The Sharpest Blade (My Vampire System Fan-Fic)

Still on the floor, he took a deep breath and then got himself back up onto his feet, without even pausing he just kept walking. They all watched in silence as he was staggering toward the other locker room door. He too had pushed himself to the limit and ended up in the bathroom shortly after Jade, vomiting just like her.

Vorden looked around the room. Cassidy was facing the locker room with a hand over her mouth, her eyes wide. He walked over to her, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. Without looking at her he just said "Hey Cas, you think you could do me a favor? Could you go in there and just check on Jade? I'm going to go in after meathead and do the same."

She slowly turned her head to look up at him, "Y...yes, yeah. I can do that." She muttered and scurried off after Jade, disappearing behind the door. Vorden glanced at Shiro and Sil, both were standing with blank expressions on their faces. He turned back and went in after his brother. He located the brut rather easily. Mostly because there were no other people left in the training hall or it's facilities that late at night. Even still, it would not have been difficult to do as the minute he entered the room and turned the corner around the privacy wall his ears were greeted by the horrible sound of Raten heaving which echoed throughout the stone floored lavatory just through the changing area.

He followed the disturbing sound and when he reached the second doorway he could clearly see his brother inside a privacy stall, with the door not shut behind him.

Vorden casually walked over and leaned against the outside of the stall. "So... That was fun." Vorden tried to squeeze in his words between loud heaves. His voice made Raten flinch slightly.

Slowly he turned his head to shoot a deathly glare at his brother. "Save it Vorden. I am not in the mood for gloating. If you hadn't noticed, I'm currently in the middle of something." No sooner than his last word, his face paled even more and he spun back around, just barely making it back to the toilet in time.

"I didn't come to gloat Raten, Jesus. You are my brother aren't you?" Vorden frowned while he paused. Glaring at the back of Raten's head. "I came to check on you, you ungrateful blockhead." Vorden folded his arms and just stared at Raten stoney faced. His eyes betrayed his true feelings though and a glint of pain flashed across his face.

Raten glanced over to see the faint shadow of sadness, the kind that probably only he would notice, settle over Vorden. He felt hurt. His double vision couldn't blind him to that. He looked at his brother standing there, his posture and expression was what Raten imagined one would get from a disapproving father. The kind that wasn't a complete psychopath of course.

A sudden pang of guilt hit Raten. Not a lot of guilt, just a quick pinch. A momentary pinch. Enough to cause drunk Raten to let a simple "Thanks bro." Slip from his mouth. As soon as it had, he grimaced. Clearly it didn't taste very good to say. Raten shook it off however and stumbled over to the sinks. He splashed water on his face and rinsed his mouth as well. Vorden gave a pat or two to his back and nodded before he left the bathroom, with Raten not too far behind.

When they exited the lockers Cassidy was already waiting by the door for them to emerge. When Raten met her she gave him a hug, looking up at him with so much affection. Vorden thought it was rather sweet, how she looked at him. After letting Vorden know that Jade would be out shortly, Cassidy was insitant that Raten needed to get to bed. He needed no persuading, as he really didn't want to still be there when Jade emerged from the restroom. Without so much as a second glance, Raten and Cassidy headed to her room, which was closer.

Vorden chuckled as he rubbed his hands across his face "I'm honestly surprised. I thought there was a real chance that Raten might actually crush her. He's never had trouble with going up against agility before." he shook his head as he made his way over to the remaining two in the room.

Sil leaned against the wall with a smirk "Well, he did say he'd take it easy on her before they started. It looks like that didn't exactly work out, did it?" glancing at Shiro he added "You saw how frustrated he was. He couldn't even keep up. I haven't seen him outpaced like that in centuries." he grinned as Shiro nodded.

Still a little wide-eyed he replied "Yeah, and I didn't think she could avoid him like that. It was like watching a dance. A really fast dance. I swear, one moment she was in front of him, and the next, she was behind him, and he didn't know where she went." His shock melted into chuckles as he progressed "It's crazy. How did she get that fast?"

"She is just that skilled. She isn't the instructor for the Combat Strategy Course for no reason. She's not just fast either; she knows how to use it. She's been trained her whole life, and most people don't expect her to be that ruthless, either." Vorden shrugged, smiling fondly. Shiro and Sil exchanged glances, both grinning slightly as Vorden continued. "She might come off all sweet and innocent, but she is a trained killer. That's not even including her ability. She's deadly." His grin was growing wider as he felt the warmth of pride start to expand in his chest.

Sil approached Vorden from the side and reached out to grasp his shoulder with one hand. Chuckling softly he muttered "I think Raten learned that the hard way." and looked toward the bathroom door.

Shiro laughed a little as he spoke excitedly about the match "I didn't even know who was winning by the end. Both of them were so stubborn! But I've never seen Raten get so easily baited before."

Vorden grinned "You know, that's the biggest take away I think—never underestimate someone just because they look unassuming." he looked toward Sil and added "Kind of like you, huh?"

Sil broke out in laughter "Oh, don't start with me, Vorden. I'm not the one who just got outmaneuvered by someone a foot shorter than me, thank you very much. I only seem unassuming to you because I've got grey hairs now. Meanwhile you get to stand there looking infuriatingly handsome and full of vitality. It's honestly offensive, you god damn gorgeous man, you lucky little doppelganger of perfection, gah!" He tossed back his head and clutched at his heart with overly dramatic flair and mock jealous outrage, before Vorden gave him a light nudge in the upper arm with his own.

Vorden rolled his eyes as Sil tried to control himself "Hey, I'm just saying—she gave him a run for his money. He really shouldn't be so damn cocky. It's going to be the death of him some day."

Shiro furrowed his brow a second or two before grinning, standing with his arms crossed he stated "I don't think I would call it a run, it was more of a sprint." He glanced at Sil, who glanced between them both before their eyes met and they both started laughing hysterically.

Vorden rolled his eyes even harder that time. Shaking his head he continued. "I'm just glad it didn't get worse. I don't think I could have taken it if I had to listen to Raten complain about broken ribs or a sprained wrist for the next ten years."

Sil shook his head, " Raten is gonna be 17 forever. No matter how many years go by, the boy's still a kid. I thought he had gotten a better handle on his emotions. Especially with how much more agreeable and willing to talk instead of fighting anytime there's an upset he has been showing lately. That girl really brings out the best in him. Now though... I'm not so sure. It really was reckless of him to actually get into a fist fight with a lady half his size. I don't care how much she bruised his ego. But letting her draw out his rage like that, and feeding into her hand, he was so easily played. Can you imagine if that had been the Dalki? Do you recall those hybrid monsters they created with human DNA? How easy it would be to provoke him, fooling him to walk right into his death." The mood had grown somewhat sombre as the seriousness of Sil's voice grew sharply as he spoke. The more he thought about it the more he realized why the whole display was nagging at the back of his mind so much.

Of course, none of them needed reminding about the new generation Dalki they had faced in the past. There had been one that was created using the DNA of Helen. One of the leaders of the Daisy Faction, that had fallen under the umbrella of The Cursed Faction once upon a long time ago. That Dalki had in fact provoked quite a strong reaction in Layla Talon, with them ending up in a duel. Luckily Layla ended up the victor, but it was a nail biter to the very end from what had been told later.

Then there was H. The harrowing abomination that Jim Eno and Jack Truedream created from the blood and body of their father as well as the blood, bodies, and stolen abilities of their two eldest siblings, and Vicky's own twin brother Pai. The demon spawn of a creature that had looked so similar to their father Hilston in fact, that it caused a very real, very disturbing, visceral reaction from the 3 Blade brothers who had known him best, when they were finally met by him face to face. One of Vorden's brothers died that day. Vorden shuddered at the thought of Raten having been in his own body at the time. Luckily he and Vorden both were still mere passengers in the body and mind of Shiro. This prevented either of them from acting too rash. Unfortunately Vorden's half brother Borden was not so lucky. He didn't last more than a few minutes fighting head to head with that monstrosity. Had Raten been free to react emotionally too, it very well may have been two Blade brothers lost that day.

It was a heavy subject. All three men were suffering from the same sensation. An iron clad vice, constricting their heart and weighing down their chest. It was caused by different emotions in felt by them individually, the pain was the same none the less.

The fog of meloncholy that hung in the air was nearly suffocating. Not knowing what to say, but desperate to end the hollow void of silence ringing in his ears Vorden simply willed himself to move the conversation to friendlier shores, opening his mouth he simply said the first thing that came up. "Yes, you make a fair point. I don't think that'll ever change though. We might be older than we look, but Raten is probably the one of us who has lived the least. He is also the one that feels emotions more deeply than any of us. Just the way he's always been. Even if he hadn't yet learned to express them properly. In many ways he is still that 17 year old trying to strong arm me out of the chair."

Raten and Shiro may have bumped heads more than he did with either one of the two in front of him, but they still had spent decades sharing the same Body. It's quite impossible to be trapped in a dark room with somebody day in and day out for that long, sharing every moment no matter how private or personal, and not developed some kind of bond or connection. And he did indeed care a great deal for the big lovable oaf. Shiro smiled fondly. "Who is the oldest of you three? I mean chronologically. I think based on life experience, without a doubt, it's Sil."

Sil scoffed, mockingly serious "You calling me old, Shiro?"

Shiro couldn't help but grin. Imagining Sil out there in the universe, traversing the uncharted expanses of interstellar space completely alone for hundreds of years. He pictured the young, very volatile boy he had first met in school. He was possibly even more emotionally unstable and prone to react to a stressful situation in a maladaptive way. Which with his power... Usually meant somebody was losing a limb. He tried to hide his smirk and threw up his hands showing he meant no harm. "No, no, not old, just... Ah.... just.... experienced."

Sil laughed a bit but ultimately nodded in agreement though. Glancing at Shiro with a knowing look he sighed "You are exactly right though. Maybe it's the reason we do seem older at times, you and I, Shiro. Maturity is more than just age. It's how much of that age you've lived it, and how much living you did. We had far more time to forge our own paths than either of you." He said this to Vorden with a regretful expression on his tired, and slightly aged face.

Vorden knew very well what his look conveyed. He would never fully forgive himself for killing them both all those years ago. If he had known better than to believe Hilston, they would never have had to suffer the years of uncertainty they struggled through, body hopping. Of course what could you expect from an eight year old child when listening to his father. It also wouldn't have made any difference. As soon as they were both dead and inside Sil's mind, the adults materialized, and they never would have been allowed to live. He probably did them a favor. Instead of body hopping they could have just died at the ripe young age of merely 8 years old.

Nothing could ever convince Sil of that though. He carried that regret with him everywhere. It was a heavy burden to carry. Examining his face, Vorden could see that he did look like he had lived a long life, a tiring life. Something in his eyes showed that he was ready for a quiet life, unlike when he was younger.

Vorden outstretched his arms leaning back he stretched. "Raten's still got a lot of living to do, I think." Vorden looked around the room and noticed that Jade at some point has come out quietly. She must have not wanted to disrupt the conversation, because without alerting them she had climbed onto a large chair against the wall, and covered in Vorden's coat like a blanket, fallen asleep with her face resting on her arms. She looked so peaceful. He nodded his head towards the sleeping beauty and walked towards her.

Shiro whispered after him "Yeah, if by living you mean learning how to lose with grace." and he just smiled as he shook his head.

Sil teased Shiro as he clapped a hand on his back "Oh, don't worry, baby Shiro. We'll all make sure that he does."

Shiro rolled his eyes and groaned "Baby Shiro?"

Vorden just smiled to himself as he leaned forward and slid his arms underneath Jade. He lifted her with ease and nodded to his brothers, simbolically letting them know he was going to take her to bed. They both waved him off as they made their way towards the door, bickering amongst themselves.

It didn't take Vorden very long to arrive at his door, luckily Jade had wrapped her arms around him at some point and he was able to freely move the arm that has his communicator watch on it, which he used to unlock and open the door, pushing it closed behind him with a foot. He carried her almost weightless body to the bedroom and lay her down on the bed. It only took a couple of minutes to shimmy the comforter down beneath her so he could pull it up over her. Vorden went to the bathroom to brush his teeth and get ready for bed. He checked to make sure that all of the lights were out and the door locked. When he made his way back to the bedroom he noticed that Jade must have woken up for a second, because the clothing she had been wearing had been unceremoniously tossed to the floor where they lay in a crumpled pile.

He smiled softly. Realizing she was naked under the covers he quickly climbed in bed and switched off the light. He wrapped her in his arms and they were both fast asleep in no time.