~Niko's POV~

Strands of light fall over his shoulders and head, hair glistening in the moonlight as he moves to grab a gleaming knife, anger weaved into each strike of the blade against another.

My eyes fall from Moon to Kaiien then back again, something in the way he glides across the floor, how he tosses back his hair and wipes his cheek with the bottom of his shirt has me in a sickly trance, unable to break free until he turns around and his eyes connect with mine.

Neither of us pull away, my nails digging into the charred couch as his fingers grip the gleaming blade of the knife. A wave of malice crashes over him, distorting his features until there's nothing left of my Mali, just a deteriorated shell revealing glimpses of the new him.

Eyes widening he pushes against the aged countertop, dusty and yellowed with age its wood chips and fragments hang from silk spun webs of thread, each piece dangling from the underside as if a chandelier. With each step I take he pushes himself farther back, arching him against it and disturbing the masterpiece dangling below. By the time I've reached him he's trembling, legs clamped tightly together as I stand next to him, pulling the blade away as my own hands begin to shake, chest tightening as my mind wanders to the thought of the damage he can cause.

"Can I help you?" He returns to the task at hand, jaw tight as he clasps his teeth together to keep from stuttering.

Though hot to the touch his body chills at the touch of my skin, hand drawing away as I lay my own overtop of it, tracing the fragile bone and delicate lines engraved into his flesh, drawing letters and scripts as I had when he was a child. Eventually I gift him with a small nod, removing my hand though the chill of his remains on my palm. "I need bathed," He's frozen before I've even finished, teeth biting back on his lips until he thinks better of it, pinching his clothes from his body until his tight t-shirt has devolved into a shaggy garment. "go draw the water.

"No."

"Moon." Venom flows through my veins, dripping onto my tongue and leaking into his name, intertwining the two until it leaves behind a bitter taste and my cheeks grow hot. "Go." He's scrambling up the steps before I even turn to face him, the dripping of a faucet audible through the weak floors of the house.

With every step the floors creak, hands dragging across the staircase until I reach the bathroom. Moon is visible from the hall on his knees by the side of the bath, tips of his hair blackening as they dampen from the water, the surface rippling with each tear that slides off the tip of his nose. With the tip of his finger he tests the temperature drawing back the slightest before trying again, completely submerging his hand until the water boils, immediately stopping it with a slight wave of his right hand.

The tile clicks with every collision of my heel, Moon standing over my body as I sit on the edge of the bath, nimble fingers working away at the tight bun done up and tangled. Through boredom I study the room, the light blue and white tile reflected through the wall sized mirror overtop of a marbled counter. There's no windows just a light coating of grayish blue paint and various oil paintings of the sea cluttering it.

Eventually he lets out the last knot, hair sweeping over my shoulders and dusting the top middle of my spine as he motions for me to stand. I can see the fear in his eyes, the way his pupils dilate and lip trembles, his hands shaky as he unravels the silk tie of my robes.

With faltering sweeps he undoes each polished ivory button, the studs clashing against the floor as the shirt falls to the ground.

We both pause, his eyes wandering over my chest as I stare into my reflection. Open wounds, deep and scar ridden, seemingly stare back, the flesh growing grayish with each rip through it. I'd never seen him as angry as that night, tears streaming down his flushed cheeks as he forced his weight into my bone, knife powered by years of hate, of hurt. Out of the corner of my eye I can see him looking up at me, testing my reaction like he used to, clueless as to how he should react, always timid, patient...scared.

Shaking the thought I motion for him to continue, fear contorting his features as shakes his head 'no', pace quickening as he starts to scream out. I don't remember him this fragile, eyes reddening as his cheeks are flooded with tears as he slips the flowing pants from my waist.

He's already on his way out, arm wet as he wipes beneath his eyes and opens the heavy wood door, its hinge creaking as he slams it open. "Stay with me."

The door is shut without another word and he takes a seat on the floor, eyes turned away from my bare body beneath the unsteady and ever moving water, flowing with a nonexistent current as I slide into a more comfortable position. A shimmer runs the course of my spine as I back against the cool porcelain of the bath, the water splashing over my chest in waves. "Get in." His emotions show as he slips out of his clothes, pressing his lids together until their seemingly fused into one. "Moon, I'm not going to hurt you." With a quick nod he's stepping in, elbow hitting against my shoulder as he slips on the floor of the bath and nearly avoids crashing down.

We seem to sit in silence for hours, Moon's knees drawn into his chest as he wraps his arms around himself, head tilted towards the mirror, wary of my every move, my every breath as fog steams the room in rippling tides, mirror crying as Moon's reflection is lost behind a cloud of smoke.

As I pull him from his niche he whimpers, lips quivering as his eyes squeeze shut, flinching when I flatten his unruly hair against my chest, wrapping my arm around his head and holding him securely to me. "I'm not going to make love to you." My words are seemingly lost in the smoke, written in the tears that dot the mirror and walls, harsh lines draw against the surface as they slip with one last cry.

"You never have." Moon speaks through clenched teeth, eyes opening for just a moment as his hands ball to fists, fingers digging into his skin until I pull them away, crescent indentions left where they had been. "Never have you made love to me," He spits each word as they come, body tightening beneath my grip as his chest rises and falls at a quickened pace, pale cheeks illuminated with rage. "you raped me for thirteen fucking years." At this point he's merely yelling, scratching at his palms and wrists as he pulls away with such a force that he's slammed against the other side of the bath, knocking the porcelain into the wall. He runs his panicked hands through his hair, ruffling the mess as he shakes his head, eyes red as fresh tears drip into the water below, a low growl sounding from his throat as he speaks. "You raped me. You locked me in a basement and made me your slave and you dare call that love. As if you ever cared about us."

"Mal-"

"Don't. Don't ever call me that. You think I can't see what you're doing to get me and Kaiien back under your rule, to make us scared of you again. I'm not fucking stupid, Niko...but I know that wont change anything for you."

The water ripples as he calms, slender nose tilted towards the sky as he rolls his thin lips into a line, chapped and bloody from the nipping cold. "You look just like your mother..." His features instantly soften, a magic word spoken to end his rampage. "Your nose is your father's though." The distant thought brings a small smile to my face, the corners of my lips drawing up as I run water through my hair. "We would make fun of him for it as a kid, call him a liar and a snake." Laughter bubbles over my lips, chest hiccuping at the distant sound of his voice, whining eternally as he scrunches up his nose.

There's a gleam in his eyes I haven't seen in four hundred years, body migrating towards me as he leans forward in curiosity, hand resting on my knee as he smiles. "Is that why you called him 'Py'? Because he was like a python?"

"The only snake like qualities your father had was his nose...and views of marriage but that's a different story."

"What were my parents like...." It's only a whisper, barely audible as he lets out a sigh then a cough in an attempt to cover it. "Akara was strong and wise and handsome and caring and fatherly and everything I'm not. He could always find a reasonable explanation, always had a plan. I admired your father," I add, getting off track. "your mother as well."

With a wave of his hand the water is bubbling, heat returning to the chilly pool as he continues to nudge towards me as if I can't notice. I motion for him with the slight wave of my arm, tilting back until the base of my neck rests against the dip of the graying porcelain. "Sit."

Hesitantly he leans into my body, hair brushing over my nipple as he adjusts his weight between my legs, his body curls perfectly into mine just like it used to. Moon lets out a small sneeze, face crinkling as he pushes into me farther, my arms wrapping around him to settle the water. As the water stills so does the conversation, Moon washing himself with his hands, watching the droplets run the length of his arms before he turns to me, eyes dark as he shrinks away the slightest. "What is Hell like?"

"I-" Voice stopping I pause for a moment, fingers tapping his flesh as I clear my throat. "Awful. Absolutely horrendous."

He opens his mouth but thinks better of it, turning back around to lean into me. "Just wondering..." It barely leaves his lips, just a murmur as he sinks further into the water.

"Any particular reason?"

"I killed a man." Head shaking he wraps his arms around himself, fingers intertwining with my own. "I watched his blood run with mine and left his body there to rot. I'm not a good man, Niko I'm a really bad man."

Tears dip into the bones of his cheeks as I rake my fingers through his hair, natural curls forming at the ends of each strand as I start on the next, his chest heaving as he claws at my arm. "I'm going to Hell and I've damned Kai with me. He's never done anything bad in his life and I've cursed him because I couldn't handle it I should've just-"

"You did what needed to be done, your parents would be impressed with how strong you are and how far you went to protect Kaiien and yourself."

Fingers tapping against the bath he makes a light rhythm, the dripping of the tap and clatter of downstairs seemingly going along with his tune until he lets out a sigh, no longer able to ignore what's on his mind. "...I can't remember what they look like." He whispers. "I try so hard but I can't remember them." There's a slight crack in his voice, head digging into my shoulder as he forces me to hold him tighter.

Reaching over the bath I grab at my silken shirt, digging into a tear in the belt until my fingers wrap around a small image, drawing it out and handing it to Moon. "You can keep it, Moon."

I usher him out of the tub, helping to wrap his waist and pushing him out the door. "Bring Kaiien up."

Before he leaves he turns to face me, photo clutched tight to his chest. "Thank you for this..."

"There's still a lot more that needs said." With a nod he's gone and I sink back into the roaring water, bubbles still rolling from Moon's fingertips. There's a slight knock on the door, thin and bony as it hardly echoes through the barren bathroom. "Kaiien?"

The door lies ajar, a mop of dark brown hair peeking out before the distinctive blue eyes of Kaiien follow on it's trail. "Y-yes?"

He shuts the door behind him, back up against it as he raises a brow at the situation. "Get in."

Kaiien doesn't question it as Moon had, less distant but still wary of me as he slips his sweater over his head, pants dropping to the floor as he climbs over the high walls of the bath.

He's...different. Hair lightened from the sun and body giving the stretched illusion of height. His skin clings to his protruding bones, collar bones jutting out as he folds into himself in a poor attempt to shield his body from me.

"What do you want?"

I motion for him to lay against me as Moon had, face contorting before settling to normal, cautious as he rests the back of his head under my neck allowing me to wrap my arms around him. "You're so thin..."

"No, I'm not."

"Kaiien, I can see your ribs with every breath you must gasp to take."

"No you can't."

"Can you not see how thin you are?"

With a violent rush he's ripped out of my arms, breaths violent as he shields himself with branch like arms, fingers rooting themselves in the dips of his rib cage. "Can you not see how fat I am?!"

"What fat is there to se-"

As he throws up his arms I grab one, tightening my grasp until he submits with a whimper, shoulder jerking as he secretively tries to escape. Rivers cross his arms, their course imbedded in his peachy flesh, rough to the touch as I trace each stream. "Kaiien."

I haven't heard my voice ache in so long, to hear my throat swallowing every word until I'm sitting in silence, hand brushing over the stubble of my face as I drop his arm. His rivers echo his mother's, deeper than the ones she etched with the brush of a fingernail, bright eyes dim as she paints away with the drawing blood. I try to push away the thought of Kaiien doing the same, of his tears burning these indentions in his flesh.

"Because I'm worthless. I don't deserve to eat, I'm not good enough." Somehow the words sound different coming from his lips than mine.

"I.." Kaiien stands, waif body hunched over itself as he exists, slamming the door behind him as he goes. My last words never leave my tongue and they never will, confound to my thoughts until I'm dragged back into the waiting arms of Lucifer.

"I'm sorry."






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Note:

HOLY! How long has it been since I updated?!?! Enjoy this Christmas gift of a new Crossblood chapter and be expecting more frequent updates! I'M BACK BABY! PS. Only a couple more chapters to go until the end!