Ghosts of the Grave 12

Title:  Ghosts of the Grave
Author: Elle Doki
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The following morning...

Bright sunshine poured in to a golden room filled with colors of red and oranges and soft wood shades. Laying on a huge pastel tan bed surrounded by pillows and blankets was a sudden mop of lime green hair. The figure shifted as the sun coming from the large windows made the whole room bright. A sleepy grumble and the teen sat up with a yawn.

Elle's eyes scanned the room. A huge bed, wood floors with a circle rug slightly in sight designed like the sun and several dressers were in the large bedroom. All over the walls there seemed to be curtains and the only the windows and the door were designed with different curtains, a light laced white curtain drapped over the normal golden yellow ones.

He rubbed his eyes and then noticed he was in an unfamiliar place. "Vlalan?" He called to the empty room. After waiting a moment, he heard no response and decided to look for the other. He pushed off the covers and climbed out of the bed, wearing only a pair of dull jeans. "Cold floor~" he whined softly as he started for the door.

Looking out into the hall, Elle could see several other doors and heard sound coming from one. He went into the dark hall and stopped at several doors down. Quietly he moved the curtains and looked in to see a kitchen bar and Vlalan drinking a cup of something steamy while sitting at the bar on a stool. He appeared to be in deep thought, the kind you wouldn't want to disturb him from.

Elle nodded a bit and then left back to the bedroom. Once he was in the bedroom he stretched his arms up high with a big yawn. He ruffled his hair to a more comfortable position and then pulled back the curtains of the window. Outside was a familiar cityscape- Saggotan. It was a neighborhood much like Elle's home was in, and probably wasn't that far from his house. He looked to the left out the window and saw the clock tower of the dreaded high school past several buildings. To the right he saw the huge outlet center followed by the skyscapers.

Bored after a few moments of looking out the window, Elle went back over to the kitchen and peeked in at bare-backed young man. When he was about to say something he noticed for the first time two tattoos on Vlalan's back. He squinted to see them better, but found he was just quietly walking in to see them upclose.

"999" was the most noticeable tattoo on his left shoulder, a bit below where the blade would end near the middle of the back. Elle's eyes moved up as he noticed a familiar name with some Japanese characters in front of it: "あいしてるElle".

"....Vlalan?" Elle asked suddenly. The other jumped, not noticing Elle sneak in, and turned around to look at him in shock. "Is... Who's name is that-- on your back?"

Vlalan shrugged as a soft smile came to his face. "Who's do you think it is?"

Elle pouted with a frown and turned his head away, "I don't know! That's why I'm asking!"

He chuckled, "What's your name?"

"Elle..."

"What's the name on my back?"

"Elle..."

Vlalan nodded, "So who's name is it probably?"

"I don't know! Maybe you know a girl with that name." Elle answered, closing his eyes in a huff.

"Sorry." Vlalan shook his head and lifted a hand to Elle's chin, pulling his face to look at him. "I'm not straight. The name can only be your's." Elle's brown eyes blinked in a slight surprise. "Do you want to know what the rest of it says?"

"Yes."

"I love you." Vlalan smiled, and his smile grew even more as he saw a pink tint touch Elle's cheeks.

"I can't believe you actually got that tattooed on your back..." Elle closed his eyes, tilting his head away. He straightened up. "Anyway, what were you thinking about?"

"This whole Zephyr mess." Vlalan shrugged. "That's why I pulled you back here."

"Here?"

"To Morata." Vlalan nodded. "You fell asleep a bit after we were sitting in the park by the fountain. I was thinking it over and I think we're best off, in terms of keeping our sanity, here in Morata rather than over in Barbatous."

Elle frowned again, tilting his head to the side. "But won't you miss your mother? She's your only family-"

"She gave me birth and then tossed me to another world to fend for myself." Vlalan correct angrily. "As a result I was raised to be a killer and almost did kill you!"

Elle blinked, slightly afraid of the other for a split second. "But you've changed." Vlalan looked at Elle with surprise. "When we met you were secrative and serious... Little by little you were trying to seduce me to get that stone but once we were in Barbatous you started to actually watch out for me and keep me safe. Even when we saw your father... You still were putting me first."

"....Yeah." Vlalan nodded.

Elle smiled, "And remember? You saved me. You didn't have to..."

Vlalan chuckled, "You're too cute and nice for me to let you die." Elle bonked Vlalan's forehead with his fist lightly. "What?! Don't be embarassed about it."

"You don't have to say it like that though." Elle pouted.

He nodded and patted Elle's hair. "You're looking depressed. What's wrong?"

Elle blinked. "You can tell?"

"Er... the aura." Vlalan laughed slightly, "But also your whole face looks sad for some reason. Tell me~"

"I just..." he shrugged. "I keep wondering if you're still with me because my father asked you to, or because you don't want me to get hurt... Or if you say you love me because you were told to.."

Vlalan sighed and shook his head. "Look, I'm not proud of a lot of things I've done to you, Elle. From day one I wasn't honest with you. About Memento, the Organizations... And even the end result of Zephyr... I could tell they were lying but I didn't say anything." He hung his head, "And... hell even with Ikawi..."

Elle listened quietly, but when he heard of Ikawi he just pulled Vlalan to him and hugged him. "Ikawi was his own enemy... Right now we need to focus on this problem with Celsius." He listened to Vlalan's calm heartbeat for a moment and then nodded. "He's marked me for death, so we'd best be looking out for him."

Vlalan nodded, hugging Elle back tightly. "Right.. My house isn't even safe with Celsius out there... He can find us eventually." He nodded. "But don't worry, Elle. We'll figure out someway to stop Celsius."

"I know he's not that mad at me as he is at Zephyr..." Elle shrugged. "I think we can figure things out after some more rest."

"You trying to tell me to go back to sleep?"

"....Maybe." Vlalan chuckled, kissing Elle's temple. "We'll both take a snooze. Afterward we can decide how we want to handle Celsius. Kay?"

"Hnn." Elle nodded.