Chapter 107

Midnight

Erique took a deep breath and slowly sighed. He had finally succeeded the peace, the success in the silence. Well silence other then the sound that began to fill the air. The sound of his violin as it strummed in the entire room. As he finished the piece he turned around. Immediately the room began to be filled with claps, well the cheers from everyone other than the young man who stayed in his throne, the young man that he had recruited that truly accepted the transform in the personalities. His raven hair more in a mess than usual, but still found a way to frame his face perfectly. His once bloodstained clothes were replaced with a similar red that cam in a button up shirt, which had only three buttons done. The rest of the shirt hung loosely on his body, just as the Persian robe as dark as night he wore. His bloodstained pants were even replaces and his belt and shoes wiped carefully from the substance. Still at his side was the very scythe used to kill the girl that seemed almost forgotten. Still something that covered his chest was a wooden necklace held across his neck with a leather chord. The wood was carved into a smiling skull in a jester hat. The skull was painted black with the teeth made of gold. The jester hat came in traditional colours, but in an odd way. The purple had a pain splatter and the black had a silver spider web. But the most haunting thing of the disturbing necklace was the eyes, the eyes that glowed red. The young man's eyes glowed the same, but were at the time peacefully closed as the side of his head rested on his arm, but a devious smirk still framed his lips. This was Erique's new apprentice.

"Tentacion," Erique called.

Tempt's eyes calmly opened to reveal the red his smirk stayed the same, "Master?"

Erique could not help but smile. He picked up a spare glass from the piano and then a bottle. He poured from the bottle a dark red substance and gave the goblet to Tempt.

"Forgive us for you having to wear that necklace. But it holds the substance that sustains this part of your personality, and the very substance that we need to drink. You have to wear it until we get back to Paris and I can make the change permanent."

Tempt at first did not say a word, only did he accept the glass and took a long gulp.

"So you say."

"Yes my boy, you get to see Paris, a true city of wonder.""So I have seen."

"You have been?""My…, other half you might find is very well traveled."

"So I see, simply astonishing."Several of the guards looked at each other confused at the change in their master's speech pattern.

Tempt casually took another drink of the substance and placed it on the side of the throne and began to cross the room.

"That piece you were playing. It is called, how would you say? Fantôme Chasse?"

Erique's eyes widened, but then the smile returned to his face, "You know what Ghost Hunt is?"

Tempt did not say a word, he only came to the piano and without another sound began to play the piece.

Erique did not say another word, only picked up the violin to play along. The song was composed of a single melody, not too complex. But the melody was beside itself, there was an odd sweetness in the violin and the piano. But still it held a haunting factor to it that would send chills down anyone's spine. Though it stayed calming, a relaxing melody. Similar to that of a melody a child could fall asleep to. The violin would falter in between the melody to allow the simple sound of the piano to be heard. But soon the duet ended and the room was in a hush silence. Many of the freaks looked at each other, confused at what to do. After all, it was not just their master's melody that was heard. But their confusion was faltered by the clapping of leather bound hands.

"Brava, Brava Tempt, simply astonishing," said Erique.

Tempt only smirked at the comment as Erique held out his glass to the light and explored the dark red colour.

"Blood, so little do people know what it does for them. Without it, there is not life.., but the more you have the more life you are spared."

He took another sip and looked back at Tempt, "Surely humans do not understand.""Actually, I had a little occurrence…, with this before as my other half. Things that people see as vampires…, monsters…,"

Erique clenched the glass at the comment, but then looked back at Tempt who seemed tp gain a distant look in his eyes and relaxed. He put down the glass and sighed.

"It is alright boy; I am sure what you saw held no appearance to me or what used to be Maddi. That is because they didn't get it. They didn't understand. Humans are idiots…, all of them. It does not matter what it is a man will only crave more of it."

With this comment and picked up the came and looked and the red jewel that was held by the golden beast's hand.

"I should know.., that's how I got to be this way. Greed has taken humanity; it is what is in all of their hearts. Well they were missing something to begin with."

He stared almost mesmerized into the red crystal.

"It started in Paris, in 1899. I met a…, magician if you will. He agreed to take me on as an apprentice. A girl was already under his lessons, but it only took me a few months to surpass her. He would teach simple things, never dabbled too deep in the art. But I- I wanted more. There was a book that was forbidden to be read, but after learning all of the things he could teach us I needed more. The book held the secret.., to immortality; it was so simple it was obvious. So one night, with the girl's assistant we were able to take his scepter.., along with the master's life. It was a small price to pay of course. Drink his blood…, live a few extra months. Still it wasn't enough. So in 1901 the Cirque came to be. With the help of the book I was able to get a hold of the freaks. It was very simple deal. I get the body, they get the soul. There you see.., easy to understand. Now drink up, we need you to be real when we get back to Paris."

Suddenly Tempt's smirk went away as he looked at Erique and asked, "Real? But I have always been there. My other half was just over. I have always…,"

"Not quite, you see in a way you could call me your father. I created you. Before you were just a collected amount of memories, thoughts and emotions. I humanized you, I made you real. I gave you full control of a body."

Tempt did not say a word, he only looked down and his grip tightened onto the piano bench. Erique sighed and walked over to Tempt to put his hand on his shoulder, "It is quite alright- you are alive now.""…,If that is what you think…,"Erique nodded and pulled down his hand and looked at a clock on the side of the wall, "now what about the girl.""What about her?"

"Well she was with, was she not? What happened to her?"

The devious smirk returned to his smile just as the sadist look in the red eyes, "She is not very significant to you, is she?"

He sighed, "Well you are probably correct. After all what can she do?"

Pain, pain was all that engulfed her small body, especially against her back. Still she painfully opened her eyes and looked around, "wha…, what happened? Ow- my body really hurts."

Still she painfully sat up from the hard ground, and as she looked up it hit her. What must have happened hours ago. Only in flashes did she see it. His eyes, his smile, the heat from his body, the chills from his breath, what he tried to do, the safety she felt with him that gone away.

Instantly she hugged around her knees and shuddered. Words then began to go through her mind, confused, sad, furious, fear, violated, unsafe, lost…, betrayed. The last word hit her like a ton of bricks as the final memory came to her mind when he let her slip away. Her heart began to thud and in the cool darkness she began to sob.

"Why…, why would he do that? I- I am cold…, I hurt…, I'm scared. I'm scared- why- why would you do that?"

Then another painful image came to mind of Naru and Kouki merging in her mind.

"A- are they really – the same?"

A fresh set of tears streamed down her face as she tucked her head against her legs. But as she did this for a moment a word echoed in her head, but not from her own voice. The familiar voice said, "baka."

Suddenly she froze recognizing the voice. The voice that seemed to say that to her every day. But instead of irritation something else grew in her from hearing that voice.

"So you would probably call me that, wouldn't you?" she whispered.

She then wiped the tears from her eyes and looked up. There at the bare edge was a slight light, the very light she thought she would never see in the tunnel. But it was almost like torchlight, the same light that trapped her in there. The same light that shadowed her betrayal. Once again she heard that word in her mind, the word that seemed to been said a lifetime ago- but it did the same affect as before, irritation.

She gritted her teeth and muttered, "So you really think I am a baka Naru."

She then moved to the wall that she found to be built from rugged stones.

"Well- I guess I am going to have to prove you wrong."

She then without a word began to hoist herself up the wall, trying to get to the light, only halfway through was she out of breath.

"Maybe I shouldn't have planned my schedule at work to be during gym."

But still after a quick break for resting on the rocks she continued to climb up the wall. Then after what seemed to be an eternity she hoisted herself up through the trapped door. Sweat clung to her body as she doubled over panting.

"I- I am-n-not a-little - kid- Naru…,' she whispered between breaths. But once she was ready she stood up a held her head high.

"You have always saved me from everything that came my way."

A look of determination spread across her face as the balled her hands into fists, "And I am not waiting, I am going to be the hero today."

I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. And yes I did pull some things from the Urado Case. I am sorry I did not update sooner, you see there is an art contest in real life I got asked to enter in and an art gallery. So let me just say..., it has been busy. Anyway what do you think is going to happen next? Also the song the play is the ending theme for ghost hunt. Oh and by the way..,

Anyways I would like to announce a CONTEST TO ALL OF THE FANS OF MY STORY! First here is what I want! This can either be a picture that drawn and posted onto deviantart, a cosplay picture, a song you have written and posted on youtube, an animation that you can either post onto deviantart or youtube or an amv on youtube. Or you can ad them all together- I don't care- just as long as it is not a fanfic or something like that- as a matter of fact this site is OFF LIMITS for this contest. Wah-Wah- you can get over it.

Now what do I want, my story! Need more detail of that? Sure you can have it! I have been thinking of this contest long and hard and I want to see my story- or a scene depicted in anything above. I do not care what it is a scene of- just keep it T and pertained to my story. You can either email me on this website or on my Deviantart (link on my profile) to give me the link to your entry. The entries will be due to me on July First. And I will chose a winner in the ANOTHER LIFE AMONG THE DEAD FAN CONTEST.

Now you are probably wondering what you win- well here is what you win'

A picture drawn by me of whatever you want, as long as it is T

A character you design that will go in my story and come in and out of it constantly

A chibi and regular picture of that character

And that is about it- oh and people who have won before can still enter. Just hit me with your best shot- Oh and the picture can be on Photobucket to- just so you know.

Now that is all for me, and please- please review and the chapter fairy might visit next week! Also tell me what you think of my contest!

I already have one entry from ToxiNeena and it is .com/gallery/#/d39hsip

I hope to get more!

As always RedRosesThroughBrownEyes