DSC: Natural Desires

Part two

Animal instincts


Two weeks later…

“Ryu!” Zaine jumped onto the bed and bounced twice before falling off the side.

On the bed, Ryu, completely hidden under the sheet, stirred in his sleep—what was left of his sleep. He tried his hardest to keep his eyes closed, but could not. His petite lover was crawling across the floor noisily. When he finally decided to move the covers down so that his head shown he was greeted with two watery orchid eyes. “…Go away.”

“Ryu! Come on. You have to get up!” Zaine got to his feet and tried to yank away the sheets. He tugged on it once, just to see if Ryu was holding on to them, and when there was no response he completely pulled the covers from the bed. “Ryu!”

Ryu, who always slept with an extra pillow on the side of his bed, picked up the cushion and flung it at Zaine’s face. The younger sorcerer, who had not expected that, fell backwards onto the floor. “What was that for, you bastard?”

“I told you to leave me alone, brat,” Ryu sat up and stared at Zaine, who was on the floor hugging the pillow. The look on Zaine’s face was that of an angel from Hell. No matter how much you wanted to stay angry or hate him no one in the world could. Sometimes it seemed as though he was the only person in the world who could be both cute and sexy at the same time. Even Ryu, the most powerful sorcerer and second most handsome man, could not help but smile at the cuteness of the younger sorcerer. “Don’t give me that look. I might just take it as sign to mean that you want to be ‘disrobed’.”

Zaine chuckled at that thought. Ever since the attack, Ryu had spent every minute of every hour of every day near him. He would try to please Zaine and make him feel safe afterwards by allowing the small man to sleep in his embrace. “Aw, come on, Ryu. You promised me that today we could get everything done early so that we can watch the full moon tonight.” There was no response. “Ryu!”

Ryu yawned and rubbed the sleepiness out of his eyes, “Yeah, yeah I heard you. I would just like to know one thing…why the hell did you have to wake me up at two in the damn morning? We have all fucking day!”

Zaine looked out the window that was behind the bed. It was still nighttime and everything was silent, except of the sound of crickets chirping. “Um…well…yeah.”

“Dumbass…” Ryu got to his feet and walked over to Zaine. He slowly knelt down and scooped up his little baka in his arms. He could feel Zaine tremble a little. The reason, to him, was very clear. Ever since that night, Zaine had always flinched at the feel of physical contact. The moment he had seen Zaine in the street his heart had sunk to the pits of the darkest abyss.

Zaine should have hated Ryu for not finding him sooner. He should have known that his little koi would never keep him waiting. If he had been there then Zaine wouldn’t have gotten so banged up. Maybe he wouldn’t have been hurt at all. Yet, Zaine never once said to Ryu “If only you had been there…” Zaine was even quite partial to the fact that he couldn’t have known what was happening—no one could have.

Calmly, Ryu walked back to the bed with his lover in arms. With the greatest of ease, he placed the boy down and settled in next to him, pulling the covers over them. “Now, go back to sleep, baka.”

“Okay, but you better not let me sleep in late on purpose again.” Zaine snuggled up on Ryu, wrapping his arms around the older man’s chest.

“Yeah, yeah…” Ryu, who was already partially asleep, wrapped his arms around Zaine so that his head rest on the crook of his arm. “Just don’t blame me if I wake you up and you haven’t had enough sleep.”

Six hours later…

“God damn it, Ryu!” Zaine’s voice came from the bedroom and carried on through the rest of the house. “Ryu! You lied to me! You said that you wouldn’t let me over sleep.” When there was no motion in the stir less house, Zaine jumped out of bed and ran from room to room, looking for his soon-to-be dead lover.

He halted after looking in every room in the very big two-story house. “Where in the world is that man?” Silently he walked to the staircase and sat on the highest step, “Ryu…?”

Long moments passed in silence as Zaine stared emotionlessly at the wall. He just couldn’t figure out where Ryu could have gone. Then it came to him—where Ryu was. “How could I have forgotten? Today he’s supposed to go see Tsunami and Kyusai. So that means…that…”

Meanwhile…

“My lady, everything is in order in Sector 5. Sectors 7 and 8 are being inspected as we speak and Sector 6 is locked down and on high alert. Apparently, there have been some rebellions and corrupt vigilantes in the area,” Ryu paused for a moment and then continued, “You can be assured that they will be taken care of.”

“Interesting, but that’s not what concerns me. We have yet to identify Zaine’s assailant and this ‘Vampire Eater’,” Tsunami’s voice broke as she lowered her gaze to the tile floor.

Ryu took a step forward and placed his hand on her shoulder. The feel of his hand made her look up at his reassuring ocean blue eyes. “Don’t worry about it. You carry the weight of the world on your shoulders, basically. There are things that even the great Tsunami can’t solve.”

She stared at him intently with those yellow eyes that threatened to set anyone and anything aflame. People always said that the eyes were the doors to the soul, but no one could gaze into her soul. The only thing that reflected off those sparkling orbs was emotions that she permitted to be seen. “Tell me, Ryu, you, of all people that know me, actually think that I would carry the weight of the world on my shoulders? After baring all its pains and gifts and abominations for well over eleven thousand years, you would have the audacity to say that its problems are my own to solve.”

Ryu could only stare at her in silence as she lightly smacked his hand away from her shoulder. He wasn’t really sure that he understood the whole depth of the things that she had said. True it was that her life had been one of many pains and tears, but had she actually believed at one point that she owed the world a debt of gratitude?

“You shouldn’t think those thoughts, Ryu.” She slowly walked circles around him and spoke in an uneasy, calm, quiet voice, “I never felt obligated—it was more of a motivation. At one point it was my only reason for fighting,” she stopped in front of him and turned away from the sorcerer.

“Don’t you mean that your feelings wouldn’t allow anything else?” A sheepish smile tugged at his lips as she walked away without a response.

She walked towards two bodyguards that patiently awaited her orders. They were black jackals—or part jackal part demon—that stood like men and carried two broad words each. They wore golden loincloths and wore the crest of the Dragon Colonies around their necks. Just as Tsunami walked by she softly said, “Kill him.”

Both demons sprang to life and began to stalk their target. Slowly they approached him and drew their swords before leaping into the air and assaulting the sorcerer form above.

“Umm…Tsunami? Your guards are goanna kill me!” Ryu leapt forward and rolled out of the way just as the swords struck the ground.

“Well then, I guess you should run fast,” Tsunami turned around and gave Ryu the same sheepish smile he had given her.

“Oh, come on! It was a joke,” said Ryu between jumps and rolls.

Back home…

“Well,” Zaine sighed out loud, “it’s all done. The house is clean, dinner is cooked, and all the Sectors have been secured. Now all that’s left is for that asshole to come home!” he couldn’t help but smile a little at that. It was true that Ryu was quite a quiet man who liked to be left alone and didn’t take well to people he wasn’t familiar with. Hell, he had almost killed Zaine the first time they met. Since then, though, the sorcerer had opened up and was a lot less moody. He even smiled more. Something that meant one of three things: either you were about to die, or get your ass kicked, or he was like a god gracing your eyes with a rare sight.

Zaine was snapped out of his thoughts when the sound of the front door opening and closing reached his sensitive ear lobes. “I am really glad that woman can take a joke. Actually, I was kind of hoping that those guards were trying to kill me. I haven’t had a good fight in a long time.” Zaine walked out of the kitchen and watched as Ryu continued talking to himself. “Not even that brat has given me a good workout lately.” Ryu’s words fell from his lips and were instantly regretted as he turned around and was face with a boy who had tears threatening to fall and form a river in his house.

“You bastard! How dare you? You couldn’t handle a real workout with me,” Zaine began sobbing and shaking where he stood. Tears rolled down his eyes and left wet trails on his cheeks. He slowly lowered his head and watched as his tears graced the ground.

Ryu stepped toward him. When Zaine made no attempt to run or step back, he proceeded to come closer to his lover. “Zaine…gomen. You know that I didn’t mean it,” Ryu’s voice came so soft that it could barely be heard, but he knew that his words hadn’t fallen on deaf ears. As soon as he was close enough he wrapped his arms around the smaller man and pulled him into an embrace, resting his head atop the boy’s.

He had forgotten how sensitive the boy was, especially to his words. No matter how much he didn’t want to he always ended up hurting the innocent brat. Yet, whatever he did the boy remained with him. For that he was grateful. “Please stop crying. Tears don’t suit you, brat.”

Zaine continued crying for a moment longer before rubbing his face in to Ryu’s chest. He loved the way that the older man smelt. His scent could always calm him and make him feel safe. “Ryu, I know that you don’t mean it but it still hurts to hear it…from you.”

The moment he heard that his eyes widened. How could he have never noticed it before? Zaine loved him so much that he always believed everything he said to the boy even if it wasn’t true. This is a kid that doesn’t take crap from anyone even if it’s true, yet he listens to one man’s false accusations and insults. Why? If you love someone doesn’t that mean that you know when to listen and when to not? Then again, if you love someone doesn’t that mean that you should never give them a reason to want to turn away? “Don’t say that, baka. You should never let anyone hurt you,” he fell silent and then continued, “not even me…”

“I don’t. But there are different kinds of pain.” Zaine pushed away from Ryu and wiped his eyes. “The one that you cause me is something that I can’t live without. It is a reminder that you truly love me. If you didn’t then you wouldn’t hurt me, you would just ignore me.” Zaine looked in to those blue orbs and smiled.

“You have been spending far too much time with Tsunami.” Ryu smiled and placed an arm around Zaine’s waist, pulling him closer.

“Do you know anyone smart enough to teach me such philosophies? Besides, she’s said to be very wise and I’m certainly not learning anything from your lazy ass!” Zaine leaned into Ryu and placed a butterfly kiss on his check. “Come on or dinner is going to get cold.” Zaine released his grasp on the man and headed towards the kitchen with Ryu following close behind.

It was late by the time they finished their dinner. The night air was calm and cool and the sky was filled with stars, clouds, and of course the full moon.

“Hey, Ryu! Come on you promised me that tonight we could watch the full moon together.” Zaine quickly dried his hands after finishing with the dishes.

“So you keep reminding me. What are you worried about? It’s not as if I have forgotten, you won’t let me,” Ryu grimaced and headed towards the balcony right outside their bedroom. “Hey! Are you coming or not? I’m not standing out here in the cold for my own benefit.”

“Coming!” Zaine ran up the stairs and down the hallway until he reached his and Ryu’s room. “Sorry. I was just putting the leftovers away.”

“You know,” Ryu started, placing an arm around the youth’s shoulders, “I noticed that you neither burned any part of the house or ruined an appliance. I’m impressed. You certainly are getting better.” He slowly bent down and kissed Zaine on the side of the head.

“You bastard, you sound surprised. It was only a matter of time before I stopped destroying things. You could call it a ‘cooking phase’.”

“ ‘A matter of time’ is an understatement, and a ‘cooking phase’? My ass! More like you just barely attained the knowledge on how to cook food.”

“Why are you always so cold to me?” Zaine put on a gouty face and waited for Ryu to reply.

“Hmph, do you realize the cost of repairs and replacement utensils in a month’s time is more than I paid for our damn house?” Ryu gave him a look that said ‘you are such a retard’. “How do you explain that?”

“Well, um… I…can’t. But hey, everyone makes mistakes at first. You don’t think that Tsunami ever went without destroying the kitchen at least once or twice, do you?” Zaine gave a smirk of contentment.

“No, not everyone just you. Try not to categorize people into your ‘group’. And as for Tsunami, she has never cooked in a kitchen before, you idiot. She always made dinner outside on an open fire. Besides, she doesn’t have to cook. That’s what her servants are for.” Ryu let go of Zaine and turned to face the glass doors. He leaned his back against the rail of the balcony and looked at his lover.

Zaine looked up at the sky. The full moon was hidden behind layers of clouds. Despite that the sky was still beautiful. Slowly, the clouds crept away from in front of the moon until it was clearly visible. Such an enormous moon with a lunar rainbow tied around its glamorous frame.

Zaine stared at it, mesmerized. He lowered his head when he noticed that his nose had begun to bleed. A thin line of crimson liquid made its way down his chin and dripped to the concrete floor. He brought a hand up to wipe away the blood but was stilled by a pain in his stomach. The pain then began to move to his arms and legs. “What…?”

“Are you all right?” Ryu reached out to touch Zaine but stopped as his koi turned to face him with a smile. Ryu could tell that Zaine was forcing it.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine. I just need to use the bathroom,” with that Zaine ran inside and headed for the bathroom.
He entered the room and locked the door behind him. What was happening to him? His whole body hurt as if his skin was about to tear open. His face was sweating and his hands felt as though someone had broken every one of his fingers. He slowly walked to the mirror at the sink and stared at his reflection. He appeared almost dead.

A sudden pain shot through his gut and he fell to his knees, clutching his stomach. He felt every muscle in his stomach twist and tighten. Then his whole body began to burn on the inside. He couldn’t stand it anymore. The pain was just too great, swallowing him in a wave of agony. He felt as if he was going to faint…

In that instant his mind went blank and could no longer feel the pain. His eyes turned red and his teeth grew long and sharp. His abs tightened and then stretched. His chest broadened and grew masculine, ripping his shirt. Hair began to grow all over his body to form a coat of black fur with aqua green stripes. His mane became an aqua-green and his small hands became large as his fingers cracked and contorted into their new form. Even his legs and feet grew muscular and extended into those of a wolf. “Ryu…”

“I wonder what was wrong with him,” Ryu said to himself, still outside. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he made himself sick with his own cooking.” Ryu sighed and looked at the moon. It was quite glamorous. Yet, there was something about it that didn’t seem normal—almost like it was calling out to someone.

It was weird in the sense, though, that the moon’s gaze looked familiar. He could recall that look on the moon tonight was the same aura as the night when Zaine was attacked. “Probably just my imagination,” Ryu confided in himself to say that for his own reassurance of the situation. He didn’t believe in coincidence, so the only other thing was that his mind was playing tricks on him.

“Ryu, help me…” Those were the last whispers that came from what was left of Zaine’s humanity. After that his mind went completely blank of any emotion or thought. His body was now moved by instinct and natural desire—the instinct to feed and the desire to mate.

Fully transformed and eager to obey nature, Zaine sniffed the air and carefully licked his lips, lapping up some of the drool that trickled from his mouth. Every nerve in his body added to the anticipation of what was to come. His heart raced and he could no longer hold in an ear-shattering roar that echoed through the house and escaped into the outside world.

Ryu stared at the glass doors for a moment, watching as they shook from the vibrations of the noise. At first slow but then faster and faster the glass began to crack—creeping its way up and down, forming a web that shattered just as quickly as it formed. He witnessed as the glass fell to the ground either shattering or bouncing and littering the concrete floor of the balcony and wood floor of the bedroom.

Ryu carefully walked into the bedroom and looked around. He was absolutely positive that the noise had come from the bathroom, where his little baka was. That was impossibly though. How could Zaine make such an ear-shattering cry like that? Sure he made a lot of annoying, aggravating, stupid, loud noises but nothing like that. It didn’t even sound like any living animal could make it. In all honesty, it didn’t even sound real… More like a figment of imagination that had jumped out of someone’s horror story for the sole purpose of driving sane people mad.
Slowly the older sorcerer crept to the bathroom door. It shook so violently that Ryu feared getting too close for it might just fly off its hinges. “Zaine, are you alright?” No response came. “Zaine! Answer me. What’s wrong?” Still there was no response. Cautiously, Ryu moved to grip the doorknob. The door, as suddenly as it had started, stopped shaking and became silent and still. Ryu withdrew his hand and just waited.

Long moment passed and yet there was no sign of movement or even life behind the thin layer of wood. Ryu took a deep breath and then began to slowly turn the doorknob. The door creaked as he pushed it open and saw within the fragments of a nightmare. The mirror and windows were all shattered and pieces of clothes lay everywhere. And in the corner, curled in to a ball, sat the source of all Hell.

Ryu stepped into the room and walked towards the beast that was Zaine, stepping on broken glass in the process. Zaine’s back was turned to the older man and his face was buried between the wall and his hands. Hidden almost completely in shadows, Zaine’s aqua green mane shown brilliantly in the few rays of moonlight that crept through the now broken window. It gracefully wavered in the little breeze that blew through the room, filling the air with the cool sent of night air.

“Zaine…?”Ryu reached out to touch Zaine’s back. His fingers slowly laced through the silky soft fur that was only a piece of a whole. Ryu’s nails scratched at the skin as his fingers scraped down the spine that stuck out, messaging the toned muscle of Zaine’s back.

Zaine shifted under the contact. He slowly leaned in to the comforting warmth of his lover’s hand. Enjoying the pleasuring feel of company that Ryu provided, Zaine began to turn around so he could face his lover. Slowly inching his way towards the older sorcerer he caught a glimpse of the face that could save him—the face that wanted to save him.

Ryu sat there watching as his petite lover turned to face him. His fingers were still entangled in the black and aqua green hair, all the while feeling the muscles under his hand move, tense, shift, and relax again. Caressingly he moved his hand to his lover’s head and started to scratch his ears. For his efforts, he was rewarded with a slight moan.

The former sorcerer finished turning around and came face to face with his lover. In turn, Ryu withdrew his hand and gazed on in amazement. Zaine’s face was that of a wolf with a thicker neck to suite his now bigger body. His mouth hung slightly open dripping saliva and letting out hot breath. His teeth glimmered in the little moonlight that snuck in through the window.

Ryu gawked at the vision before his eyes. This was a werewolf. This thing was his lover, his life, his only reason for living. What was he supposed to think of him now? He wasn’t scared. He was just a bit shocked. How did this happen? How do you stop it from happening? “Zaine…” the blonde’s voice came choked and soft.

Zaine crawled forward, causing Ryu to stumble back. The werewolf, almost predator like, crept towards the older sorcerer. The blonde remained still. He didn’t fear this creature and he didn’t want to make Zaine think that he did. He would never do that. No matter what his koi looked like he was still just that—his lover.

The black furred creature closed the distance between Ryu and himself. His massive hands pinned Ryu, who was on his back at this point, to the ground. Zaine leaned in to smell the oh so familiar scent of his lover. He licked his lips once before running his tongue up the side of the older sorcerer’s face. The younger man made a soft purring sound at the intensified taste that emitted from Ryu’s entire body.

Long moments passed as the two remained in their positions. Zaine remained on top of Ryu, pinning him down, and the blonde never broke eye contact. His gaze remained fixed on the blood red orbs that tried to pierce his thoughts and read his soul.

Ryu knew this game well; it was on that he played with Tsunami quite often. Alas, he understood how the empress could hide everything. How she was able to hide emotions and answers. She remained indifferent and closed out her very soul. That bitch, Ryu thought. Something so simple and she made it seem complicated. Months of contemplating and that’s all it took! That is really messed up…

Zaine’s grip tightened at the lack of attention that he was getting from the blonde. He squeezed the wrists, feeling the older man’s blood flow. The sensation of being able to feel the slightest movement of bodily organs and fluids when touching something was fascinating. The younger boy leaned in and placed his head to Ryu’s chest. His ear twitched as he listened to the blonde’s steady heartbeat—the unafraid heartbeat.

A loud crash through the already broken window disturbed the two lovers from their unusual position. There, with the moonlight on his back, stood the blue haired Kokaku. He was a little taller than Ryu with a skinny lean body that hid well-toned muscles under its flesh. His deep green eyes glowed with their own radiance as he stepped forward. He was wearing black jeans and a matching leather shirt with the sleeves cut off at the end of his collarbones. One black belt was tied on each arm right above the elbow and black leather gloves shielded his hands. A silver chained belt hugged his hips loosely and hung unevenly on one side. He stepped forward once, crushing the glass under his feet with the black boots he wore. It was the typical fashion of the bounty hunters from the Dragon Colonies.

Zaine released his grip on Ryu’s wrists and backed away from both men. His clawed feet scraped against the tile floor, leaving streaks on the smooth surface in his wake. His upper lip raised and he bore his fangs. A deep growl in his throat made its was up his mouth and echoed on past his lips. It was cut short though when his hind legs hit the wall. He jerked his head to see that he had placed himself at the entrance of the bedroom.

Kokaku cautiously walked over to Ryu and offered him his hand. The blonde gladly accepted and rose to his feet. Both men loomed over Zaine who crouched on the floor still growling. He appeared to be nothing more than a frightened animal with nowhere to go. His eyes did not falter and he dug his claws into the tile, standing his ground. It was clear that this werewolf had no intention on moving; the blue haired bounty hunter had other plans though. He grabbed a knife from the back of his belt and threw it mere inches from Zaine’s back. The object stuck out of the wall and glistened a dark gold color. Its handle was crested with violet stones that shimmered.

Zaine looked from the knife to Kokaku. Then he gave Ryu a brief glance before running out of the bathroom.

Ryu and Kokaku gave chase. They followed the younger boy from the bedroom, down the hall, to the stairs, and into the living room where he threw himself out of a window. The older men continued their pursuit out into the street. They saw that Zaine had stopped under a streetlight. Ryu froze and almost had a heart attack. It was the very place that he had found his lover. Alas all the pieces fit together. The only way to turn into a werewolf is to have been bitten or scratched by one. One of those monsters had been the baka’s assailant. Now he was one of them—he was a beast of legend.

Zaine stepped back until he was leaning on the nearest building. He lifted one hand and dug his claws into the side of the brick structure. Soon another clawed hand followed and he began to pull himself up the length of the wall. His feet made holes of their own, allowing Zaine to climb up faster. He was speedy to make it to the rooftop. The younger man pulled his body up and stood on the ledge, giving Ryu one last look before running off into the moon lit night.

The blonde watched his lover disappear into the cold inviting darkness that called to all werewolves. His blue eyes shown sad and confused. What was he to do now?

“Let’s go,” Kokaku’s voice was calm. His blue hair almost looked silver in the white light of the moon. He turned to leave and stopped before getting too far. “We’re going to see Tsunami. She knows more about these animals than anyone in the world.” He continued his graceful stride, not waiting for Ryu to catch up.

The blonde watched him for a moment. Kokaku was hunting werewolves? Weren’t vampires supposed to be afraid of werewolves? Ryu pushed aside such foolish, yet important, questions. He followed the half-breed and soon found that this was to become a personal matter for both of them.

A/N: There\'s part two. Tell me what you thought! (^.^)