twirling it so the handle was in Mamoru's hand. The mage held it, starting to drag the vampire over to the side to the line of the forest. He made Ludwig sit still for a second while he cut the long strands out of his hair, fixing it a little. "There. Those things were starting to annoy me."He said with a huff, fluffing up Ludwig's hair a little. "I wish they hadn't cut it…I loved your long hair."

"I had long hair?"Ludwig said, blinking up at him. "Well, I can always grow it back right? I liked Theron's long hair and wanted to grow it out like that anyway."

"It was nearly down to your bottom."Mamoru said, kneeling behind him and sliding his fingers underneath Ludwig, caressing his firm cheeks. Ludwig's ears flicked, his eyes growing wide.

"Ah..be…Ahem! We should get going."Ludwig stuttered, biting his lower lip and getting to his feet again. He helped Mamoru up, pulling him along towards the path again so they could head into the mountains like planned.

Mamoru had a coy, satisfied smile on his face. Of course, he could tease Ludwig just a little. If his ass cheeks were cupcakes, then Ludwig's cheeks were muffins. Dark, delicious muffins. Oh, when they got somewhere good to stay, he'd make sure he got his fix.

Ludwig looked over his shoulder, seeing Mamoru's 'hungry' look.

"Don't eat me?"Ludwig said, batting his eyes a little.

"Huh? Oh, shush!"Mamoru said, walking a little faster and walking around the vampire with a huff. Ludwig blinked, smiling and just keeping his pace. Mamoru was probably feeling overly giddy but he was also grumpy. A massage would probably make him feel better. At the foot of the mountain path was a simple shack that was just a small eatery.

But they had no money.

Continuing onward while the mountain breeze carried the smell of delicious baked goods was taunting Mamoru's stomach. The path through the mountains lead to just a single, tunneling cave. As the light faded as they walked forward, Mamoru's stone on his staff started to glow, giving him some light. Ludwig quite enjoyed the darkness, taking advantage of it to give Mamoru some teasing little notions.

When the mage wasn't looking, he would run his finger along the crevice of his ass through his clothes or run the skin of his lips along the mage's neck. He almost was successfully hit a couple of times as he played. The tunnel wove around and soon they came to a crossroads with just a single wooden sign.

"Which way…?"Ludwig asked, looking from cave to gave. There were four total, each probably leading to somewhere different within the country. All he knew was that they were heading north to some nation that Mamoru said would keep them safe. Mamoru stood looking at the sign, looking cave to cave.

Rummaging through his robes, he pulled out a single slip of paper with something scrawled on it. Heno had given it to him some time ago for if he every did escape. Placing it between his middle and index finger, it started to glow softly, sliding out and heading down one of the caves.

"That way."Mamoru said, pointing to the cave , second on the right. Ludwig nodded, taking Mamoru's hand and walking forward. The piece of paper had waited for them halfway down before continuing onward, stopping at different intervals.

Hours passed by as they walked through the tunnels, the cave walls starting to get lighter and lighter as they got closer to the exit. Mamoru shivered a little, wrapping his robes around him. "Goodness, Reyah it's gotten colder."He shivered. Ludwig removed his cloak, putting it around Mamoru snuggly. Mamoru casted a worried look.

"Can't feel the cold remember?"Ludwig smirked, taking his hand. Soon they started to feel the ice along the stone, sliding a little until they finally saw the exit. In front of them lay a blanket of snow and ice yet there were worn out footprints heading the direction in front of them. The paper was no where in sight but soon it smacked Mamoru in the face. Huffing, he pulled it off and made it float off again.

"Come on, if we can get through this it means we're getting closer."Mamoru said as he pulled Ludwig along. Trudging through the snow was hard without snowshoes and Mamoru took the trouble to fly using his staff while Ludwig trudged through the snow, unaffected by the cold.

Eventually, they stopped when their travels, and the paper guiding them, stood at the foot of a cliff. Down below in a low, dark valley in the shadow of the mountain was a single town. There was barely a hint of ice anywhere down there and seeing as they were nearing the end of the mountain pass, it must have meant they were coming to the end of their journey.

No human or Malacai in his right man would trudge through the rough terrain and ice to get there of all places.

A sudden metallic click of something being removed from a sheath made Ludwig change his mind. Turning around, there was a man he hadn't heard standing behind him with his sword drawn.

"Who are you?"He asked raspily.

"We're travelers, probably like yourself sir. We're trying to find a safe harbor."Mamoru said, landing beside Ludwig, knee deep in snow.

"What harbors do you see?"He asked, pointing the sword at Ludwig's chest and trailing it upwards to his nose. The vampire went cross-eyed, putting his hand on the blade. With a single, hard squeeze, he managed to bend the end of it, grinning.

"That kind of harbor."Ludwig beamed. "I bet you know where it is seein' as you've got a set of blades on your teeth too."

"Huh?"Mamoru squeaked.

The man that had pointed his blade lowered it, removing the hood of his cowl. The man was pale and fair, resembling Heno a bit in his features. "Your eyes are quick…You know that was my good sword you bent up?"He said, scrunching his nose at it. It took him the same amount of force with a quick pull upward to bend the metal back into place.

"Your a vampire too?"Mamoru asked, blinking.

"And you look delicious but I wasn't going to blatantly out loud before."The man said with a smirk.

Mamoru puffed his cheeks, Ludwig edging in front of him. "You wouldn't dare…"He said lowly.

"No, I won't. Feeding from another vampire's blood source is as illegal as harboring a vampire in a human town nowadays. Welcome to Nosferata, boys."The man said, indicating to the town just behind him.

"Nosfe…That's just a bad play on words for vampire."Mamoru huffed.

"I know. We're dead beings, not poets…we can't get much creative than that. I am Grado."The vampire said, doing a sweeping bow. A sneeze made him sit up though, looking up to Mamoru with a smirk. "Let's get you two out of the snow and into some dry land, eh?"

"We're grateful, Grato."Mamoru sniffed. Ludwig looked to the mage worriedly, leaning down and picking him up bridal style, hoping that friction from their bodies would keep him moderately warm while they made it down.

"Can you carry him like that while flying?"Grato addressed to Ludwig.

"eh?"Ludwig squeaked. Grato started running for him and with no other paths other than the cliff, he received a kick to his leather stomach armor, sending both he and Mamoru falling back, past the cliff rock and downwards.

Both of them screamed like their throats didn't matter, Ludwig holding onto Mamoru and vise versa. Grato fell right behind them but he looked like he was falling at a faster rate.

"What are you doing? At this rate, he'll be crushed. Don't worry though, you'll be fine."Grato said as he flew past them. Ludwig stopped screaming long enough to watch, looking up and then down. Turning slightly, he changed positions so now he was in front of Mamoru plummeting towards the ground.

"LUDWIG WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"Mamoru screamed. Ludwig held onto the mage's legs.

"RUNNING!"Ludwig said, forcing himself back so his feet were hitting the rough side of the mountain cliff. He tried to slow down the fall, dragging his feet along the rocks and starting to move his feet like he was running up a wall…except down. Where he wished he wasn't going.

As he ran, they started to slow down in their fall, Ludwig getting a good enough foothold as he ran to make it down the face of the cliff but slowly picking up speed again as it got steeper. Grato watched them from the ground already, staring in disbelief.

That idiot was going to get someone killed.

Ludwig kept running, running past Grato. It took one good trip from a jutting rock to send both he and Mamoru flying again, Ludwig dropping the mage shortly and still kept rolling along the ground, leaving a deep path in the ground. Mamoru groaned, sitting up and holding his head.

Just a little blood but he would heal that quickly as he got up, hobbling forward. "Wiggy! Wiggy are you okay?!"He called. Crawling from the dirt, Ludwig dragged himself out of the hole in the ground he had made, groaning and panting heavily.

Ugh, if there ever was such a pain, it would be how his body felt that instant. Peering up, he saw Mamoru was unharmed save for a few cuts. The mage helped him up, checking him over. "Good, no broken bones."He sighed. Ludwig just laughed though it was cut short when a rock came hurling at his head, smacking him in the forehead.

"You dolt! Can't you do ANYTHING right? A vampire who can't control himself and 'fly' is practically UUUUSSEELLLESSS!"Grato howled, though it sounded more like laughter.

Ludwig lay on the ground stunned while Mamoru looked him over again. "That was uncalled for! He didn't figure out he was a vampire until about a month ago!"The mage admitted. Ludwig sat up, blinking and looking to Grato with a stunned stare.

"Vampires can fly?"Ludwig asked. Grato smacked himself in the forehead, nodding.

"Ugh…I haven't had a headache this long in about a hundred years or so. I better take you into town soon. Mage, I suggest you heal yourself quickly before you do."Grato warned, taking a seat on the ground.

"Right…"Mamoru said as he brought a hand to his forehead. Ludwig stopped him, pulling him down with his lips pressed to the cut. Running his tongue along it and down Mamoru's face, he made sure not to waste a drop.

Mamoru laughed a little but then again, after a fall like that Ludwig's icy tongue felt good on his wounds. Grato watched him as Ludwig got his snack from the wounded mage, Mamoru healing the cuts and abrasions on his skin after the vampire had finished. Their 'guide' sniffed a little at this but his eyebrows raised a little.

"Mage, what's that you've got on you?"Grato asked, pointing to a piece of paper stuck to Mamoru's shoulder.

"This? A companion of mine at a…not so pleasant place, gave it to me to help us find this place."Mamoru said as he removed it. "Must have clung on in the fall."

"Let me see it."Grato said, crawling over and yanking the paper from Mamoru's hand. The vampire pressed the paper to his nose, closing his eyes. For the first time, Grato's eyebrows furrowed.

"Heno…"He said lowly.

"You know Heno?"Mamoru asked, hissing a bit when Ludwig ran his tongue along a cut on his ankle.

Grato grew very quiet, his eyes closing. His hand clenched the paper in his hand, pressing the palm of the same hand to his forehead. Opening his eyes again, he rose.

"If you're done, we should go."Grato said, stuffing the paper into his pocket.

"You didn't answer my question."Mamoru asked, rising to his feet. Ludwig sniffed around him, Mamo giving him a bat with his staff, making Wiggy wince a bit.

"I'll answer any questions in town. Here isn't safe."Grato said, pulling the hood of his cloak up. Mamoru nodded, holding onto Ludwig's arms. They were going into a den of creatures that would probably see him as dinner and even Ludwig couldn't do much to protect him. It was a scary feeling.

As they got closer, they could see that the town was much bigger and more elaborate then they thought. There were buildings from different parts of the world all in that single town. Some of the vampires must have been architects, carpenters or other occupations to be able to build homes like these. They were both in awe…however, there were only a few walking around in broad daylight, some of them mages.

"I'm guessing most of them are afraid of the sun? I've never seen such think window shutters and curtains before."Ludwig uttered lowly.

"Some of them choose to feed from normal humans from a town a few miles from here. Mages who have fed a single vampire are bonded to that vampire for life. If the mage does, so too the undead that protected them. No one would dare break that bond."Grato explained, taking them to a large stone building at the end of town though homes still extended right behind it.

"There are certain areas where we are assigned. Some are broken down by countries, making living here a little easier. From your accents, you two are from the south. Grayharte I take it?"Grato add, looking over his shoulder.

"Y-yes…"Mamoru said, flushing a little. They really didn't have such an odd accent did they? "Oh, but Grato, you walk in broad daylight. Does that mean you have a mage?"

Grato stopped walking, just stopping at the second step of the temple-like building. "I had a mage…he's been missing for four months."The vampire said. "His name was Heno."

Mamoru and Ludwig stared at him, the mage's eyebrows furrowing. Looking at each other, Mamoru was the first to step forward. "That's why Heno was at that compound?"He asked, gently touching Grato's arm. The vampire flinched, moving it away.

"I was there for a short time before coming here. Heno gave me a similar piece of paper like you had on you to take me here. I escaped from that place…he didn't."Grato admitted, starting walk forward. "I haven't seen hide nor hair of him since. Seeing that paper means he's alive…just stuck. Stupid, Silly Heno…"

Mamoru stood there, Ludwig meeting him from behind and guiding the mage up the steps. They entered the usual formal area where everyone took off their shoes, stepping into the building. Winding through the pillars and rooms, probably meant to confuse intruders, they arrived at a single, dark office. Someone was sitting off to the side and from the smell of it, enjoying a pipe of tobacco.

"Grato…So nice to see you. Has the mountain pass been secured?"A mage spoke, rising in the dark. There was a quick, fluttering motion and the fire in the room was ignited to give some light.

"Yes. I found some travelers here. They're escapees from the compound."Grato said, stepping aside and revealing Ludwig and Mamoru to the mage. The Mage was tall and lean, dressed in layers of pattered robing instead of just solid colors that they typically wore. His hair was a deep red color, his eyes a flickering green. The mage's fiery eyebrows rose when he saw the two.

"I know these two…"The mage spoke, walking over slowly. Ludwig and Mamoru could see very prominent bite marks just under the color of the mage's robes. "Yes, it's not hard to mistake them…They're quite a famous pair in Grayharte."

"What?"Grato asked, looking back at the two.

"No mistaking…These two are the sons of the 9th Lord Mage Theron and his lover the King of Grayharte. Rumors said they were dead but I know the truth now…At least one of them is."The mage purred, reaching a hand out to touch Mamoru's cheek. Ludwig hissed, his ears flattening back. The mage didn't move his hand.

"Don't worry Ludwig…I'm not going to hurt him. You probably don't recognize me, after all, it has been nearly a century hasn't it?"The mage smiled. Ludwig stopped when he heard his name. "And Mamoru…you grow more fair and beautiful every time I see you. Could use a bath to polish that porceilin skin of yours…"

"H-How do you know us?"Mamoru stuttered, leaning towards Ludwig.

"I knew your fathers very well…I am the Lord of four…Frei…'fire crotch' as some have come to call me over the years."Frei smiled, patting Mamoru's cheeks. "I'm glad you two made it. When Yuri sent me a message saying that you two were trying to get here, I was beginning to get worried that you wouldn't make it. Those vampire hunts are quite troublesome for the undead population."

Frei took a deep inhale from the long slender pipe in his hand, blowing out a fine smoke. It swirled, forming an 'o' in the air. It froze, a white halo forming around it. Inside of it, showed different images of Ludwig and Mamoru running through forests and towns. Ludwig looked from the image to the mage, his eyebrows furrowing. "You were keeping an eye on us? Why didn't you send an army to help those who have been captured? There have been hundreds of people killed already."He said, his eyes shimmering with an anger never felt before.

"I know…It's dangerous for vampires to do anything near that place. Their guns have been soaked in the holy waters of the first temple of Reyah…Their walls are so thick, it would take days to punch through…And from your clothes, Ludwig…it seems you fell into their deepest plot at some point."Frei said, pointing to his leather armor and weapons. Grato's eyes widened, his eyes narrowing.

"HE is one of those poor souls? Wait, but couldn't that man know that he's here?"Grato said, reaching back for his sword again. "He'll lead him to this place."

"No, no, he won't. We went to a temple in Belvasi and the mages there helped cure him of whatever Malacai did to him."Mamoru said, standing in front of Ludwig. Frei's eyes moved to the smokey halo, the images changing to the temple. Mamoru felt like he was going to be ill seeing that black mass erupt from Ludwig's body again.

"I see…you speak the truth. Do not worry Grato…he's friend."Frei said, Grato releasing the hilt of his sword. "Please, you will tell more more about your journey here after you've rested. Have a bath and some hot food. Do you plan to stay here in Nosferata?"

"Of course. We've been trying to get here since I found Ludwig again. Though…it seems there are no empty homes."Mamoru said with a calm smile. Frei looked to Grato, smiling and looking back to the two.

"We have wonderful architects that will take care of that for you. There is a man that you can speak to tomorrow evening after some rest. However, you may want to find yourself some good carpenters to make some furniture. I'm afraid that's all we can provide here."Frei said with a nod. He looked to Grato, smiling a little broader. "Please, take them to a guest chamber for the rest of the day."

"Yes, Lord Frei."Grato said, nodding to the two and heading out of the room. Mamoru and Ludwig followed, winding through more rooms and coming to a large room. It was well furnished, a large bed in the middle of the room with a good sized bathroom just next door. Mamoru sighed, Ludwig fluffing his hair after Grato left.

"Well…we made it."Ludwig said with a soft smile.

"It still doesn't feel like home yet…"Mamoru yawned, leaning back against his companion and lover.

"Mm…Let's get a bath and head to bed. You're tired…I'm beginning to feel it."Ludwig said softly. Mamoru rubbed his eyes, nodding and shuffling toward the bathroom with Ludwig hanging onto his robe-tails. In the bathroom, there were rows of bottles and a large bathtub that could probably fit five people comfortably. Ludwig let the mage sit down while he drew a bath, humbly removing Mamoru's shoes and robes for him before he settled into the bath right behind him.

"Mmm…"Mamoru hummed, sinking down a little more into the warm bubbles Ludwig had slipped into the bath. It smelled of sweet lavender, just the right kind of scent to lull someone to sleep. Ludwig's chilly hands ran along his skin, washing away the dirt and grime that kept it from shining beautifully. Theron, when they were younger, always made sure Mamoru got a bath at night so he would be warm and comfortable when he slept. It also kept his skin very healthy.

Ludwig however had the more fortunate side of rolling around in the dirt without looking dirty until he got a bath. There had been one time they played outside, getting dirty and mud-covered. The bath and the water had turned a filthy brown for a while.

Chuckling, he tilted his head when he felt chilly, wet kisses trail along his skin. Ludwig was definitely making sure he got clean. The vampire sniffed him, tasting his skin and ran his hands everywhere he could to get a sense of reality. They had finally found the place that they had been searching for, a place they could call home.