Invincible

Disclaimer: Legacy of Kain belongs to Edios and Crystal Dynamics, not me. I am making £0.00 out of this fic; it is written purely because I have a burning need to create. Although I would like to own Vorador . . . then he'd be mine.

Rating: PG-13

Part: Three of Three

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The evening light was almost blinding.

Raziel grumbled, raising his hand to shield his eyes as he entered the surprisingly small bedchamber that Kain preferred. He cursed whoever had closed the drapes leaving a gap wide enough for a shaft of light to fall across the bed. He knew it was foolish to be so irritated, Kain had long since been invulnerable to the Nosgoth sun, but the carelessness had him snarling. He stalked to the drapes and snapped them closed with a sharp pull.

The entire room fell into shadow and Raziel let out a slow breath, listening to the quiet sound of his sire sleeping. He had always savoured moments like this, brief and all too far apart moments when he could feel like a fledgeling again, remembering a time before his brothers, before the conquest, when he had been a true infant and had been alone with Kain. There had been no distance between them, it had been surprisingly relaxed as they learned together what it meant to be a sire and a fledgeling. It had been infinitely pleasing for him, even at such a young age, to have a creature like his sire be so focused on him. It had been difficult adapting to brothers who had taken Kain's time and attention away from him. Even more difficult to adapt to the conquest of Nosgoth which took nearly all Kain's focus. Until he realized that he could divert that focus back to himself by exceeding his father's expectations both with the conquest and his brothers.

"Ever the demanding infant," he muttered to himself, before turning and facing the bed.

Kain was lying on his front unsurprisingly, and while his back was still difficult to look at it was no longer such a horror show as it had when they had returned. Raziel had quickly noticed that the moment they were away from prying eyes Kain's gait had changed, his forced relaxed posture had tensed considerably, his breathing had stopped being slow and regular and had become short and sharp. His movements tentative and careful. Kain hadn't spoken much, instead, he retreated to the bedchamber and Raziel had been left alone with his anxious guilt.

It was difficult to accept that this had happened because of his foolishness, his desire to be better, to be seen as deserving of attention and admiration, it had caused this. He stepped closer to the bed until he was standing alongside it and reaching out placed a gentle hand on Kain's back, the skin was abnormally warm and the muscle beneath twitched in response. The skin felt thin, crinkled and dry under his hand.

"What did I say about poking," Kain muttered, his voice muffled slightly from sleep. Raziel flinched, his hand snapping away.

"I brought food," Raziel gestured to a pitcher that he'd brought in during the afternoon when he'd been desperate for a distraction, desperate to do something to help. Kain sighed and yawned, displaying elegant and deadly dentistry.

"Stop it," Kain muttered, but rose up slightly, leaning on his elbows for a moment, he held out a hand for the pitcher. Raziel scrambled to pass it quickly, spilling a little as he did. Kain snorted at him and shook his head, before refusing the goblet that Raziel also offered and drinking straight from the large jug. Raziel waited uncomfortably for a long moment while Kain drained the pitcher.

"Hungry?" he forced a smirk when Kain dropped the pitcher to the floor and lay back down.

"Obviously," Kain said, Raziel swallowed, of course, Kain was hungry, healing an injury so grave would take a lot of power. "Stop sulking," Kain grumbled after a moment of silence, moving a little and tensing his shoulders while trying to hide how much it hurt him to do so.

"But…" Raziel started.

"I'm fine, Raziel," he muttered.

"You could have died, and it would have been my fault," Raziel said slowly, very aware of how pathetic he must have sounded. Kain looked at him seriously for a moment as if considering something.

"If I had to die, there are worse ways I can think of," Kain spoke softly. "Do not take that as an invitation or an endorsement of such foolishness. Should I catch you doing something so reckless again I will skin you alive."

"You always say that," Raziel muttered, finally sitting on the bed.

"Obviously it bears repeating," Kain muttered, Raziel watched him as he stretched under the thin sheet, wincing when it pulled at the newly healing skin on his back. "Bloody stop it." Kain snapped.

"Stop what?" Raziel said.

"Looking so pathetic, sulking, I'm not sure what you're doing, but it's irritating. I'm not dying Raziel so stop acting like I am." Kain huffed and glared at his eldest for a long moment.

"You're not angry?" Raziel mumbled, eyes downcast.

"Should I be?" Kain shrugged and winced again at the action. When Raziel said nothing he signed, reaching up, and placing a claw beneath his fledgeling's chin, he lifted him so amber eyes met his own.

"It would make me feel better," Raziel muttered.

"I don't care," Kain said.

"Why aren't you angry!" Raziel snapped, suddenly irritated as how benign Kain's reaction to the situation was. Kain, who was famous for his short temper should not be so unmoved by such an injury, especially when the cause of it was utter foolishness on Raziel's part.

"Because I'm relieved," Kain said.

"Relieved?" Raziel said.

"Yes," Kain nodded. Raziel, so lost in his thoughts didn't feel the mattress dip as Kain moved, sitting up despite the pain.

"How can you be relieved?" Raziel said.

"Because I didn't have to bring you home in a bucket," Kain said, stretching again. "God damn this itches," he muttered.

"Don't scratch it," Raziel said softly. Kain snorted and scratched anyway, instantly regretting it when the still healing skin let out a wave of sharp pain. "Told you."

"Don't be a smartass," Kain muttered standing and walking a slow circuit around the room, testing the muscles in his back. Apparently satisfied he sat down again and glared at his eldest.

"It will take more than you to kill me," Kain said, but there was something in his expression that told Raziel he didn't quite believe what he was saying.

"I would certainly hope so," Raziel said.

End Fic

Authoress Note: Thank you for reading, please comment/review, I'd love to hear what you think.

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