23
When he entered the house Aeris had already gone to bed, and put out the candles so only the pale moon gave some light, but Yazoo didn´t need it anyway. He made his way safely into his room, smashing the door shut behind him.
“What was it with that embarassing departure of yours?”
Swirling around at the cold voice behind him Yazoo was only briefly surprised to find Vincent leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest, looking extremely pissed.
“What was it with that embarassing dancing attendance around that woman of yours?” the young man retorted just as frostily, getting out of the uncomfortably high collard shirt he was wearing.
“That, my dear child, is called the decent behaviour towards a descendent of lordly blood,” Vincent replied grimly. “I did not expect you to be so very childishly jealous. It does not suit you at all.”
“Hn.” Yazoo loosened the ribbons around his wrist, “Call me whatever you want, but I do not know how you expect me to react decently to you courting some bitch that is about to getting married.”
“Well, as I already said, she is a rather gorgeous example of her kind. She would suit me just fine, do you not think so?” the vampire asked cruelly.
“Well then my congratulations. I bet you truly deserve each other,” the youth slowly said, his shirt forgotten as the meaning of his lover´s words sank in. Somehow he felt suddenly very nauseous and his waxy face must have shown so since Vincent was already beside him to catch him mid-air as his legs gave out under him.
“Stupid,” the vampire murmured, as he gently slapped the teen´s cheek to make him stay concious, “if you would for a change use that pretty head of yours to think instead of jumping to hasty, ridiculous conclusions you would spare me an awful amount of inconveniences.”
“Hn,” Yazoo made, looking still dizzy, “you mean, you´re not going to marry her?”
“Of course not,” Vincent snorted, observing with a lifted eyebrow how suspiciously fast his protégé recovered, sitting up on the floor and saying casually “I see.” while his eyes flickered with complacence.
Unnerved the cloaked man let go of him, rising to his feet and turning towards the window.
“As you know very well, marriage is something beyond my contingencies even if I felt inclined to contemplate it.”
Yazoo nodded happily.
“And that is why you will husband her.”
“…What?!”
The bewildered expression on his student´s face was priceless, almost compensating Vincent for Yazzo´s earlier foul play, if only it hadn´t been so crestfallen underneath.
“It is about time,” the vampire explained quietly “for you to start your own household. The arrangements have already been made. I adopted you as my legal son and heir of my fortune. Of course I will not die, but the premise of the possibility will be enough. The wedding will be officiated in a week.”
“If this is a sick joke, I do not find it funny at all,” Yazoo informed his master curtly.
“You should know me better by now,” Vincent said, watching the moon vanishing behind a cloud “It is not my habit to quip.”
Blankly, the teen looked to the tall man standing by the window, who seemed so very different from the person he thought he knew.
“But why?” he breathed, trying to wrap his mind around the concept ”Is it because I tried to become like you? I will never do something like that again, I promise.” A desperate edge had crept into his usually smooth voice.
“This incident has nothing to do with my decision at all,” the vampire claimed, pressing his lips together “I explained my reasoning to you. Please accept it and do not cause me any more grief.”
“You can´t be serious,” Yazoo exclaimed more to himself, shaking his head.
Suddenly the man was crouched beside him, one hand firmly gripping the teen´s shoulder as his intense gaze bore into green orbs.
“I am as serious as one creature can be. I taught you everything you need to know. There is nothing left for me to do, my duty is fulfilled and our conduit ends here.”
“That´s what it was for you? An imposition?” Yazoo asked bitterly, staring right back.
“I am sorry if you misinterpreted my conduct towards you,” the vampire said clinically, letting go of his former lover´s arm and returning back to his spot by the window.
“You´re such a bad liar.” Snorting, Yazoo watched the man´s back with disapproval.
“I do not care what you think you know. Just obey my orders. My decision is peremptory and I will drag you before the altar myself if it should turn out to be necessary. I would appreciate it, however, if you could kindly agree to configure our departure less embarassing.”
“Like hell I will. I´m not your toy you can just throw away after you got bored of it. Go marry her yourself,” the young man snarled,finding himself in a deadly grip suddenly, angry red eyes flaring at him.
“For your own sake I would advice you to not stretch my already thin patience anymore. I would like to remind you that it was I who saved your wretched life. It belongs to me and me alone, and you will be whatever I want you to be. Seeing your reaction I probably should have thrown you out a long time ago, you are far too spoiled it is not salubrious anymore. And now stop your ludicrous whining and take it like a man, you naughty little chit.”
Eyes going wide, Yazoo stared at his mentor and his acrid words in disbelief. Then his face went vacuous as if he´d come to a silent conclusion, saying emotionlessly:
“Fine then. You´re right. It´s high time for me to leave and socialise with my own kind. After all, what could a monster like yourself do for me anyway.”
He ignored the shadow flickering over the man´s eyes, slapping away the hand that pinned his shoulder to the wall as he walked past the stiff figure and into bed.
*
“Good morning.”
There was no reply from the bed, and the maid sighed.
Sitting on the rim she carefully lifted the blanket a little to see her young master apathically staring at the ceiling, still not deigning to acknowledge her presence.
“Won´t you tell me what´s bothering you?”
Instead of an answer a hand shot out from under the sheets, wrapping around her own firmly.
“Let´s leave here.”
Smiling gently she laid her other hand over his, answering softly. “Now come one, whatever it is, I´m sure it will become alright soon, hm?”
“Are you,” the boy replied as the baldachin was still perforated with icy glares.
“Then how about that: He will force me to get married to some lordly bitch because he got tired of spoiled, annoying, bratish yours truly.”
The maid stroked over his cold hand soothingly. “Yazoo, please don´t say such things. He adores you, very much so and you know it. He only wishes the best for you.”
“If this is his idea of the best for me I don´t want to make acquaintance to his concept of the worst,” came the indifferent reply.
She sighed again, pushing a silver strand away from his eyes.
“It really isn´t that bad, believe me. Once you got used to it you will appreciate and love it, I´m sure. Besides, Tifa Lockhart is a lovely young woma-”
“You knew about that?!”
The hand was withdrawn and two emerald eyes bore into unflinching brown ones.
“Yes. Actually, Master Vincent seeked my advice in his search for an appropriate bride for you,” she admitted.
“I can´t believe this,” Yazoo said slowly, a hand on his forehead. Had everyone conspirited against him or what?!
“Please don´t be angry, I did not mean to offend you,” his adopted sister said quietly, looking to the side in guilt.
“Too bad, but you did,” came the snappy retort, making her look even more miserable.
After a moment of silence, the young man´s low voice echoed through the room again, sounding somewhat sly this time.
“But. I might forgive you. Under one condition.”
Looking up again the maid tilted her head in question, asking, “And what would that be? You know I would do everything to make my little brother happy again.”
Her earnest smile seemed to please him, and he let the cat out of the bag.
“You will come with me. You can be my maid still, and you won´t have to obey ridiculous rules either. I´ll pay you good and you won´t be alone here.”
Biting her lip Aeris considered briefly if she should tell him, but then he would find out soon anyway so there was no reason to hide it, she thought.
“I´m afraid, that´s about the only thing I cannot do.”
“What? Why not?”
A bad feeling was growing in his guts as he saw her shirk from his look.
“Because I´m getting married myself.”
“…What?” Flabbergasted, Yazoo wished he hadn´t asked at all as she continued with her explanation.
“Master Vincent was so generous as to adopt me too, making me a woman of a decent enough status so that I can… marry Cloud. He also convinced his father and bought us an estate, the marriage will be held in about a week. Since you are going to leave I figured that you wouldn´t need me anymore and Master Vincent already sold the house… But please don´t worry, you can come to visit us anytime you want, you know I´ll be always glad to have you in my kitchen and I´ll make you as much cake as you want!”
She didn´t know what she had expected him to say, but it certainly wasn´t his empty “I see”.
Sighing she graced him with her warmest smile, stroking over his head once again and getting up from the bed. Maybe he just needed some time alone.
“Sleep a little, everything will look friendlier when you wake up. I´ll bring you your meal to the bed. I made steak, that´s your favorite, isn´t it?”
The young man didn´t answer and to the maid he looked just so very much like the little boy he´d been once when they had first met, and with her heart feeling heavy suddenly, she asked herself if it had been the right decision.
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Xyleel: Hehe, Yazoo war geistig nicht so schnell wie du XD Der kriegt das immer alles erst mit, wenn man es ihm ausbuchstabiert. Scheint nicht besonders begeistert von der Idee zu sein, dass er heiraten muss. Naja, ich würd auch lieber Vincent als Tifa nehmen. Aber mich fragt ja niemand! :( Egal, jedenfalls kriegt der arme Yazoo ordentlich sein Fett weg :)
