Naming Souls

Sequel to those who are hunted

Disclaimer: Castlevania belongs to Konami not me. I am making £0.00 out of this fic, it is written purely because I have a burning need to create. Although I would like to own Adrian . . . then he’d be mine.

Warning: this fic contains YAOI (GuyXGuy), Bloodplay and a lemon; if this offends or upsets you do not read this, it that simple.

Rating: NC-17

Pairing: Richter/Adrian, Adrian/Richter

Setting: post Castlevania symphony of the night

Dedications: this is dedicated to all Castlevania fans, there could never be to many.

Summery: The trials that must be endured while Adrian tries to adapt to what he has always wanted, a normal life.

Authoress note: Those who are hunted was probably the first long-ish fic I ever wrote; I have written this to commemorate that fact. For those who asked please forgive me that this has taken so long to come out.

Italics mean either flashbacks or thoughts

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Chapter Four

The guests were arriving.

It was early evening the guests had started arriving a little over an hour ago. Adrian had been watching them as they each entered the Belmont Estate; they all seemed so bland for want of a better word. The dunpeal was not impressed but after voicing his opinion to Maria and getting a glare in return he’d shut up and simply watched until over come by both boredom and the wish to be left alone he wandered off to find somewhere to hide. Richter was currently standing over a large fire roasting what ever food people put into his hands; it had gotten to the point where Maria had had to stop him trying to roast Aunt Betrix’s apple crumble. Richter hadn’t stop smiling the entire evening, this was what he wanted, a normal life, this was what normal people did, they threw parties. The piles of cooked meat around the mortal man would never be eaten this night and Maria was already thinking of ways to use it later, cold meat sandwiches, stew, soup, the list went on. While Maria was trying to think of ways to make cold meat interesting she was also literally prancing about among the guests spouting rubbish and pretending to be interested in mundane stories.

“Yes Lady Maria I am well aware that He’s gone,” the Lady Crain was saying “but I saw a vampire just last week,” Maria nodded “tall and white, it bolted across my front lawn! Chasing something it was!”

“Well Lady Crain,” Maria swallowed “I’ll be sure to tell Richter about it, so don’t worry he and Adrian will . . .” she was interrupted

“Ah yes Adrian,” Lady Crain seemed to forget about her vampire “where is he? I saw him yesterday in the village, I waved to him but he didn’t reply just ran into John’s tavern.”

“I’ll go find him!” Maria smirked seeing an opportunity to bolt from the very overpowering Lady Crain. She made a mental note to tell Adrian to be more careful as undoubtedly Lady Crain’s vampire was in fact Richter’s Dunpeal and if word ever got out not only would the Belmont name be dragged through the sewers but Adrian would most probably end up on the business end of a pike; and knowing Richter he would to.

Adrian was hiding the shed.

Maria refused to call it a shed and it became to her words a gazebo, but in reality it was a shed, or what was left of a shed, it had no roof and they had lost a wall last winter but it was still a shed and Adrian was hiding in it. It didn’t take long for Maria to find him huddled in a corner, it shocked her how much dignity he could appear to have despite been huddled in a corner.

“We’re going to eat soon,” she said quietly, and was relieved when Adrian smiled at her “are you alright?” she asked remembering yesterday.

“I am fine Lady Maria,” Adrian looked confused at her question but continued to force a smile at the young woman. “ Honestly Lady I just wished for some space,” his stomach grumbled loudly and he looked embarrassed. Feeding from Richter last night had helped quieten his beast but now almost a day later that feeding was wearing thin and being around so many creatures that his mind kept telling him were food, it was difficult for the dunpeal.

“Then why might I ask are you hiding in the gazebo?” she smirked “come on Adrian we are going to eat in a minuet and I know you’re hungry.” She reached forwards and grabbed Adrian’s arm, the roof of Adrian’s mouth began to tingle and he knew his fangs would lengthen soon.

Adrian tried to wedge himself into the corner but unfortunately Maria would not give up in her gentle tugging. Maria was not a strong as Richter but she was a lot more determined and very sneaky, instead of using brute force to drag the dunpeal out into the crowd like Richter would she used her brain and ‘fell’ backwards as she pulled. Adrian watched her mortified as she began to cry and hunger forgotten in the force of chivalry he clambered away from the shed to help her to her feet.

“Are you alright?” he asked around her quiet tears, using his thumb to brush them away, she snivelled

“I was just . . . just trying to get you to mingle,” sniff, snivel, and cry a bit more “but you were all horrible and it’s rude of you to hide and then I fell,” Adrian very stupidly fell for her tears and continued to look mortified and apologised profusely

“Forgive me lady, I’ll come out if it’ll please you, don’t cry,” the dunpeal brushed more tears away and held the small woman to his chest, absently Maria remembered something similar happening when she’d had her crush but now more important things were afoot, Maria managed a watery smile and proceeded to drag him into the crowd where she abandoned him. Richter found this very amusing.

“I thought I saw you with her, I had no idea she’d manage to get you out though,” Richter sniggered quietly as Adrian had explained why he was out of the shed.

“She was really upset,” the dunpeal muttered trying to salvage his pride

“You sir are a fool to fall for such a feminine trick,” Richter tried to sound pompas but failed “we have all fallen for Maria’s tears at least once, but come my love,” he wrapped an arm around the dunpeal’s shoulder “let us eat meat and drink wine with our guests and maybe later I’ll feed you something special,” his mouth nipped at the dunpeal’s ear

“Richter,” Adrian smiled at the mortal “does your mind always live in your pants or is this just for my benefit,”

“Believe it or not I was rather prudish until I met you,” Richter laughed, Adrian looked doubtful “You have caused me to become addicted to your sweet flesh.”

“Richter Belmont,” Maria snapped causing Richter to jerk backwards in alarm, Adrian smirked “people are waiting for their food, and you,” she pointed at Adrian who looked shocked “stop encouraging him!”

“you’re a bad influence,” Richter muttered elbowing Adrian as Maria left and the two men lifted plates piled high with roasted meat. “bad Adrian, we’ll have to be teaching you a lesson later. But for now, you will aid me in surviving the monstrosity that is Aunt Betrix.”

To those who observed the ‘dinner’ it must have seemed like a regular dinner between friends but those who knew a little better watched as Aunt Betrix lectured Richter on how to cook meat and glared at Maria every time the girl made any kind of comment considered un-ladylike. Adrian who had never met Aunt Betrix became quiet ‘worried’ when she kept glaring at him, the usual fear of being discovered lashed inside the dunpeal. Adrian swallowed hard, hunger was bad enough alone as was fear but the combination of the two left the dunpeal dizzy and he glared hard at Richter when the mortal’s foot began wandering up his leg.

“Boy,” Aunt Betrix snapped at Richter, Richter snapped upright, his leg retreating from the half blood much to Adrian’s relief it was hard enough to keep a fragment of control “I thought you were supposed to cook the meat,” Adrian coughed quietly, into his hand and went unnoticed, Richter smiled at his dunpeal, Adrian liked ‘solid’ food but when Richter cooked meat on its own the dunpeal liked it very rare. Aunt Betrix did not approve.

“My friend has . . . rare and unusual tastes,” Richter smirked making Adrian cough again. “You should see what he was eating last night,” Adrian coughed loudly covering up his nervous squeak.

“Richter,” Maria snapped feeling sympathetic to the dunpeal who was going to choke to death soon “be quiet for heaven’s sake,”

“And you Maria, a young lady does not tell a man what he may or may not do,” Aunt Betrix corrected, “a lady is refined and is quiet,”

“You obviously don’t really know you niece then,” Richter muttered Adrian sniggered quietly behind his fork, Maria glared at the dunpeal who was a bad influence at times.

“RICHTER Belmont! I do not approve of your tone!” Aunt Betrix snapped.

“My dear Aunt Betrix, quiet frankly I don’t care,” at this comment aunt Betrix nearly choked on her own apple crumble, when she stopped she tried to salvage her dignity

“Well I can see that your friend has had a better upbringing than you, Richter Belmont,” Aunt Betrix commented after a moment, “your father obviously did a good job, he must be very proud of you,” at that comment Maria dropped the small glass she was holding spilling mead over the table cloth. Richter smiled at her antics but it was stopped suddenly as a strange sound erupted from Adrian who was quietly choking to death on apple crumble.

After that dinner started to go quiet well. Until Adrian began to notice the hunger that had nothing to do with food or with the fact Richter had decided it was to hot for shirts was getting worse, he planned to excuse himself after desert before he decided to eat the people instead. But as he rose from his chair he stopped; one thing about vampires is that when they are hungry they become hyper sensitive, warning bells went of in Adrian’s mind.

“Richter!” Adrian snapped suddenly, turning his nose to the wind, something was coming, “Richter Belmont,” he snapped briefly thinking he sounded far to much like Maria for his own good, next thing he’d be wearing dresses.

“What is it?” Richter asked, the look on his face one of mild drunkenness, Adrian cursed loudly as he pulled Richter from the table.

“Something’s coming something b . . .,” he never finished the sentence.

There was a sound behind him, and Richter turned coming face to face with a griffin, it was bigger than the others, the size of a horse, a very big horse and it was snow white, beautiful really. It reminded Richter of Adrian beautiful but very deadly. This griffin however had no qualms about the worth of humanity and it lunged. The guests were screaming as the great beast loaped out of the forest and ran into the table leaping onto the cloth and scattering the dishes along with the guests. The beast skidded on the cloth and flew off the table landing in a heap of feathers and cloth.

“Maria get them out!” Richter yelled across the screaming, Maria nodded and using a loudness of voice that usually only belonged to men she lead the guests out of the garden.

The griffin was managing to get itself untangled from the tale cloth and Richter swallowed, his whip was in the house, to far for him to run to now. Absently he looked around for something that could be used as a weapon but the griffin was lunging at him, cruel beak open, claws ready to rip and shred. Richter leapt to the side to avoid the attack, the griffin span on its heals and made to charge him again but the blonde wolf that was Adrian slammed into the best and sent it falling. Richter watched as the wolf shimmered in the filtered light and became Adrian once again.

“Go!” Adrian yelled “I’ll hold it,” and with that he shifted his form back to that of a wolf and leapt at the great griffin, Richter winced noting the difference in size between his lover and the beast but listened to Adrian and ran back tot eh house. Bolting upstairs the vampire hunter found his whip and Adrian’s sword, not bothering to run back down stairs he leaned out the window and yelled to Adrian dropping his lover’s sword. The blonde wolf leapt towards the blade and shimmering became Adrian once more.

“A vampire?” the griffin breathed then laughed “I have killed many vampires, boy, beg me and I might make your death quick,” it was a pointless threat one that the griffin knew would be ignored, the vampires are proud creatures.

So he charge once again great wings spread to prevent the immortal diving to the side, the immortal raised it’s blade ready to meet the charging monster head on. Richter had to look away, there was the terrible sound of flesh hitting flesh and he looked back, the griffin had Adrian’s sword in its chest but Adrian seemed to have lost the use of his left arm, the griffins claws nearly tearing it clean off. Richter turned and bolted out of the room, down the stairs and back outside faster than he had thought was possible but he was still only mortal and his speed was not enough. But the time he reached the garden Adrian had gotten to his feet and disappeared into the woods the griffin giving chase. Richter followed finding them a little way into the Belmont’s woods, which were to Richter’s dislike built on a slope, a very severe hillside that one false move would send you tumbling. Richter pulled his whip and lashed at the monster, great gouts of blood ran down its face as the holy weapon burnt and cut it. The griffin span and sent him flying with its tale; the hunter hit a tree and slumped down. The monster approached the mortal once again slowly this time to savour its victory. But once again it was thrown off balance as Adrian barrelled into it, knocking them both flying head of heals down the hillside.

Adrian cried out as they fell calling his daggers to him through the mild form of telepathy he had developed, and he slashed, thrusting the daggers at the griffin, which was on him and aiming for his throat. Panic flittered through him and buried itself in his chest; he was fighting for his life! All thoughts of swordsmanship and ‘proper’ fighting flew from his mind and he kicked, bit, twisted and stabbed. But then suddenly the panic was gone as the best inside him rose up it still wanted a life, Richter’s blood and essence had settled it for a night but it demanded life and the life of this griffin would appease it for a long time. Snarling Adrian twisted himself sank his teeth into the monster’s right hind leg, worrying, driving into arteries and muscle, his fangs tearing them. Meanwhile claws were digging into his stomach, he heard a snap as his useless left arm broke under the griffin’s weight and the hilt of his sword still in the griffin’s chest hit against him again and again. Then with a strike the griffin separated them and he flew out across the hillside.

“Adrian!” Richter’s voice called to the dunpeal and the bruised and broken man looked up to the peak of the hillside he had fallen down, blood running down from his head stung his eyes but amazingly the griffin was in worse shape than the dunpeal. The beast was lying on its side in the grass which was quickly becoming stained with the monsters blood. The great beast’s chest heaved as he watched the immortal watching him golden eyes narrowing.

"I'm fine," The griffin hissed, as he staggered, trying to catch his weight on his front legs. His forepaws slipped, collapsing, he clawed at the grass heaving great lumps of earth into the air. He growled, a belly slashed raw picking up dirt in its wounds. Finally it stopped struggling

“You hit hard vampire but I can still kill you,” he tried to stand again before realising what Adrian’s beast had done to him “you bastard! You’ve severed the arteries in my legs! I can't put weight on my legs! I can't put weight on my legs!" the beast was panicking now tossing on the earth writhing

“NO!” Adrian snapped as Richter began down the hillside careful of falling, slipping on lose earth and blood. He moved down the hillside to deliver the killing blow “No Richter,” Adrian actually managed to stand despite one ankle being fractured “it’s my kill,” he went to his knees in front of the creature. “Mine,”

And Adrian gave himself up to the beast.

End of Chapter Four

Authoress note: I’m tired and my back hurts. Interesting no? Anyway I thought this chapter was a little thin really but I want you’re opinion so please review.

Please review.