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Ooh! Congrats dear! ^_^

Okay, more long posts. I like long posts. And a new character? Well what do you know, I'm introducing a new character. How coincidental. Sorry this took like forever. I originally had Kain as a man called Dominic who was like Riordan's rival/bad guy and blah de blah blah blah... but then I sat on it and it turned into this and well... I like this better. It has a more interesting plot line.
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Riordan moves silently over the extravagant floors of the Malinov Manor, effortlessly and gracefully striding down familiar hallways he had long ago memorized. He pauses along the way back from his patrol, taking advantage of the fresh air the open hallway provides, enjoying the sight of the palace-like mansion enveloped in midnight beauty.

His eyes widen slightly at the dense and dark scent which teases his senses. “Kain,” he whispers eagerly.

He knew Kain’s presence. Whether the man decided to show himself was an entirely different matter. But a figure suddenly drops down from its perch atop the roof and grabbing hold of the upper part of the open window as he falls, swings into the hallway. A red vest flaps silently, a figure lands with a muffled thud as strands of long blood red hair slightly whirl around an incredibly muscular body.

Kain stands to his feet, muscles seeming to ripple with every movement. His emerald eyes light up at the sight of Riordan and a small smile softens his hard features.

“Riordan,” he begins, his voice gruff and violent but -for the moment- clinging to the softness and wisdom of an older brother. “It’s been a while. Ya look good, brother.”

Riordan chuckles softly, a smile creeping across his face. How long had it really been? A few months? Perhaps... “I have certainly seen better days,” he replies.

Kain sighs heavily and Riordan immediately regrets his words, recognizing the sorrow in his brother’s voice others would easily miss. “I bet. Twenty years tends to bite ya in the ass doesn’t it?”

Twenty years. Had it truly been so long ago. It did not seem so with the memories of Kain’s last visit still fresh in his mind. Maybe a year or two... five at the most. How time did pass them by when they had no reason to keep track of it; no reason to fear another year’s coming and going. It is death -or more importantly the faster it rushes upon one- which makes time so meaningful. But for them... there is no death...

Riordan nods, unsure of what to say. Kain was not one for sentimental greetings or formalities even after all this time apart. He was just like that. Should Riordan simply aim for the insignificant goal of a mere handshake he would be disappointed. Kain eventually breaks the silence between them.

“Why are you lyin’ to that Jedi, Riordan?”

Riordan’s eyes do not waver from his brother’s. Kain, he thinks to himself. You sly fox.

“A Jedi?” Riordan questions calmly. “I’m not sure I understand...”

Another sigh from the older man as his gaze wanders out over the silent fortress to find the lush landscape beyond, hoping to calm his building anger. Over the years he found it harder and harder to control himself even in the simplest of situations. Riordan was the exact opposite; always calm... always in control. The noble did not condone violence normally. Kain envied him sometimes.

“Don’t beat ‘round the bush with me. I know more than ya think.”

Riordan shakes his head. “I have not lied to anyone, Kain. Seems your spying has become a little careless, brother.”

“Ya damn well know what I’m talkin’ ‘bout,” Kain retorts more sharply than he intends, his eyes coldly cutting back to his brother. “Ya didn’t tell that Jedi everything, little brother...”

Riordan cannot help the growl which escapes his throat. “What a wonderful brother. Slipping in here after twenty years and worried about my affairs with some Jedi. The matter does not concern you.”

“It does concern me damn it!” Kain explodes suddenly, driving his fist into the nearest wall, forming a considerably sizable crater. His body shudders and he grits his teeth, muscles tensing violently as rage pulses through his body. s**t, s**t, s**t! He groans. He’d been close that time; real close. It was always worse when he tried to restrain it.

Despite the gravity of the situation, Riordan does not react to the outburst. Even as children, Kain had been this way; a very dark and violent person, hardened by inhuman strength. Once Kain had asked Riordan if he was scared of him. To tell the truth, it had never bothered the younger brother. In fact, it was moments like these that allowed him to understand his brother... perhaps better than the man himself did.

“Kain-” he tries.

“Don’t, Riordan,” Kain whispers slowly. “I know what yer doin’... where yer goin’. Do you know what could happen if that Jedi isn’t ready when the time comes? What could happen,” he demands, “if you’re not ready...?”

Kain leans against the wall, supporting his frame by his forearms in order to keep his body from completely falling onto the cold surface. His body convulses faintly. “I... I can’t stand the thought... of you becoming like... like me... each day a little less human...”

He groans again, slamming his head into the wall. “I’m sorry, Riordan...” he whispers breathlessly.

Riordan grabs Kain’s shoulder, causing the other man to turn his head slightly. Kain was a complex creature, one it took some time and a great deal of fight to get down to. His loves and hates were, at times, obvious and yet complicated; his motivations, though, remained straightforward and true to his violent nature. Riordan would liken him to some kind of wild animal... were it so simple.

“Kain,” Riordan begins soothingly.

Kain immediately hides his face behind his arm to avoid his brother’s prying eyes. “Twenty years... twenty f***in’ years and I’m no closer to killin’ that bastard than the day I started! Damnit!” He slams his head against the wall with more force this time, a drop of blood falling from his hairline and splattering on the floor at his feet.

Riordan studies his brother for a moment, watching the heaving movements of his chest as his body silently struggles against itself. There is a point at which even the strongest man’s body is pushed beyond its limits and as such refuses to advance further; when his bones can no longer handle the strain and shatter.

But there are times, when the strong man, enraged, loses all conscious thought and his body itself becomes an unstoppable weapon of immeasurable power. A berserker. Their family had been nothing special; Kain had been born and raised in the same manner as every other human being. However, he lacked the fundamental restraints most people possessed.

This allowed him to constantly push his body far beyond human means... but... he himself wasn’t beyond human. Even if he wanted to Riordan could not count the times or ways Kain injured his body during their childhood and teenage years. Lacking any mental restraint had its downfalls of course. With Kain, the slightest amount of anger had the potential to erupt into a chaotic and terrifying rage.

When Kain was tainted, the poison merely fed upon this rage and fueled it with unimaginable power. With time... Kain became a creature all his own; immortal and unbreakable. Violence personified. Of course Kain’s dominate and animalistic personality eventually came to subdue the poison within his body but he had long ago allowed it to sink deep into his soul. When the vampire who cursed him was slain, the taint remained...

Riordan’s eyes find the drop of blood on the floor curiously. Blood.... With Kain’s physical strength, slamming his head into the wall as he had should not have even phased him. In fact, the wall would be far more damaged than anything else. Unless... “Kain, have you been feeding?” he asks suddenly.

Kain’s eyes narrow. How could he say it like that? So easily... like it was nothing?! “Shut up,” he growls.

Riordan removes his hand from Kain’s shoulder with a sigh. So like Kain; to beat himself up over such a mundane thing. “It is nothing to be ashamed of...” he says simply. “You are still a living being, brother. You have to eat. ‘Tis not wise to ignore such ravenous hunger as yours for long.”

Just the thought of feeding, of sinking his aching fangs in a delicate neck, made something deep within him roar to life. That itself made Kain’s stomach turn. “I know,” he manages to bite back, shuddering once more.

“Stubborn,” Riordan accuses, not caring to hide his worry.

Shouten Yaiba suddenly hums faintly within his robes. Others approach, my Lord...

Another guard patrol was making their rounds no doubt. “I am not the only man whom guards these grounds. There are others which will not be as tolerant of your presence as I am, brother,” Riordan states. “Come inside and we shall speak more in private,” he adds, leaning down to extract a small dagger from his boot. He twirls it in his hand with a faint yet welcoming smile. “I will even feed you.”

Kain turns on the younger man with a violent growl, grabbing him by the wrist with enough force to crush human bones. “That’s not funny, Riordan...” he hisses.

“I am not attempting to be amusing, Kain. Even your body cannot withstand the constant strain it undergoes with proper nutrition,” he emphasis.

“I don’t need somethin’ like that from you...” Kain’s grip on Riordan’s wrists tightens until the dagger clatters to the floor. He grits his teeth harshly in order to hold onto his control the best he is able.

Instead of struggling to get away, Riordan immediately calms himself and forces his body to relax. Kain was a predator and like all predators brought to action by something more than hunger, sometimes the best way to escape was to make your body an uninteresting toy.

“If you do not feed from me,” Riordan reasons calmly, “you may not feed at all. I would rather sate your hunger myself than to risk you losing yourself to it...”

Kain’s eyes soften at the realization and finally he takes a deep breath, releasing Riordan’s wrists with some reluctance. The younger brother rubs his wrists in order to return feeling to his hands before bending down to pick up his dagger. Kain was suddenly incredibly uneasy. It was not like Riordan had not fed him before but that had been some twenty years ago.

What worried the older man was his lack of control. Occasionally he lost all morals and human thought, his maddening hunger throwing him into the unforgiving chaos of a feeding frenzy. And when that happened, he couldn’t stop... no matter how much he wanted to. Want was a human desire. It had no value to an animal...

Riordan was aware of this and still he offered himself freely. He trusted Kain. He is his brother after all.

{The Next Morning}

Atop George’s villa two shadowy figures rest steadily perched on the highest peak of the home, masking their presence to remain completely undetected. They would follow the Jedi for a time, since Kain was so paranoid. It was not easy for him to trust a Jedi with his brother’s life after being hunted by their ‘associates’ for years. So for now... they would wait...
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Plot twist! Riordan's brother is a full-on Force vampire?! o_O

Yup. Both he and Riordan (along with Shouten Yaiba) were tainted fifty years ago but by different vampires. The vampire which poisoned Kain was killed thirty years ago but he had already given into the taint. Kain's dominate and extremely violent personality, however, subdues his taint and allows him to 'feed' upon people without necessarily mercilessly slaughtering them like most Force vampires (though he does occasionally go into feeding frenzies).

He also uses the Force to erase their memories so they do not remember the incident. But he does not wish Riordan to suffer the same fate and as such has been hunting Razvan for some twenty years.

Pictures:

Kain's everyday wear -Sorry it's not colored; the character (who's name is not really Kain but that's what I'm calling him for this) belongs to a friend of mine and he hasn't drawn very many pictures of him and this is the only 'normal' one he's drawn. So just take the colors from the next picture and that'll give ya Kain's look. ^_^

Kain during a rage -This is a full on berserker rage which you won't see until later on (rages and berserker rages differ) but he basically looks the same, minus the hole in his chest (which does have significance later ) and the totally white eyes.