[A/N - WARNING: graphic violence. You may skip this chapter, but know you'll miss part of Fighter's backstory. At the end, I'll include a brief summary of what happened if you want to skip the details]

"No one's gonna hurt you. No one's gonna dare. Others can desert you. Not to worry, whistle, I'll be there."
~Sweeney Todd, 'Not While I'm Around'

~~~

*Fighter's POV*

My bare feet pad against the floor as I make my way from my bedroom to my parents' room. My body is still trembling from the nightmare, and I push the door open. Tiptoeing to the bed, I lightly nudge the sleeping body.

"Mommy?" I whisper. Mom instantly wakes up, as she always does whenever she senses I need her.

"Fighter? What is it, baby?" Mom asks sleepily, sitting up on the bed.

"I had a nightmare," I tell her, my bottom lip wobbling.

"Oh, sweetie," my mom coos, standing up and picking me up in her arms. "How about a story? Hm?"

I nod my head with a bright grin, hugging her neck as she carries me back to my room.

"Do you want to talk about your nightmare?" Mom asks as she tucks me into bed. I bite my lower lip, accidentally cutting the flesh with my small fang. Mom smiles warmly, brushing her thumb over my lip to wipe the drop of blood away.

"I dreamt that the bad men came and took you and daddy away," I whisper sadly, and my mom's eyes soften.

"My sweet Fighter," my mom brushes my hair back. "Our clan is well protected. Vampire hunters cannot get in here. We are perfectly safe."

"What about when you and daddy leave the castle?" I ask, eyes growing watery. "Who will protect you then? You're a human, you can get hurt."

"Fighter, listen to me," my mom says as she takes my hands. "Your father and I are strong enough to protect ourselves against anyone. As long as you're waiting at home for us, we'll always return to you. No matter what."

"What about me, mommy? Am I strong?"

She smiles at me, ruffling my hair and kissing my nose. "The strongest five-year-old I've ever seen. You're a warrior. Our little Fighter."

I grin, scrambling from the bed to hug my mom tightly. She holds me close, petting my hair soothingly as she begins to sing.

"Nothing's gonna harm you. Not while I'm around. Nothing's gonna harm you, darling. Not while I'm around..."

My eyes grow heavy as she sings, pulling me into a deep slumber in the arms of my mom.

The next time I wake, it's from the sound of a piercing scream.

Nearly falling out of bed, I run out of my room towards the living room. What I see makes me scream as terror fills me.

"Mommy!!" I scream, tears already falling down my cheeks.

A vampire holds my mom by the throat, baring his blood covered fangs as he glares at my dad.

"Fighter! Stay back!" My dad shouts, pulling me behind him.

"You made me like this!" The vampire shrieks at my dad. "You said if I completed the ritual, I would feel fulfilled! Complete! But I don't! I feel nothing but cold and empty without her!"

"Lee, calm down, please," my dad pleads as mom struggles in Lee's grip. "Let my wife go, and we can get you help. We can make you feel better."

Lee laughs, but it doesn't sound like a happy laugh. "Make me feel better?! That's the bullshit you fed me to convince me I would be happier like this! She's dead because of you and that goddamn ritual! This is all your fault!"

"Give me a chance—"

"No! You don't deserve a chance! You only deserve to feel the same pain I did!"

"Fighter," my mom calls out, her voice raspy under the weight of Lee's hand on her throat. Tears fill her eyes. "Baby, look away. And know that I'll always be with you."

My dad roars and lunges forward, but he's too late. Lee sinks his fangs into my mom's throat, blood spurting out. I scream, which seems to remind my dad that I'm there because he quickly turns around to cover my eyes. But not before I see Lee yank his head backwards, ripping my mom's throat out.

I hear the thud as mom's body crumples to the floor, blood spilling out. My dad's body wracks with shudders as he sobs, his grip on me loosening as he falls to his knees. I peek out over his hand, watching as Lee breaks the wooden leg off a nearby chair before plunging it into his chest. He gasps, eyes rolling back as he falls lifelessly to the ground.

I'm crying, trying to run towards my mom, but my dad holds me back. I thrash against him, beating his chest with my small ineffective fists.

"Son, look at me," my dad grabs my face, forcing me to look away from my mom's body on the floor. Tears are still streaming down his face, but he tries to keep his voice steady for me. "I need you to run and get Jara. Can you do that for me?"

Sniffling, I nod my head. Before I run to get his second-in-command, I stop and look up at him with watery eyes.

"Daddy?" I croak. "That man said someone died because of a ritual. What... what happened?"

Something flashes behind my dad's eyes, and he shakes his head. "Son, do not listen to the words of a murderer. Now, go. Get Jara."

I try to peer around him for one final look at my mom, but my dad steps in front of me to block my view. Wiping away my tears, I turn and run for help.

***

I wake up, gasping for breath with sweat covering my body. My heart pounds in my chest, hard enough to make my breastbone ache.

"Fighter?" Tutor asks groggily, pulling himself up. "What is it? Are you okay?"

He touches my arm and I look down at him, still breathing heavily. Concern laces his eyes, dark hair messy from sleep. Like me, he's not wearing any clothes since we went to sleep before getting the chance to redress.

Seeing him next to me reminds me that I'm not alone, and the fear lessens a bit.

"Yeah," I breathe out, although my voice cracks. "Just a nightmare."

Tutor frowns, sitting up fully to rub my back. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"I dreamt about my mom," I murmur, desperately keeping the tears from my eyes. "About the night she died."

I sink down into Tutor's arms, retelling that horrible night. He brushes my hair, arms wrapped firmly around him as the tears finally spill over. He remains quiet the entire time, save for a few sniffles as he begins to weep on my behalf.

"My dad told me not to trust the words of a murderer," I tell him through clenched teeth. "He convinced me that I was safe with him, that I would never be hurt like my mother was. Little did I know, he was forcing others to murder their loved ones in the same way, all so he could expand his clan. My mother was killed because my father forced a man to kill his wife and become a vampire. While I was never physically hurt, I was emotionally and mentally damaged beyond repair. Looks like he was right, after all. I shouldn't have trusted the words of a murderer."

Tutor tightens his arms around me, pressing his lips to the top of my head. "I'm so sorry, Fight. I'm sorry you had to go through all of that. And I'm sorry for making you talk about your past earlier, it's probably what triggered the nightmare."

I shake my head against his chest. "It's not your fault. I've been having nightmares for nearly two decades."

"I wish I could take it all away," Tutor whispers.

"Just stay by my side. The pain is easier when you're with me."

"I'll always be by your side," he promises. "Don't worry about the shadows of the past. I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere. You are safe, and you are loved."

Tutor presses endless kisses to my head, petting my hair in a comforting way that reminds me of my mother.

As I rest my head against his chest, I listen to the soothing rhythm of his heart. Gradually, his presence begins to calm me down until I'm drifting into a dreamless sleep.

~~~

[SUMMARY: When Fighter was five-years-old, his human mother was killed by a vampire who had just completed the ritual, and was going crazy with grief over killing his own wife. He wanted to take revenge on Fighter's dad by killing Fighter's mom. Fighter overheard the vampire mention the ritual, but when he asked his dad about it, he said: "do not listen to the words of a murderer." When Fighter woke up from his nightmare, he told Tutor about his mom. Tutor comforted him until Fighter fell back asleep]

Triple?? Update?? What??

Thoughts??
I know that was probably unexpected and dark. But I felt it was time we learned more about Fighter's past, and why he's so scared of where he's from

See you next time!
-Gumbie