[FIC] For Eternity (Part I)
Title: For Eternity
Author: Inlluminate
Recipient: loveanime18
Characters // Pairings: (main) Russia x China, General Winter; (oneside) Belarus x Russia; (mention) Ancient Rome x China, Ukraine, Lithuania, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hongkong, North and South Italy.
Rating: M
Summary: AU!Vampire. Yao was an Ancient vampire that had lived for 5 millenniums, wandering the earth with blood of countless mortal as his trail. Ivan was a psychotic dictator that had been taken down by his own right hand. Two monsters in their own right.
Notes: Part I...Really, the story only has 2 parts...but it's too long so I must cut it into pieces...sorry if that disturb the flow of story D:
Plz enjoy~ =w=
1.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guzheng
Prologue: community.livejournal.com/rochu_ss/11102.html
***
I
***
(A Willing Captive in Gold Cage)
When the conscious returned to him, there was a cold and yet comforting weight on his fore head and then a small gasp. He strangely disappointed when the cold hand quickly pulled away.
Slowly Ivan opened his eyes, then closed it again and groaned at the pains that stabbed his entire body. His head was pounding and the throat felt dry, but he could feel the soft of bed and the warm of blanket and nearby fire. He opened his eyes again warily. So…he still lived? Who save him? Did someone from hide out have been sent to find him? It wasn’t strange. Toris, that had been trusted to maintain the hide-out, had unexplained ability to predict some troublesome situation and acted in time. Or it is just a nearby villager? Was there a villager in the middle of frozen winter? Was there even someone that lived in this deserted frozen forest?
Then Ivan felt a glass of water in his lips and drunk it greedily. Well it didn’t matter. If that someone meant harm, he would leave Ivan to die. He would play nice for a while. Knowing the situation, built his strength, arranged some plan to take back his throne and killed a certain pers---
Ivan raised his head and words already on his lips. But whatever that he meant to say, whenever it was a gratitude or a cheerful threat (a more likely choice because he couldn’t use his ‘kolkol’ trademark if he didn’t want to scare someone off…He didn’t even know why everyone always run away or fainted in spot if he did…), it was frozen when he set eyes on his savior.
There was a moment of pause for undetermined of time. Violet eyes mesmerized at the being in his front. Lithe figure that clad in black silk with foreign complexion, he certainly wasn’t a Russian…or anyone from West. If anything he looked like people from East…with skin that so pale and flawless like porcelain. He had black hair that seemed like an endless night, beauty golden eyes that burning brilliantly and red lips that now smiled warmly...
Perfect. There was no other word to describe him. And Ivan just realized that before this moment, he never truly knew what the meaning of perfect…was.
…so when Ivan had found his voice, a blank wonder question went out from his lips instead.
“Is this heaven?”
Silly, he knew but couldn’t help it. Even he knew that he was alive but the beauty in front of him really stunned him to no end. Because such an unworldly being like this shouldn’t exist on earth.
The one in front of his blinked his eyes in confusion and tilted (what a cute habit, da~) his head before laughing softly, Its seemed that his savior had decided that Ivan had yet discerned the surrounding or just too surprised that he was alive. That was not a nice train of thought, because usually Ivan would come to a conclusion that the other thought he was stupid and he would snap. Oh, he knew that he was going to snap if it was another person. But strangely the laughs sent pleasant warm through Ivan’s heart. (Even the voice matched the person, prettily tinkling like the bell).
Was it what Katyusha meant with ‘Love in First Sight’? He wondered while grasping his chest tightly, Ivan often heard his sister’s romantic stories for hours when they were still a child (his mind refused to acknowledge the terror he endured that, while Katyusha cheerfully talked, he was almost suffocated to death by Natalya’s hug). Ivan could feel his heart beating faster when his savior sent him another smile.
“Night to you too,” he shook his pretty head. “I’m afraid that heaven still far away and you must endure your pain among the living. Now, you have unconscious for almost two weeks…”
Ivan’s eyes widened. “That’s long…?”
He nodded. “Don’t look so surprised, I thought that you won’t wake up for another weeks,” quickly he took another blanket and laid it above him. “You heal pretty fast for wounds that severe…Do you know that you crack six ribs, one bruise your lung, minor concussions in head, a stab wound at stomach, including another huge slash at your right hand?”
Ivan blinked. Really, he wouldn’t care about the tiny bits. He was alive and that was enough for him.
“And imagine my surprise when I found you dying in front of my house with all the blood. It was a miracle that you’re alive, let along wake up now…”
Well, Ivan was much more care about his savior. About how the slender body could be so graceful…and was the hair as soft as its look? What a delicious red lips that now hypnotically move…
“…do you hear me?”
Ivan snapped from his stupor. “Da?”
His savior sighed. “I asked for your name…”
“Ivan,” he cheerily answered, violet eyes brightened at the simple question. “And you?”
“Yao. Wang Yao.”
Lovely name for beautiful person with melodious voice. And people still wondered why he thought that this wasn't heaven?
***
(The Game that just a prologue)
Another week passed.
Time had passed quickly and by each day, Ivan had almost fully recovered. Of course that wasn’t only because of his fast healing but his willingness to rest calmly liked a thoughtful adult and had his talented beloved hovering him was also helpful. Or so he thought. Yao-Yao (a nickname for his gracious host but guessing from the annoyed face, the said person didn’t find it endearing) found it otherwise.
“Why? I’m a good patient, da~?”
Yao turned to him, looked totally scandalized. “There must be something wrong with how you perceive things! Going around the house, following me everywhere and poking at my things isn’t resting!! Really-Ivan!! What are you doing!? Do you even hear me?! Put down that scroll!!! It’s the priceless original copy about Confucianism!!!”
Blank eyes stared back at Yao. “Original copy of what?”
With an annoyed sighed, Yao snatched the scroll and pushing him to the bed with strength that no person in his build had. “Now, go back to bed! Sleep is a patient duty!”
Ivan noticed that Yao always hesitate to touch. Oh, he would of course but just a fleeting touch that you wouldn’t register until it left you. But Ivan still felt it and he wondered. Did human skin always feel this cold? Every time? Even that it was winter but no human skin would be freezing cold like a corpse…But he distracted by the blanket that Yao threw.
Ivan was pouting. “But it is boring Yao-Yao…”
“No, it isn’t. Before go to sleep, drink this medicine and stop calling me that.”
“But…it’s bitter…” Ivan shook his head and whined. “Do you have other medicine? Chinese medicines are yuck!!”
Another sighed. “Just drink it, Ivan….if you do I’ll give you candy, hmm?”
Usually that’s how the days went. And instead of resting, after the medicine and candy session, it was Ivan’s cue to follow Yao and from there he would ‘help’ Yao-Yao around the ‘house’. By ‘house’, he meant a huge Manor in middle of snow field. Yep, it was a surprised for him. No, not because of the size, he himself lived in a palace that easily thrice of this and had owned few Manors as well. But because there was really existed a manor in deserted place. And Ivan knew that Yao lived alone…that created a mystery like how Yao maintained the Manor because Ivan could see no dust lying around and everything worked properly.
Aside of that, Yao’s Manor was a unique sight. It wasn’t a manor in classic sense. Even it certainly had West influence but the East aspect was much dominance, especially in the interior. Ivan often saw curtain from bamboo or silk with elaborate embroideries or small wind bell that hanging lovely. The problem started when Ivan didn’t familiar with these things. And he often got lost in the manor because there were some rooms with same interior to the smallest things (Yao just shrugged and said something about stubborn siblings).
There were rooms where Ivan was forbidden and just permitted to peek from outside, like the medicine room. And then there were rooms that very odd to the point of creepy like the room from wood that left empty except for the flowing thin white silk that hanging from ceiling in random order and a 1Gu Zheng. And speaking about wind bell, Yao had a room full of those. In the left side of room there were doors that can be opened fully and you would find that you’re in the XX feet from ground with whooshing winds and melodious tinkling sounds (Yao said something about difference notes according to the length, width, thickness, and material. But honestly, Ivan was more busy concerned about the height and…for God sake! This was winter! He really regretted his decision in coaxing Yao to open all the doors).
But not all rooms were…unusual. Some of the room looked warmer, the interiors more colorful and lively. Like the room with beautiful beads trinkets and the gallery room full of painting and calligraphy. But Ivan observed that Yao inclined to avoid that kind of rooms. Eventually the curiosity won out and Ivan asked the reason.
Yao smiled melancholy. “They’re just full of memory. My siblings used to play and learn in here.” Then he chuckled. “There was time when they make a lot of mess with the paints and to avoid my anger they bribed me with a gift of their master painting.”
“Was that a pretty painting?”
Yao laughed softly. “Oh no, it just a child scrawl that covered with colorful paint. But they’re so cute that I just forgive them immediately…after faking anger and giving punishment of course.”
Ivan smiled became stiff. “Oh…where are them now?”
“Around the world…” Yao turned to Ivan, fond smile still in his lips. “They had become great people and I’m proud of them. But they’re so busy and we rarely meet anymore.”
Ivan decided that he didn’t like the feeling of jealously toward Yao’s siblings that knew his beloved much longer and better…and he vowed to exceed them in that sense.
But besides healing and the poking, within the weeks, Ivan had found a lot of thing about his beloved as well.
At the very first, Ivan found that Yao-Yao was kind and motherly person. He was very generous at giving any affection, like to spoil someone. Ivan could see it from how Yao fussed at him (or his sibling from Yao’s story) and from a small gesture that Yao preferred, like caress of his hair or a small fleeting kiss on forehead (something that Ivan liked but he wasn’t a child and beside, it much better if Yao kissed him in lips…).
Yao also a very meticulous person, he often noticed a small, insignificant thing that people won’t care. In short span of time, Yao had known that Ivan hated snows or everything with cold, that Ivan treasured his scarf, loved sunflower, had trauma against one of his family, had little regard toward authority, and came from an upper class with troublesome case (something that Yao just scowled unhappily and didn’t counter him yet…he had a feeling that Yao just didn’t care)…all without Ivan ever uttered a word.
Alright…so Yao had learned a lot about him as well…but Yao wouldn’t say anything about what he knew just silent knowing…so did Ivan.
He didn’t know when it started. He didn’t know who started it. But while they continued the daily routine, they also played a silent game.
A game which they tried to comprehend each other and found out what the others had discovered about themselves.
And with a glance from the pair of amused golden eyes, Ivan took that as challenge.
‘Kolkolkol~’
***