The whole of Ari's body ached. He could not move without something hurting. Ari let a labor breath escape him before he turned on his side and muffled down a groan. Despite the pain, Ari could still feel the softness of Auovin's lips on his neck, his shoulders... every inch of his body. Ari's body burned at the thought. However, that was not what was bothering him the most. It was his memories. His memories of then and now. Ari opened his eyes when he sensed someone coming inside the room. When he opened them and saw who it was he closed them and wrapped the blanket tighter around himself.

"Since back then, I always hated seeing you like this. However, you never tended to complain. You seemed to quite like it," Kaval murmured as he came and sat close to Ari on the bed. "I brought you here because it is warmer and more comfortable. He was gone long before I came."

Ari laid in silence. Words were stuck in his throat as memories of the intimate times spent with Kaval resurfaced. Ari tried to blink away the images but they were persistent avaricious beasts. His body became hot once more which distressed Ari more than before. What could he do with all of those new and old feelings?

"Ari..." Kaval removed a stray hair dangling in front of his face before brushing his hand down Ari's cheek. "You need to bathe and dress. The other Greats will come demanding answers soon."

"Can you keep them away for now? I have so many thoughts and feelings going through my head," Ari mumbled. "My head is a mess as well as my body."

"I would give you my blood if I could, but I am afraid I cannot."

Ari forced himself to sit up while keeping the blanket wrapped around him.

"Because of Cyrus?"

Kaval nodded.

"Tell me, did the two of you... " The rest of the words stayed stuck in Ari's throat. He did not think Kaval would hold such an interest in Cyrus in that way. He said he despised..." Ari thumbed his lip and continued to say silent.

"I believe this all was done purposely. It was all done by Oliya's design. So you would not chase after him. I fear what he may be doing is something dangerous, and he did not want you involved."

"With him... my memories.... I seemed to have left my most cherished ones with him."

"So you remember?" Kaval moved closer and backed away slightly when Ari continued to stare.

"I remember you liking the things you say you hate the most."

Kaval's face flushed.

"I believe you and Cyrus would have been a delicious sight to behold."

"I told you we did not..."

"Invite me next time," Ari said. He loved to tease him.

"And I believe he had ulterior motives for approaching me that day. It was to keep you here. If I cannot give you blood then you would not get it from anyone els--."

"His skin is softer than it looks as well as his hair. He has such fine soft hair, you know. And his lips..." Ari said trying to gauge Kaval's reaction. It was as expected. Cyrus was such a beautiful thing. There was no point in Kaval trying to hide away his interest with disinterest. It only made more apparent.

"I told you we did nothing. He bit me. That was all."

Ari tapped his cheek over and over again before he looked at Kaval coming back towards him with a new set of clothes. It made his brows furrow. All of his life he wore nothing but black. He was used to it, comfortable. White did not suit his taste. It was too bright and would dirty easy with blood and dirt--

"This is... what we wear, The Greats, I mean..."

"It does not suit me."

"While staying here, it must suit your tastes."

"Why?" Ari asked already knowing the answer.

"Belongingness. Already they do not see you as one of us. You must blend and adapt to your new surroundings even if you dislike it." Kaval took his wrist and placed the light garb in his hand. "It is only a robe you will wear to the hot spring. I will prepare something for you when you are finished."

Ari looked at Kaval and shook his head. "I am not Harun. I only pretended to be for a wretched man. Do you still want me to keep up this farce for a man like that? I owe him nothing."

"No, I do not. I do not because I like you as you are now and hated how you were then." Ari's eyes lowered but Kaval lifted his chin to look back at him. Ari could tell he wanted to say something more. He saw it in Kaval's eyes, but he said nothing he just stared.

"Tell me... Kaval... Was he... in truth, the real Harun? My father?"

"If I say no what will you do? Kill him?"

"Either way that is the likely result."

Kaval took back his hand. "There is power behind our names, so we are reluctant to give it to just anyone. However, when you feel nothing when a name is given that is how we know it is fake. Tell me, do you feel anything when you say his name?"

Ari blinked a couple times and furrowed his brows. "No."

"Then you have your answer."

Before Ari could say anything more, Kaval rose. "Bathe, and dress. I will come and fetch you later. In the meantime, it is best to be left alone with your thoughts and think things through thoroughly before you go and do something rash."

Ari licked his lips trying to stop the itching need to reach out and grab his hand, to feel his skin, and kiss his lips... gods, his heart tightened at the thought. How could he miss something so much without having ever experiencing it in this lifetime? Despite his reluctance, Ari grabbed his wrist and looked away in shame.

Ari knew he should wait at least until he was freshly bathed and clothed to ask for something like that of him. Even now, he had the smell of Auovin on him. Fresh bites from Auovin laid on his shoulders and neck. It was as if he had no shame.

"Kaval," Ari murmured, "truly, I do love you and treasure you dearly."

Kaval turned and looked at Ari.

"It has always been like that, but now even more so, more intimately, passionate. I could lose everything, like before, and I know, without a doubt, you would be there as you have always been, and I thank you for that."

"You do not need to thank me for something I do because I want to. I need no thanks for it."

Ari bit down on his lip not wanting to say the words he needed to say, but he mustered up the courage to say them anyway. "You have been with me for so long I fear our relationship has become muddled. I do not want you to do things that you do not want to. I do not want you to be by my side because that man had given you to me so long ago. I want you to have your own autonomy now."

"Ari--"

"I was terribly jealous then. I wanted to have you and only have you while I-I am ashamed with myself. You are no possession of mine. You do not belong to me or to anyone but yourself. You deserve to love and to be happy even if it is not with me."

"Are you sending me away?"

"I do not want to," Ari said on the verge of tears, "but I cannot stop you if you wish to go."

Kaval bent down and reached for Ari's face. "I would go no where or be anywhere but with you. You know this. This time, I may have a choice, but it will be the same as before no matter the many lifetimes you live. It never felt like I did not have a choice."

"Why? Because you feel the need to? Because I will be helpless without you?"

"Because I love and treasure you dearly as well. What answer could it possibly be but love? Perhaps, not in the way that demon or Blondie feels, but love nonetheless. Unconditional, unrelenting, satiating love."

Ari grabbed Kaval's wrist. In a moment, he tightened his hold on Kaval's hand touching his face and smiled with tears swelling in his eyes. "And that is what is making this so difficult to place my appropriate feelings for you."

"Appropriate feelings?" Kaval laughed. "Sometimes, love is not something you can tidy and neatly put in a box, Ari. Sometimes, there is no exact word, meaning, or idea to place behind what you feel. It just is."

Ari stared into his dark grey eyes reminding him of a full moon on a cloudy night. "Just is..." Ari whispered as if tasting the words on his tongue.

"Yes, just is..." Kaval's eyes flicked to the falling blanket covering Ari. He stopped it midway and rose. "Now, go bathe and dress if you have nothing else to say."

Ari's eyes lowered as he nodded. He watched Kaval's retreating back through the darkness but said nothing to stop him. He looked at the robe and sighed. "Nothing can come from these feelings of mine. I should not act on them and leave them in the past. He is a friend, a dear friend..."

A dear friend he wanted to kiss. Ari blinked away the thought and put on the robe giving him the much needed warmth he craved. Auovin took so much of his blood Ari felt the cold much more than ever now. Every movement he made ached. Ari felt it much clearly when he tried to walk out the door.

The halls were cold, ice cold. It was no wonder Kaval wanted him to put something on despite the emptiness of the mountain. The torches hanging on the sides lit his way. However, there were forks and many paths to take. Ari had no true way of remembering which one led where, or so he thought. Like below in the labyrinth, Ari instinctually knew what paths to take. He hated it. It made him ball his hands into fists. When he looked up, the steam of the hot spring blew in his face. What else would claw its way to the surface?

Ari hesitated at the entrance for a moment before taking careful steps inside. Warmth embraced him. Each step became lighter than the last and soon he found himself near the edge of the large pool of water. Ari dipped himself in not bothering to take off the robe. Being here made him uncomfortable and unbearably so. Ari felt it even more when Kaval was not around. He called this place his home for hundreds and hundreds of years and now he felt as if he was a stranger. What belongingness was there to be found when even he felt as if he did not belong?

He sighed and welcomed the heat from the water. It made his aching limbs feel better. Auovin was right when he said those words that day. He was a bit much for him but it was not as if he did not enjoy it. Ari could only venture a guess as to how it was with Cyrus and him. He knew Auovin would not be easy with him... That thought alone made Ari cough and blink the image away.

After all that time and he still-- Ari sighed trying to coax down his rising excitement. Truly, his head was a mess of emotions. If it was not steamy thoughts of Auovin or Cyrus it was of some other things he did not want to think about. He did not want to be left alone with his thoughts. He was afraid what he would remember. He took in a deep breath and leaned his head against the edge.

"Have you soaked long enough yet?" Kaval's voice echoed through the emptiness of the spring. Ari looked up at him seeing him carrying another small pile of clothing for him to wear.

"In a few more minutes, I suppose."

"What is wrong? I would think you would be in a happier mood than this."

"I do not know either," Ari admitted. "I am happy Auovin and I finally shared our mutual feelings with one another. I am, but the way he-- I cannot help but feel he gave me what I wanted to simply keep me here as you said."

"Mm." Kaval combed back some wet strands of hair blocking Ari's view with his fingers.

"I despise the way he is sometimes. I did not think Cyrus would go on and do something similar to you as well." Kaval stopped combing his hands through Ari's hair as Ari sat up more and looked at him. "He is not a liar and is very direct in what he wants."

"Is that so?"

Ari nodded. "And, ultimately... you are here and he is not."

"Do you want to go after him?"

Ari shook his head no. "I no longer will chase after him. I do love him. I do, but there are things I must do now and things he must do. I cannot let him distract me."

"From what?"

"The wants of everyone here. I need to set things right. I will not let it be as before."

"I see..."

"What?" Ari inquired. Was that not the answer he wanted to hear?

"Be sure this is what you want and not what you think I want or anyone else wants for you."

Ari's eyes widened before they lowered.

"What is it that you want, Ari?"

"What do I want...? I am not used to being asked that question." Ari nibbled at his lip for a moment before finding Kaval's eyes again. "Shall I start with something simple?"

"Such as?"

Ari rose a little from the water and pressed his lips onto Kaval's. It was as soft and warm as the last time and the many times before that. "Somehow, I will figure out the rest along the way," Ari murmured onto his lips before he went back for another.

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