T W E L V E

"N-new generation?" Iris repeated in a strained voice. That rang a bell in his memory but he didn't have the time to refresh as the monster above started pushing down on him harder. "Who cares," Iris grunted and surprised the vampire when he responded in strength. He pushed him up enough to snake a leg between them and he kicked the man harshly in the stomach.

He flew back coughing.

"You can still bleed." Sitting up, Iris watched as fear and gruesome amusement filled the vampire's eyes. Death swam between them as blood started to trickle down from the man's throat, left hand desperately trying to cover its spewing while his right reached helplessly for the blood ridden blade between the prince and his dying body.

Decapitation works like a charm against vampires, then toss them into the sun. However Iris made do with the small blade he had in his coat, and skillfully lacerated the vampire's throat while he kicked him off. He listened to him cough and wheeze, watched him tremble and die until the large blood puddle next to his head stopped, pronouncing him dead.

The prince hissed at the pain his whole body ached with. From the fall to being thrown around like a doll, then his shoulder, which he knew was bleeding. But he did not regret locking Kai in the shed-even when he came face to face with his angered yet highly concerned face.

"Are you alright? Where are you hurt?" His injuries perturbed Kai, and his questions ranged from worry to, "You're an idiot. You should've waited for me," then to, "good job." Then back to nervousness.

"I'm okay..I think." But Iris knew Kai wouldn't be taking any of his reassurance any time soon. He watched him sigh heavily and sit next to him but stay tense and alerted.

"I'm sorry," Kai brushed weak and fallen strands of hair out of Iris's eyes, while looking awfully regretful. "I-"

"No, no don't be sorry. I handled it." Iris pointed at the dead vampire rotting in front of them with a sense of pride. He was proud of himself; considering he just killed one of the new generations. "Please, Kai, I locked you in and did this to myself, don't apologize. Be angry."

"Oh I am angry."

Iris gulped, and along with the anxious feeling came a strong taste of something metallic. When he licked his lips he realized his bottom had a whine-worthy cut near the corner.

"What? What's wrong?" Kai, again, replaced his hands on Iris's face and examined him even if seeing his bruises and cuts pained him.

"My lip," He winced when his tongue touched it. Swallowing another pinch of blood made something strike inside him. He covered his mouth and looked up at Kai. "Are you even okay being around me? I mean my shoulder is bleeding." He felt small streaks soak through his shirts where the vampire had harshly dug his nails in. Kai frowned.

"That's definitely the least of our worries, but yes, I'm fine. Seeing how you are not, we need to go."

But oddly enough, they couldn't. Because more and more memories and facts piled on top of Iris's already wobbly figure. "No."

"No?"

"We need to find April and..and the girl. This was their house wasn't it?"

Kai looked down with furrowed eyebrows as if in deep thought. Iris watched him close his eyes with a distressed sigh. He drew back a hand and used his index finger to point to his nose.

"The smell." They both recalled the burnt residue. "I looked around and..I think I found the source."

"Okay.." Iris shook his head, hissing as he struggled to stand up. His mind was two steps behind and he wasn't understanding. Kai allowed him to stand and find his balance before he continued.

"There were two piles of obvious buried dirt in the back. Specks of ashes around them both."

And that's all the prince had to hear. Kai didn't flat out say it, and he didn't sugar coat it, but Iris got the message. He squeezed his eyes shut and slumped back down to the floor. He held his head like pressuring it would get the thought out of his mind.

His actions held distraught emotions, so much so it nerved the vampire. Kai was never excellent at comforting Iris, he had never fully grasped the process of human emotions; the sadness and the overbearing joy. However, he didn't have to be good at succoring Iris, because he was good at understanding him.

Iris didn't need a hug or be spoiled with reassuring words, he just needed the silence; because the dead noise always brought closure to him. So Kai backed off and let the silence ride out. Like he always did.

††

The guilt of waisting time on pointless arguments created lumps in the prince's throat. They could've been there to help if they would have gotten here faster. That's what Iris kept thinking. And even though he thought it, he knew they couldn't have stopped this.

The dirt he stared at, one long and just looking like a small pile, was old. Far older than their half a day travel. Weeks as it seemed, and both Iris and Kai knew it happened hours after Arlo's secretary secured the girl home and reported back it was safe. It probably was at the time.

While Iris pierced regret into the buried bodies Kai watched him from the shade, sitting on a small crate and repeatedly stabbed a stick into the dirt. When he looked up, the sky wavered with hesitant clouds. Dark clouds moved in and stirred with the fresh, and as if they debated who will take the victory, sometimes the gray clouds would vanish and thin into the white ones. Or the whole stretched out cloud would join the gloomy one; and the thought of rain was even more threatening.

Which meant Iris and Kai were threatened.

After a few more minutes of silence, Kai stood up and walked over to Iris. With the gray clouds winning, he could safely stroll out into the open without being grazed by a single drop of sunlight.

"Iris," Kai found he should mention this, "we should go. With the sun away I can take us back in no time." But the prince didn't budge. "You can't blame yourself."

"I'm not."

"Then let it go. These things they...they're inevitable sometimes."

Iris let out a sharp sigh before looking up at Kai. "What about the auction? We came for that."

"And we'll look into it after we get home and tend your injuries."

Iris rolled his shoulders back, almost forgetting about the pain pulsing throughout his whole body. His eyes grew wide suddenly and he turned to face his guard, who was surprised by the hope shinning with eagerness in his eyes.

"We can go tonthe kingdom. This is our ally, Finch. We can inform him about why we're here. He'll let us stay."

The vampire tried to find an excuse to use but as he was running on empty he had no choice but to agree. "And if he doesn't?"

Iris patted his shoulder, "Oh trust me, he will."

Kai followed Iris as he move past him to get to their bag. He dug through it until he retrieved his cleaned blade and slotted it back into his coat pocket.

"Alright, I'm ready."

Kai took the bag from him and threw the strap over his shoulder. He narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms.

"Unless looking like a broken puppy is your bribe in making Finch let us stay..no, no you're not."

Iris flinched his head back and looked down at himself. "Uh..yes. Yes that is exactly what I plan on doing." Then he looked up with a high held head, which the vampire scoffed at.

"Whatever. Let's go." His hands aimed for Iris's waist and the prince wrapped his around Kai's neck. Somehow, being close willingly felt..nice. It felt different, and more of that difference was to come.

††

When Iris and Kai got to the mansion, gasps were heard as soon as they entered the gates. People, unfamiliar ones, were crowded in the front lawns with wine glasses in their clutches and cigars in their mouths.

The boys stared with wide and confused eyes. Maybe it was because they showed up out of thin air, or maybe it was because of Iris's damaged state. Whatever the case, they did make a scene.

Iris cleared his throat as Kai removed his hands and glued them behind his back.

"Do you know where we can find King Finch?" He asked in the most polite voice he had. One girl in a striking blue dress, pointed to the front door but her gaze never left the vampire. Iris followed her direction and smiled. "Thank you."

With the guidance of Kai, they walked up the steps through the silence of the once yapping crowd and into the mansion. More but a few less faces widened in surprise at their arrival but to their relief Finch was in the foyer.

"Oh my.." He quickly passed his glass to a random waiter and rushed up to them. "Iris am I correct?"

"Yes. Son of Arlo. Um, Finch I apologize this is so very unexpected and I didn't realize you have a..party going on, but we ran into trouble investigating an auction that took place here and-"

"You need a place to stay?"

"Quite urgently."

"Well, why didn't you say so! Of course you are welcomed here. I'll get a doctor on you immediately, Serah!"

Iris and Kai watched Finch wave down a passing girl with an apron on and a tray in her hand. She walked over with bored eyes growing wide at the scene.

"See these two gentleman to an empty guest room, will you?"

"Of course, sir." The girl, Serah, handed her tray to another waitress and gestured for the two to follow her.

They walked through the splitting nobles until they reached one of the two grand staircases leading up to the second story.

"A lot of the third floor rooms are taken, I assume compacation isn't what you want at the moment so here," Serah stopped in front of a door while taking out a set of keys all dangling off a large circle keychain. When she looked up and saw the two staring at it with lowered eyebrows she laughed. "All servants have a set of keys to every door-except the King's."

"Oh." They said together.

"Well, here you are." Serah let the door swing open and a similar grand bedroom was revealed. A king sized bed, however this one didn't have a canopy. The color scheme was blue and green, royal blue wallpaper and forest green furniture. As bright as the colors sounded, the room looked dim.

"Thank you." Iris walked in first, wincing as he gripped his shoulder. Serah stopped Kai from following and she cleared her throat.

"Shouldn't I find you a separate room? There are rules to follow here, I don't think my King would allow-"

"Don't worry about it," Iris interrupted as he took hold of his guard's wrist. "That won't be necessary."

"O-okay. Then, have a pleasant stay." The maid bowed her head and rushed off where they came from minutes before the doctor and Finch entered the room.

A note would be sent to Iris's dad in Vridora reciting the incident, because work hasn't been finished and questions are yet to be answered, the two would definitely be overstaying their original time.