"I'm the one who created you."

Those six simple words chase each other around in Dark's mind, replaying over and over again in an endless cycle.

Dark stares at Yuto with shock and confusion, shocked that the vampire who hates his frozen guts is the one who bit him. He's also confused because Yuto has to have a reason for turning him after Yuya clearly stated to Dark he is the only one allowed to bite and turn humans.

His whole body feels numb with confusion.

"W-wh-what?"

Yuto smiles apologetically, "I know I should've told you sooner, but I had to get you alone. After, Yuya will quite literally try to kill me if he finds out I turned you, but I had to tell you. I couldn't keep it from you any longer."

He then frowns, "I'm guessing you want to kill me-"

Dark's body moved on instinct at those words, gripping Yuto's shoulders and looking into Yuto's surprised steel eyes. "No! I don't...but...why? Why turn me, of all people?! Why break your brother's rules for me, the vampire you hate with a passion?"

A smile finds its way on Yuto's lips again. "I never really did hate you, Dark. I was protecting you, because Yuya would know something was off if I was nice to you since I'm normally uneasy around strangers," Yuto pauses, reaching out a hand and caressing Dark's cheek.

"But, for your question of why I turned you...well, that, I believe, falls under the category of a long story."

Memory

Yuto shudders, but not from the cold. Chills had run down his spine at the screams of the couple, knowing only the woman had been the vampire.

Their mission is to chase out every vampire because Yuya declared the whole territory only theirs and they wouldn't share it. The vampires who rebelled and the poor humans who were friends or married with the vampires were killed.

Yuto doesn't like murdering his own kind, neither does Yugo, but he always went along because he doesn't want to show weakness.

After all, he does have a reputation to uphold.

So, he walks into the room Yuya told him scout out to see if there is anyone in there.

Yuto stops cold at what he sees, blinking to make sure his eyesight isn't failing him, especially not now.

Yuto has seen many humans, but this one takes the award for the sickest he's seen.

Not in the cool way...the ill way.

The figure laying on the bed is a fourteen-year-old male, that much is obvious. He has dark green and crimson hair, with a black long sleeve shirt and blue jeans on. His eyes are open and staring confusedly at Yuto's steel eyes. His skin is a sickly shade of pale tan, his eyes are an ashen shade of red, almost white. His body is so frail and dainty Yuto fears if he even touches the sick boy, he might break him.

"Mom?" The boy asks so softly Yuto barely hears him. He then breaks out into a silent coughing fit, and Yuto's instinctively by his side. Yuto brushes some of the dark green bangs from the boy's eyes as he pants for breath, his hand feeling the heat of the boy's forehead. It's clear this boy is really sick...so why is he unsupervised?

"I'm not your mom." Yuto murmurs lowly. "Then...are you an angel? Have you come to take me away?" The boy asks, his wide eyes looking at Yuto's steel ones with curiosity and fear.

"No, I'm not an angel either." Yuto whispers, now kneeling by the sick boy. Those ashen red eyes look at his confusedly, "Then, what are you?"

Not knowing what to respond with, Yuto takes the boy's warm hand into his cold ones. "I'm a friend." Yuto replies softly.

The boy's smile is small, but no less genuine. "A friend...I'd like a friend." The boy says.

Yuto also smiles, brushing the boy's forehead again and tucking a loose strand of dark green hair behind the boy's ear. He likes the boy's voice, it's like honey, so smooth. It's higher than Yuri's, but kind like Yuya's.

"What's your name?" The boy asks. "I'm Yuto Sakaki." Yuto replies. "Yuto," The boy repeats, as if trying out the name with his own voice, "I'm Dark-"

Dark sputters, his body spasming from a bout of particularly violent coughs. Yuto winces, noticing how much Dark's frail body trembles from the force of the coughs.

Yuto, after learning a thing or two from Yuto, moves one of hands over Dark's chest, gently tapping it. The coughs turn into faint wheezes, and Yuto can feel the poor boy's heart fluttering in his chest like a trapped bird.

Yuto knows Dark is dying and is going to die if he doesn't do something. He can't help the protectiveness and the smaller, almost undetectable, feelings of caring and love for the boy curling in his frozen chest. Sure, he's only known him for a few minutes, and the tiny feeling of love for Dark isn't romantic, but the human boy is so young and deserves life...

But, is this boy really worth risking Yuya's wrath?

Somewhere deep inside Yuto says "yes".

He stands up, still holding Dark's hand as he leans over the frail boy. Dark looks up at him with confused ashen red eyes, struggling to breathe.

Yuto hears someone at the door, and his head whips around so fast it should've fallen off his shoulders if he had been human. Yugo's aqua sky eyes stare into his steel ones with confusion, looking between him and Dark.

Yuto looks at Yugo pleadingly, lifting a hand over his mouth and pressing his index finger to it.

Please don't tell.

Yugo nods, seeming to understand the message, and leaves the doorway. Yuto turns his attention back to Dark, leaning down and sinking his fangs into the sick boy's neck.

There are no screams, instead Dark's body convulses once and falls limp as Yuto injects his venom into his bloodstream. He removes his teeth, looking at Dark's frozen face. The boy looks and feels dead, and Yuto wonders if he put too much or not enough...actually, he knows what would've happened if he hadn't put enough in.

Maybe Dark's body couldn't handle the venom and therefore he died? No... Yuto just has to hope that venom can reanimate the dead.

Yuto brings a hand over Dark's still warm forehead, noticing something different about the unblinking, lifeless eyes.

They're a bright, crystalline red.

Yuto shudders again, closing Dark's eyes and turning away.

Memory End

"When I saw you standing by Yuya three days later, I was so relieved. But I was also scared. Scared because I thought Yuya would find out and kill you, but he hasn't yet." Yuto explains.

"But...wait, Yugo knows too?" Dark asks. Yuto nods, "We talked while you were out, but we were nowhere near Yuya when we talked. He did scold me for being so stupid, but he does see why I did it...at least he told me understands without me explaining myself."

"What about the others? Do they know?" Dark questions. "No, me and Yugo decided the only way to keep this secret safe is by not telling anyone else but you." Yuto informs.

Dark is still a little shocked. His thoughts have done an one-eighty about Yuto.

He wants to say and ask so many things, like why Yuto felt a twinge of love for him even though he didn't know him.

He opens his mouth, then closes it. He can't find the right words again, his mind as blank as the day he awoke.

So Dark throws his arms around Yuto, burying his face into Yuto's neck and hugging him tightly. "Thank you." Dark murmurs against Yuto's cold skin. Yuto feels another smile on his lips and places his arms around the smaller vampire. "You're welcome, Dark." Yuto says.

Dark pulls away a few minutes later, gazing up at Yuto. "I have another question, why did you feel love for me when you just met me?" Dark asks.

Yuto smiles teasingly, "Well, you are a cute little adorable vampire." Dark's mouth drops open before pouting, "Hey! You won't think I'm adorable when I rage on you!"

Yuto laughs, ruffling Dark's hair. Dark swats his hand away, baring his teeth playfully.

Both males are smiling, but Yuto's drops a bit. "Though...if we're being serious, I think that the love I felt was the beginnings of a bond."

Now a confused look is on Dark's face, and being the little bundle of questions he is, asks, "What's a bond?"

"A bond is link between two vampires, usually among creator and creation. They can form between other vampires too, and mostly in clans. The bond depends on how much love both feel for the other." Yuto explains.

"So... what bond do we have?" Dark asks. "I don't know...bonds can take some time to form, but I know that it will be one of the stronger ones because I already feel a small tug towards you." Yuto admits.

Come to think of it, Dark also feels a small pull towards Yuto.

Yuto gestures for Dark to follow him, "Come one, if we don't return by sundown Yuya will think we got into another fight."

Dark looks down at the cold, brown foliage under his bare feet, thinking. He doesn't want to go back right this moment; he wants to stay and talk with Yuto. "Well...it isn't sundown yet..." He trails off.

The area around them suddenly darkens, and Dark looks up. Dark gray clouds have covered the sky in promise of a storm.

"Looks like a storm is coming." Yuto says. "What kind of storm? I can't smell any rain." Dark observes.

That's when the first small, white flake of ice drifts close to Dark's face. It lands on the tip of his nose, and Dark giggles. The flake is so soft and cold like his skin.

More small flakes fall, catching on the ground and on Dark and Yuto. "Yuto, what is this? I've never seen it." Dark admits, holding out his hands to catch the fluffy flakes. "These are snowflakes. It's snowing." Yuto informs, watching the small puffs fall.

Yuto smiles, seeing the wonderstruck look on Dark's face. He's so cute and adorable that Yuto feels like he would literally give his life just to protect him from all harm.

That proves it. A strong bond is forming between us...maybe it's the kin bond? Yeah, it doesn't feel as strong as the mate bond. Yuto thinks.

Dark then remembers what Yuto said earlier. "Hey, what does it mean when your eye color changed? You said my eyes were a really pale red when I was human, but now they're a deeper red."

Yuti remembers saying that too. "When your eye color changes, it means you're going to be stronger than the normal vampire. I know this because Yuya's eye color used to be dark green, but now they're crimson, and Yuya's the strongest vampire I know." Yuto informs.

Dark then nibbles on the inside of his lip, trying to find the right words for his next question. "Is there a cure for my amnesia? Yuya said that something of my memories should have returned, but nothing has." Dark admits.

A frown is on Yuto's face. "First, let's get out of this freezing weather. I know we can stay out here without complaint, but I'd rather talk inside." Yuto suggests.

"It's not like we can go back to the house and talk. I think Yuya would find it a bit suspicious if we were suddenly all chatty with each other." Dark points out. "Yeah...so, what do you have in mind of a sheltered place where we can talk?" Yuto asks.

Dark cups his chin with his index finger and thumb, thinking. A place to talk with Yuto where we won't be disturbed by weather, humans or vampires. Where would such a place be?

"Well, I do have one place in mind..."

. . .

Darl walks silently around the main room of the vacant house, looking around with observant ruby eyes. He can feel Yuto just steps behind him, also looking around in wonder.

Dark hears Yuto stop, and turns to look at him. Yuto looks uncomfortable, and Dark notices he's rubbing his upper arms. "What's wrong?" Dark asks softly.

"I... I don't feel comfortable here. I feel like I'm intruding on something important...why don't you go ahead of me until I feel better?" Yuto replies, gesturing for him to continue. Dark nods, a little downhearted that Yuto doesn't feel welcome in the place that used to be Dark's home.

Dark ventures into the living room first, and the first thing that catches his eye is a picture above the fire place. He walks over to it, reaching up and grabbing it from off the wall. He runs his hand carefully across the glass to clean the thin sheet of dust that had formed on it. Dark's lips part as he studies the picture inside.

The picture has a man, woman, and two twin boys. The man has green and white hair, with warm red eyes that could turn even the darkest shadows bright. The woman has red and purple hair, and her sapphire eyes make her even more weird but stunning.

The man has a hand resting on a boy's shoulder. The boy looks young, maybe seven or eight. His sapphire eyes seem to meet Dark's, his bright, beaming smile is infectious even as a picture. Dark decides he likes this boy, even with his weirdly shaped purple and white hair.

Dark's eyes the look to the other small boy in the picture. This boy is nothing like the first one. His ashen red eyes are wide with caution and wonder, his lips are pulled in a shy frown and his dark green and crimson bangs fall into his eyes as he sits in the woman's lap.

Is this...my human family? I know my parents were murdered by Yuya and the clan...but what happened to my brother? Where is he? What's his name? When were we born-

All sorts of questions pop up in Dark's head, the familiar desire to get answers gnawing at him.

But the desire is quickly swept away, not knowing where to find the answers.

Dark places the picture back on the wall, his fingers lingering over the small boy with the bright smile.

Hey, if you're out there, I will find you and I will meet you.

Dark turns away from the picture, towards the staircase. He walks up it and finds the door to his old room open, like he had left it.

He enters the room, standing in the doorway for a bit. His ruby gaze studies everything in the room, from the photos on the wall to the messed up covers on his bed from his thrashing when he woke up.

Dark then remembers the pain of the venom, a hand reaching up and rubbing his neck where the pain had started. Do all vampires remember the pain of being turned? Did they wish they could go back to their human life?

"The pain was one thing. I could honestly never forget it, Dark. After all, how can you forget something so painful yet life giving?" Yuto's voice says behind him.

Dark turns to see Yuto, realizing he said those two questions out loud.

Yuto steps in beside him, now looking down at Dark. His eyes are glazed over, like he's in the past and not presently in the room speaking with Dark. "I do wish I could go back. Sometimes I want things to be normal again. I want Yuya to laugh and enjoy the pancakes I made for him. I want Yugo to fret over what to get his girlfriend, Rin. I want Yuri to pull pranks on us. I want to feel like I'm in control...but I'm not anymore. Yuya's our leader now. Sometimes I regret the day when we all accepted Yuya as our leader, but none of us knew what we were doing and we hadn't been vampires for as long as Yuya had." Yuto murmurs.

Dark sets a hand on Yuto's arm, rubbing it in hopes of comforting the older vampire.

Yuto smiles down at Dark, his frozen heart warmed at Dark's gestures. Why, oh why did this boy's parents have to make such a beautiful and strong boy?

In that moment, Yuto wanted nothing more than to pull Dark into a hug, to whisper loving and caring things in his ear. He wanted to sweep Dark up and take him and run away so he could shower him with affectionate words and loving caresses, all without Yuya's rules hanging over him and telling him that he broke them. He wanted to tell Dark how much he loves him...even to say "I love you" would be enough.

Yuto finds that he doesn't care about Yuya's rule anymore. Dark is worth more than all of the punishment he could ever receive from Yuya...he's worth way more than what life could've ever given him.

He pulls his arm from Dark's grasp, wrapping it tenderly around the smaller vampire's back. Yuto presses their sides together more, seeming to bask in the presence of Dark.

Dark leans whole-frozen-heartedly into Yuto, enjoying the sudden attention Yuto's giving him. The slight tug in his chest yanks on his harder, craving Yuto's touch.

So Dark reaches over with his hand and tugs on Yuto's shirt much like a young child would to a parent, looking up at him with pleading ruby eyes.

Yuto grins at the look, cursing in his mind. He moves his hand around Dark's waist to the back of his head, moving his fingers rhythmically through the soft dark green and crimson stands of hair.

Dark mewls at the contact, and Yuto's grin grows. "Everything about you is cute, you know that?" Yuto demands. Dark nods absentmindedly, smiling at the pleasant feeling of Yuto's fingers running across his scalp.

Whining comes from Dark as Yuto untangles his fingers from his hair, running his hand down the curve of his back. "Let's find something more about your past." Yuto urges, and Dark glares at him for a second before walking into the room further.

His eyes find a notebook on the nightstand by the bed, placing the tips of his fingers on the black cover.

Dark picks it up and opens it, reading the pages in nothing more than a mere glance. A photo slips from one of the pages, and Dark catches it before it could flutter to the ground. He studies it, smiling a bit.

The photo is him, maybe five or four, holding a small black animal with a speck of white on its forehead. The younger him is smiling as bright as the sun, nothing like the older him in the picture in the living room.

"It's called a kitten." Yuto says, and two arms wrap around Dark's chest and a chin rests on his shoulder. Dark flips the photo, hoping for a name of the little kitten.

"Starlight." Dark whispers, his smile widening as he turns it back to the photo side.

"Mm, I wonder who named the kit Starlight." Yuto hums. "Probably me or my brother." Dark replies. "You have a brother?" Yuto asks. "Yeah, there's a picture of him in the living room if you want to check it out." Dark explains.

Yuto nods, "I will have to see this brother of yours."

"Hey, Yuto? What bond are we going to have?" Dark asks again after a few seconds of silence.

Yuto hums again, "I do believe it will be the kin bond. I have been having thoughts, if I'm being honest here, about calling you my child."

Dark frowns. Yuto's been thinking about their bond more than he has.

He sets the notebook and photo down, readjusting in Yuto's arms so they're facing each other. For a moment, Dark forgets everything and leans into Yuto, wanting to be there in his embrace and not worry about anything.

"Okay, time to get back on task, my little one." "Argh! You take the fun out of everything!"

. . .

For the last few hours, Dark and Yuto have found out a bit about Dark's past. It's not much, and none of the information is really worth remembering.

"Okay, Dark. It's time to go back home." Yuto says, his hand finding Dark's and pulling him out of the room.

Dark looks up at the sky when they reach outside, his eyes widening in panic. The sky is completely dark, but the clouds have moved away to reveal the stars and gibbous moon.

Dark hears Yuto mumble something under his breath, pulling him into a run. "We aren't going to make it...oh no." Dark hears Yuto mumble again, but the words aren't directly said to him.

Just as they make it to the yard, Yuto's hand is suddenly torn out of Dark's. Dark feels his body fly backwards, hitting the ground roughly. He sits up, and he feels two sets of hands clasp his arms, keeping him there. "Don't move." Zarc's voice pleads.

Dark looks over at Zarc, then at Yuri. Both have looks of anxiety that's aimed at Yuya, who's looking down at a kneeling Yuto.

Yuto's head is bowed, his back slouched. Dark wants to race over and comfort him, but the enraged voice of Yuya makes his frozen body freeze in fear.

"I trusted you, Yuto." Yuya is snarling to Yuto, "I'll admit I trusted you more than any other of our clanmates! But you went behind my back and created that!" Yuya says "that" like the word is poison while jabbing a finger in Dark's direction.

Yuto's head snaps up at the word "that", a pleading look in his steel eyes. "Please, Yuya, let me explain why-"

"I know why, Yuto. You didn't think it was fair that only I could turn humans, so you bit that one and tried to hide the fact. Thanks to Yugo, I know now that the mistake is yours." Yuya growls.

Yuto's steel eyes widen with betrayal and hurt, his frozen heart aching.

"Yuya, you don't understand why I did it! Let-" Yuto is cut off by a livid Yuya again. "I already know why, Yuto. There is no need to explain yourself to me."

"NO! You don't-"

Dark's body moves quicker than Yuya's, tearing his arms from Yuri's and Zarc's grip. He feels the pain of a hand slapping his cheek, the force of it making him fall on side.

Dark gasps, holding his now stinging cheek as he raises himself to his hands and knees. "Oh, great. The parasite protects its king." Yuya grumbles.

Yuto reaches out and sets a hand on Dark's shoulder, but Dark shrugs him off. He stands on his feet, the sting in his cheek forgotten. Ruby eyes glare coldly at crimson, and Yuya shuffles back a bit at the anger in Dark's eyes. He can't even compare it to his own!

"Don't punish Yuto. If you should punish anyone it will be me, Yuya. I'm his creation, and I'm proud to be. Do what you want to me, but don't hurt the vampire who saved my life." Dark orders.

Yuya finds himself nodding instinctively. Is this what they feel like when I use that "commanding aura"? Yuya thinks.

"He won't be harmed." Yuya promises, stepping away more. Dark's expression softens, and he turns back to Yuto, who is now standing.

Yuto immediately sets his hands on either side of Dark's face, his pleading steel eyes staring at Dark's brave ruby ones.

"Please, you don't have to do this, Dark. I can take whatever Yuya throws at me." Yuto murmurs, now caressing Dark's cheeks. Dark smiles up at Yuto gently, bringing up a hand and resting it on Yuto's right hand.

"No. Yuto, I won't you be harmed just because of me." Dark replies, now prying Yuto's hands away. Yuto's hands claw to touch Dark's face again, but Yuri and Zarc hold him back.

"Dark, from this moment you are exiled from the Sakaki clan. Leave, and if you ever return, you will be killed on sight." Yuya orders as Dark turns to him.

Dark nods, turning his gaze to Yuto's one last time. "Don't go." Yuto orders, his voice soft.

"I have no choice. If this prevents Yuya from hurting you, then so be it." Dark reassures.

Dark then glares at Yuya, starting to walk towards the forest. His gaze is then set solely ahead, feeling Yuto's steel eyes bear into his back.

Without warning, Dark disappears in a flash of black into the trees.