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Darkness.

Endless, utter darkness.

It calls out to you, beconing you forwards, only to consume you in it's icy embrace...

Do you accept it?

Do you come?

Do you willingly fall at it's feet?

Love.

An evil thing.

Wrapping it's finger around the hearts and souls of lost ones...

Shooting it's arrows at the least likely of peoples...

Causing havoc, and utter destruction...

Love and Darkness...

Darkness and Love...

Two sides of the same coin, that never dare meet.

A long time ago, the Cat Goddess Bas't grew angry at mere mortals, who decided to, with their love of war, bring death and destruction in a weapon hidden in darkness. Delicate enternals they created, mindless and heartless in their own right, only fit for serving their masters.

Bas't watched this carelessly, and swore to them all that their weapons would turn on them.

And one day, they did.

One of their weapons, a girl no older then 19, slowly started to see the night of day. It started with simple things... brushing her hair in the morning, saying 'thank you' and 'good night' to those whom she served.

But it grew... with every passing day, she watched as people of her kin were beaten, abused, yelled at. And yet, they were superior. They were the stronger ones, and with her knew found logic, she was the smartest...

"Jai, love, come with me..."

It didn't take long for her to realise that she must make others see the night of day, to see the curruption that was happening. She led many to see what was happening, and this continued, until almost every one of her kind was free of their own blindness...

Then it started.

At first, it was a rumour. A trickle of a tale that their enimies were falling, because their weapons were taking over.

That trickle of a tale fueled their encouragement, gave them power.

"Jai... please? Just a few more steps..."

Their leader, a smart young weapon by the name of Menes, who found the night shortly after Dusk has met him, roused an uprising.

A rebellion.

Darkness?

They are darkness.

"D-du... Dusk?"

"Yes love... yes, it is me..."

They swarmed on their masters, taking their lives, their souls... by the might of Anubis, they even learned how to lead their masters to the night, to show them the pathes of darkness...

And Bas't watched with more anger then before. She knew she had to put a stop to it...

But, as of that moment, there was nothing she could do. Menes had won their right to the darkness, to the night...

And they were now the masters...

That led them to now.

The young girl, that had started the hope for all of the weapons, had found another. The blindness was strong on this one, it would take much to show him the night.

But it was working. He stood there, walking slowly towards her as she walked back, holding his hands loosely.

"Come love," she whispered. "Come watch the reflections on the water with me... the beauty of the night is astounding."

Slowly, he nodded, and she smiled beautifully at him, leading him closer to the wide, slow moving river.

He looked down at her, his fire-like eyes showing light they had not shown for many, many years.

He was one of the first pushed into darkness...

One of the first betrayed by love...

One of the first weapons...

"Where are we?" he whispered, and she smiled ever more beautifully up at him.

"Egypt, love..." she cooed, moving to sit down. Her long, dark chestnut brown hair flowed easily around her, dipped in blood.

"Egypt..." he repeated, letting the word slip off his tongue. He frowned. "The Nile?"

"Yes," she said with a laugh. "This is the Nile... sit, the moon is beautiful."

Cautiously, he sat next to her, uncertain.

"What... what's going on?"

"A war," she muttered, leaning closer to him as she shut her eyes. "Do you not remember?"

He only shook his head.

"Menes said you wouldn't... I'm surprised you even remember my name," she chuckled. "A war is happening, between the weapons now. The Masters have fallen at our feet, and we show them no mercy.

"Though, Menes grows weary... he cannot stay leader forever..."

"Weapons?" he blinked, backing away from her. "I remember now... you, your one of them, aren't you? A vile and evil creature you are... stay away from me!"

She only laughed.

"Your one of us too," she commented, crawling closer to him. He tried to crawl farther away, slipping and falling on his back. She moved so that she was almost on top of him, her lips over his in a ghost of a kiss.

"They betrayed you... they all betrayed you... you are nothing but a weapon now..."

She didn't linger, instead moved, lips brushing against his jaw line, and down his neck...

"And now your one of us..."

Lightly, she bit him, and he tensed.

"Accept it..."

Then, with a cruel smirk, she bit him again, letting two sharp, pristine white fangs sink into his neck.

He let out a cry that was somewhere between pleasure and pain, whrithering beneath her until eventually she pulled away from him. Blood stained her lips as she smiled down at him, eyes glowing warmly.

"I'm..." he choked, looking at her. "I'm... one of them?"

"One of us," she corrected. "You are one of us love... accept it now, else Bas't set her beasts out on your heels."

Getting up she started to walk away, but turned to look at him over her shoulder.

"Are you coming, or shall you be taken from us by Ra in the morn?"

He just gazed at her, not sure of what to do. With one last, almost pleading look towards the river, he got up, and followed her.

Another one into the darkness...

Two sides of the coin are one.

It didn't take long for the weapons to realise their weaknesses. It took even less time for them to start fighting against them. The boy, Jai, was determinded not to be anything like them, and so forth, trained the hardest.

It a mere ten years, he could sit and watch the sunrise again...

Ten years, and he could touch a cross without being mortally burned...

Ten years, and finally he accepted.

Creatures disguised as wolves started to raid the towns in the day, and there was little that could be done against them. But Jai... now Jai was a strong one.

Even with the others, whom went out with him into the morning sun, slightly burnt as they all were, he was the only one that did not fear.

Surely these beasts were sent from Bas't.

Surely this was their doom.

"Love... you can do this," but no fear came to him now. She was always there, an evil and vile creature as she was, to push him to his goals. Forcing him to train harder and harder...

And keeping him alive...

As she looked at him, her lips forever blood stained, two pearly while scars shown on her neck, from where she had been bitten repeatidly...

Just to keep him alive.

"Defeat them..." she whispered into his ear, before retreating to the safty of a dark filled hut.

Looking up at the surprised wolves with a new flame in his eyes, he smirked, and moved forwards to defeat them...

And that he did.

For many nights after that, blood dripped from goblets in mighty feasts. The leader, Menes, called upon Jai to sit at his right at every feast, with Dusk sitting at his left.

'...kill him...'

But Menes was growing old... people saw a new light in Jai's ways, as the intruders of their towns served them, shackled by hand and foot.

'Drink from his blood...'

They were enteral rulers, and they could have all...

'...become what you are destined to be...'

But, who would be their lord? Menes was not fit to be one, and Jai was growing in favour every day...

'A king... a lord...'

But Menes was still there...

'Kill...'

Menes was still alive.

'...kill...'

And there was only one thing that could stop that...

'...kill!'

Bas't watched in disgust as the darkness fully consumed them, and they killed their own kin, drinking deep from their goblets, his blood.

"The Lord should take his Lady," someone commented, shuddering as Jai looked up from the prone body of Menes.

He looked carelessly at a group of meaningless wenches that came to him each night, offering him little pleasure.

And then at her...

A pale beauty, perfect in every feature, and savior of all of their kind. The one who started it all. The one who stayed with him.

The one he loved.

"Dusk, love, come stand with me," he said, raising his hand to her. She smiled at him beautifully, and walked up to him. He towered over her as he pulled her into a loose embrace, brushing stray hairs out of her eyes.

"Long live the Lord and Lady!" they all cheered around them, but for themselves, it was silent.

"Mine forever, love," he muttered, leaning to whisper in her ear.

"Forever yours," she said back.

Love.

A truly evil thing.

More vile then all of the creatures in the world together, and yet wanted more then the most precious of jewels.

Corrupts the soul, makes one do things that one would never dream of doing.

Love says you?

Death, says I.

Bas't, enraged by this more then anything else, went to construct an impenitrable dome. Perfectly black, with tall, obsidian doors carved in the likeness of the gates of hell, she submerged it under ground, it's entrances hidden. She sent lions and tigers and other feline beasts to protect the gates, and all feared going near them.

Finally, when she saw that all was to her liking, she called forth three of the bravest.

And came forth they did.

Three cats, two younger, more naive, and the older one wanting to protect them beyond all else. Bas't accepted them, and with her might, let them become human.

There was a feast that night.

Dusk and Jai danced with mirth, away from all the celebrating. It was a romantic waltz, and they clung to each other, never wanting it to end...

"Your lordship?"

But it did. Looking up, Jai glared at the one whom interrupted them. A tall woman, dressed in white robes, with a white cat mask over her face.

"Take that vile thing off of your head, and leave us be," Jai barked at her.

Two small boys stepped out from behind her, one dressed in black robes, the other in black and white.

Both were wearing cat masks.

"Lordship, you must go now," the black and white one spoke.

"You have no right to tell me what do to, so leave," Jai glared at them ever the more.

And they stepped forwards.

Screams came from behind them.

"The Goddess Bas't sends us, to tell you that your reign is over. You sleep now with Anubis, and the rest of your kind shall rot in their own hell, until one day, they are released."

With a swiftness unknown by even the fastest of the vampires, three wooden stakes were aimed at his heart...

But they never met their target. Even as the three peoples turned back into cats, leaving robes and masks lying there, they did not notice that someone had stepped infront of the Vampire Lord, saving him.

"Dusk?" she looked up at him with a kind smile, but then slowly sunk to the ground.

He couldn't believe it...

Blood.

It was what he needed... what he craved... what he loved...

Blood.

Watching with horrified eyes, it dripped down her pale neck... it seeped onto the smooth sands beneath his feet... it beconed to him for one final taste...

Blood.

Falling to his knees, he cradelled her head in his lap. her eyes opened for the last time, and she smiled up at him.

"Finish my life for me, love..." she mumbled. "Finish my life, for I am grateful... oneday, you and I shall reunite...

"For now, finish my life."

"No..." he shook his head.

He never wanted to cry... he promised he would never cry... and here he was... crying, for what?

Over spilt blood...

"End my life now love... I promise, once again, we shall meet..."

Finally, ne nodded. Lowering his lips to her neck, he let his teeth sink into her skin...

Blood...

It inflamed his senses, and once again, he was naught but a weapon... naught but a tool...

'I will -never- let them control me...'

He pulled away from her, standing up and wipping the blood from his lip. He looked down at her lifeless form.

"We shall reunite, love... and we shall rule again..."

And reunite they did...

Love and Darkness had come together, and forever since, would be the bain of their exsistance...

And forever he searched.

Forever he waited for her.

Forever, he let love naw at him.

Forever, he let darkness embrace him.

Then she came...

She looked beautiful to him, if strangely different. But it was her...

It was his Lady.

His Queen of Darkness.

His pale beauty.

And she?

She had lived 19 years...

19 years she didn't understand why she always slept during the day...

19 years she was confused to no end, slipping past people and asked why she was out for so long, out so late at night...

19 years she lived with a thirst for something she didn't have...

19 years...

19 years is a long time.

'Love...'

That voice again.

It haunted her sleep, followed her during the day...

'Love... stop. You know you love me.... you can trust me... feel it in your bones, in your blood.... you trust me... you -love- me...'

She whipped around, her hair flying into her face.

Gods, he loved her...

"Who's there!" she cried out. "Where are you? Stop following me!"

Then there was a laugh. it was cold and merciless.

Out from the shadows, he came...

Who he was? She didn't know...

"Don't you remember me?" he said, his eyes raising to look at her from a shadowed face. They crackled like fire.

"Don't you remember me love?"

"Who are you...?" she backed away from him, uncertain.

"You and I, we ruled vast armies... we brought peace to our peoples... we loved under the sun and moon... you remember me not?"

She backed away more, shaking her head in fear.

Then she ran.

His heart broke as he watched her run, but he could not stop her. He could not deny her anything...

He could only follow.

"Love..." he whispered to her, and she stopped suddenly, realising that she was infront of him.

"H-How... how did you do that?" she stuttered, backing up until she was against a wall.

Looking around, she realised they were in an allyway.

A dead end at that.

"We can do a lot of things love..." he murmured, stepping towards her and tracing her cheek. She shuddered, moving away.

"Alls you have to do is accept..."

"Accept what?" she found herself asking.

"Accept what you are..." he whispered, moving closer towards her.

She wanted to run, to yell and scream, but it seemed almost... right, those words slipping so easily off of his lips.

"What... what am I?" she asked, still uncertain.

"You are my love..." he moved closer still, lips closing down on hers with little warning.

She pushed hard against his chest, the action unexpected, but he only pulled at her wrists, pinning them effortlessly above her head, stroking at her hair.

And slowly, she melted into the kiss...

It was sudden...

It was wrong...

But it felt, oh so very right.

"Do you remember, love?" he asked, barely breaking contact with her. She naught but nodded, and he sneered. "Do not lie for kisses love, it's unbecoming."

Flushed, she looked away from him.

He chuckled again, and stepped away from the ally wall, pulling her with him.

And they danced... they danced a forgotten waltz, danced thousands of times under the sun and moon.

They danced for lost loves, for lost time...

They danced for each other...

But all dances end.

She loved him even, and he did something as foolish as neglect her...

Common wenches were needed back in the times of Egypt, but were frowned upon in her eyes.

He saw no reason for her to be upset, just because he needed pleasure.

She saw no logic in him not just coming to her, like he always did.

And so, she ended a life.

For no reason, what so ever, she let jealously and rage take her, killing the innocent soul of one tainted with light, and running away from her long love...

Love.

Takes naught but a second to fall into's its trap...

Could take forever to find out it has ensnared you...

Most never find their way free...

Always, it drags you back to heart break...

Darkness.

Let it hold you in it's icy embrace...

Let it comfort your woes... heal your wounds...

Let it whisper sweet nothings into your sleep...

Let it corrupt.

Let it control.

Let it love...

Love and Darkness...

Darkness and Love...

Really, they are only two sides of the same coin.