T W E N T Y-T W O

There were times when the Queen was busy with her beauty sleep and the King was engulfed in papers and the smell of ink. Times when no one supervised for a good hour or so. Times where the vampires conspired to overtake the humans, violently and ruthlessly...

Not really.

Instead they were rough playing and talking and laughing. Times that were poorly scarce and valuable. Most of them had gathered in groups that were spread out and they talked amongst themselves.

Outside, Kai exhaled an exhausted breath even though he had energy to waste and would still have an exceeded amount. He sat on a branch shaded by the abundant leaves, his legs dangled and his eyes scurried. The tall sap tree that hugged against the side of the training building gave him nearly a perfect view of half of their first village. One would have to stand on the mansion's roof to see the whole first village and just a glimpse of the second.

On the streets, the humans looked like ants. Bugs with a mission as though they really have their lives in check. Observing them even from afar, the vampire was envious of their liveliness and their lack of knowledge about what happens behind the close doors in the mansion.

He sighed out, "How do you do it Sunday?" Kai looked over to his right where the large vampire sat next to him, a blood bag in his hand. He looked down at it, already catching on to Kai's question.

He shrugged and took another drink.

"Don't you ever get tired of it?"

Sunday used his free hand to point up then he tapped his wrist. Their sign for "All the time."

Because he couldn't speak and since the vampires were naturally mischievous, instead of using the original human sign language they made up their own. They had a whole unique system that only they could understand and decipher. It was beneficial and very entertaining to use amongst themselves when workers were around.

Kai sighed again, "Do ever think about breaking the rules because you want it so bad?"

Sunday glanced at Kai for a moment before shaking his head and pointed towards the village, where, coincidentally, a group of laughing children were running on the main road. Kai looked back at him for an explanation.

Sunday placed a hand on his own shoulder and used the other to make a first-as though he was holding a shild of some sort. It was their sign for protection.

"Right," Kai looked down, "you shield to protect."

Sunday tapped his shoulder, "It's in our blood to want theirs. It's not a sin and it's not a crime." He signed.

"Then why does it feel so bad?"

Sunday furrowed his eyebrows at him and Kai sputtered for words.

"I know our kind is suppose to thrive off their blood but..it's the rules here right? No human blood."

Sunday made face. Ever since Kai arrived at the mansion, besides Sage, Sunday and him were the first to get along. They admired each others' strength and experience, and they wordlessly had empathy for one another's past. When Kai became conflicted, he usually spoke to Sunday when Sage wasn't available. There was something about how he couldn't talk yet still provide some pretty deep stuff that intrigued the vampire.

"I respect their rules and I still..bend them sometime."

"You drink from a human?"

"Not a live one."

Kai threw his hands up, "Well, that doesn't help me, Sunday. He's alive!"

Sunday opened his mouth, not intended to speak, but out of surprise. Then, just like that, Kai exploded.

"But you know it's not just his blood, so I feel like I shouldn't be so hard on myself. It's good I don't want just his blood..right? I am holding myself back to protect him but-" The conflicted vampire ran his hands down his face, "It's so hard! And he wants me to get what I want, can you believe that? I definitely know that's not a good idea but he makes it unbearably tempting. You understand me don't you, Sunday?"

Kai glanced at the vampire, who was looking at him like he was crazy. No words could even express what his face is already saying; wide eyes, slightly parted mouth, mind slacking at processing what he had just listened to.

Kai sighed and leaned his shoulder on the thick trunk. "Yeah, me either."

Sunday scratched his head. Normally he'd have an answer for Kai but this time he was absorbed in his frustration and left just as clueless. He got his attention and raised his hands.

"Who's he?"

Kai opened his mouth to answer but the creak of the back door made them both glance over their shoulders at it. Cyrus shielded her eyes from the sun while she stepped out and looked in their direction. The tree was literally just a yard away from the door.

"Kai, the prince is looking for you." She informed him while lurking in the doorway.

Kai waved at her, giving the guard the indication he heard and she could leave. He took a deep breath before slapping a hand on Sunday's shoulder.

"He calls." He said and smiled before jumping off the branch. He fixed his shirt as he walked to the door. Before entering he hollered a thank you, in which confused Sunday more.

Inside, the air was a thousand times cooler despite the sun's rays being sucked in the large room. When Kai spotted Iris near the door talking to a red haired vampire he started jogging over.

Iris and the girl pause their conversation when he grew nearer.

"Hey," Kai smiled at Iris and straightened out his clothing again, as though his appearance actually mattered to the prince. "What do you need?"

"I need to talk to you, if that's okay."

"Of course. Why wouldn't it be?"

"Well, you haven't trained with them for quite some time now so I figured you'd want to, I don't know, be around your kind for once."

Kai chuckled lightly and took a step closer, "I did chat for a good while but you know I'd rather be in your company instead."

Iris raised his eyebrows slightly, but they dropped the second the female vampire cleared her throat. He and Kai looked over at her forgotten presence.

Kai stood up straight, "Oh, no offense."

The girl shook her head. "I understand. Um, I was just-I'm going to go but-I apologize again, prince." She bowed her head more times than necessary and turned to rush back to her group in the middle of the building.

Kai followed her with a raised eyebrow. "What's wrong with her?" He asked as he started walking with Iris out the door.

"Oh she might've almost stabbed me with a knife but-"

Kai whipped his body around, eyes aiming for the female guard, but Iris grabbed his shoulders and forced him to turn around before pushing him out the door.

"But it's fine."

"Fine?"

"Yes, fine. F-i-n-e so don't go all ballistic on me."

Kai lowered his eyebrows, "Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning."

Iris shot him a glare, "I'm not in the mood, Kai."

"Obviously."

Iris stopped them before they entered the mansion. He sighed as he faced his guard. "I'm having a really rough time coping with what my dad did and now I just found out my 'match' is already on her way here. So yes, Kai, I'm not going to be all sunshine and rainbows."

The vampire studied him before scratching his eyebrow, "I mean you hardly were to begin with.."

Iris rolled his eyes with a scoff and ripped the mansion door open. He marched down the hall while Kai fastened his pace to meet up with him.

"I'm sorry," He put his hands on Iris's shoulder and turned his around. He couldn't help himself like how he couldn't help that his smile wouldn't go away despite Iris's face looking beyond unamused. "That was unnecessary and I don't want you to think I don't care about what you're going through."

Iris looked away without faltering his fuming expression. Kai bit his lip and pondered.

"Um, why don't we talk about this tonight?"

Iris glanced at him with his eyes.

"And right now we just get you to relax. Yeah?" Kai ran his hands up and down on Iris's arms for an act of comfort. Though the prince continued to look annoyed, he nodded slowly and let his body be steered by Kai down the hall.

Once they got to his room, Iris immediately aimed for a shower, in which Kai didn't question even though it was the middle of the afternoon.

He sat on the prince's bed. Waiting and planning.

††

By 'tonight' Iris realized Kai meant when everyone was asleep and the mansion was as quiet as a mouse. Occasional creaks here and there, but it was silent. He had the urge to talk all day but Kai refused to let him until tonight.

When everyone checked in to sleep on a normal weekday, that was around the time the sun started setting and the sky was a canvas yielding unimaginable color schemes. At dusk to be exact.

Iris was growing anxious by the time lights were out. He sat and listened to the white noise until Kai walked out of his room and beckoned him over.

"Come on."

"Wait, where are we going?"

"Somewhere."

Iris stopped leaving his room. "No, I don't go somewhere. I want to talk here." He whispered, but Kai took his hand and started tugging him down the hall. "Kai, stop." He retaliated and pulled the opposite way.

"Iris, just follow me."

"No, I want to talk h-" His words were ripped away from him when hands suddenly gripped his waist and he was being thrown over a shoulder. "Wha-Kai!"

The vampire shushed him and started walking away from the bedroom.

"P-put me down!" He could feel his face reddening. "And watch where you're putting hands."

He heard Kai chuckle before he used his magical inhuman speed to quicken their venture. Iris looked around when they were in another room in seconds. A guest room. He turned his head when a door was opened and they were outside.

"A balcony?"

"Nope. Just wait."

Iris closed his eyes when he was bounced as though Kai was securing him better on his shoulder and a soft gust of wind hit his face.

He grunted when he was put down and he flattened his shirt with a scowl. "What the hell, Kai?"

The vampire just smiled at him and placed his hands on his shoulders, turning him around.

"We talk here."

And here was a front row seat to a beautiful sunset.

Iris gazed at the scene while Kai shuffled away from him to the edge of the roof and sat down. "Nice isn't it?"

Iris kept staring. The sky was painted in a darkening blue and purple. It wasn't an orange and red sunset, but the soft colors of purples and blues, and a few shades of very light pink. It left him speechless.

"Did..did you know it was going to be like this?" Iris slowly walked over to Kai and took a seat next to him.

"It's like this every night." Kai chuckled at the prince's shocked features. "I figured it would help you express what's on your mind. But if you want to go back-"

"No. I like this."

Kai smiled at leaned back on his hands. "Okay. So, your match."

Iris didn't want such a sight for sore eyes be ruined by his problems, but he knew what he had to say was necessary. He sighed and laid his hands in his lap.

"Her name is Zoe. I thought it was going to be Rose or a different princess but apparently her family has exactly what we-my father wants. It sounds suspicious to me."

Kai nodded along to his words. "She's coming here when?"

Iris shrugged, "Possibly by the end of this week. I don't know, Kai, I don't know."

When Kai sat up, Iris instantly rested his head on his shoulder. He felt bad for having to talk about marriage with the vampire, someone he wanted to grow a relationship with and not be forced into anything.

Or be forced away from.

He kept his eyes open to gawk at the sunset in front of him despite wanting to flutter them shut as Kai ran his hand through his hair. It was a pointless effort, because they both ended up laying on their backs, Iris using Kai's chest as a pillow and the vampire had an arm wrapped around his shoulder.

It made both their hearts flitter at the closeness, and the sudden vulnerable position. It felt natural, too, there wasn't a single stiff bone in them.

As they laid together, Iris talked, and Kai listen. And listened. And listened. And there was nothing better than hearing the conflic slowly rinse from his voice and be replaced by closure.