13 Snow

Walking out of the room, Eclipse was busy memorizing the entire layout of the rooms the hallways they walked past, most of the places they walked through were empty, until they reached the end of the … cell, that is, coming to an inconspicuous door at the end of a very confusing hallway.

Eclipse is having a hard time memorizing the way here. Almost every hallway looks the same, save for some of them with odd paintings all around.

There is one thing that remains quite consistent though, and that is the scent of the Vampire all around the … house? Can it be called a house because it is a building only filled with rooms that serve the purpose of a prison?

Sure, there are some rooms like the one that Eclipse just was in, with books that are actually books and not just props to get the person to be let down their guard around them. But that is still, essentially, where they keep their … prisoners, for lack of a better word.

Anyway, getting back on track, that place smells intimately like the Vampire, and he smells … savoury, so that palace is either where he lives or he has a very intimate relationship with that place and Eclipse is hoping it is the former.

"So, tell me a little about this boss guy." Eclipse said, walking closely behind Ash, who is just staring at the door with a blank expression on his face. "You do not seem to be getting along with him. Let me guess, is he your father?"

"No," Ash said a little too quickly, before he even had the chance to process the question. "I mean, he is the big boss of the family, so he is, in a way, the father of everyone here."

"I see." Eclipse said, nodding as he looked at the man's black expression. "Are you scared to let me out? I promise I will be a good boy~."

Eclipse enjoyed the unamused look that came on the man's face as he turned to him. True, Eclipse is older than him but this man behaves and even looks older than Eclipse so he cannot help acting a little … bratty.

"I kid. I kid." He quickly raised his hands and stepped away from the man, just in case he hit him or something. "But you look too nervous, I had to do something to try and lighten the mood."

"I am not nervous." He said stubbornly as the man just gave him a tired smile. "I am just thinking."

"If you should trust me with the outside world, right?" Eclipse mused, seeing the tiny, tiny twitch on his face. Bull's eye, huh?

"No, it's nothing like that." He stubbornly said, crossing his arms over his chest. "You know I trust you."

"Cut the crap. I know you don't trust me and you know that I don't trust you." Eclipse said, leaning against the wall as he looked at the man with an amused expression on his face. "We both know this, so we do not need to lie like lovers in a failing relationship. Don't you think so?"

Ash took one look at Eclipse before chuckling as he ran his hands through his hair, "I suppose you are not wrong, kid. This is a symbiotic relationship between us, after all."

"Yup. So let's not pretend to be something we are not." Eclipse walked to Ash, patting him on the chest. "Now, shall we get going? I am sure the old boss will be bored."

"Yeah. Let's." Ash finally opened the window as a gust of cold wind blew on Eclipse, running throughout his entire body, down to his bones. "Hmm, the snow has let up slightly, I see."

"Yeah, give me your jacket." Eclipse turned to the man beside him, shivering not only because of the wind but because he has no shoes on him and the ground is ten times colder than the air around him. "Or better yet, carry me. I'm cold."

"For a prisoner, you are quite demanding." Ash mused, picking the smaller man in his arms. "Well, you are just a kid, after all. You have some lean muscles but nothing else. I think you should eat more."

"This is just my physique." Eclipse said, pulling the coat hanging over Ash's shoulders, tighter around himself as he continued to shiver. "And I am not a kid, I am older than you … kid."

Ash took one look at the trembling man in his arms and could not help the smile that came on his face, "Sure. Sure. If you say so."

"You are mocking me, aren't you?" Eclipse turned to Ash, pouting slightly. "You are a big guy, I am quite tall but I reach only your shoulders. It is your fault you look older than me."

Ash took one step outside and Eclipse is already trembling a little more than he already was, burying himself in Ash's chest, as he started to feel the warmth entering his body, slowly.

"I don't know you are very good or very bad at insults, but I am amused," Ash said, the sound of the snow crunching under him as Eclipse peeked out from under the coat, looking around him.

The entire place almost looks like a monastery with the high stone walls encircling the entire place and the stone statues scattered all around the place.

There were several buildings all around the area with some people walking around, they nodded at Ash, staring at the face peeking out of his coat before just deciding to ignore it.

"This place is pretty," Eclipse murmured, taking in the surroundings. "It seems quite old too."

"Well, it is." Ash shrugged, carrying the all too light man in his arms. He really is too thin, he needs to eat more. "This is known as the Ofin Manor and has housed generations upon generations of my family."

"Ohh~." Eclipse stared at the white all around him. A cloud of smoke came from his lips. "That is so cool. Then, you are going to be the next head, right? The next big boss."

"I don't know, there are a lot of qualified people and I do not think I am one of them," Ash said, holding him a little closer as the warmth from Eclipse's body spread to his. "Besides, I am not interested in this nonsense."

"Hmmmm~."

"There are things I want to ask you too, but I have a feeling you want to ask yourself those questions more than I do," Ash mumbled, passing a massive, stone fountain in the middle of the place, with a large wolf on the centre. The water around it is frozen stiff.

Eclipse did not answer as he continued to take in the scenery around him, the cold air blowing against his face, threatening to freeze his nose off if he stood in the cold for too long.

"You know, Aseko. This feeling is very foreign to me." He finally spoke as they passed several buildings, and even more people that seemed to like staring at them with curiosity.

"The feeling of being carried?"

"No. Not that." He chuckled, pulling the corners of the coat closer around his face. "This feeling of being cold. I know what it is and how it should feel like but I don't know if I ever felt it before."

"Could the part of your brain that remembers that specific feeling has been affected?" Ash asked, looking straight ahead as the cold winds blew, seemingly unaffected by it. "After all, you saw the way the damage looked, it was not a simple bruise."

"But I recovered from it, right?"

"Just because your body healed does not mean your memories did. Now, I believe that curse mark may have something to do with your memories, suppressing it and what not because I could feel the connection between the two."

Finally walking into a building, Ash was greeted by a group of men and women in suits, trying to take the snow-filled coat from him but he stopped them instead, carefully helping Eclipse down first before he took his coat off, the snow falling from his hair and clothes onto the floor. And yes, everyone stared at this barefooted young man with fiery red hair and face almost as red as his hair as he smiled at them.

"Hello."

"Boss, who is this?" They asked, immediately on guard though they do not look like they were very sure if they should be or not.

"Stand down. He is harmless … I think." Eclipse said, handing his coat to them. "Get a coat for the boy and announce our arrival to the Big Boss."

"Yes sir!" They gave one look at Eclipse, who waved at them with his trembling fingers, trying to smile despite the cold before leaving.

"Still cold?"

"Again, I am not used to this at all." Eclipse said through chattering teeth and trembling body.

Taking Eclipse's hands in his Ash frowned for a second, "Well, your body is telling me the same thing. That blow to your head scattered your memories and the mark is keeping your memories scattered, that is all I can tell."

"S-s-still good-good enough. T-thanks."

Looking at the man tremble like a leaf, Ash could not help but be slightly amused, "Well, we need to make sure you do not die from the cold first, come here."

Pulling the man to him, Ash touched the nape of his neck as warmth flowed through Eclipse, making him relax almost immediately.

"That's nice."

"Boss!" One of the people from before came to them, holding a jacket that he took and covered Eclipse with, not letting his body heat escape. "The Big Boss is calling you to the room."

"Alright."