{These characters are not property of me. I would never attempt to claim them as my own. This story may not be used without my permission, and may not be used to make money in any way, shape or form. Characters and certain situations were created by Rumiko Takahashi, so don't try any funny stuff!}

It wasn't too far to the mountain. The giant was the largest peak of the long chain that almost completely bisected the continent. It would be their cover on the way to the castle.

They traveled swiftly to the base of the rocky monster, the peak invisible in the darkness, but jagged, like a broken fang. With Tomas in the lead, they began to scale the side.

"What are the hordes you speak about?" Kuno asked as they climbed higher.

"Keep your voice down. They are not intelligent, but they'll hunt us down if they know we're here. When we get higher, I will show them to you," whispered Tomas.

"How do you know we will find them up here?"

"They are always here. It was quite a surprise to find them there, and I ran quite a distance to escape them. But they didn't stray too far. They returned here when I hid and they couldn't find me. Otherwise, they would eventually be exterminated. They can be... incited though."

Kuno was getting genuinely interested in this mysterious horde. Whatever they were, they were apparently a force able to threaten even the vampire overlord.

That was when the smell hit him. He almost lost his hold on the rock, it was so powerfully nauseating. Turning his head and gagging, Kuno closed his eyes as tears formed in them.

Tomas stopped and looked back at him. "You'll get used to it. I should have warned you about the smell."

"What... what is it?"

Tomas scrambled up the rest of the way and crouched behind a jagged granite outcropping. He peered over the rock, then ducked quickly back down. Waving Kuno up, he continued to take quick peeks over the rock.

Kuno climbed up, coughing slightly. "What..."

"Sh!" Tomas would say no more, but pointed to the other side of the rock.

Kuno looked over the rock, eyes still watering, and barely stopped himself from shouting out in surprise.

"Not a pretty group, but they will serve our purposes."

Pretty? No, they weren't pretty. That was probably the last thing Kuno would use to describe them.

A crowd, a very immense crowd, of mostly human-looking figures milled about in a large, open area. Immediately, Kuno could see why they were so feared. "Where... How..."

Tomas shook his head sadly. "Another experiment, just like everything else. Such a waste."

Kuno watched one figure, missing an arm and most of the skin on its face, savagely attack another for no apparent reason. The two tussled, tearing chunks of each other off, but seemed to realize the futility after a few minutes, and stopped.

"Their mindless savagery and uncontrollable brutality make them unreliable minions even for Maxim." Tomas pulled on Kuno's arm. "We have a lot of preparations to make. One mistake and either of us could be food for them."

They headed back down, but not the way they had come, with Tomas explaining things to Kuno on the way. "They do not need to eat, but they do not pass up the opportunity to do so. This is how we can manipulate them. If they are driven into a frenzy, using bait, they can be close to unstoppable."

"A distraction?"

Tomas nodded. "Now we just have to get ourselves inside without getting discovered."

Kuno nodded, but his head was starting to hurt. This was all too much for him. "But what..."

"No time for talk now. There's a cave where we can plan and get started."

"This sounds like something you have been planning for a while," Kuno said, wishing for a handful of aspirin.

Tomas nodded and looked at him, about to speak, but when he saw Kuno's face, he stopped short. "I think you need something to eat."

The grave tone with which he spoke surprised Kuno, considering how anxious he had sounded before. "Why? I do not feel hungry." Kuno looked at him strangely. He felt perfectly fine except for the headache.

Shaking his head, Tomas said, "You wait here. I'll be right back." He ran off, not waiting to hear anything Kuno had to say.

Sinking slowly to the ground, since any movement faster than that made his head throb, Kuno tried to control his erratic breathing. It was too fast and too shallow, making him light-headed with the lack of oxygen. Closing his eyes, he tried his best to relax.

Before anything could happen, like death by asphyxiation, Tomas returned with a catch, which he handed to Kuno. "Here. I think you need this." He shoved the dead animal into Kuno's face. "Eat first, ask questions second."

Not quite understanding the big deal, but not feeling well enough to argue, Kuno accepted the kill and lifted it to his mouth. He wasn't sure how he was going to eat it with his human teeth, but as he took a portion into his mouth and bit into it...

The rush of warmth, of life, of spirit, however fading it might have been, into his mouth, over his tongue... He clamped his mouth down and began to suck greedily, not letting one drop of that precious essence escape him.

Watching with barely disguised horrible fascination, Tomas wanted to make sure there wasn't anything else that had become too vampire-like about his companion.

"We have to prepare," Tomas said when it looked like Kuno was finally finished. "As soon as possible, right?" He didn't like the little smirk or the satisfied look Kuno was giving him.

"Yes, time to prepare," Kuno answered lazily, almost slurring his words. He looked very much like the cat that had swallowed the canary.

Whatever ha just happened to him, for whatever reason, had felt so wonderful in an almost painful way. For a few precious moments, his entire body had been warm and tingling, like he had just come in from the cold. His head had stopped hurting so abruptly, it was like everything had just opened up at once, overloading his senses momentarily.

If only it were possible to capture feelings like that, that made him feel more than alive, more than just a person. He dared consider... even god-like? It most definitely made him feel that way, even if it could not actually make him that.

Tomas hit his shoulder, eyeing him carefully. "We have to go. Come on." He still wasn't sure what kind of shape Kuno was in, if it was wise that they stay in close proximity to one another. Really, he didn't want to end up as anyone's lunch, especially someone that was supposed to be an ally.

Coming down from the high he had been on, Kuno looked up at Tomas and blinked sleepily. Nodding, he forced himself to stand, feeling more energized than maybe he should have. In fact, he felt great.

"What was that?" he asked Tomas, who was looking at him strangely.

"You don't know?"

Kuno shook his head.

"You weren't feeling well, right? You needed to feed."

"It was only a headache."

"And when you fed, it went away?"

Fed? That was an awfully strange way to put it, and he hadn't really been hungry before. He shouldn't have needed to eat anything. He looked down at his hand, still clutching the drained corpse of the animal.

He never left anything behind when he ate. He hadn't eaten; he had fed.

"It's only temporary. It will go away," Tomas said reassuringly after seeing the look on his face.

"I... I am..."

"You're not. It's a temporary condition."

"Do not speak to me as if this is simply a disease!" Kuno shouted. "I refuse to live like one of those things!"

"Stop it! I told you, it's temporary! It will go away. But until it does, you need to put up with these things, whether you want to or not! Do you understand?" If they were lucky, the hordes hadn't heard the shouting.

"I know you hate them. I do too. But we are trying to destroy them, not become them. Settle down, and let's go through with this plan." That was it. Tomas just needed to speak calmly and rationally and avoid getting Kuno more worked up.

***

Irina entered the room, very unhappy. This was the wrong thing to be happening so soon after the mistress' trauma. The master refused to be swayed though. When he wanted something, he expected it, and there was no one that would, or could refuse him.

Nabiki was still asleep, however fitfully, and had tossed her pillows to the floor. Several of the blankets had followed, leaving only the sheet. It was pulled up around Nabiki's neck, where she was clutching it tightly.

Looking at her, Irina had to force herself to stay in the room. At that moment, she hated herself for being so weak. If she were stronger, if she were braver, she wouldn't she wouldn't have allowed such a thing to happen. But...

Irina sat on the edge of the bed and watched Nabiki struggle for a bit. Slowly, trying not to wake the girl until it was necessary, she put her hand on Nabiki's cheek.

"Mother, don't leave me..."

Irina stroked Nabiki's cheek and watched her settle down gradually. Very quickly, Nabiki was deeply asleep again.

"If there were a way... If I could send you back to your mother, I would." Today the master would be denied; the girl needed rest badly.

Collecting the discarded bedding, Irina covered Nabiki with the blankets and put the pillows back on the bed.

"Where is she?"

"She's not feeling..."

"That is of no concern to me," Maxim said imperialistically. "I demand her presence..."

"With all due respect, Master, I'm afraid that it is too soon after her trauma to..."

"Did I ask your opinion, servant? I don't care what kind of trauma she's been put through. I demand that she..."

"I'm sorry, Master. I won't do that. It would be harmful to her health. It would be harmful and I simply won't..." Irina stopped speaking when she saw the strange look he was giving her.

"How long have you been in the service of this castle and myself, Irina?" Maxim asked.

Irina didn't know how to answer. She hadn't expected Maxim to react in such a way; not in the least. "Uh, I... I rightfully don't know, Master," she replied, stunned.

"I know. Twenty years, and during that time, you've been loyal. I very much appreciate it when my servants are loyal."

Looking at Maxim fearfully, Irina nodded.

"So I ask you now, why are you acting like this? I ask for a simple thing and you deny it. You deny me. How can this be? How can a loyal servant of 20 years, one who I put in charge of one of my prized possessions, disobey me like this now?" His voice had never strayed from quiet evenness, steadiness, patience.

"I... I'm sorry, Master, but..."

"But?"

"But she... she... The mistress was near hysterical. I was just concerned that if you... she might... Master, I was only concerned she might be..." Irina hated reducing Nabiki to an object, but it was how Maxim understood things. "She might be permanently damaged."

Maxim looked indifferently at Irina. "Permanently damaged?"

Irina gave a small nod. "Master, humans are fragile, and she had been through..." What had she been through, talking to thin air like that? Maybe she was already permanently damaged. Irina swallowed, knowing Maxim might not take too kindly to what she was about to say. "The experience was quite traumatic, very frightening. In fact, she refused to sleep until I managed to soothe her. Even in her sleep she was troubled..." She trailed off, wondering if she had offended him yet.

Maxim appeared to actually be thinking it over, then nodded. "Contact Konstantin if more attention is necessary," he said finally, then turned and walked away.

Irina exhaled heavily. She felt like she had just avoided sticking her hand into a nest of bog vipers.

As she headed back to the room of her charge, what Nabiki was and not a possession, Irina found herself shaking. It had been pure luck for her to intercept a very angry Maxim before he could see why his concubine was not waiting for him in his chambers.

She thought it even greater fortune that she had not been killed for defying him. The biggest surprise of all was that he had actually understood and agreed to cooperate. A most unusual thing.

Irina had always considered Maxim's treatment of her as sort of a master and faithful pet, but that little conversation had proven otherwise. She hadn't determined if it was good or bad yet.

***

Kuno was sitting with his back against the rock, his face in his hands. This attempt to block everything else out was the only way he could get himself under control, and even that wasn't working so well. Even though Tomas had told him it would help him destroy Maxim, Kuno really wished the poison from the vampire bite was all out of his system.

He felt like he was standing at the edge of a cliff, carefully balanced on one foot. One little push sent him screaming over the edge. He hadn't died from that fall yet, but he knew it was inevitable. In fact, he knew if it didn't go away soon, it would take him and as many people as he could take with him.

"We have to go," Tomas' voice came to him, penetrating the wall of solitude he had attempted to erect.

Yet another failure to weigh on him, even if it was meaningless. Yet, nothing was meaningless. Everything mattered, especially when they were so close. He simply could not allow himself to fall prey to things that would depress him, or he would spiral out of control into black depression.

After seeing Nabiki, he had come dangerously close to that, and only his fury at Maxim had pulled him out of it.

Opening his eyes slowly, thankful for the lack of light, Kuno looked up. The familiar sight of Tomas looking down at him, scathing words of insult on his lips was comforting in an odd way. At a time when Kuno was so unsure about everything, Tomas knew, was confident enough to knock him back into place.

Shuddering briefly, Kuno stood and, in an effort to compose himself, ran through all the techniques he knew to relax, not matter how ineffectual they were. He felt... completely unprepared.

"Are you finished? We have a lot to do to prepare for this," Tomas said, folding his arms across his chest.

"I am. What is the first step?"

"Feel like hunting?" Tomas asked, smirking.

Normally, carrying the huge body would have been effortless, but it being about the tenth one he had lugged up the mountain, Kuno was getting a bit winded. "How... how many more?" he asked, trying not to let Tomas see him straining.

"This will do for today," he answered, carrying his own load easily.

"Today?" All of it had been a single day's effort and there were more to come?

"Yes. Two more days of this should be adequate. The more they are... teased, the more effective they will be. The horde has no reservations about what type of flesh they eat, only that it was at one time alive."

Kuno nodded, the memory of draining the fading life force from that animal making him shiver as well. He could relate too well to the eating desires of those things.

"I've often wondered," Tomas continued, speaking conversationally, "what it's like... What's it like to be one of them." He looked at Kuno from the corners of his eyes. "You haven't been here long enough to wonder such things, have you?"

Kuno shook his head. To consider what it would be like to be less than an animal, mindless, dead...

"Do they know what they are? Are they really dead, or just... changed? If I became one of them, how much would I remember? Do you think they actually have the power of rational thinking, or do they simply rely on instinct?"

Tomas shook his head. "I don't believe that though. They're more than what they seem. I know they have the capacity to learn, or they wouldn't be gathered in such a large group at the top of this mountain."

He laughed then. "They're probably more intelligent than some people I've seen. They know how to hide, know how to survive, even directly under Maxim's nose."

"Survival is easy when food nor shelter is required. They hide here because nothing else is foolish enough to try to live in this climate," Kuno added, finding Tomas' argument somewhat flawed.

"Thank you," was all he said in response.

Looking at him strangely, Kuno said nothing else. Tomas was possessed of his own mysteries that Kuno didn't think he'd ever discover.

"I must ask why you did such a foolish thing and what made you think you'd get away with it?" Maxim spoke to Nabiki as if she were a child. He reclined amidst his bedding while she stood before him.

Nabiki looked absolutely miserable sanding there, eyes concentrating on her feet. The robe she was wearing hung off her like dead skin, making her look even more forlorn. A deep frown highlighted her face as she shrugged.

"Answer me. Why did you do such a stupid, stupid thing?"

Again, Nabiki shrugged, concentrating solely on her toes, some of which had been cut up when she'd run back to the castle, but showed no signs of injury.

There was a sharp pain in her neck and it felt like her head was being forced to look up, even while she resisted meeting Maxim's gaze.

"Don't hold back. Let me hear your voice."

"I... I didn't..."

"Oh, but I'm sure you did. Please continue." He was gently forcing her, but gentle or no, she could not refuse him.

"I don't know. I just..."

"You were attracted to Miroslav?" He should have known. Putting Miroslav in charge of guarding her had been an error on his part. He should have known they would react to each other.

Nabiki nodded, doing her best to look away.

"And not to me?" Not that Maxim was all that surprised. He had counted on her reverence of him to make her obedient. Attraction was of no consequence except for him.

Nabiki's non-answer let him know it. She even managed to lower her head.

How sweet they could be. Maxim chuckled darkly, his eyes sparking to life. "It matters not. Come to me, my lovely. Never forget that you belong to me."

Nabiki's shoulders sagged in resignation. She shrugged out of the robe, which had been the most modest thing she had worn in a month, and stepped forward.

The only thing she was seeing were her feet, which were as clean and flawless as feet got. She could remember running, running in her bare feet through the woods, and stepping on all those sticks... The scratching, the gash on the side of her foot when she had stepped on that rock. All gone.

The thought didn't really register to her, but it was there at the back of her mind. She knew there was something different about herself, just not consciously.

The one thing that did register was the fall of one tear to land next to her foot. Her uninjured foot. It was a miracle she could even see her feet with how fat she was. Fat and swollen, and she knew what that meant Maxim would make her do for him.

But she couldn't show what that thought did to her. She couldn't prove herself to be that weak or Maxim would know that she had finally given up.

One foot stepped out and appeared beyond the swell of her stomach. They were animals, monsters... For her own sake and theirs, she should have had them killed. That would have saved everyone a lot of trouble.

Nabiki kneeled slowly by Maxim's legs and knew that she should have killed herself before things had gotten so far.

Maxim left Nabiki, crying even in her sleep, to speak to Konstantin. There was a loose end that needed clipping as quickly as possible.

And he promised that he loved her and would rescue her, but she didn't know who he was, and she was so miserable that it didn't matter because she just wanted to go home, and she didn't know where that was or who her family was, who she was...

When Nabiki was asleep, she didn't know who she had turned into, what her name really was or why all those people haunted her. She just knew that she wanted to be with them more than anything else in the world.

"She is an excellent fighter. I am rather surprised it took her this long to..." Konstantin stopped in mid-sentence, speaking to one of his assistants, when Maxim entered.

If Maxim discovered that Konstantin was holding back information, knew things that he wasn't sharing, there would be severe consequences. But at the moment, Konstantin could guess what the topic of conversation would be.

With a glare from Maxim, the other sin the room quickly cleared out. None of them were interested in politics anyway.

"He returned."

Konstantin nodded.

"I think you know what that means."

"Should he be brought back in?"

"No. When you find him, kill him. I don't want any more trouble from him."

Konstantin bowed. "Of course." He hid his smile at Maxim's troubles. He was a fool, grown lazy as his age and power increased over time. Maxim's power structure was tentative at best, partially based on a large number of people that needed to be kept loyal.

That loyalty could be changed when necessary, and it seemed that day was approaching.

Nabiki awoke, sprawled out on her own bed thankfully. After she had fallen unconscious, nothing had been able to reach her through that void. Even being carried through half the castle had not roused her.

Sitting up, squinting at the single lamp casting its soft orange glow around the room, Nabiki put a hand to her head. It felt like the entire room was shaking and someone was banging on a bucket over her head. In an effort to relieve the sensations, she closed her eyes, trying her hardest to ignore the full body ache she had.

Nabiki heard the door open, but she kept her eyes closed, not caring who it was.

"Mistress, you're awake finally!" Irina had been checking in on her every so often so she could be there when she woke up. Her injuries would need tending. Irina's face changed from worry to a grim look of barely disguised anger. The injuries that Maxim had caused, and probably all on purpose.

Carrying a tray that held food and some hot water, Irina shut the door and hurried to the bed. Some of the water went into a cup along with some leaves for flavor and a powder ground from medicinal herbs.

"Drink this, Mistress. It will help with the pain," she said, offering the cup to Nabiki.

Once Nabiki had taken the cup with trembling hands, Irina wetted a cloth in the water and began gently wiping off Nabiki's face.

She flinched away from each touch of the cloth, though her eyes remained tightly closed. Slowly but steadily, sipping the hot liquid, Nabiki was relaxing, but the sick feeling inside her, inside her mind, wasn't going anywhere.

"Mistress, let me clean your face. You look afright." Irina turned Nabiki's head slowly with one finger on her chin. It was more than frightening, the way the dried blood was all over her face, under her nose, a train down one cheek like bloody tears, some on her chin... Her nose looked like it had been smashed and her lip cut.

But there were no real signs of injury, just a lot of blood. Remaining calm, Irina wiped it all away and smoothed Nabiki's hair back. The wet strands fell back into her face, making her look even more weary.

Sitting back a little, clutching the cloth tightly to her chest, Irina watched Nabiki begin drinking again. Anger welled up inside her. The master... he just didn't understand. He didn't understand anything except about causing pain. And for all those years she had helped him. The faithful servant assisting in her master's torture.

"Here, Mistress, I've brought some food," Irina managed to say without her voice breaking.

Nabiki opened her eyes then and looked at Irina. Speaking slowly, the cup near her mouth, she said quietly, "When will he be here?"

"Who? The master?"

Nabiki shook her head ever so slowly. "No. The one who said he was coming to rescue me."

"I... I don't know, Mistress."

"I don't like it here," Nabiki said somewhat dreamily. "I want someone to rescue me." Her eyes focused on Irina for the first time. "I want to go home. I don't know where that is, but I want to go there."

"Oh, Mistress," Irina said sadly. She couldn't bring herself to say that the castle was her home, not when such awful things had happened. It had only been a little over a month and already she was breaking. Damn Maxim. "You need to eat something."

"When can I go home?" Nabiki asked, ignoring the food Irina tried to give her.

"I don't know, Mistress. When the master allows it, I suppose." And it was such a lie, such a total and complete lie. What had happened to her living in the castle with demons?

Nabiki set the cup down and laid back, eyes closing again.

Irina looked at her and prepared to leave. She put the jug-like kettle on the nightstand. There was a small wrought iron stand that she placed it upon, then placed a small tin underneath. Removing the top of the tin, a red flame sprang to life, heating the kettle.

She then sprinkled a combination of herbs and powder into the hot water. Konstantin had told her they would help with the nightmares and help the girl relax. Irina could only take Konstantin's word for it, and he didn't have any reason to lie...

Did he?

Before leaving, Irina made sure there was plenty of cold water and gave Nabiki one last pitying look.

"Can you hunt like we did yesterday by yourself?"

"I can. Why is that necessary?"

"We're getting ready to make the push. We can't do it by ourselves, even with the horde as a distraction," Tomas answered.

"Reinforcements?"

"In a way. Maxim and Konstantin will be our responsibilities. I won't endanger other lives for that effort."

Kuno nodded. It was just as well. He wanted his shot at Maxim. "Understood. How long..."

"Tomorrow if we are gathered. Maybe the day after that. Catch as much as you can and put it with the rest. Don't forget to feed or you won't be any good." There was an entire list of things Tomas wanted to tell Kuno, but he couldn't. He couldn't give someone else his life experiences.

"I understand. I shall expect your return tomorrow."

Tomas gave a small wave and left the cave, running through the snow.

Kuno waited a bit after Tomas was out of sight to start on his "chore". This was not something he could slack off on because this was part of his rescue. This was the first step to getting back to Japan together.

***

Night approached. Kuno wouldn't have noticed except that he was having trouble finding more game. The animals seemed to flee the vicinity of the mountain during the late hours. Maybe the horde was a little more adventurous than Tomas had known. He hoped not.

But he couldn't let that stop him anyway. He couldn't let himself quit because it was too important.

Anything Kuno could catch, no matter how big or small, he took back and left on the ever-growing pile. He didn't plan on breaking until his legs gave out and he couldn't walk any longer. Which, with the way he felt, could have been at any moment.

Managing to drag himself back to the cave, the carcasses beginning to freeze, Kuno dropped to the floor exhausted. Tomas had told him to not push himself too hard, get some rest if he needed it.

He didn't think he had pushed himself too hard, but he could tell that he was just on the verge of collapsing. Sleep was fine, but unconsciousness was not. Full mental faculties were required for the task ahead and...

The cave seemed to swim around him for a moment, derailing his thoughts. Instead of the normal nighttime noises, the only thing he could hear was the blood rushing through his head. Sitting up slowly, Kuno knew what he had to do.

Taking a smaller catch that he had just brought up, he lifted it to his mouth and paused. It was unnatural, wrong. Nabiki would hate it if she knew what he was doing, but he had no choice.

He bit into it, the cooling flesh feeling horrible against his lips, and sucked on the open wounds. He drained whatever blood he could from it, hating himself for it the entire time.

Nabiki awoke in the middle of the night to the heady smell of incense. It was so powerful, she almost gagged. As the seconds went on though, she found herself relaxing to the pungent aroma. It was probably something to help her sleep since... since...

She shook her head and refused to think about it. And she was so tired anyway. Her eyelids felt like they were iron and her head kept drooping forward.

There was only one thought that would comfort her: that someone would come and rescue her. Whoever he was, he would take her away from the pain and misery, get her away from Maxim and Konstantin and the horrid stronghold and...

Kuno was exhausted to the point that he was too tired to sleep. Eyes half-lidded, he stared up at the darkness, willing himself to sleep. Even the euphoric feeling of feeding did nothing to help him find any sleep. All of his nerves were on edge, just waiting for something to happen, no matter how tired the rest of his body was.

He groaned, his eyes rolling back. "Oh, Nabiki..." he said quietly, wishing she was there so they could leave and not look back. When he had been hunting, blocking out the pain and anguish had been easy; there were other things to occupy his attention. But he was finished hunting.

There was nothing to distract himself. There was no way. "Nabiki," he said again.

Nabiki whimpered, sinking into the bed, and shut her eyes tightly. She felt odd, disconnected from reality. Maybe it was the incense, maybe she was dying... It didn't matter to her any longer.

"Please," she whispered, covering her head with the covers.

Faint, so faint, and faraway, but unmistakable. It was her, calling out to... anyone. He had to answer.

There was a sudden weight to the air in the room, so much so that it was difficult to breathe. Nabiki emerged from under the covers, gasping for breath, but kept her eyes closed. For a moment, she dared open them the barest sliver.

What she saw made her keep them open. The incense swirling in the air was visible like a pack of ghosts come to haunt her. The air choked by those ghosts was thick and hard to breathe, and made her cough.

Nabiki coughed so hard, tears escaped from her eyes and her entire body hurt. Whatever was going on, she needed help. Wheezing for breath, Nabiki tried to call out, but her throat was dry and scratchy.

Failing completely to find her voice, Nabiki pulled herself into a sitting position and began to cough again. Panic was ready to set in, but the pain from the coughing prevented her mind from focusing on it.

Something, some power he wasn't familiar with, flared inside him. Kuno could guess what was causing it, but the results... His body felt very light for a moment, then the air around him turned to liquid.

It was water or mercury, and he was flowing through it at tremendous speeds. Everything was silver then black, and the sensation of liquid movement was gone.

Blinking rapidly, Kuno readjusted his senses and looked around. Amazingly enough, he seemed to be standing, whole and himself, in a room. It wasn't like before, not some bizarre psychic projection. He felt... as real as the rug he was standing on.

Then, through the air clouded by incense around him, he saw her. His first thought was that it was another vision, another damnable oasis.

But it was different this time. This was more real, with none of the... sharing he'd felt before. There was no connection this time. Just the two of them. After too long, he'd found her again.

Nabiki stared, her coughing forgotten for the moment. Right in front of her eyes, as she had been watching, the air had seemed to collapse in on itself and formed... him. He'd finally arrived to rescue her.

He looked into her eyes, and she was frightened by what she saw there. Something... dark, inhuman, but alive was held in his gaze. He reminded her somewhat of Miroslav, the way his eyes always looked wild when she gazed into them deep enough.

"Who are you?" she managed to ask, her throat pained from the coughing. "Have you shown up to..." It sounded so silly, but she needed to know. "Are you going to rescue me?"

His gaze seemed to melt at her question. "Nabiki..."

"How do you know my name? Who are you? Why are you really here?"

Kuno approached the bed slowly, willing her to remember him. "You must remember me, the way I feel about you. Tell me you remember."

Nabiki shook her head, suddenly unsure about the person that had just appeared in her room like that. "Don't come any closer," she warned, her eyes red and irritated. She had to concentrate on not blinking; who was to say what would happen if she did.

"Don't be afraid. I would never hurt you." Kuno was at the end of the bed. "You know that, inside you, you know." He put his hand down on the bed, feeling its realness.

"Go away. I don't know how you know me, but I'm not..."

"Not what? I know you're not happy, and I know you're questioning your identity." Kuno was now on the end of the bed on his hands and knees. "If you would only remember."

"I can't!" Nabiki yelled, genuinely frightened, but not so much of the stranger advancing on her as the whole situation. "I just can't. Please leave," she whispered as he put his hands on either side of her legs.

"I will attempt to avoid leaving you again, though I must admit, I do not know how long this strange condition will last." He was over her body and moving steadily forward.

The obvious fear on Nabiki's face was not enough to deter him; he knew it was all Maxim's doing.

"Fear not," he whispered, his face hovering less than six inches away from Nabiki's. "I will not harm you. I ask only that you do not alert my presence to anyone."

Staring, as much as he tried to reassure her, fearfully, Nabiki couldn't even make herself answer.

"Please, tell me you trust me, even if only for a few fleeting moments." Kuno moved his face even closer.

She didn't know what to think, what to say or do. Did she trust him? How could she? She didn't even know him! But... something in her had to let him get so close, and it wasn't fear.

"I want to take you away from here. But I do not know if I can like this." Superficially, he felt normal, but when he concentrated, really thought about it, he felt... tremulous. Unstable.

Whatever had happened was obviously not a permanent think unfortunately. "I do not think I can take with when I go back."

Nabiki looked like she was afraid of him, but also desperate. "No! I don't care where, just get me out of here! Get me away from Maxim!" Under normal circumstances, she would have clutched at the front of his shirt, but since he was not wearing a shirt, her hands fell upon his bare chest.

"Please bear with me just a little while longer. I will rescue you. I _will_ save you from this," he whispered fiercely, their faces still quite close.

It was the tears shimmering in her eyes, and the plaintive, hopeful look on her face. He could no longer resist. Kuno leaned in slowly and brushed his lips over hers.

She stiffened at the contact, but didn't try to escape it. With Miroslav, she had forced the issue. With Maxim, it had almost been seduction, but here... It almost felt like it was meant to be. Nabiki didn't want to lose that feeling again.

Kuno parted his lips slightly and moved them back over Nabiki's, able to feel the tension in her. The moment seemed to last forever before she slumped in the bed and gave in.

Nabiki suddenly crushed her lips to his and made a desperate whimpering sound through the kiss. Why she was feeling the way she was didn't matter; for the time, she wasn't going to think.

Whoever this was, there was something there she couldn't deny. That was no doubt why she had dreamt of him, waited for him... knew he would rescue her.

As the moment of their kiss stretched on, Nabiki's entire body felt like it was spinning slowly down into a pit from which she would never return. Even with her eyes closed, everything was bright, and she knew why she had felt miserable for so long.

Too soon, the moment ended and he pulled away from her. Nabiki freed her arms from underneath the covers and put them around his neck, pulling him to her.

Tears of relief flooded her eyes as he made soothing sounds in her ear. Barely stopping herself from breaking down into full fledged sobs, Nabiki squeezed her savior that much tighter.

For Kuno, it was a nightmare. Whatever Maxim had done to her, it was much worse than he had imagined. Imagined... He had seen it, however briefly, he had felt it!

But it seemed she had finally snapped out of whatever kind of mind rape he had done to her. Even though it wasn't much, and Nabiki would have to be very careful, she would at least be able to protect herself when the time came.

"Don't let him touch you. He can't harm you if you fight him with your entire soul," Kuno whispered to her. That was the truth. If she fought, really fought, Maxim would learn to watch himself around her.

"I can't. I can't fight him. He's so powerful. And Konstantin..." Nabiki shook her head. "I can't fight, they won't let me. They'll hurt me if I do."

Something inside Kuno snapped. She couldn't fight because they wouldn't let her, had wiped that out of her mind. She probably didn't even know the truth about herself.

The clench she had on him released. "Don't leave. Stay here and protect me. Stay here and I won't have to..."

"I am simply not able to. You know," he suddenly whispered angrily, "that wherever you go, if I am not there, I will find you. This is no exception. And I will make them pay for keeping you here like this."

"Then tell me one thing," Nabiki said, one tear spilling down her cheek.

"Anything for you."

"Who are you?"

It took everything he had to not scream out in anguish, that Maxim had done such a thing to the one person he had vowed to protect. To think that he had failed so quickly and easily... He lowered his face to her shoulder, not wanting her to see the tears of futility that escaped.

Yes, he would find her and kill Maxim, and take her back home where she belonged. But would she ever be the same person again? There was no way to know. Even if her memories returned, Kuno didn't think it was possible for her to remain the same after everything that had happened.

"I need you more than my own life," he said, the feel of her against him a welcome comfort in what was turning out to be the absolute worst moment of his entire life.

To feel, smell, to see her after so long, and after he had been sick out of his mind for her life...

"No! Don't go!" Nabiki yelled in his ear.

Kuno felt an odd tingling in his body and knew that his time was at an end. "I'm sorry," he said and leaned forward to kiss Nabiki one last time.

***

"Wake up!"

Kuno's eyes snapped open immediately, revealing a strange swirl of red and violet. For a moment, his jaw gaped and revealed canines like twin daggers.

Tomas backed away quickly and tossed the dead animal in his had at Kuno. "Just as I thought," he said, nodding as he watched the animal get drained.

"When I got here, I thought you were dead," he continued.

"Is that what it does?" a man at Tomas' side asked.

"One of the things. There are other, less pleasant effects. None of them good, I can assure you. We never thought it was permanent before, but I've never seen it go this far either." He was glad Kuno was too lost in his feeding to listen.

"But this is him? He doesn't look all that special."

Tomas chuckled. "He's not. But he's one more and he'll fight. Maxim has his mate."

The others nodded in understanding. "Stubborn then is he? Won't stop until he's torn limb from limb?" a man that looked well into his fifties asked.

"Like you wouldn't believe." Tomas sighed. "But if she were mine, I'd be the same way."

Kuno slowly returned to realization and saw the group of men all regarding him. "What has happened?"

"You were having another of your experiences when we got here. I thought you were going to use me as a feeding post for a moment." Tomas grinned as the others chuckled.

"Experience? Yes, I was. I was in the castle, in her room." Kuno looked desperately at Tomas. "I could feel her. I was there!"

Shrugging, Tomas gathered a corpse in his arms. "I don't know how it works. I just know that you were on the ground with skin the color of snow. I truly thought you were dead."

The others nodded in agreement, then also began gathering corpses.

Kuno watched for a moment and stood. "Is it time?"

"Nearing. We're preparing now," Tomas answered. "Give us a hand."

Once each of them was loaded down with a corpse, they exited the cave and headed down the mountain.

"Shouldn't we be putting this closer to them?" Kuno asked as he watched one man start tearing a corpse apart and scattering the pieces.

"We don't want to set them off too early. We'll save the fresher kills for the top." Tomas smiled grimly. "That will put them in a frenzy very quickly."

There was silence as the meat was scattered with a precision Kuno couldn't comprehend.

"Let's finish this. The faster we get this done..." Tomas' statement was left hanging; they all knew what was coming next.

The entire process took the better part of the day, and the entire time, Kuno had his encounter with Nabiki on his mind.

Finally, back in the cave, all huddled together, Kuno knew things were going to come to a head very soon and he would have his chance at Maxim.

The others changed, using the warmth and safety of their alternate forms provided, and settled down to sleep. For Kuno, it was odd seeing so many gathered in one place together.

Never had he imagined such a scene. Never had he considered that he might be preparing to storm a castle to save the _single_ girl he was on love with: Nabiki.

Feeling restless, he calmed himself, forced his feelings and instincts to recede. This was Tomas' pack. Here, Tomas was leader, no matter what Kuno felt inside. A fight between them wouldn't prove anything, and really, the purely human part of Kuno didn't want to be in charge.

Settling in, curling his tail around his body, Kuno tried to soothe himself with thoughts of Nabiki and what he would do to Maxim.

"Mistress, how are you feeling this morning?"

Nabiki's eyes opened slowly to see her room in its normal state, and Irina with breakfast. Sitting up, the memory of what had happened very clear, very real in her mind, Nabiki looked at to the side of the bed.

The little incense pot that had been there was gone and there were no traces of that potent smell left in the air. "What happened last night?" Nabiki asked Irina as she made tea.

"I don't know, Mistress. Did something happen? If it did, I was not informed." She set the tray of food on Nabiki's lap and stepped back.

Looking strangely at her for a moment, Nabiki nodded and began eating. She accepted things, but she didn't necessarily believe what Irina said. Things were definitely going on around her that they were trying to hide.

"That is a relief. We were all quite worried about you last night." Irina watched Nabiki for a while longer, reaffirming that she was fine. "I will return momentarily, Mistress." Irina left the room, closing the door behind her.

"Did it work?"

Irina made sure the door was shut securely and faced her inquirer. "I... I believe so. She is much calmer, though she doesn't seem to be..." Shrugging, she didn't know how to explain the difference she saw.

Konstantin nodded. "As I thought," he said thoughtfully. His own agenda was significantly more difficult to follow than Maxim's simple quest for power. The people he often needed assistance from were normally loathe to help him.

Not that he minded being feared; it did make some things easier. Yet, this situation, which Konstantin was slowly turning to his favor, was complicated by the girl's fear of him.

If he had simply been able to tell her he wanted to dispose of Maxim, destroy him, and had no interest in her, she might have cooperated. But Maxim, using an axe when he only needed a needle, had ruined that chance, instilling her with an instinctive fear of almost everything.

The better to run to him for safety. Konstantin snorted. If Maxim hadn't been so foolishly lustful... "Excellent job. If anything more is required, you may simply ask."

"Of course. And thank you," Irina said, trying not to sound afraid.

"You'll be sure to look after her..." She was the other half of the key. The key that would finally put him in power. Not waiting for an answer, he left, plans of future glory in his mind.

Irina watched him go, more than just a little intimidated by him. She didn't know anyone who wasn't aside from Maxim, and sometimes she thought he should be.

Shuddering, she returned to Nabiki's room.

***

"Today?"

Tomas looked at the others, then back at Kuno. He wasn't sure if he wanted it to be the day or not. It was very possible that each of them could die and then...

The penalty that would be placed upon the land by Maxim would be terrible, and not even he wished that on the foolish people.

A strong hand on his shoulder snapped him out of his worry. "If you think we should wait a day, then that's what we'll do," Nikolai said. He was not a large man, but powerfully built with piercing hazel eyes.

"I... I..." Tomas couldn't let his fear and worry get to him. "I'm not sure," he said finally, unsure of himself.

The others looked around, shifting uncomfortably. This was something they hadn't seen from their young leader before.

"Is it time or not?" Kuno asked impatiently. "If it is, then we are wasting precious time here. We can not wait for your indecision to..."

Kuno gasped for air as Nikolai threw his forearm across his throat. "No you look here," he growled in warning.

"No, he's right. We don't have time for this. If... if I can't even make this decision, then I shouldn't doing this, shouldn't even be here."

"If the rest of us can do it, so can you. What would Maria think of your behavior?" Josef, the oldest among them asked, challenging Tomas.

"You leave her out of this!" Tomas yelled at him. "She's gone, and don't you even try to use her to..." His head dropped and he took a shuddering breath. "Today. We time it so our first strike will be at the earliest hour."

Nikolai released Kuno as Tomas finished his statement. Soon. Very soon.

The fact that they were about to face Maxim on his home territory would weigh on their minds until the time came for them to leave.

***

"What's wrong, Mistress?"

Nabiki shivered. "I don't know. I just don't feel that well." She was cold when she shouldn't have been and her head was pounding.

"Let me get you something to help you relax. You can get some rest that way." Irina hurried from the room to make up some broth with an addition of some healing roots.

"Don't... bother," Nabiki said in an effort to stop Irina. She didn't want to sleep any longer; she felt like she had spent the past three days asleep. Though she definitely wasn't feeling well...

Her stomach lurched ominously, almost rejecting all the previous meals she had eaten. Another bowl of soup or broth was the last thing she wanted. Something meaty, solid food, anything she had to chew sounded good.

Again, she almost threw up, this time leaning over the side of the bed, the blood pounding in her temples.