Tashira was speechless as she eyed her twin brother’s new companion. Lucian’s jubilant personality had always drawn many different types into their circle. Of course, none of them had ever been able to hold the twins’ interest for very long and they had often fallen out of touch with their many associates. But Lucian always chosen people who had a bright charm and a kind aura. This one had neither.

His dark violet eyes seemed to scream fury and his rich ebony hair only made his look all the more disturbing. Perhaps, from a mere artist point, he could be considered attractive, but his expression and the emptiness in his eyes put Tashira on alert. There was a chance that such a person could endanger her beloved brother.

The girl continued to inspect the boy, noting the ghastly wounds on his shoulder and close to his neck. She also took in the length of white bandaging encircling his lower arm. It was clear to her that this youth had to be a Guardian, yet he was beyond anything she had imagined. She had been anticipating someone like Tyrell or perhaps a bit more like herself. Certainly, she had never even dreamed of the menacing form that stood before her.

Lucian noticed his sister’s silence and nudged Dominic forward as he grabbed Tashira’s wrist and pulled her closer. "Tashira, I’d like you to meet Nick...I mean Dominic Solanis. Another Guardian," he introduced the older boy with a flourish, making sure the whole procedure made Dominic feel very uncomfortable. The almost mentioning of his nickname was just a convenient slip of the tongue. Not receiving a significant reaction from either of his companions, Lucian patted Tashira’s head and moved behind her. "And Nicky, this is my precious and glorified sister, Tashira." The girl gave Lucian an evil eye and then lifted his hand off her. She looked at Dominic as the older boy’s eyes went livid from Lucian’s introduction.

"I’m not going to tell you again, Ambrose! My name is Dominic!" snarled the newly introduced youth as Tashira jumped a bit in fright. Then, she realized the tone in which the older boy had just addressed her twin and she whirled around, silver eyes erupting into violent flames.

"Do not talk to him that way," she warned as Dominic regarded her with an impassive expression.

"I see we need a girl to fight our battles, huh Ambrose?" Dominic patronized in a silky tone as Lucian rolled his eyes at the other’s attempts to instigate him.

"Sorry Nicky, but I don’t have your short fuse. It’ll take more than that to get to me," Lucian advised while Tashira put her hands on her hips and glowered at the dark-haired boy.

"But I do. And if you don’t leave him alone right now, I’ll...." began the silver-haired girl as Lucian hopped in between her and Dominic. He pushed her back with a gentle motion of his hand and shook his head disparagingly.

"Shira, sweet beautiful Shira, this is our guest. Nicky doesn’t have a nice place to stay like us and his shoulder is a mess. He needs the tender ministrations of the world’s best nurse," the red-haired youth explained, trying to coax Tashira into calming down. But his praising words did nothing to ease Tashira’s tempter. She glared at Dominic and then shot her brother a questioning glare.

"Luce, you didn’t seriously ask him to stay with us?"

"Sure did, though it took some convincing. Nicky doesn’t like asking for help, right Nick?" Lucian responded with a beaming grin as he looked over his shoulder at his silent companion.

"Well, I’m not taking care of him. He seems like a very antisocial person. And I just can’t be around that sort," fussed Tashira as she turned her back to return inside.

Her brother whimpered and chased after her, putting a hand out to block the door path and giving her a begging look. "Shira, it’s just a few days. Even less if you take care of his shoulder soon. Come on, be nice."

"Luce, if you want to heal him so much, than you do it. The way I see it, the less I have to do with him the better."

"Shira!" groaned her twin, utterly exasperated, "You know I'm not that good at that sort of stuff. Besides, you said you wanted to find new Guardians. While I found one and if this is how you’re going to treat him..."

"Brother, I never said he couldn’t stay. Since you so seem to be interested in his condition, I have no complaints with him staying for a few days. I’m just saying that I personally would like to stay away from him."

"But Shira, you said we could all be partners."

"YOU can be his partner. I’ll find my own Guardian. One who’s a little less arrogant and spiteful," finished Tashira with a toss of her head. Then she carefully pulled back her brother’s hand and walked inside her house.

"Shiirraa!!"

Dominic watched her leave and then lowered his eyes. He turned around and started to walk down the stairs. Lucian recovered from his frustration with his sister just in time to see Dominic descending from the final step. His eyes widened and he scrambled down the stairs after him.

"Nicky! Don’t go. Shira’s just got to get used to you," he explained as Dominic lifted his head in his direction and set a pair of fiery violet eyes on him.

"Quit calling me that! Look, obviously I’m not welcome here and I don’t feel like being in the middle of a family feud," the older boy grumbled under his breath as Lucian jumped the last few steps and nearly tripped into him.

"No sweat Nicky. Shira and me fight all the time. It’s nothing new. She’s always afraid that I’m putting myself in danger or something. She just acted funny because she’s used to me associating with a more..um..happy type. But she’ll come around soon enough. And anyway, it doesn’t matter what she thinks because I’m in charge here and I say you can stay. Now quit acting like a lost puppy and come inside so I can show you around the place."

"I am not acting like a lost puppy!" snapped Dominic, grappling with the urge to slam Lucian for the insult.

Lucian laughed at Dominic’s reaction and was about to follow up with an even better remark. Then, he remembered that Dominic was on the verge of walking out. It might be hard to convince him to return again. That would mean blowing his chance of reveling in the older boy’s temper. He doubted he would ever come across another youth that posed the sort of challenge that Dominic did. It was best he try to appeal to his sense of reason, meaning he would have to play nice for the time being.

"You’re right Nicky. I’m sorry about the lost puppy comment. I’m still a little pissed off at Shira’s attitude today. But it is getting late and I want to show you around before it gets real dark. And don’t forget, you still have to tend to that shoulder," the younger boy placated, stepping back from the dark-haired boy so that Dominic could regain his composure.

Dominic eyed him suspiciously for a moment and then pushed his way past him and walked back to the front door of the house. He leaned his back against the door and waited for Lucian to hurry back up the stairs. Lucian fussed with the door handle and shoved Dominic inside, catching a glimpse of Tashira’s watchful eyes in the other room.

*~*~*~*~*~*

In about an hour, Lucian had dragged Dominic all throughout the house, stopping only to allow the older youth time to see to his wound. Dominic had to admit that the house was rather impressive. It had three enormous master bedrooms, five bathrooms including one with a Jacuzzi bathtub, an elaborate kitchen with way too many cupboards to count, several recreation rooms each devoted to either computers, entertainment systems, or the usual darts and billiards, and finally an augustine study room with each of the walls lined with bookshelves packed so tightly that it was almost impossible to get any books out. After being given the lengthy tour of the inside, Dominic had been shown the separate quarters for the inside pool and the breathtaking outside garden lined with every flower Dominic could possibly imagine. As he stared at the imposing abode, Dominic couldn’t help but wonder how the twins could have come into possession of such a place. Lucian himself had said that neither had any parents or relatives.

Sitting down on the edge of the stone fountain shaped in the form of a magnificent eagle, located in the center of the garden, Lucian peered up at his companion and offered him a curious smile. "So what do you think Nicky? Is it good enough for you?"

Dominic pulled his mind away from the soothing rhythm of the water trickling from the bird’s granite beak to acknowledge the other’s question. He glanced around him again and placed a hand against the smooth gray feathers of the stone creature. "It’s better than I expected. How did you get it?" His eyes bore into Lucian’s with a hint of condemnation.

Lucian didn’t even blink at the implied accusation and merely responded, "Someone gave it to us. An old friend of the family."

"So why would they give it to you?" Dominic demanded, his tone revealing that he suspected the house as part of some foul play.

"Well, the guy said he wouldn’t be returning for a while and me and Shira should keep an eye on it for him while he was gone. He just never came back."

"Who was he to you?"

The red-haired boy climbed to his feet and motioned away from the fountain. "I have schoolwork to deal with Nicky. Maybe we can talk later. You know, about the Guardians and Tyrell and the Chimera and all that. I’m sure Shira will be in a much friendlier mood later tonight."

"Wait! You didn’t answer my question, Ambrose," growled the older boy, reaching out to grab Lucian’s arm. But Lucian deftly dodged the motion and continued to trot toward the main part of the house.

"Ah ah ah, Nicky. I’m not telling you anything else about me until you tell me something about you. Fair is fair," he called back, turning around so that he was walking backwards.

"What? I’ll be damned if I’m going to tell someone like you anything about my life!"

"Have it your way. But I’m not imparting any more of my personal secrets without some pay-back."

Rage built inside Dominic and he stabbed the toe of his shoe into the dirty ground. It was obvious that Lucian had every right to refuse him. All day long, he had been willingly sharing his life with Dominic and getting nothing in return. Still, Dominic did feel that it was a very ignorant thing to say at the moment. After all, he had been trying his best to stay civil during most of the time spent touring the huge domicile.

"Damn you Ambrose!" he roared as he began to follow the younger boy back to the house.

"Point two for me, Nicky," Lucian teased with a wink.

*~*~*~*~*~*

When Dominic had finished rearranging his room after last night’s much deserved sleep, he journeyed down the stairs, hoping to find somewhere to write. As he did, he passed the entertainment room and noticed Lucian sleeping on the arm of the couch, one leg dangling off the end while the other bent underneath his resting body. His right arm wound around the top of the couch’s arm while his left lay right beside his forehead. His dark red hair fanned out across the armrest, seeming to streak the fibers with crimson light. Though he looked quite peaceful snoozing against the couch, Dominic could tell from the dampened condition of his hair that the youth had not had a pleasant night. This assumption made all the more plausible by the fact that he didn’t have any covers or pillows and looked as if he had just wandered into the position during the middle of the night. What made him look even stranger to Dominic was the fact that he had fallen asleep in the room wearing nothing but a pair of navy blue boxer shorts. Seeing him in such a vulnerable state made Dominic feel uneasy.

He walked over to the side of the couch and called to the boy with a gruff tone. "Ambrose." But his words failed to reach the dozing teenager as Lucian didn’t so much as flinch. Perturbed by the other’s reaction, Dominic raised his voice slightly this time and tried again. "Ambrose!" Still nothing. "Ambrose get your lazy ass off that couch!" Yet, still Lucian continued to bask in his slumber, apparently immune to the booming voice of the older boy. The fact that the sound of his loud call refused to wake the red-haired youth bothered Dominic.

Fed up with the futility of his efforts, Dominic leaned over and shook Lucian’s shoulder roughly. At the touch, Lucian’s eyes sprang open and he scrambled to the side, rolling off the couch and hitting his elbow on the floor. He held up his arm and rubbed at his funny bone, shooting Dominic an incriminating glance. "What the hell did you do that for?" he yelped, still sitting where he had fallen.

"You wouldn’t wake up," Dominic answered as if the response were the most logical explanation in the world.

"So! Does that mean you have the right to scare the crap out of me? What time is it anyway?" Lucian pouted as the older boy held up his watch for him to see. "Five o clock! Five o clock! That time shouldn’t even exist! Nobody in their right mind wakes up at five o clock!"

"I always wake up at five o clock."

Lucian glared at him and discontinued his elbow ministrations. "Well, there you go. I rest my case."

"Look you little jerk! I saw you sleeping here and noticed how upset you looked in your repose. I wanted to wake you up to see what your problem was. I couldn’t help but feel concer..." Dominic stopped himself as he noticed the angry look in Lucian’s eyes fading to one of gentle interest. He quickly changed the direction in which his sentence was going. "Well, you looked stupid sleeping down here instead of in a bed like everyone else."

"You were worried?" the younger boy asked, raising his eyebrows to emphasize the query.

"No! I just wanted to know what would possess you to do something so ridiculous. And do you know, you’re barely wearing anything?" the dark-haired youth barked as he gazed at Lucian in disdain.

Lucian tilted his head to the side, taking in Dominic’s statement, and then looked down and realized that all he was wearing were his boxer shorts. "Well you can say I had a rather rough sleep last night. Trust me, it’s nothing new. And as for these," he replied, pointing to his attire, "At least I’m wearing something."

"You’re a strange person, Ambrose," Dominic said as he turned his back and stalked over to the table in the center of the room. He pulled a tiny notebook out of his back pocket and began to fill the pages with various words. Lucian strolled over to him and leaned across his shoulder.

"Whatcha writing Nicky?"

A hand slammed down on the book, covering the words as Dominic shoved Lucian away. "Back off! This is mine!"

"Ooh private stuff," giggled Lucian as he reached for the book only to have Dominic snatch his arm and smack his wrist against the edge of the table. The younger boy whimpered and jerked his hand away, holding his wrist in between his fingers. He kicked Dominic’s chair so hard that it shook as the older boy pocketed his notebook once more and stared at him in contempt. Lucian narrowed his eyes and stared right back, garnet orbs blazing. "Damn you to hell Nicky! I just got over that bruise you gave me here yesterday. Now I’m going to have to deal with this one as well!"

"Next time, you’ll listen when I tell you to stay off my stuff," growled Dominic as if Lucian’s injury was necessary to get his point across.

"A bit possessive, aren’t we?" Lucian bit back, still clutching his wrist as he pulled away from Dominic and stared at the square clock behind the couch. "Well, there’s one good thing about being up ahead of schedule. That means I can get Shira to make us some breakfast. I usually don’t get to eat in the morning since I get up way too late."

"You’re offering to feed me after what I just did?" questioned the older boy as he gave Lucian a puzzled look. "Why?"

"Aw, we’re all cranky in the morning. ‘Sides I’ll just get you back later," Lucian jested as he grinned at the black-haired youth and headed back up the stairs. "I’ll deal with you once I get some clothes on. Somehow I find it hard to believe that you’re taking me seriously as I am right now."

"Your appearance isn’t going to change the way I regard you."

Lucian paused on the steps and curved his head toward Dominic, slanting his eyes in a playful manner. "Perhaps not, but at least you’ll pay more attention to my face and less to...everything else." He smiled as he caught a faint redness tinge Dominic’s sneering visage. Dominic snorted in response and jerked his head to the side, violet eyes dropping to explore the ground, which had suddenly become very interesting to him. "I win again Nicky," the other boy chirped as he spun back around and raced to his room before Dominic could fully grasp what he had just implied.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Tashira was busy preparing a couple of omelets in the kitchen when Lucian, now fully clothed, walked in to spy on her. She noticed her brother and offered him a forced smile. Then, she pulled three plates out of the dishwashing machine and set them down at the small table, making sure one was at the far end. Having completed her set-up, Tashira returned to the cooking, flattening the omelets with a spatula and sprinkling them with pepper.

"Good morning Luce. I gather you had your usual lack of sleep last night," the girl greeted her sibling as Lucian leaned against the table and rearranged the placings so that they were closer together.

"Yeah. Then I guess you heard me and Nicky this morning?" her brother sighed.

"You could say that. I hope he didn’t give you any real trouble," Tashira replied, examining her brother’s reaction with meticulous inspection.

Lucian hid his bruised wrist behind his back and chuckled at her inquiry. "Trouble? Of course not. I can handle our new Guardian." His statement failed to convince his twin as she tried to peer behind his back. Realizing that Lucian had no intention of sharing the truth about the morning, she hung her head and returned to her cooking. She lifted a pair of omelets off the frying pan and plopped them onto a plastic plate.

"Well, it’s a good thing you’re up early because I’m feeling particularly guilty over my actions yesterday and decided to make you this scrumptious breakfast as my peace offering," the girl stated as she handed the plateful of food to her brother. Lucian’s eyes lit up at the sight and he snatched it from her hands and swept a fork from the table. Then he began to gobble down the meal as fast as he possibly could.

"Great idea Shira. Apology totally accepted," he managed to force out between mouthfuls as Tashira laughed pleasantly at his behavior.

"And you should also know that I made some extra for our...guest to make up for the way I treated him yesterday. But remember Luce, I’m only doing this for you," Tashira pointed out as she handed Lucian another plate. "I could personally care less if that boy starves. He’s not good for you to be around."

Lucian swallowed another bite and then set his fork down on his almost empty plate. "Shira, you worry too much. I know what I’m doing." He pushed away from the table and leaned out the kitchen entrance. "Nickyyy! Come over here and eat. Shira’s decided to feed us," he summoned the older boy as Tashira carried her plate over to the table.

She sat her plate next to her brother’s and situated herself in the seat. Spearing a portion of the omelet with her fork, she raised it to her mouth and looked toward her twin. "Oh? And exactly what are you doing Luce?" she inquired as she stuck the fork in her mouth and nibbled at the piece of egg on the end. "What is your deal with this Dominic? He’s clearly not our type."

"Maybe it’s time we found a new type. Anyways, I’m interested in learning more about him. He’s such an enigmatic guy," Lucian answered as he stood waiting for the other boy to show.

"And the fact that he seriously hates you, which makes him a real danger to you, has nothing to do with it, does it?"

"Well, maybe a little bit but...Hey Nicky!" Lucian yelled to get the older youth’s attention as he pointed toward the plate of food across from him and Tashira. "Want to eat? Shira made some great omelets."

The other boy stared at Lucian in disbelief for a moment before walking over to the table and taking his designated seat. Without saying a word, Dominic began to eat his food as Tashira followed his movements with hawk-like eyes. Seeing that his guest and his sister were treating each other civil, Lucian rushed over to the table and sat down beside Tashira. He finished inhaling his breakfast and then turned to Tashira with an elated expression pasted across his face.

"Bet you didn’t know that Nicky here is a writer," he informed her as Dominic’s eyes raised in a second and shot the younger boy a withering glance. But Lucian chose to ignore him and continued on in his discussion. "Yeah, he has this little notebook that he’s always writing in. Maybe it’s a journal or a diary."

"Ambrose," cautioned Dominic as he scraped his fork against the inside of his plate.

"Aw Nicky, you should be proud of your literary prowess. Myself, I would kill to be able to write. It’s so hard for me to even pick up a pen when I know I’m going to have to write something."

"Well as sad as that is, I will have to insist that you keep me out of your conversations," threatened the older boy placing his elbows on the table as he leaned over it to look Lucian in the eye. Tashira raised a hand to stop him, dropping her fork on the plate with a small gasp.

Lucian turned his head to the side and stared at the wall, still moving his fork around on his empty dish. "Jeez Nicky, must you always be so forceful? I swear you act like you have no soul."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Lucian knew he had gone too far from the depraved sheen in the other’s amethystine eyes. He tried to turn back his head but obviously not soon enough as he saw the hand coming in from the side.

"Ambrose!!"

*~*~*~*~*~*

Tyrell knelt down on the grass surrounding the basketball court. He had been waiting for almost and hour and still no sign of Lucian or Tashira, for that matter. Tearing at a clump of grass with his fingers, Tyrell tried to contemplate what could be keeping the red-haired youth. Lucian had never missed a scheduled game. Maybe his latest episode with Kat had dissuaded the boy from entertaining any more notions of their being friends. Maybe he just didn’t want to have anything to do with him anymore. Maybe he did like Kathryn more and would rather spend time with her. All the possibilities swirled in the youth’s mind as he fought the urge to just get up and go to class.

Then he spied Kat running from the side of the school and heading straight for him. He rested his head in his palm. This was all he needed right now. A good solid lecture from his talkative sister would be enough to drive him over the edge.

Kat raced over to her brother and stood before him, breathing heavily from her exertion. She took a deep breath and then began to talk as fast as she could. "Tyrell, have you seen Lucian? I know he usually hangs out with you in the mornings. I have been calling his house since seven and nobody seems to be answering. Where could he be? Is he sick? Is he hurt? Is he coming to school today?" Tyrell’s head spun from the myriad of questions and he shook his head hard and gazed at his sister with focused gray-green eyes.

"I don’t know where he is. I haven’t seen him since Physics class yesterday. Come to think of it, I haven’t seen Dominic either. Do you think something happened to the Guardians," posed Tyrell as a powerful dread began to overtake him. He hadn’t thought of the possibility that Lucian could be hurt. He could be out somewhere needing his help and all he was doing was throwing a jealous fit over the fact that Lucian wasn’t there when he wanted him.

"Don’t touch him, Dominic. You've done enough for one day," ordered a dominating but very female-sounding voice as both Kat and Tyrell raised their eyes to see an unusual trio come into view.

Tashira was holding a fist up to Dominic and clutching his uniform with her fingernails as she spouted out sinister warnings and cuss words. Dominic continued to ignore her presence and rolled his eyes at her idle threats. He was walking toward the school while jotting some things down in the little notebook that he carried in his hand. Right next to him, Lucian was trying to explain something to the older boy as he held up an open literature book and pointed to a lengthy passage. Across the redhead’s upper cheek was planted a livid bruise that was fading into a dull bluish color. But the mark didn’t seem to bother the youth as he persistently worked to gain Dominic’s attention, swatting at Tashira whenever she yanked too hard on the black-haired youth’s shirt.

In a word, the sight stunned Tyrell. Lucian was accompanying Dominic to school? Lucian had befriended the same Dominic who had turned him down with a vicious grimace and a sharp tongue? Lucian was vying for the older boy’s attention? It didn’t make any sense. What the hell could Lucian be thinking in associating with the callous youth?

Unlike her brother, Kat was not lost for words as her eyes widened at the sight of the red-haired boy and she waved her hand, energetically. "Lucian!" she yelled, expecting the youth to turn around at the sound of her voice. "Lucian! It’s Kat!" Contrary to her beliefs, Kat’s calls did nothing to deter Lucian from his course as he continued to nag Dominic. It was as if he didn’t even notice that Kat or Tyrell were even there.

"Nicky, you’re not paying attention!" Lucian scolded as Dominic raised his eyes from the notebook, seeming to toy with the notion of slapping the other boy. Then, he glanced at the over-protective teenager that was driving her nails into his shirt to prevent him from getting too close to her brother. He growled and returned to his writing, brushing off Lucian’s attempts to speak to him.

"Leave me alone Ambrose. I’m busy."

The conversation caused even more uneasiness to develop in Tyrell. Nicky? Lucian had just called Dominic by 'Nicky.' That was a pet name, if he had ever heard one. It was almost like 'Kathy' in its vivacity and childish nature. It bothered Tyrell even more than the bruise on Lucian’s face; Dominic had inflicted that bruise, of that he was certain. Such a name signified friendship and kinship, something that he had never fathomed as possible when it came to Dominic.

"Lucian!" Kat’s voice tore through the air again as it still failed to reach Lucian’s ears.

*~*~*~*~*~*

By this time, Lucian had slunk over to Dominic’s shoulder and was trying to see what he was writing as Dominic held back the notebook and glared at him in frustration. It would be a bad idea to slug him in the middle of a schoolyard. Not to mention the fact that Tashira was surveying his every move.

"I said leave me alone!" the older youth commanded as Lucian jumped back a step and traced Dominic’s position with his eyes.

"You know, you can quit writing in that stupid thing for five seconds and engage in some actual conversation," advised Lucian creeping closer to the other, his eyes trained on the hand that grasped the notebook.

"Do you want me to hit you again? I had figured that one time ought to teach you. But if you need another lesson, just keep on pushing me," snarled Dominic ignoring the violent jerk of his clothing that Tashira gave him.

"Don’t try me, Dominic," the girl warned pulling the older boy backward with a quick tug. "Leave him alone!"

"You’re not going to tell me he’s not asking for it? I’ll let him be when he stops circling around me like some hungry shark," the black-haired youth hissed as Lucian gave him an innocent look. "Get away from me Ambrose, or so help me I’ll…"

"Aw come on, let me see what’s so special about that thing," pleaded the younger boy as he clawed at the book. Dominic cursed and caught his palm in a painful grasp.

"You touch it and I’ll kill you."

Lucian winced in the hold and pulled away, surprised that Dominic had actually released his hand so fast. He saw Tashira gazing up at him with silver eyes that begged him to quit harassing the furious youth and he clasped his hands behind his back. "Nicky, you’re too edgy," he whined as Dominic shoved the notebook back into his book bag.

"Lucian! Look over here already," called out an impatient voice as Dominic lifted his head and noticed Kat shouting at his companion from the court.

"So are you going to listen to me now?" persisted Lucian as Dominic turned from his focus on the girl and placed it back on the boy beside him.

"Your girlfriend wants you," Dominic replied, motioning his head toward Kat whom was now red with anger and aggravation.

Lucian shot his head up in surprise and looked at the other, mild confusion crossing his features. "Girlfriend? Nicky, I don’t have a girlfriend," he corrected the older youth as Dominic jerked a thumb toward the hollering Kat.

"Oh? Then what do you call that?"

Catching a glimpse of Kat from the corner of his eye, Lucian froze in place; his head feeling suddenly light as the usual dizziness returned. Dominic noticed the reaction and stared at Lucian with perplexed eyes. He had been pleased to see the energetic girl screaming out to his companion since it provided him a chance to be rid of the troublesome teenager for at least a few minutes. The delighted shimmer in her wide sapphire eyes had seemed to indicate that the girl truly liked the younger boy, which made him feel much better in alerting Lucian to her presence.

Yet Lucian’s reaction to the girl was anything but what he had expected. While he had anticipated Lucian to respond to Kat with his perky smile, he had never pondered the notion that her presence would come as some of a disturbance to the other youth. Lucian looked unsure and cautious, expressions that seemed totally alien to the redhead. Dominic watched as the other boy slowly raised his eyes to Kat and waggled his fingers in a hesitant salutation.

"Hey Kathy," Lucian hailed her as he drummed his fingers against his pants. No sooner had she received her greeting than Kat flew across the distance separating them and threw her arms around the red-haired teenager in a zealous embrace, ignoring the muffled protests of Tyrell. Tashira grumbled under her breath and walked past the pair, doing her best to keep her cool.

"Hurry up Luce or we’ll be late for class," she reminded him as Lucian gave her a piteous look. She turned away to see Tyrell dashing up to the group, ordering his sister to get off his friend. He pushed his way past Dominic who just gazed at the scene in puzzlement, crossing his arms as he struggled to determine why Lucian did not seem that happy to see Kat.

"Kathy, I’m going to be late!" Lucian yelped as he disentangled himself from Kathryn’s hug and held her hands from his chest.

Kat blinked her eyes as if startled by the other’s actions and looked up at him, not understanding why he was behaving this way after the other night. "But Lucian, I thought that...what about that kiss? Didn’t that mean anything?"

KISS? The word took Dominic by surprise as he whirled his head back to his companion. So that’s why the girl seemed so interested in Lucian. He had kissed her. Now she had obviously assumed that he cared for her. It was not an invalid guess. Most people did not engage in any physical contact unless they felt something for another person. For Lucian to kiss Kat, he must have had some deep feelings for her. But if that was the case, then why did he seem so reluctant to accept her favors?

"About...that...Kathy, I-I’m not sure what happened. You were in danger and I guess I was sort of lost in the moment," Lucian tried to explain as Kat pulled away, her eyes beginning to brim with tears.

"So you don’t care about me? But you said yourself that you were in love with me," she choked out as Lucian dropped his eyes from her view.

"Love?" Dominic whispered to himself as the sound reached his ears. That must mean that Lucian was serious. Kat had every right to presume that he cared about her. Yet something about Lucian’s wavering attitude seemed to make Dominic feel sorry that the boy was being placed in such a controversial position.

Lucian let Kat’s hands fall back to her sides and spoke in an even voice. "I know I said that. But this is all too fast Kathy. I need time to think."

Kat smiled at this answer, her eyes sparkling with newfound hope as she replied, "That’s okay Lucian. We can try this slow for a while and see what happens. But I’m still going to tell the other boys I’m off limits for a while. I want to give you plenty of time to make your decision. It’s not everyday that I have someone tell me that he loves me."

"I guess that could work," Lucian agreed with a gentle smile, "But I want you to be careful, I wouldn’t want you to ditch all your other would-be suitors just for me." He added the last part in a joking tone as Kat stepped away, swinging her hands behind her back.

Tyrell glowered at her as he walked up to Lucian, nudging his sister to the side. "Lucian, you don’t really have to agree to going out with her if you don’t want to. I assure you that she has plenty of other boyfriends hanging around here. If that kiss was just an accident, you don’t owe her anything," he told the red-haired boy, ignoring the steady death glares that were coming from his sister’s direction.

"Oh, it’s okay Tye. It’s been a while since I had a steady girlfriend anyway. It might be fun," Lucian suggested, trying to change Tyrell’s dour expression.

"I’m just letting you know that she can’t force you," Tyrell clarified, his eyes shifting as they fell upon Dominic, who was observing the group with interest. "How did you find him?" he asked as he could hear Tashira groan from a few feet ahead.

His mood instantly brightening, Lucian turned his head to Dominic and smirked. "Oh yeah, I forgot to call and tell you. Nicky’s a Guardian as well. And he’s going to be crashing at my house for a while. We’re going to be partners."

"Unfortunately," mumbled Dominic as brushed by the other two boys and started to follow Tashira to the school entrance.

Tyrell’s eyes widened at the statement and he looked at Lucian in utter horror. "Partners? You and Dominic?"

"Why not? We’re both Guardians and Nicky seems to have a knack for endurance and...strength." Lucian growled the last part under his breath as he traced the bruise on his cheek with the sides of his fingers. "We will need to work on his anger issues though."

Dominic stopped in his tracks and spun around to face Lucian. "Oh give me a break Ambrose! You know you wanted to get hit otherwise you wouldn’t have said something so stupid!"

The youngest boy gasped and touched Lucian’s shoulder with trembling fingers. "He hit you? He gave you that bruise on your cheek, didn’t he?" Tyrell jerked his head to the side and set his hard emerald eyes on Dominic. "I see your temper isn’t reserved just for me."

Lucian cringed and shied away from the two boys who looked like they were about to kill each other. "Whoa, are we going to be late! Hey guys, maybe we should catch up to Kathy and Shira," he urged, hoping to change the subject.

The eldest youth shifted his view from Tyrell and fixed it back on the two girls who were just entering the building. "Yeah, we better hurry. Wouldn’t want Ambrose to lose his new girlfriend," he uttered dryly as Tyrell shot him an icy glance.

"She’s not his girlfriend, Dominic! Not yet anyway," he pointed out, looking back to Lucian for some helpful remark.

"I plead the fifth," the redhead replied, weaseling his way from the issue.

"Luciannnn!"

"You seem so hot on the subject Tyrell. Maybe you’re opting for the position," Dominic incited with a evil glint of his eyes.

"Leave me alone! You don’t even know what you’re talking about. You just want to start something. All you care about is fighting," hissed the mahogany-haired teenager in a defeated tone, as he scrambled away from Lucian and rushed after his sister and Tashira.

"Tye wait!" Lucian cried out as the younger boy dashed through the entrance doors. Then, the red-haired youth turned on Dominic, angrily and shoved him in the back. "God, Nicky, you didn’t have to say that! Tyrell’s having a rough time as it is, accepting all this crap about the Keys and the Chimera. And you had to go and insult him like that. He’s going to be miserable all day long and it’ll have to be me who cheers him up. As if I don’t have enough to do today."

Dominic grabbed Lucian arm and yanked to the front, pushing him ahead. "Insult him? So I take it you find it offensive that someone finds you attractive," he snarled as Lucian stumbled on his feet from the force of the push.

"Shut up! You know what I meant!" roared the other, a heated flush fallen across his face.

The dark-haired youth stared down at Lucian as his eyes flickered with malevolent amusement. A dark smirk graced his features as he walked past the fuming boy. "Now who’s winning this game Ambrose?"

*~*~*~*~*~*

Maren stood on the far side of the gymnasium watching Kat flirting shamelessly with Lucian as he tried to practice his half-court shot. The raven-haired boy growled to himself as Kat ran to retrieve each of Lucian’s miss throws, bringing them back to him with an eager smile. Lucian just thanked her and kept insisting that she move so that he didn’t accidentally nail her with one of the shots. But Kat shook her head and replied that she would rather stay where she was.

"I think I’m going to be sick!" Maren moaned under his breath as Kat continued to fawn over the red-haired boy. "Since when has she been going after him? Didn’t he just arrive at this school the other day?"

Lucian was so busy trying to convince Kathryn to move out of his way that he didn’t notice a stray ball come sailing his way. It nailed him right in the back, forcing him to cry out in shock. He spun around to see Maren picking up the rolling ball and handing it back to another student. Maren was snickering loudly as the other youth took the item back to his group. Lucian’s red eyes narrowed at the sight of someone taking pleasure at his inconvenience.

"Hey! Maybe you should pay more attention to the court!" advised Maren, still laughing at Lucian’s plight.

"Thanks," Lucian growled as he walked over to the bleachers and sat down to wait for the pain in his back to subside. Kat frantically tried to ask him if he was all right and Lucian shooed her off, telling her to return to her group before the teacher caught her slacking. The girl whined, but when Lucian explained that he probably wouldn’t be playing anymore for the remainder of the class, she gave him an understanding nod and ran off to join her group of girls, who were far more interested in chatting about the boys on the court to really bother themselves with improving their shooting skills.

Content that Kat wouldn’t be returning to Lucian for some time, Maren made his way over to the bleachers and dribbled his basketball in front of them. "Fickle darling, isn’t she?" he questioned Lucian who averted his eyes.

"Whatever."

"You never know what she’s going to do. She’s constantly changing her mind about things. Everything from clothes, to music, and of course, to boys," the dark-haired teenager drawled with a sarcastic tone.

"I’m assuming you’re speaking from personal experience. What are you? One of her jilted boyfriends?" Lucian replied in a collected voice as he stared at Maren with mischievous garnet eyes.

"Watch it!" warned Maren, letting the basketball slip from his control and roll into the court.

"I see I guessed right. Either that, or you must really suck at this game," quipped the redhead, enjoying the way he was getting the better of the other boy.

"Shut up! I’m the best basketball player in this entire school!"

Lucian chortled at the announcement and leaned over the bleachers so that his arms were resting on the lower step, his hair flipping over his shoulder. "That’s quite a claim. Care to prove it?"

"Anytime! I’ll take you on any day!" asserted Maren placing on foot on the first step of the bleacher and resting his weight against it. "And I’ll make sure that Kat is there to see your smashing performance."

"Forget Kathy. Crushing the pride of an egotistical braggart like you is all the reward I need," Lucian purred, pushing the ponytail from his shoulders.

"Don’t be so sure of yourself. I’ve handled my share of challengers and just because I don’t play for the school’s team doesn’t mean I can’t take on you. I prefer to keep my talent a secret shared only with my close circle of friends. But in your case, I’m willing to make an exception."

Just then, Tyrell appeared at the other end of the court, carrying a note in his fingers. He called out to the class instructor and ran down the floor, handing the note to the teacher and awaiting some sort of response. The teacher nodded his head and mentioned something to the boy as Tyrell wrote it down on the back of the note. He apologized for interrupting the class and started to race back across the room.

As he ran, he noticed Lucian and Maren staring each other down. "Hey guys, my English teacher insisted that I give the gym instructor this note about a meeting tonight, so I had to come down here and deliver it. What are you doing?" he chatted excitedly as Maren lifted his head to acknowledge the younger boy. Without warning, he jumped off the bleachers and slung an arm around Tyrell’s shoulders, smiling at Lucian, wickedly.

"Arteme’s going to help me challenge you. After all, what’s a basketball game without a team?" he informed the other boy as Tyrell pulled back in alarm.

"What? Ren, I don’t want to fight Lucian," he argued, trying to return to the other side of the room. But Maren placed a forceful hand on his shoulder and held him in place.

"Don’t worry Arteme. We’re not going to fight. We’re just going to play a friendly game of basketball. You and me versus Lucian and his partner."

Lucian stood up and made his way down the bleachers. "You’re trying to cheat! You never said anything about teams! I thought this was supposed to be one on one! What? Are you afraid of playing me by yourself?"

"Never. But I’m used to playing in groups and if you make me play by myself, you’ll be at an advantage and the game wouldn’t be fair. And you do want to beat me fair and square, right?"

Tyrell snatched at Maren’s hand, trying to detach it from his shoulder. "Ren, I don’t want to be mixed up in this. Lucian’s my friend. Besides he doesn’t have another player on his side," he reasoned as Maren lifted his fingers and swung his hand at his side.

"Hmm. Good point. Well, I guess we can’t play then," he baited, kicking a stray ball to the side.

"Oh no! You’re not getting out of this that easily. I’ll find a player. You give me a time to meet you and I’ll be there," snapped Lucian, unwilling to back away from a challenge.

"We’ll play two days from now. I want you to tell who your partner is going to be by tomorrow morning, before school. But how are you going to find a player by then?"

"You’ll see," replied the red-haired youth as the bell rang, signaling the shift in classes. Lucian gave Maren one last confident glance before rushing off to the lockers to get ready for his next class. Moments later, Tyrell pulled away from Maren and ran out of the gym, confused at what had just ensued between his two friends.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Lucian had been doing his best to get some time with Dominic after they returned from school but Dominic was set on remaining alone. Tashira had advised that he leave the older boy alone for the time being unless he wanted to rouse the other’s anger. For the time being, leaving Dominic to himself hadn’t been any real problem since Lucian did have schoolwork to deal with. It took him the better part of two hours to finish it. By the time he was ready to have another go with Dominic, dusk was already falling across the sky.

He fooled around with the idea of just blowing the whole thing off and asking Tashira to help him. But then he figured that there was no way Maren would agree to letting a girl play against him. He seemed like one of those chauvinistic types and Maren had insisted on an answer by the next morning. This left only one option open to Lucian. He would have to find another guy to play on his team. But being that he didn’t know any another boys aside from Tyrell and Dominic, he was down to slim pickings. Tyrell had been appointed as Maren’s second and Dominic was clearly reluctant to even acknowledge Lucian’s presence. It appeared that he had been satisfied with the conclusion of their fight earlier and did not wish to mar his winning streak by getting into another confrontation.

Still, if Lucian didn’t find another player by the end of the night, then he would have to forfeit the game to Maren, thereby losing. And Lucian never lost at anything he attempted. If finding a partner meant playing nice with Dominic, he could take it as long as it insured his victory over Maren. Now the problem was getting Dominic to talk to him long enough for Lucian to bring up the subject of Dominic aiding him in tomorrow’s competition. This was going to be tricky. Fortunately, Lucian had always been skilled at handling difficult situations.

Deciding on a plan after a long and deliberated run-through of his options, Lucian ascended the stairs and shuffled over to the spare bedroom. Without knocking on the door, he picked the lock with a piece of wire and swung the door wide open. Dominic lifted his head at the sound and set his eyes upon Lucian who waved at him in a pacifying gesture. The red-haired boy swiftly shut the door again and gazed over at Dominic who was sprawled across the large bed, writing in his notebook as usual.

"Go away Ambrose," the dark-haired youth ordered returning his attention to the words on his paper. Lucian leaned against the closed door and gave his companion an entreating glance.

"I just need to ask you something real quick," he replied, refusing to obey Dominic’s command.

"Whatever it is, the answer is no. Anything that has to do with something you need is no concern of mine," Dominic cut him off, placing his notebook on the nightstand next to his beg and pulling a huge textbook from the floor. He flipped the book open and began to focus on highlighting the key parts of the chapter.

"But Nicky, you don’t even know what I’m going to ask," argued Lucian, stepping away from the door and moving toward the other youth. "I promise it’s nothing that should be too hard for you."

"I don’t care. Anyway, I have three days of work to finish so I would appreciate you getting out so I can study in peace."

"Come on Nicky, you’ve been ignoring me all day. Isn’t that long enough for you?"

"Ambrose, do you want me to throw you out myself?" threatened the older boy as Lucian placed his hands on the bed and looked down at him. A clever plan entered his mind as he ran his fingers through his hair and turned his head to the side with a small sigh.

"Oh well, I just thought you would leap at the chance to teach Tye a lesson for mouthing off at you this morning. But I guess, I’ll just have to find someone else to help me," he teased while Dominic continued to stare at his paper, switching the color of his highlighter to work on a different section.

"Guess so. I’m not falling for your cutesy tricks Ambrose. I have no intention of helping you in any endeavor."

"Please!" begged Lucian, falling to his knees and resting his forehead against the edge of the mattress. "I need you to be my partner in my basketball game against Maren and Tyrell. If I can’t find a partner by tonight, I’ll have to back out when I talk to Maren tomorrow."

"Not my problem."

"You’re heartless. What do you want me to do? Offer you some sort of prize for helping me? Are you that vindictive?"

"I’m not helping you even if you say you’ll give me something in return. We have more important matters to worry about than some pointless testosterone contest," mocked Dominic, pushing Lucian away with the tip of his eraser. "This is about that girl, Kathryn? Isn’t it?"

"No!" Lucian denied, slamming his hand down on the bed and causing Dominic to make a jagged streak through the paragraph he had been highlighting. "This isn’t about her! My life doesn’t revolve around her. I just want to prove to some self-assured brat that he should keep off my back and quit trying to show off."

"Sage advice. Why don’t you try applying it to your own activities?" the older youth suggested as he glared at Lucian for causing him to mess up his page.

"I’m sorry about that. I’ll buy you a whole new book if you want. Just please say you’ll play," the red-haired boy whimpered, trying to appear as destitute as possible.

"No."

"Have it your way. I don’t even know why I asked you. I’ve never even seen you play. I bet you can’t even shoot," spat Lucian in a spiteful rage, as he eyed Dominic to see if his comment had brought about any sort of reaction.

"Oh I wouldn’t say that. I did play a bit when I was younger," Dominic informed him, crumpling a piece of paper at his side into a decent sphere shape.

"Well, that was then and this is now!"

Still not turning his head, Dominic lifted the ball and launched it across the room to the trashcan in the far back of the room’s private bathroom. It cut through the air and landed in the can in a perfect display of skill. Dominic returned to his work as if the shot meant nothing to him, though he did shift his eyes to take in Lucian’s surprised expression.

Clearing his head at his amazement of learning that Dominic could actually shoot, Lucian focused his attention on the problem at hand. Dominic had taken the bait exactly as he had expected and was now in the suitable position to be reasoned, or perhaps, bargained with. He lowed his head back to the bed and rested his chin on a part not too far away from where Dominic was busy taking down notes.

"Fine, fine. I’ll give you something you’d really enjoy if you promise to help," Lucian grumbled into the yielding surface of the mattress.

Dominic looked up from his studying and regarded the other boy with a dark curiosity. "And what would that be Ambrose? What could you possibly offer me that would make me want to accept your proposal?" He raised his elbow at an angle and propped the side of his face on his overturned palm, gazing at Lucian in interest. "Well?"

Lucian groaned and averted his eyes for a second. "I won’t bother you for the rest of the day. I won’t try to piss you off or anything. I’ll even stay out of your way all day if you play."

"Sorry, not good enough."

"What?" the younger boy gasped jerking up from the mattress and looking at Dominic in fury. "What else could you want?"

"You to promise not to talk for the whole day after the game."

"Huh?"

"You heard me. If you swear that you won’t say a single word for the remainder of that day, I’ll lend a hand in your stupid venture," Dominic stated, tapping his pencil against the edge of his textbook.

"That’s not fair!" Lucian griped, pushing himself up from the floor.

"Well, that’s my offer. Take it or kiss your game goodbye."

The other boy stepped away from the bed and crossed his arms upon his chest as he considered Dominic’s proposition. It was obvious Dominic would not agree to play under any other conditions. He had never expected the older teenager to be this difficult when it came to reasoning. Of course, he should have guessed that someone as antisocial as Dominic would request the most impossible thing as his reward for helping. He was foolish to think that Dominic was going to just agree to play out of the kindness of his heart. That was not the youth’s style. He was an opportunist much like Lucian and he wanted to make every decision worth his while. It was not like them to concur with a situation unrelated to them, unless there was something in it for their personal benefit.

Lucian knew that Dominic was just trying to play hardball and if he were in any other circumstances, he would have gladly fought back. But as it was, he didn’t have much choice other than to accept the conditions and swallow his pride, or return to Maren and inform him that he would have to withdraw from the challenge. Though he wasn’t especially pleased with the first option, he loathed the latter. Besides, what could a few measly hours of silence do? It couldn’t kill him and it might even make Dominic more approachable afterwards, now that he had finally gotten some peace.

The worst thing about the whole scenario was that agreeing to the offer would be admitting that Dominic had bested him at his own game of wits. It would give the older boy a heavy advantage in the conflicts to come and Lucian would no longer be able to get away with such easy insults and provocations. He would have to really try if he wanted to rile up Dominic from now on. This made the game much more complicated than he had anticipated.

But then again, he had always leapt at new challenges. So what if the game had a new spin on it? It would just be another test of his skill to see if he could overcome this new obstacle. Hell, it might even serve to make things more entertaining than they had been. In addition, it would give Dominic a false sense of control, which he could use to manipulate him later on if the chance presented itself. All in all, giving this one minor battle to Dominic couldn’t have that serious of repercussions.

Lucian turned back to Dominic with resolute eyes and nodded glumly. "Okay Nicky, you’ve got yourself a deal. You play as my partner in the game two days from now and I swear I won’t say a word for the rest of the day. Otherwise you can punish me in whatever way you wish." He held out his hand to Dominic in the custom of sealing a deal with a hearty handshake.

Dominic watched him for a moment, checking for any signs of trickery on Lucian’s behalf. Then, when he had decided that Lucian had no plans of welching in mind, he reached out to grab the other’s hand. Seeing his action, Lucian folded all of his fingers into his palm except for his pinkie finger. Before Dominic could pull back his hand, he had curled the finger around the older boy’s and was tightening it with a firm motion.

"What the hell are you doing?" demanded Dominic, bringing back his hand with a violent wrench of his arm.

"This is much more important than an ordinary handshake," Lucian explained lowering his hand to his side, "This implies a special oath. It’s only used in special circumstances that require extreme trust."

Dominic rolled his eyes, picked up his highlighter and resumed marking the essential passages in his text. "Whatever. While, we’re at it why don’t we just sign a contract in blood?" he joked in a mirthless tone.

"Maybe next time," laughed the red-haired boy.

"Well, for now, I want you to get out of here so I can finish this," the older youth snapped as Lucian chuckled and waved his hand at him to show that he was leaving.

"We’re going to be unstoppable together! Oh and no waking me up tomorrow until at least six. I don’t care if I’m on the couch or not."

"Then put on some clothes when you go to bed tonight!"

Lucian backed out of the room, shutting the door on Dominic’s mandate. "Guess we’re tied now," he told himself as he sauntered down the hallway. So Dominic was determined to not lose their little game without a fight. Well, he was more than happy to give the older youth a worthy challenge. This just made everything far more interesting and promised Lucian a lot more fun.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Comments: I had fun with this chapter. I loved writing the constant battles of wits and I believe that I’m creating a fairly decent chemistry between my characters. Too bad Nicky is such a heartless jerk. And I think Lucian seems a bit masochistic. But he’s not. I’ll try to show why in later chapters. Next chapter promises even more such interaction and a serious action fight. Whoa, has it been a while since I wrote a fight?