Clouded Heart 3 The Leather Bound Journal

Chapter Three

After he unpacked most of his things, Kyou opened the door of his now aired out bedroom, and followed the sound of clinking cutlery and plates.

When he got to the kitchen he saw that the two brats from the night before were there as well. Just wonderful.

There were dishes being set on the counter to be brought to the table, and Aloys was staking a few more before the two kids took them and to set the table.

He hadn't acknowledged Kyousuke yet, but his voice carried across the room.

"Choose what you want for lunch tomorrow, Sera. Kain will help you get it ready before he goes to bed. And don't forget to be ready before Kier gets here to take you for your sleep over," he ordered Sera gently while giving a pointed look at Kain, who had started to help himself to the meat from the plates in the center of the table.

The girl nodded with a hum from her throat. "I want just meat. No vegetables," she said and wrinkled her nose at Aloys as the vampire got her her food.

"One of each, or no ice cream." he stated flatly.

Sera's eyes widened for a moment, clearly thinking if refusing a second time was worth no desert.

"...Ok," she pouted in defeat before Aloys grinned, and finally turned to Kyou.

"Ah! Your tea is still hot, would you like me to pour you a cup?"

The purpelette sat at the far side of the table, and nodded with a grunt. He looked every where but at the people at the table, until finally the stares were too much.

"What are you brats looking at?" he snapped with a glare.

Kain mainly focused on his food, having met Kyou earlier by barging so unscrupulously into the bathroom, but Sera blinked.

"Who are you?" she asked bluntly as Aloys came back with a freshly poured cup of tea that he set in front of Kyou.

Kyou 'hmph'ed in refusal to answer, and sipped his tea after stirring the dissolved sugar.

He couldn't help but smile as he drank the tea though, it's taste making him happy. It had just the right amount of cream and sugar in it… His eye caught Aloys' gaze almost daring Kyou to ignore the question.

"The name is Kyousuke, brat," he replied grudgingly with an eye roll and took another large swallow of the tea.

"I'm Sera, " she replied and stuck her tongue out at him before practically inhaling her food as Kain finished his and stood. "Kain! Lunch, now!" she demanded loudly. She scampered off to get her stuff as the teen sighed before he followed her to fix her lunchbox.

A knock at the door coming soon after they were both back and packing the girl's school bag. "And there's Kier. Go on, get your stuff and go," Aloys tells Sera before turning to Kain, "and you need to actually go to school tonight instead of skipping."

"What a beastly little girl," Kyou said with an indignant sniff. Then he grabbed a plate and piled it with veggies and greens and sprinkled it with dressing.

The purplette didn't realize how ravenous he had become, but once he started eating, he hummed in appreciation.

Aloys chuckled as he began to clear the table with Kain. "She's only that way to strangers."

Kain decidedly ignored Kyou and started to go to his room without saying anything. He was stopped by Aloys' gaze until he promised that he would go to school.

Kyou munched on his salad in response and briefly watched Kain leave before turning his gaze back to his food.

A silence filled the room with just the two of them after Sera bidded the two of the goodbye and left with a squeal and a door slamming shut.

Aloys took the last of the used dishes to the kitchen and came back to sit at the far end of the table.

Kyou refused to look at the vampire and meet his heavy gaze.

Finally the awkward silence and lack of food that occupied Kyousuke's mouth forced him to speak.

"Is there something I can help you with?" He asked through slightly clenched teeth.

"I was wondering, Kyousuke" Aloys said like he hadn't heard the purplette speak, "What do you plan on doing from now on? It seems like you have no job, no family, and no money-"

"How f.u.c.king blunt of you," Kyou interrupted, but Aloys continued on.

"To be blunt, yes," he said. "But I want you to know that you are safe here, and until I do what I promised, then you are free to stay here as long as you want."

Kyou sat back in his chair, his posture anything but relaxed. "I plan on finding another job, thank you." he said with a scowl. As tempting as the idea of eating Aloys out of house and home sounded, he doubted it would phase the man. "I don't want to be indebted to you anymore then I am, and I can't stand you."

"How blunt," He mocked lightly as the sides of his mouth curled into a faint smirk.

Kyou let out a sharp breath of disdain and stood. He automatically brought his plate to sink filled with hot water and put in his things. He rolled up his sleeves and got work was.h.i.+ng his dishes.

As he scrubbed, elbows deep in soapy water, he felt arms wrap around his waist. He stiffened as he felt Aloys' cold mouth ghost over his skin and heard him inhale deeply through his nose.

Kyou stilled. "What are you doing?" he asked. He felt his heart rate increase as he felt Aloys s.h.i.+ft behind him.

Aloys hummed softly. "You just smell so good~" he said and sniffed slowly again.

Kyou growled in irritation. "What did I say about touching me?" he asked flatly, his hands starting to come out of the hot, soapy water to turn around and push Aloys away.

But the other man was faster. He slide his wide palms over Kyou's forearms and down into the water. He laced their hands together, and pressed him against the edge of the sink.

"I don't think that you don't like this, love," he breathed, his smile heavy in his tone.

A s.h.i.+ver raced down Kyou's spine as the vampire's cool breath tickled his ear, hyper aware of the other man's movements as he rocked into Kyou's back gently.

" And I can't help that you smell so d.a.m.n good, either," he added in a purr.

Kyou pulled his hands out of Aloys' grip with more hesitation then he liked and turned around.

"Just stay out of my way, and I will stay out of yours," he said cooly and put his wet, sudsy hands to Aloys' chest.

He pushed the other man away and left the kitchen quickly. He was sure Aloys smirked as he watched him go, and it only added to the adrenaline that made his legs shake.

Whether that shaking was good or bad, right now, he couldn't tell.

*******

That night Kyou had another dream. He couldn't always remember them, but knew this one was a little more noisy than usual, and vivid.

He was suddenly awake, and altho the specifics of the dream dissipated within minutes, the strong feeling of happiness and sense of belonging remained heavily in his heart and on his mind. He wiped his face and found it wet with tears. He sat up and scrubbed his cheeks and eyes with a sniff.

His heart ached so much that he tried to uselessly clutch at it through his s.h.i.+rt, and he seemed to curl into himself as he brought the back of his hand to his face again as he wiped it a final time. After that, he swung his feet sharply to the floor and rushed to the nearest bathroom and threw up in the toilet.

He clutched the toilet bowl, his dry heaves and sobs filling the bathroom. After about ten minutes he calmed down enough to shakily stand and wash out his mouth before pulling on a sweats.h.i.+rt and heading to the kitchen.

Kyou filled up the coffee pot with water and waited silently against the counter for it to boil. He was startled out of his thoughts when he heard the door shut behind him. He whirled his head around and saw Kain.

The teen dropped his bag on the floor before he kicked off his shoes and hung up his coat. He looked at Kyou with tired eyes and he nodded slightly in greeting before trudging off to his room.

Kyou watched him go in silence as he faintly remembered Aloys mentioning something about night school. He turned back with mental shrug and waited once again for his water.

Happily enough he was soon sitting at the table, Citrus Lavender tea in hand. He had some toast with too and munched on it quietly. After a while, Kyou got up and decided to explore the house.

He tiptoed across the floor and up the stairs and knew that with his luck Aloys would wake up and annoy him with his undead att.i.tude. He grasped the handle and opened the first door with a small amount of dread and excitement. It was...just a closet…. The next door was a spare room, along with the next.

By the fourth door, he was starting to get bored. All this vampire had was f.u.c.king spare rooms and broom closets! Kyousuke had half been expecting to find some kind of torture chamber or maybe a room where he kept his prisoners locked up, but so far there was nothing.

He opened the last door and was surprised to find a library. It was covered, floor to ceiling with shelves of books.

The shelves were packed full of books; many ancient scripts and newer stories were carefully organized in their own sections. One, in particular, caught his eye. He pulled out a small, leather-bound book. It was wrapped in leather twine and had "1" etched into the cover.

And he could tell that it was old by the faded pages and the worn leather around the sides like it had been read many times before.

Deciding he'd read this, Kyou looked around for a place to sit. The room itself was very impressive with its old, yet comfortable looking furnis.h.i.+ngs, as well as its huge, curtain covered windows that blocked the light from changing the dim atmosphere.

He picked a chair, yanking open the curtain beside it. He coughed and sneezed at the cloud of dust it produced with the sharp movement.

Then he plopped down into the squishy leather and pulled his knees up to his chest. There was just enough light to start reading.

Kyousuke carefully unwrapped the book and opened it slowly. The spine crackled as it was forced open. There was chunky scrawl inside. Oh G.o.d, it was a journal.

He stifled a groan- and a yawn- and began to try to read the writing:

'So, although I don't know what to write about, I realize that most of these pages are going to be filled with my very mundane life. I guess I should start this off properly. I am Keiko, a servant of the Keiran household. The year is 1x.x.x and the month is May.'

Kyou was not very impressed. Of course, this guy would have books and memoirs of his family. He continued:

'Today I woke up a little before dawn, and helped out Father in the fields; then at noon I went to the castle to help mother tend the king and his children. I helped the prince and princess with applying their lessons and am encouraged graciously by the king himself to partic.i.p.ate in lessons from time to time when I am able.

I received this journal on a birthday many months ago, but am just now putting it to use. I'm only 13, and am just a boy but i hope that someday I can be useful to king and the crown prince and princess just as much as my father and mother are to them…

Kyou snorted. This was freaking ridiculous. He turned the page.

'Late May, 1x.x.x

Today I had to help the crown prince. He was rough per usual, and I am positive that swordplay is not something I enjoy…

He has been kind to me all my life, probably because we have been raised together since i was born, but lately i have been noticing something is off. My lord prince has become much more hostile the last few months then usual. I am a little worried, but is it my place to say anything to him?

I am just a lowly, second cla.s.s servant, and we have not talked to each other with familiarity since we were children, but i feel like he is suffering from some ailment of the heart-'

Kyou almost choked on his spit. Oh man. Ailment of the heart? He shook his head but kept on reading.

'Anyway, he spoke harshly to Miss Ebony, and although it didn't seem to affect her, I still cringed inwardly. She is a kind person, even if she is a little misguided, and she and i have spent many late nights in the library after hours reading quietly to each other. It hurt to see her talked to that way.

When I asked her about it later in the evening, she just laughed and patted my head. She told me not to worry about it, and that I should be worried myself rather than her.

I never can tell what she is thinking.'

Despite his initial mockery, Kyou read through the small journal, and started on the second one. It was full of the 'Prince' and the work Keiko did on at the castle. The second one started off no different.

'Mid November, 1x.x.x

The prince is as sour as ever. I do not know what I have done to annoy him so. So like a coward, I have been avoiding lessons and helping Father out in the fields. I hate that it has come to this, but I can't stand to be hated by the prince. I would rather save him from looking at my sorry self even if it hurts to not see him myself.

"Jesus, just talk to him!" Kyou frowned.

This kid was making things way too f.u.c.king complicated. Servant or not, he could just ask what the f.u.c.k was wrong.

'Late December, 1x.x.x

It is the day after Christmas. Well, really the early morning of the 26th, actually. I wish that I could say Christmas Day was something like out of one of the fairytales in Miss Ebony's books, but I am afraid that i may have hurt the prince's and my relations.h.i.+p beyond the point of fixing.

He was being rude to Miss Ebony, and even his majesty the king. I couldn't bite my tongue. I said some truly horrible things to him. I want to bang my head against the wall just thinking about it. I know I will face the consequences of my actions today, and this could very well be my last entry.

I should get an hour or two of sleep before facing the day. Good night.

New Year Day, 1x.x.x

I guess that since I am writing in this again, I am alive and well. I truly thought it was the end of me that day. The prince has mocked me many times since the 'incident' on Christmas, but nothing other a stern talking to from my parents has been given in punishment.

I partly wish that something had happened, because this tension between us is killing me. When I see how he can laugh and joke with the others like there is nothing wrong, but the moment I am in his sights he turns cold and apathetic, cuts me deeply. More than I can convey.

I wish we could go back to when we were kids and we could talk and laugh without worry. Well, I should get back to the others. They are serving cake and things to snack on in celebration of the new year.

Early January, 1x.x.x

Today a lot of things happened. For one, it is my birthday. I turned fourteen, and it has been a year since I got my first journal from my father. I am about halfway through the second one. I am growing quite fond of writing in this, and plan on doing so until I cannot anymore.

The second thing that happened is that the prince confessed to me what has been ailing him.

The day started out like any other, except I received a gift from one of the other families-a new pair of socks, and a knitted tunic along with leggings, and a book from the princess.

I felt a heated gaze and turned to see the prince glaring heavily at me. I steeled my resolve and went up to him when I caught him in alone in the hallway.

"Have I done something to offend you, lord?" I asked him pointedly. I needed to know his feelings. I needed to know mine as well.

The prince ran a hand through his hair as he replied to me.

"I have nothing to say," he responded in kind.

I let out a sigh. The tears were forming unbidden.

"Please let me know what i have done to receive such treatment from you? Do you hate me so much that you are repulsed from the very sight of me?"

I am ashamed to admit that I wiped away a tear or two with anger and embarra.s.sment.

It was then the prince grabbed me by the shoulders. He gripped me tightly.

"It is the very opposite of that, i a.s.sure you," he said quickly. "I am sorry, Keiko, i did not mean to make you cry."

It was then he jerked me forward with a red face, and pressed his mouth to mine.

I was so shocked that my tears stopped and i didn't have the reflexes to respond.

"I wanted to wait," he said to me after we parted, "preferably for another few years, but you have forced my hand. I couldn't stand it."

"C-couldn't stand what?" i asked, blus.h.i.+ng and more confused with every word the prince spoke.

"Looking at you day after day."

I swear my heart stopped in my chest. He did hate me-

"I mean- what i meant was- ah, d.a.m.n it! I love you, Keiko!"

I have to admit, thinking back, his red face and embarra.s.sed stutter was adorable. He told me that looking at me day after day and not being able to convey his true thoughts were driving him to insanity. He then took my hands, waiting for my response to his feelings.

I have no idea what he finds attractive about me, and I am all too familiar with the fact that many servants are mistresses and beaus to their masters. And we were both males to add to that.

"But, my lord-"

"Aloys, Keiko. Please call me-"'

HOLY f.u.c.kING s.h.i.+T, Kyou thought instantaneously as the present Aloys s.n.a.t.c.hed the bound journal from his fingertips, and scared him almost to the point of cardiac arrest.

Kyou jumped up, guilt pulsing slightly in his chest, and turned to Aloys.

"You are one sick b.a.s.t.a.r.d," he started to say accusingly, nervousness making his mouth move quicker than his brain. The purplette's words stopped when he saw Aloys' face.

It was very dark and very scary.

"Why are you in here?" the vampire asked lowly as his hands tightened unconsciously over the cracked leather of the journal. "How dare you come in here and disturb my things."

Kyou felt a jolt of fear wash over him. "I-I-"

"If you ever come in here again without my permission, I will chain you up in your room so you can never leave it again. I graciously saved your scrawny a.s.s, I let you into my home, and as repayment, I am continuously insulted, and the moment my back is turned you sneak in here and go through my things!"

Kyou was truly terrified now. Aloys' right eye glowed a sickly red, and it was filled with anger.

The purplette almost fell to his knees, legs trembling. Aloys was a vampire, a fiend of the Otherworld, and Kyou was acutely reminded of it as the immortal bared his two long, needle-like fangs.

"I-I didn't mean- I didn't think-" Kyou tried to argue in his defense, but the words were stuck in his throat.

Aloys snarled and opened his mouth to say something, but then closed it. With a long sigh, he walked over to shelves and put the journal back carefully.

"Remember what I said, Kyousuke," he growled as he grabbed the said human, and practically threw him out of the room, and with a slam, locked the door behind him.

Kyousuke couldn't control his trembling. He felt helpless and didn't know what to do. He felt frozen in place, pinned under the memory of Aloys' gaze.

The spell was broken, though, when he heard a sharp crack from inside the library. He fled back to his room and stayed in there the rest of the morning and afternoon. Kyousuke didn't know why he didn't just leave, but when he thought about it, it made him think about the mess that got him here in the first place and how f.u.c.ked he was if those monsters got him. He groaned into the pillow, despair, and depression threatening to overwhelm him.

For some strange reason, Kyou paused to smell the material he was squis.h.i.+ng mercilessly in his arms. There was a light scent, and for some reason, it relaxed him. His trembling stopped almost instantly. He inhaled again curiously. It was a sweet, but a distinctly manly smell. It was familiar, but as he tried to think where he had smelt it, his brain began to wander as it did when he was on the cusp of falling asleep. He was warm and tired, and desperately in need of an oasis of escape, so he gladly let sleep overtake him.

When 5 o'clock rolled around, a soft rap on his door woke the purplette from his dreamless sleep .

"Kyousuke," Aloys' voice came through the door.

He ignored the vampire.

The knock came again. "You need to eat something…"

"f.u.c.k off," he grumbled into the pillow, and tried to immerse himself back into sleep.

"Listen, love, I'm sorry for freaking out earlier… I know I told this place was your home till you were able to leave, but I would appreciate it if you didn't just wander around and go through my things-"

"Screw you, a.s.shole!" Kyou screeched suddenly as he chucked his pillow hard at the door. It hit it with some weight. "It's not like I meant to! I just wanted to read something! Not everything is about you, you narcissistic f.u.c.k!"

He was fuming, the anger resonating through his body. Really, he hadn't meant to pry. He knew better than anyone about respecting personal s.p.a.ce and not crossing boundaries. He brought his legs up to his chest and crossed his arms over them. He let his head rest on his forearms.

"I hate this," he whispered, heart aching. "Just go away."

"Come downstairs and eat something. I have something to tell you," Aloys tried again, his voice still soft, but a little else of something in his tone that Kyou couldn't discern.

He grunted. "I'm not hungry," he said stubbornly.

He heard Aloys sigh and could see in his mind's eye the vampire shaking his head. "It's about a job. Please come downstairs so we can talk about it."

His tone was reasonable, and Kyou hated it, but he was curious. He scooted off the bed, and begrudgingly went to the door. He opened it, and Aloys was right there waiting for him.

Kyou noticed he looked a little haggard but brushed off the slight feeling of concern as he headed downstairs to the kitchen.

On the table was a bowl of hot soup, some bread, and a gla.s.s of water. He sat down but didn't touch the food.

Aloys was right behind him and sat a the opposite end of the table. He noticed Kyou didn't attempt to eat the food in front of him.

"Please eat," he pleaded. "At least a little," he added.

Kyou shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Kyousuke," Aloys said again, this time, his voice commanding in the same way he told Sera to eat her vegetables.

Kyou narrowed his eyes but complied. He wanted to hear about the job.

"Spill it," he said after he took one bite. And another, and then another. The soup was really good, surprisingly, and before Aloys even began to speak, it was halfway gone.

"I talked to Lyall," he started and waited for Kyou to object, but when the purplette was silent, he continued, "And he agreed to let you work part-time at his club. You'd be a waiter."

"Ok," Kyou said around the b.u.t.tered bread in his cheeks.

There was a pause at that.

"Really?" the vampire said in surprise, his eyebrows arching dramatically.

Kyou shrugged and choose to ignore the pa.s.sive aggressive jab. He had been a waiter at plenty of jobs in high school so experience wasn't an issue.

He finished the bread after dunking it in the soup.

"Yeah, sure. I still don't like him though," he said. "What are the s.h.i.+fts?"

"Nine at night to one in the morning, respectively," Aloys replied as he leaned into the table. "Working there at night should be fine. Lyall has control over that area and a few block surrounding it but I'll have you picked up and dropped off at the beginning end of your s.h.i.+fts, just to make sure you make it there and here safely."

Kyou paused. "How many nights?" he asked after a long moment. He preferred a day job, but hey, working nights would get him away from Aloys, so he wasn't going to complain.

"I believe he said four: Tuesday, Friday, Sat.u.r.day, and Sundays."

Kyou nodded. "That's fine," he agreed. " Those things really can't get me there, can they?" he asked, just to make sure.

Aloys shook his head. "I'm surprised," he admitted. His gaze was firmly on Kyou.

"About what?" Kyou snorted, heat rising to his cheeks without his consent. Out of embarra.s.sment, awareness, or irritation, he wasn't sure.

"That you would take such a job. You are so prideful, love, I didn't think that this job was something you'd accept."

Kyou was speechless for a moment. His grip on the gla.s.s in his hand was so tight it threatened to shatter.

"And you are the biggest f.u.c.king a.s.shole. EVER," he retorted as he stood suddenly, the chair screeching back as the abrupt motion.

Anger burned his skin, along with chagrin. "For your information, I hate owing you, so any job would be better than having to see your ugly face!" he added as he went to stomp out of the room.

It was only a moment, but there was a blur, then Aloys had Kyou's wrist his grip.

"I'm sorry," the former apologized and pulled Kyou to face him. "I meant no offense. I happen to like the prideful ones," he grinned, then added, "They're more fun to break that way~"

Kyou slapped the vampire across the face with a smack so hard, the blood underneath the skin of his palm stung. What made him angrier was that Aloys let himself get hit.

Kyou tried to pull away, but he was held in place by wide, pale hands.

He glared. "You chauvinist f.u.c.ker," he insulted.

"I try," Aloys retorted, and pulled him flush to each other's chest. "You know, humans like you really p.i.s.s me off," he said, his breath cold on Kyou's hot face. "I made a deal with you, but now I want to amend that."

"Not interested," Kyou spit right the vampire's stupid face. "So don't f.u.c.king touch me."

Aloys chuckled dangerously but didn't bat an eye as he maintained his pinning gaze with Kyousuke. "Why is it always the crazy ones that I like?" he seemed to whisper to himself as his eyes roamed over the human in front of him. "Listen, sweetheart," he said, this time to Kyou. "I'll get you to want me. Body and soul, you will be mine."

Kyou blinked, but Aloys continued, "And when you do, you stay with me, looking after me, this house, and doing whatever I say, as my willing servant, till the day you die."

Kyou felt Aloys' grip tighten further on his shoulders as he suddenly kissed him. The grip was painful, which made him gasp in surprise. This, he realized too late, allowed the vampire access to his mouth. He felt Aloys push his tongue past Kyou's lips and teeth to entwine their tongues together as he was pinned in place.

The kiss was hot and messy, and Kyou was easily pulled under the current of l.u.s.t Aloys was smothering him with. He couldn't do anything other than moan deeply as his mouth was filled and pillaged by Aloys' tongue.

Aloys smirked as he pulled away, only to put his blue-tinged lips on Kyou's neck to lick it.

"You might as well give in, I'd love to hear you beg," he murmured, his breath causing the purplette's skin to break out with gooseb.u.mps. His heart pounded, and his body felt weak.

"Like I'd ever beg you," Kyou finally managed to say.

His body quivered at Aloys' touch, and, like an addict, he craved to feel that high again, but he was no stranger to fighting withdrawals.

With a push, he put some s.p.a.ce between them. "Get away from me," demanded seriously as he could manage.

Aloys, surprisingly, let go and stepped back. "Trust me," he said slowly, his hands going into his slack pockets, "We are bound by Fate. And I don't plan on letting you out of my sight until it is revealed what part you play in it."

He leaned toward the purplette close enough to whisper in his ear, "So you couldn't escape even if you tried. Good night~"

And with that, Aloys sauntered away toward the door. "I'll be out talking to Lyall about when you're starting at the club. So try to get some sleep. You look like s.h.i.+t."

Kyou watched him leave, his face slack. There was only silence to answer him when he exclaimed to himself. "G.o.d, he is such a d.i.c.k!"