With a little sleep and blood—The latter of which Yuki was kind enough to provide—I was able to get back on my feet. When I was in Kyoto, it was easy to have narrow vision. Without this world and all it's gifts directly in front of me, I could forget how much joy it did bring me. It was Heavenly here, and the people were far kinder than Earthlings.

I wanted to be alone with my thoughts, so I decided to take a walk around the castle. Some of the guards whom had the cheesecake I made last time I was here stopped me, asking the next time I'd be putting their kitchen to use. It oddly made me happy. There's something about bringing jubilation to other people's lives that's always provided me with fulfillment. It's unfortunate I'll never be able to share those memories with Yuki again. Well, I guess I could always bring him a corpse to feast on, but I don't think I have to tell you that it's not the same.

As I turned a corner, I discovered a table and two chairs set up beside a larger window. Presumably, for sitting to read or enjoying some afternoon tea. I was surprised to discover Ryan sat there, doing just that. Back at the castle, when he wasn't on guard duty or eating a meal, he was locked up in his room. I didn't know anything about his hobbies and habits, so it was a little strange to see him acting like a normal human being.

"I didn't catch your scent earlier. I thought the Master had only brought Kuza with him." I commented as I approached.

"I had some things to take care of at the castle, so I was a little ways behind them." He replied, setting his book down. "So... Kuza said something about you finding a way to bring Angelo here."

I took a seat across from him, answering, "I did. I saw him, too, while I was on Earth. I don't know what happened between you two to make you break up, but I'm pretty sure he's forgotten all about it. He seems over the moon when I told him I might be able to reunite you two. It'll take a lot out of me, though. I need to replenish my strength first."

Ryan shrugged. "That's fine. I've waited this long." He's having a good attitude about something for once? I guess love really does change a person. "You should probably do something about the Master. He's been a nightmare to live with and it's all your fault."

"I left to help you, so technically, it's all your fault. But, yeah, I'll go talk to him." I sighed, standing up.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night." Ryan picked up his tea, taking a sip. Just as I turned my back, he added, "Kuza's terrible at keeping secrets, by the way." Petrified, I glanced back at him. He smiled like the smug asshole he is. "Don't worry. I'm won't tell."

I guess, if Kuza absolutely had to tell someone what he saw, it's a good thing it was Ryan. He's not going to rat me out because I have something he wants. I know I have to make an attempt to smooth things over with Ricky, or else he's going to make everyone's lives miserable. When it comes to my heart's desires, I'm completely at a loss. Once Ville and I had an important conversation about the capacity of love. He told me it was completely reasonable to love two people equally. It was easy and comforting to hear that at the time because Yuki was out of my reach. Now, I actually have to worry about potentially having to choose.

For a little while long, I walked around the palace thinking. There's only so far my mind can take me without actually speaking with Ricky. I just need to pull the trigger and hope he's calmed down enough. Despite the constant cloud of rosewater and fresh snow that drifted through these halls, it wasn't hard for me to track him down by his scent. It seemed he had listened to Ville and taken some time to relax in the blood red pool. It's not actually blood, but it damn well looks like it.

The ladies kindly let me through the gate. During the time I'd spent pacing, I guess Ryan had finished his break. He and Kuza were in the room, standing guard while Ricky soaked and moped. He seemed annoyed I was there, but he wasn't thrown into a fit of rage. Progress.

"Can we talk?" I asked.

Ricky thought about it for a second. He waved his hand lazily, gesturing Kuza and Ryan to leave the room. I'm sure they won't go far, but I don't mind the illusion of privacy. "Talk." Ricky coldly said.

I seeped a sigh, "Ricky, after all the nights we've spent together and all we've shared, do you really have to be so crude?" As I was saying this, I removed my mask and pulled down my hood.

Seeing my face, and hearing my voice, helped to ease his agitation. "Sorry." He muttered, "You can understand why I'm mad at you, right?"

"Yeah. I should've told you I was going to be gone for awhile, that I planned to go back to Earth, and I'm sorry I didn't. But, you understand why I'm mad at you, right?" I received silence. I continued as I walked along the edge of the pool, towards him. "Maybe things are different here, but where I come from, when you say 'I love you' and the other person doesn't say it back, that's a really big deal."

He diverted his eyes. "I know. It's a big deal here too, but saying 'I love you' is even more serious here than it is where you come from. That's what Ville told me, anyways. He said people on Earth will let go of ones they love. They'll fall out of love. We don't do that here. Saying 'I love you,' it's an eternal promise. People here can be together for decades without saying it because it's that serious of a commitment."

"I... I understand, now. I didn't know. I'm sorry." I knelt down beside him. He rested his arms on the edge of the pool, the red water dripping off his long hair and down his tattooed chest. "When you didn't reciprocate, I felt like I meant nothing to you."

Ricky softly laughed, "C'mon, Chris, you know that's not true." He smiled as he looked up at me with those gorgeous eyes. "You mean a lot to me. You know, you're the only person I've ever told the truth about my scar? I don't think you realize just how much I've let you in."

"I... No, I don't think I did." I muttered.

"I'm sorry I upset you, and yelled at you." He sighed shakily. "I just- I don't want to lose you. You understand that, right?"

Yeah, yeah, we've had this conversation before. Some days, his overprotective nature is sweet. Others, it can be a pain in the ass. Today, it's a little bit of both. This was just an unfortunate case of two people caring too much about each other and self destructing. Vampires and demons aren't immune to foolish human faults when it comes to love. No one is.

I leaned in, sealing our reconciliation with a kiss. Ricky must've missed me a lot more than he let on because he absolutely went in on my lips. Not that I'm complaining. He placed his hand along my shoulder, bringing his face down to the crook of my neck. Just as he was about to kiss my skin, he stopped.

"You smell like another man." He said, to which my heart sank. Okay, yes, it would've been a really shit thing to try to gloss over what happened, but I was really hoping I'd get out of this without Ricky finding out about Yuki. He kept a tight grip on my shoulder as he looked me in the eyes. "What did you do?"

"I drank from one of Ville's pets. That's all." I said.

"You know you're a terrible liar."

"Only when it comes to you." I responded, "Ricky, I- I'm so sorry."

His anger immediately kicked in and got the best of him. Ricky forcefully pulled me down, causing me to crash into the pool. As I hit the water, I heard him sneer, "You fucking asshole." Remembering what Ville said earlier about this water potentially turning me human again, I began to go into a panic. I swam up to the surface, attempting to grab onto the edge of the pool. A sudden bolt of pain shot through my body and I lost control, slipping back under.

Someone managed to grab my hand before I completely sunk. I felt another pair of arms on me, and soon realized it was Ryan and Kuza pulling me out. They got me onto the ground, but I couldn't move at all. Horrid strikes of nerve pain began firing throughout my body. I couldn't even think properly, as I felt like I was continuously being struck by lightning. Through it, I could just barely hear Ryan yelling at Ricky to do something. I saw him come into my line of vision, but as he did, my ears began ringing too much to understand him.

From there, I blacked out briefly. When I finally came back around, I felt like I was in the twilight zone. I was looking down onto my own body. The world around me was so unsaturated, it was almost black and white.

"I put his body into a suspended state of animation," Ricky told the others, "Because, something tells me a vampire having a seizure is a very bad thing."

Well, I'm glad he still cared about me enough to not let me die. He was right about what he said, and what he did. The vampire virus makes the human body immune to human illnesses and conditions, such as seizures and strokes. It seems Ville was more correct than he knew. I was barely under for sixty seconds and the pool began healing the dead cells in my body. The spell Ricky used to freeze my body was the same one Ville had used to save his life many years ago. Look at him, coming full circle. When he told me the story before, he hadn't mentioned that it caused him to have an out of body experience.

Ricky quickly threw on some clothes, telling Kuza to find Ville. He then scooped my body up in his arms and headed towards the room he'd been staying in. Funny, you'd think he'd take me to my room. I guess he doesn't completely hate me for what I did. He was just mad in the moment. Shamefully, he confessed to Ville what he'd done, how this was his fault. Ville didn't get angry or place blame. He only comforted Ricky and started pondering a solution.

"If his body has truly began turning human again, the only way to save him is to turn him into a vampire again. We need another vampire to do that." Ville said.

"Angelo!" Ryan interrupted, "Sorry, but Chris said he figured out how to bring Angelo here. He also told me Angelo was the one who turned him in the first place." Geez, I'm not used to seeing any kind of enthusiasm from him.

"That's important." Ville explained, "There's different strands of the vampire virus. I'd hate to think what would happen if we accidentally gave him a different strand than what he already has."

"Please tell me he told you how he planned to bring Angelo here." Ricky desperately responded.

"He did, and as fate would have it, you're the only one here who can do it. He planned to pull Angelo into the shadow dimension and pass through the rift that way. He's already successfully done it once with someone else. You won't be able to traverse the other realm on your own, and I have to stay here in case the spell wears off."

"I'll go with him." Ryan volunteered.

"No," Ville quickly replied, "Multiple trips through the rift is just as taxing on humans as it is on vampires. You've already come through twice. A third time could kill you."

Kuza sheepishly stepped forward from the back of the room. "So... It has to be me."

"Are you sure you're up for it?" Ricky asked, noting his timidness.

He nodded, "I don't want to go back there, but I owe it to Chris."

"Angelo's clan lives in caves underneath Scranton. You can access them through the Cathedral Cemetery." Ryan told him. I know for a fact Angelo never brought him back to the crypts, but apparently he let him know where they were. Which is massively against the vampire rules. I, of all people, cannot scold Ange for doing stupid shit in the name of love. And, that stupid shit is going may very well save my life.

"The rift will close as soon as one entity passes through it," Ville informed Kuza, "But, I promise, as soon as Chris is stable, I'll come retrieve you."

I assume he'll open the same rift he did before, which dropped me in central Jersey. You're seriously going to leave easily the least stable member of our party to fend for himself in the ghetto? The spell seems to be keeping my body on ice just fine. I think they can spare the ten minutes it'd take to bring Kuza back! I don't doubt Ville's word, though. He wouldn't lie to any of us and he wouldn't leave Kuza stranded there.

Ricky didn't waste any time in gearing up to go. He and Kuza were gone within a half hour. Before he left, he told Ryan to send a letter back to the castle and inform the others where we were. I'm sure Ezra is too busy fucking Yuu on every piece of furniture they own to notice, and Ash and Vinny are probably happily slacking off. They're the type that would have a pool day in the fountain if left unchecked.

Ville put Ryan in charge of watching over my body. He took a seat in an arm chair beside the fireplace and read his book quietly. Well, this is fucking boring. He wasn't even reading anything interesting. It was some kind of elf philosophy book. The clock continued to tick and the candles burned down. Eventually, Yuki sneaked his way into the room. He seemed concerned, but not shocked. Ville must've filled him in.

"Yuki, right?" Ryan asked him, scaring the shit out of him. Yuki hadn't even noticed him in the corner.

"How'd you know?" He softly asked.

"Chris mentioned you in passing a few times. Kuza saw you two in bed together last night, and today him and I overheard the Master accusing Chris of infidelity. I figured he's not the type to cheat with some random whore and I filled in the blanks." Ryan deadpanned. There's the emotionless asshole I've come to know and love. I better survive this, because now I have to kick his fucking ass.

"Infidelity?" Yuki remarked. He stared at my body with sadness. "I didn't know he was in a relationship."

"Not exactly. It's complicated."

"It always is." He murmured. Yuki glanced at the book Ryan had set down. "I'm sorry I bothered you."

He responded, "It fine. You know, back at the castle—This isn't our castle, by the way—Back at the castle, there's another servant, named Yuu. Moon elf, prince of an endangered species, drop dead gorgeous. Chris always said he reminded him of you. Don't take this the wrong way, but I don't see it."

"Oh..." He didn't know exactly how to take Ryan's personality. Honestly, I had no clue where Ryan was going with this, either.

"But, you do remind me of someone else. An old friend, Yuu's boyfriend in fact, Ezra. First time I met Ezra, way before he knew Yuu, he was a doe-eyed adventurer, always happy, optimistic, and had a bad case of puppy love for this ice elf named Ruki. I didn't see him again for thirteen years, thirty nine in Earth years. He was a completely different person. He received an injure that should've ended his career as a warrior, but he learned to fight again. And, he lost Ruki to another man, but he learned to love again.

"Once, Ezra and Yuu got in a bad fight, and after he'd had a few drinks, he told me he missed Ruki. A few weeks later, I ran into Ruki on a mission. He started asking me all about Ezra. If you ever saw Ezra and Yuu together, though, you'd have no idea there was ever anyone else. He'd give his life for Yuu, but if Ruki ever needed him, he'd be there for him, too."

How did I not know any of this? I mean, I knew Ryan and Ezra were close, but I thought Ezra would've mentioned this once to me. It was a sweet story. I'm not sure what it'll mean to Yuki, or what it means to me. Love is boundless, yet jealous. It's so damn unfair sometimes.