The flames are dancing, and I'm drowning in them.

    It is the first memory that poisons my weary mind, it is the only nightmare that haunts my lonely soul. Even if I'm alive, and I'm perfectly safe now, my dreams come back, and I wake up in a screaming sweat.

    But I'm almost never alone anymore. My future destiny has been settled for me in exchange for each breath I take. And maybe I will never be alone. But still my soul cries out for something more, something more complete. I found myself searching, and I would observe the other people as they went about their daily lives and try to piece together my personal puzzle. But I would always find myself wandering home, back to the hands that hold my future, having no desire to run away and pursue a finite destiny.

    I am to become a vampire.

    You are probably afraid already. You are afraid of those I keep company with, or the life I am living right now. Would you be amazed if I told you I was perfectly happy?

    There are many myths about vampires, many of which are untrue. You may have heard vampires sleep in coffins and turn into bats. My masters do not. You may have heard vampires suck the life out of people and turn them into vampires. This also, is untrue. Many years have passed since my masters drained anyone completely of their blood. They do not go around slaying people without a purpose. In order for one to become a vampire, you must not only have blood drawn from you, you too must drink the blood of the vampire. Such will be a task I must carry out, someday. You may have also heard that vampires are sexless. Let me tell you that that is *far* from true. And that is something I can tell you from experience.

    My life changed the year I turned fifteen. I had lost my entire family in a house fire, and there I was, the lone survivor. I had no where to turn, no where to go to. There I was, lost on the streets of New York City in the year of seventeen eighty-three. I knew not what to do, so I simply ran away. I had no real skills for work, and no employer was to hire a street urchin. I had no talent for picking pockets, in fact, I did not have many talents at all. I was good looking, though. I had that going for me. Creamy white skin, long shiny black hair and dark eyes all belonged to a body that was fairly well built from manual labor. I was homeless, I was starving. I owned nothing but the clothes on my back and the hours were so long that it seemed months had gone by instead of just days. I was ready to crawl into the nearest brothel and make a living any way I could.

    But I was rescued on the wings of an angel. And true to the nickname his lover so affectionately bestowed upon him, Sephiroth really did resemble a creature from the heavens.

    I thought he was strikingly beautiful from the moment I laid eyes upon his powerful form, an intimidating assembly of muscle accompanied by a long face framed by long locks of silver reaching past his shoulders. His electric green eyes held the power to instill pure terror or win the heart of any person who had the honor of meeting them. His fashionable clothing flattered him exquisitely well, and the excessive black succeeded in making him all the more imposing.

    I had never thought of myself as a homosexual before the moment I had laid eyes upon him. But the moment I did, I knew there was no denying my feelings.

    There I was, begging for coins in the street, and he had stopped to look at me. A shadow fell across his wondrous face from the hat he wore, but I was captivated at it all the same. I took one long look, then turned away, feeling my cheeks begin to burn at the embarrassment of staring.

    "Look at you." One of his gloved hands reached out to wipe a smudge of dirt off my cheek. "Such a pretty boy. Tell me, why are you sitting here in the street?"

    I was flattered, but not completely shocked to hear him call me pretty. I knew many found me beautiful, based on my distantly feminine and vaguely exotic appearance. There was Asian blood in me, that much could be told from my name alone. "I am homeless, sir," I answered politely, still not daring to look at him again. "I've been orphaned several days now."

    A white covered fingertip hooked up under my chin, and the strange, beautiful man lifted my face and forced our eyes to meet. I fought back a sigh of pleasure at the sight of him. "Your name?"

    "Tseng Tytuinik," I replied dutifully, lost in the electric hypnotism of those green eyes.

    "And how old are you, Tseng?" He had a deep voice, rich, yet soft as he spoke to me.

    "Fifteen," I admitted. Had I known, I would have told him the secrets of the universe. There was something about him that made me unable to control my tongue.

    The man seemed to squint, as if pondering a thought a moment. Then he said in a low voice, "What price would you pay to live in comfort again, Tseng?"

    "Any," I breathed, not hesitating a moment.

    The question that followed sent a chill shooting down my spine. "What price would you pay to live in comfort forever?"

    I knew not what to think of that. Forever? That was endless time, more than my fifteen year old brain could ponder. All I knew at that moment was the feeling of being abandoned and the loneliness of cuddling in doorways for warmth in the evenings. These were sensations I never wanted to experience again in my life. ...However long that would be. "Any," I answered, my voice firm with conviction.

    The man nodded once and withdrew his hand. "Come with me."

    And I did. I was at his side and heading down the street without a moment's hesitation. It was then I accepted my fate. I was taken home to a lavish brownstone house with every luxury I could possibly imagine, and I stood there in the foyer, my eyes absorbing the wonder I could scarcely believe I was seeing.

    It was then the man introduced himself to me. His name was Sephiroth, and did I believe in vampires? I had heard stories about such creatures who turned into bats in the night and went seeking for blood. I had never before taken them seriously, but after these sudden events, I was willing to believe anything.

    And I was not all that shocked when he revealed his pointed fangs and made an announcement of his true form. I *was*, however, I bit scared, thinking he had brought me home to suck my blood and display my body with his collection of other foolish homeless boys who follow anyone with a hope of promise. But no. "Now that you know my secret," he said, "you must uphold it and not breathe a word to a soul. It will only mean death if you do, understand? I ask very little of you, and in payment, you will live here in this house, and I will grant you the immortality that my master bestowed upon me."

    I felt as though I was living a fevered dream, and at any moment I would awaken in a sweat, alone in the darkness. Absently I pinched my leg, and as the world remained as it was, I knew that this fevered dream was now my reality. "I will do your bidding, master and serve you well." A bow accompanied my words, but as secure as I sounded, my mind buzzed with a million questions.

    "Excellent, Tseng. I knew the moment I laid eyes on you that you would be perfect." He sounded pleased, and I was glad of it. "I will entertain your questions, as I'm sure you have many."

    And I did. Sephiroth was gracious enough to answer them all. No, he could not turn into a bat. He had been turned into a vampire at age twenty-one, as would I, but he was currently 861 years old. His lover, Vincent, was nearly double that.

    Midway through my questioning, I laid eyes on Vincent for the first time.  Vincent was just as strikingly beautiful, but in a darker, more mysterious way. He was almost deadly pale, his bizarre crimson eyes peering from behind locks of hair as dark as my own. He too wore black, his shoulder length hair held back by a ribbon. Despite his almost sinister appearance, he smiled at me right away, and I felt comfortable. Together they fielded the remainder of my questions. No, they didn't have to sleep in coffins. Although Vincent admitted he used to. They could not go outside in the sunlight. "Cloudy days may dampen others spirits, but not ours," Sephiroth explained. Freely they admitted to being homosexual lovers, and grasped hands to illustrate the point. They loved one another so deeply, that if either of them wandered to engage in intercourse with another, neither got jealous.

    "Forever is such a long time.  You can't imagine being completely faithful." Vincent affectionately looked at the younger man.

    And so for the last 5 and three quarter years I have been living with my masters, and contentedly so. They were both terribly rich, and spoiled me thoroughly, even if I was not their only apprentice, so to speak, any longer. My tasks amounted to nothing more than running errands in the daylight hours, letting small amounts of blood be extracted from my veins, and engaging in sexual activity when called for. That was something I did quite happily. I'll never forget the first time Sephiroth took me to bed. Vampires have an incredible amount of stamina. I was a frequent guest in Vincent's bed as well, but my most enjoyable experiences always seemed to occur when the three of us would partake in an indulgence of the flesh together.

    Yes, I was sinfully happy. But as I came up the brownstone's steps, sweating in my black coat and breeches, I couldn't help but feel that something was still lacking. Though I couldn't even imagine what sort of thing it might be.

    Before I could open the for myself, it swung open for me. I beheld a pale, expressionless face, sullen blue eyes glaring at me behind wisps of blonde hair. Rufus Shinra was my counterpart, and, at nineteen, had only two years before his dream was made true.

    Rufus was a depressed boy. One year after Vincent and Sephiroth took me in, they found Rufus. He had run away from his rich, abusive father and was begging on the street, just as I had been. Vincent took a liking to the pretty blonde, and he was taken in and made the same promises I had. Despite Rufus' minimal interest in sex with men, he practically whored himself off to the masters, always eager to please. He frequently annoyed me, but I liked him well enough most of the time.

    "Hello," I greeted him, hanging my hat on the stand, and shrugging my coat off. I wore a white shirt and black waistcoat under my jacket, and it looked as if I had been off to a funeral instead of taking care of banking. Everyone of us in that house filled their wardrobe with dark colors. Perhaps it is the exclusive taste of those who are to become the living dead.

    Rufus silently observed for a moment before asking, "Could we go upstairs and fuck?"

    I had to fight off a smile and laugh, always amused by the way Rufus asked as easily as if he was asking if I wanted tea.  I went to bed with Rufus on occasion, if the masters were occupied with one another. The blonde was not particularly an attentive lover, nor was he loving in the least sense. His main goal was to get us both to completion as fast as possible, often as violently as possible. I enjoyed a bit of rough play now and then, and it gave Rufus a chance to act out his heterosexual instincts by being the dominant partner. If he hadn't been so afraid of contracting syphilis, he would have gone right on the street and hired a whore. I know this because he told me. The last thing he wanted to do was die before he could become immortal. "We could," I answered neatly, "Pray tell, Rufus. What was it that gave you an erection this time?"

    He didn't favor me with an answer, just a glare, as he grabbed me by the wrist and took me up to his bedroom. Grabbing the oil from the drawer by the door first, he threw it onto the bed before stripping me, then himself. Then I was on my back, wrists pinned above my head as his face loomed inches from mine. "You'll have to stay quiet. The masters are sleeping."

    "Perhaps if you kiss me, I'll be quiet," I teased, knowing how he hated to press our lips together. Something about kissing another man was more disgusting to him than fucking one.

    Rufus looked annoyed, but obliged, sticking his tongue into my mouth and nearly forcing it down my throat. Luckily I was quick to arouse, for he had prepared me within moments and was pushing up into me before I knew it. I arched my back and cried out softly, but his mouth muffled my noises.

    His lips left mine only moments later however, and he began pounding into me right away, not bothering to waste time building up. Besides, he knew I was well accustomed to anal sex, and could take any amount of pounding with the slightest pain. I would, perhaps, bleed afterwards, but that was never anything significant.

    He had made a mistake in taking his mouth away. My eyes squeezed shut as the intense pleasure overwhelmed my senses immediately, and I eagerly met each of his thrusts,  crying out loudly as I did so. Despite his demand that I stay quiet, I knew Rufus enjoyed the sound of me screaming his name as he fucked me. Though I'm not really a screamer, per say. But I can be quite loud.

    "Oh, LORD, Rufus! Oh *Christ*..." I squeezed my eyes shut tighter, moaning loudly.

    Rufus was basically silent, aside from his heavy breathing. It was always the same. He was concentrating too hard on getting us both off to bother with enjoying it *too* much.

    His goal was accomplished soon enough. I came all over his stomach, and he pulled out before coming all over me. That was another practice of his. Never come inside another man. I thought it was a stupid.

    The blonde collapsed beside me for a moment, panting softly in the aftermath. I watched him, leaning up on one elbow. He seemed uncomfortable to have my eyes on him, but I did enjoy to see him squirm. After a minute or two of my scrutiny, he reached for a towel, wiping the sticky, white substance off his skin. He handed it to me, and I did the same.

    "It was Lark again, wasn't it?" I questioned knowingly, a small smile tugging at my lips.

    Rufus sighed in annoyance, but made no indication or a affirmative or negative answer. That meant yes.

    Oh, yes, Lark. The demon spawn of hell, as I so lovingly refer to her. Truly, if Satan himself had fathered a child, it would be this woman. She was nearly as old as Vincent, and had been one of the deadliest vampires of her time before she met him. The raven haired vampire had been quite a murderer himself until he realized the true value of mortal life. He killed no longer. Instead he found other ways of getting what he needed. Somehow, he managed to persuade Lark to abandon her deadly ways and follow a routine like his own.

    What made her so terrible then? In my life I have never met anyone more arrogant than she. She firmly believes that she is the most beautiful woman on God's Earth and could have anything her pretty little heart desired. I have never seen her respect anyone aside from Vincent and Sephiroth, whom she loves dearly. I often wondered why she took a liking to Sephiroth when she had known Vincent before he had even been born. Aside from that, she was downright nasty to both Rufus and I, and yet my fellow apprentice would successfully work his way into her bed each time she came for a visit. I wondered why Rufus would want to engage in intercourse with someone who treated him like the scum of the Earth. It was probably the shear fact that she was the only woman he trusted not to have any disease. That, and she was the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes upon.

    She was, even I have to admit it. Lark was pale, like the rest of us, and always showed off a wardrobe of blacks and reds that were both bright and dark. She had curly black hair that framed her delicate looking face. Her eyes were a stunning violet that caused everyone to take a second look. I have never seen another with eyes like hers.

    "I'm sure she'll return before you know it." I turned and reached for my discarded breeches, getting to my feet and pulling them on. "And once again she'll lure you right into her bed."

    Rufus simply turned onto his stomach and rested his head in his hands without a word. I figured he was either worn out or just plain cranky, and decided to take my leave. I retrieved the remainder of my articles of clothing and went out into the hallway, closing the door softly behind me. No sense in trying to make conversation with lousy company.

    I could tell by the noises coming from the master bedroom that my masters were quite awake and taking care of whatever urges had built up during their rest. A smile crept to the corners of my lips and I walked by quietly, not wanting to disturb them. They both had extraordinary hearing.

    But my efforts were in vain. Just as it seemed I was about to clear the door, it opened, and there stood Sephiroth, standing gloriously nude, his silver hair flowing over bare shoulders. I stopped and stared. It was something I had to do, even if I had seen him in his natural form a countless amount of times.

    "Ah... I see you have returned, my pretty young one. Did you think you would walk by unnoticed?" He smiled.

    I returned the expression quite genuinely. "I did hope to try, master."

    Sephiroth put a hand on his hip and said, "Vincent and I would both like it if you'd join us. I don't think that Rufus satisfied your *every* need." Sensuously he looked me up and down.

    I was trembling on my feet. Sephiroth's electric gaze had the power to make every part of my body tremble with overwhelming desire. "I would be honored to join you," I answered weakly, longing to feel their hands and lips caressing my skin.

    "Excellent." The smile remained, and he stepped aside. "Please come in."

    And I did. The room was completely dark, except for a single candle lit in on one of the beside tables. The room was lavishly furnished in dark woods and velvet drapes. The entire house was elegant, of course, but the bedroom always seemed to hold a certain kind of magic. Maybe it was because it was something of a prize to be invited inside.

    Vincent was lying naked on the bed, sprawled casually, the light casting shadows on his pale, flawless skin. He looked at me with a small smile and gestured with his head for me to come beside him. I didn't hesitate a moment before stepping out of my breeches, and climbing onto the bed besides him. Vincent reached out and ran a hand through my hair, and I shivered at the touch. That same hand drifted lower, caressing along my neck and lingering there, at the juncture of neck and shoulder.

    "May I?" he asked softly, and I knew what he wanted.

    Barely, I nodded yes.

    His hand wrapped around my neck as he leaned forward, licking lightly at the skin he had been caressing. I moaned in anticipation, bending my head back and bracing myself for the pain and pleasure about to be racing through my veins.

    The bite was like pricking your finger on a needle, and a small gasp escaped my lips as I felt my pulse where he had sunk his teeth into my skin. My eyes rolled back and closed, and I could feel him drinking. I was lightheaded, as if he was sucking the very soul from my body. My hand trembled as I reached out to touch him, placing a hand on his smooth thigh and clawing at it. A keening cry escaped my throat as my heart pounded in my chest, and I felt as if I were to pass out.

    Then it passed. His teeth withdrew, and he licked away at the wound as he allowed me to recover. Being bitten is a feeling that is hard to form into words.  You feel as if your life is about to end, and you are about to die, but there is an underlying pleasure that makes you believe no death could possibly be as exquisite.

    It took me a moment or two to recover, and I leaned against Vincent, panting as I waited for my pulse to slow.

    When my eyes reopened, Sephiroth had spooned his body against mine, running his strong hands over my thighs. Vincent smiled at me when I looked at him, and he turned me onto my back, beginning to stroke my chest.

    "You're so good, Tseng," he purred. "You never resist."

    "Because I love it," I panted, feeling Sephiroth's fingers trail between my legs. "I love when you bite me."

    "Mmmm...." he leaned in, nuzzling against my neck before nipping at the skin and making me cry out. "You shall be rewarded then."

    I trembled as they both leaned in, Sephiroth pressing kisses to my neck, and Vincent leaving trails of heat down my chest. Sephiroth's practiced hand encountered my shaft and tugged at it, easily bringing me to full arousel.  Already I felt my skin grow hot and damp, and my breath echoed in my ears. A tiny gasp of shock and pleasure escaped my throat as Vincent's hand encountered Sephiroth's and together they stroked me, slowly, just to tease.

    My eyes rolled back into my head, and I became lost in it all.

    "My beautiful pet..." A quick kiss was pressed to my parted lips and I accepted it hungrily, yearning for more and more and more. "I simply adore you."

    "Master, I love you," I gasped, failing to repress a moan as Vincent moved between my legs and lapped at my inner thighs. Their hands had left me and were wandering separately once more. "Can you..." Blindly I tried to seek out his lips. "Ah..."

    I was rewarded with a deep and fiery kiss of passion, further losing myself. Sephiroth's kisses had the power to scatter my mind and exist as nothing more than a being dependent on giving and receiving pleasure. His tongue in my mouth was delicious, and Vincent's lapping at the inside of my thigh sent an intense heat spiraling through my body. I clenched a hand in my own hair.

    "Pretty thing," Sephiroth whispered gently, kissing down my neck and then lapping at the wound Vincent had left upon my skin. I moaned and arched towards that talented mouth.  "You were playing with Rufus this afternoon, were you not?"

    "I would hardly call it playing," I gasped out, my body growing cold with sweat as it reacted to the intimate acts being performed to it. "More like riding bareback, I would say, on a very wild horse."

    Sephiroth chuckled deep in his throat as he closed his lips over a nipple. I tossed my head back and moaned.

    Vincent looked up from his previous task and ran a leisurely hand over the curve of his angel's buttock and thigh. "What are you figuring to do to him, angel?"

    The younger vampire had to removed his lips from my skin, much to my dismay I might add, to answer, "Bury myself inside him, that is, if he's not too sore from his bareback riding."

    "I'm fine," I gasped up, and saw them exchange a smile at my eagerness.

    "Always so easy to please, little Tseng," chuckled Sephiroth, pressing a palm over my abdomen, which was spasming with frantic breaths.

    "Much as you once were," Vincent said, coming up to lie out luxuriously at my side.  "Then again I do believe it was your idea to take me to bed in the first place."

    "I don't recall you objecting," Sephiroth replied seductively, his eyes glinting with a touch of mischief. He leaned towards Vincent, and Vincent in turn leaned in his direction.

    They kissed.

    I should probably stop here and explain to you that when *they* kiss, it is far more than a press of the lips and a stroke of the tongue. Vincent and Sephiroth have this uncanny ability to become a single soul through the simple act of affection. They practically devour one another, and I have never seen a kiss more sensual or loving. It really was lovely to watch.

    And they lost themselves in it for awhile. Vincent's hands came to tangle in Sephiroth's silvery hair as he dragged him closer,  their moans mingling and arousing me even *further*, if that was even possible.

    Although I must say that it isn't quite too difficult to arouse me.

    "Vincent, you're a dream..." Sephiroth sighed as they drew apart, his magnificent green eyes shut.

    "Angel, you're a vision," he replied, stroking his cheek fondly. "Perhaps you should take Tseng now before I lose control and take you myself."

    Smiling slightly, Sephiroth opened his eyes and turned to look at me. "I see you're quite ready," he teased, barely letting his fingers tease over my erection.

    "Quite," I agreed with a gasp, arching up to the whisper touch. "Ah... Master, please... Don't deny me any longer."

    "I shan't." And to my delight, he lifted my legs over his shoulders.

    Just as he was moving forward, a knock was heard upon the door. Vincent, who had up until then been watching us quite attentively, turned his head in the direction of the interruption. Sephiroth paused as well, much to my misfortune, and I whimpered pitifully.

    "Who is it?" Vincent called, his pale brow furrowed in confusion. I hoped it was someone who was to be dismissed quickly. Any more delay, and I would surely go mad.

    "It's me," came Rufus' tenor from beyond the wood. "We have an unexpected guest."

    "Is that so?" Vincent's crimson eyes twinkled with delight. "Has night fallen upon us already?"

    "I would say it is not unexpected at all," replied Sephiroth, raising a lone eyebrow in amusement.

    My own breathing fell, as I realized that this interruption was not going to be in my favor. The demon spawn of hell always seemed to know just when to arrive.