Moonlight Ice

(These lyrics though... and I'm enjoying writing this a bit more than I should lol)

"Fin, wait for me!" Daiya shouted as he stumbled through the grand hall of his father's large home, his clumsy feet easily tripping him several times.

He was about to fall for the third time that morning when a pair of strong arms caught him in an awkward hug, then set him back on his feet with the accompanying sound of a frustrated sigh.

"Master Daiya, please do not run."  Fin said sternly before releasing Daiya's shoulders.

Not wanting to make his friend mad, Daiya nodded quickly, though it was clear that Fin's warning had gone in one ear, and straight out the other, for the boy was off again not a minute later...

The feeling of something brushing against his hair had Daiya stirring, rubbing his cheek against the soft pillow it rested on. When the brushing paused, his eyes blinked open, taking a few moments to adjust to the minimal light of early evening coming through the small window.

Wait... evening?

Had he really slept part of the day away?

When Fin's tall frame stepped partially in front of the window, Daiya quickly pushed himself up, letting the blankets pool around his waist.

"I apologize for falling asleep."

He was going to say that he hadn't been feeling well, and had still been tired after being at the doctors for several days, but Fin would obviously know such things. He had, after all, been the cause of his health issues.

"What is it that you came to say?" Fin asked, turning from the window to meet his gaze.

Daiya looked down at his lap, then back up, doing his best not to appear nervous, though he knew that if he stood up right then, his legs would likely have trouble holding his weight.

"Is there a way that I can help you?"

Fin remained motionless for several seconds before he tilted his head slowly to one side, then returned it to its upright position.

"You wish to help me, Daiya?" He asked, narrowing his eyes slightly as he spoke.

Hearing his name on Fin's lips sent a shiver through Daiya's body as he quickly nodded.

"Yes sir. I know that you have made a deal that has changed you into what you are now... so, is there anything I can do to complete your contract?" He said, surprised by how strong he managed to make his voice sound.

When Fin walked over to the edge of the bed, Daiya licked his lips and forced himself not to scoot away.

"So you spoke with the demon doctor and think that you now know enough to change your circumstances?" He asked as he leaned over and grabbed Daiya's chin with one gloved hand.

"You will die today, Daiya. You can do nothing else. When you refused to leave that day I offered you the chance to walk away, you sealed your fate. When I made my deals, this island became a place all its own. No one can come or go without my permission, god's, or the devil's."

Daiya swallowed, his throat suddenly feeling far too dry. He felt Fin's thumb press against the skin there as he completed the action, a shiver running down his spine in response. That's when he realized something he'd missed earlier.

"You are very cold."

It was common knowledge that the undead had no body heat and were cold to the touch unless they were well fed, but to be felt even through a thick pair of leather gloves?

"Have you not eaten recently?" He asked.

Fin frowned. "I have eaten."

The idea of Fin eating one of the people he'd seen in the dungeon didn't sit well with his stomach, but thankfully it was mostly empty at that moment.

Pursing his lips, Daiya thought for a moment before reaching up and grasping Fin's gloved hand. It was immediately retracted, but Daiya held on tightly, keeping Fin from being able to take it back completely. It clearly frustrated him, but when the glove began to slip a little, he stopped fighting and let him pull it closer again.

"Why are you so cold?" Daiya asked as he let his thumbs slowly massage the worn leather covering the palm of Fin's hand.

He knew that he was making Fin uncomfortable, but he just couldn't possibly let himself die without at least getting some answers.

"You will be cold soon, too." Fin simply replied as he looked to the side, drawing Daiya's attention to the little circular table beside the bed.

He brought food?

It looked like some type of grilled, sliced meat. Fin picked up the plate with his free hand and offered it to him with a slight nod.

"Eat."

Before Daiya could even consider it, a familiar voice slammed into his thoughts hard enough to spark an immediate headache. Do not touch that!

Daiya winced, a hiss coming from his lips as his grip tightened abruptly on Fin's gloved hand. It took him a couple moments to pull himself back together and take in a few calming breaths before he could reply to her.

Go away.

He could sense her frustration, but he frankly did not care. She might be god, but she also gave away lives she had created to be murdered.

I did what I had to do in order to keep the majority of the nearby towns safe from him. God replied, then added. Do not eat that. It is human meat and laced with a very strong poison. You will die almost immediately if a piece simply touches your tongue.

Daiya felt Fin's free hand settle beneath his chin and lift it slowly so that their eyes could meet, but he couldn't manage to focus with the new voice in his head.

I am to die anyways. Surely there are worse ways. He replied, feeling her frustration begin to turn into anger. You are not to die! You must get out of there at once!

Sighing, Daiya refocused his attention on Fin's face, finally realizing that he was holding his chin. Clearly he had been trying to figure out what had taken away his attention.

"God does not like that I am here." Daiya said simply, his words drawing Fin's eyebrows downward.

"It does not matter what she likes or dislikes. You will not leave this room with your life, and she will not have you in death." Fin stated simply.

Daiya wasn't sure what the last part of his sentence meant, but his thoughts took him to another worry.

"What will become of Kovash when I die?" He asked, needing to know that the zombie would be alright.

Fin looked toward the door with a dull expression, then returned his attention to Daiya.

"What will come of him, will come." He said before picking the plate back up from where he had set it on the bed and offering it to Daiya.

"Eat."

The idea of even touching the human meat made Daiya fidget, but he knew that he truly could die a much worse death if he chose not to eat the poison. With shaking hands, Daiya accepted the plate and stared down at the three thin strips of seasoned meat. He wouldn't dare think that they smelled good, though, normally grilled meat was one of his favorite dishes.

Wait.

Looking back up at Fin, Daiya spoke. "Why this, and not some other food?"

The look in Fin's eyes remained unemotional, making Daiya's heart hurt.

He's not the same. Even if he did get it for you because grilled meat was your favorite, it's still wrong because it's a person. He told himself as he set the plate aside and slowly stood from the bed, giving Fin enough time to back up so that they wouldn't make skin to skin contact by mistake.

"Eat it, Daiya." Fin stated again.

Smiling sadly, Daiya gave a small nod. "I will, but I wanted to do one more thing before I'm gone."

Fin seemed skeptical, but remained silent as Daiya took a careful step closer. He could see Fin tense at their proximity but he refused to back away again.

"Let me touch you."

There wasn't even a second of hesitation before Fin replied. "No. Eat."

With a surprising amount of determination, Daiya took another step forward, forcing Fin to step back. "Will something bad happen to you if you touch a human?" He asked. It didn't make much sense if something bad happened if he touched people, because he needed to eat them to remain alive.

When Fin's back hit the sill by the window he bared his fangs in warning, but Daiya just grinned. "You don't scare me. For some reason, you can't physically hurt me." He said as he took one final step, then lifted both of his arms to press his fingertips against the soft fabric of Fin's shirt.

"I think it's because of the deal you made... and I'm also starting to think that you aren't allowed to touch just me as part of it, though I'm not sure why." He said as he looked up into wide, startled eyes.

Master, the rats are coming! Kovash warned seconds before the door began to rattle on its hinges to the sound of squealing vermin.

"I don't know if the way you are now is because of that deal or because of what happened to you in your previous life, but I do hope that my death will let you finally rest peacefully." Daiya whispered as he ran his right hand up along Fin's chest until it was grabbed abruptly by a strong gloved hand.

"Do not touch." Fin warned again, his words slightly slurred because of his elongated fangs.

Daiya looked off to the side for a moment, seemingly very interested in the old rug. Fin slowly followed his gaze, but both of them froze, sharing a startled gasp, when Daiya slipped his free hand beneath Fin's shirt and brushed the tips of his fingers against frigid skin.

He would have retracted his hand immediately, because it honestly felt like his fingers had been encased in ice after only three seconds of contact, but Fin's hand had locked around his wrist, preventing him from moving it.

"F-Fin?" Daiya stuttered, his lips beginning to shake as he started to feel shots of ice dart up his arm from his numbing fingers.

Lifting his head, he felt his breath catch in his throat as his gaze met pure black eyes. No whites were visible in the dead stare and he got no reaction but a tightening of Fin's already harsh grip on his wrist when he tried to break the contact. In fact, Daiya couldn't stop Fin from slowly pressing his hand further against his lower torso, inciting harsh tremors to vibrate his freezing arm and work their way into his chest.

They gasped in unison again, but as Daiya started having trouble getting in enough air, Fin was seemingly having the opposite issue. I've never seen him breathe as a demon before... but his chest is definitely expanding. And his own was absolutely struggling to do the same.

Coughing loudly, Daiya squeezed his eyes shut as his vision spun. The next few seconds were a blur as he began to hear a loud humming sound in his ears and his feet stumbled to try and keep himself upright.

The feeling of soft fabric from the bed's thick blankets was lost on him as he dropped down onto them. He couldn't manage to get in a good breath any longer and was shivering violently to the point that his muscles were beginning to pulse with sharp pains.

He was so close to going into shock that he didn't even notice the bed depressing on either side of his waist, or what Fin intended to do until he felt the man's other now-bare hand against his cheek. The touch immediately triggered another round of gasping coughs, bringing dots before his barely-open eyes.

"I ca-... can' breathe." He rasped, trying uselessly to pull away from Fin.

When the ringing in his ears became overwhelming and he felt his body no longer able manage with the meager bits of oxygen his weak gasps managed to bring in, Daiya decided not to fight it any longer and allowed his panic to slowly subside into acceptance.

Fin hovered over him, balancing on his knees on the bed as he breathed just a little faster than normal. You're breathing. His pale complexion was nowhere to be seen, replaced with a healthy tan glow. Your eyes. That light blue so faint that I always felt like I was getting lost in the sky above when looking into them.

Faint shivers tried to maintain Daiya's body heat, but there was little that could be done as his heart began to quiet. Fin settled some of his weight on Daiya's stomach as he finally released his limp wrist to add his other palm to Daiya's cheek after tugging the glove free with his teeth, cupping his face gently.

They exchanged no words as the remainder of his life drained away. The last thing his mind registered was a blurred image of Fin leaning forward and the faint brush of too-warm lips against his cold, faded blue ones.

"You can look all you like, but there is no more life in that body you wanted so desperately." Fin said as he slowly climbed off of the bed and turned to glare at the white gecko staring at him on the wall by the door.

The cries from the rats outside the door had all quieted and there was not a sound from Kovash, either. The presence of a new death permeated the room as Fin stalked over to the gecko and lifted one hand, flexing his fingers as claws elongated from the nail beds.

"How unfortunate for you, my lady." Fin mumbled as he glanced back up to the new form God had chosen to take. "It seems that on top of receiving my true life back, I am also rewarded with keeping my undead abilities..."

Before the gecko could react, Fin slammed his hand straight through the wall where it had been. When he retracted it, he shook off the blood from the reptile, then headed for the door.

"You can do nothing with your magic in this room, and this is where his body will remain forever." He stated with a content smirk as he stepped through the door, then slowly shut it behind him, leaving Daiya's prone form in near-complete darkness. The only bit of light granted to the small room was one slim, faint line from the moon. It struggled in the hazy night sky to give off the one simple, soft ray of light that ghosted across Daiya's pale face, dust dancing within it as if in a sadistic celebration of what had just occurred.