(Author's Note: This ties in to "My Dark Descent," as everything that happened here happened as a direct result. The log is between Viki and Kain, Kain being "A Vile Fate")

Foreword

We open to a familiar scene. It is a wedding, a wedding between Tara Rynieyn and Nicholas Vilify. It is wedding #45 for Tara. The couple will divorce and remarry in the course of a few years, but divorce again once more. Tara will marry Talomar, and the rest, my friends, is history.

Kain is an odd relation. Long before they were lovers, Viki and Kain were enemies. Kain had Viki's best friend Kat tortured for kidnapping his son, Shane. But time changes all things, and bends and shapes the wills and minds of men (and girls), and enemies became friends, and strangely enough, lovers. In for an even better twist? Kain was once engaged to be married to Viki's cousin, Tara. More? Kain's son Shane was Viki's lover as well, uh, once he had grown up, that is.

Visions of Sugarplums Written: 7/16/02

She was all decked out in her wedding finery - the white lace, satin ribbons, and those little girl banana curls were to die for! She was the flower girl, the favored part, and she played it well. Tara was beautiful. Nicholas looked splendid. Damian was a superb speaker. All was well and right with the world. And a hundred sets of eyes watched her walk on by with her little basket.

The ceremony was long. Some of the more decorated warriors had short tempers and shorter attention spans. They had began to mutter to one another as the vows were spoken. Viki stood there beaming, pretty as a picture, perfectly bewildered that He had crashed the party.

"Kain.. Kain.. Go away. Come again another day."

So he had come, this ex-lover, ex-enemy, and ex-cousin-in-law. Yes, he had once long ago been engaged to her dear cousin Tara, but that was in the past. Maybe he had come to send her his best. After all, he seemed like a brand-new wraith. Like Viki, he too had undergone a physical transformation, making him years younger. Lucky for him, he wasn't as young as poor Viki, so he kept his appointments, his social circle, and his sex drive.

And Viki was eight.

After the ceremony, when she had finally broken free of her set-place, she meandered over to him. She was all grins and giggles and "why are you heres?" Kain was quiet, and brooding, as usual.

Then, unexpectedly...

Fingers were at her small shoulders and wouldn't let go. Her frantic cries of alarm were muffled by the noise of the crowd. When Kain had finally lifted her, her cries turned into shrieks, recognized only by one. Everyone else in attendance was either too drunk, too confused, or too caught up beating the hell out of the person next to them to pay any attention. Damian answered the call. Damian sprinted across the aisle. But it was just too late, the wraith was too quick, and the child was lost.

The child dreamed
A world of red
While visions of sugarplums
Told of the dead

A Vile Fate: ::And finally they came to manifest from where they were in the wedding with those glacial blues shifting down to her once more, the blade slowly coming from her neck and then it sheathed slowly into the scabbard that lay on his shoulder, that trench coat clad form of his coming to turn about to look into the darkness in silence for a moment:: You do not even know why you are here, do you Viki..

VikiChylde: ::A look of terror held those features, and an uneasiness dribbled off her words.. She hated weapons - especially when they were to be used on her.. But this was Kain! Large off-blue orbs flickered up to meet his gaze. Yeah, this was Kain.. the same man responsible for the kidnap and torture of her friend all those years ago.. and even now, there was that old hatred, depleted only by her attachment to him.:: <q> Why.. Why am I here?

A Vile Fate: To restore the shadows of the past.. Of course.. ::A soft smirk came to sketch across that deathly pale visage of his as he looked off like he was reviewing it once more, and then he snapped his gaze back down to her:: Of course.. It begins one step at a time Victoria.. And it begins with you...

VikiChylde: ::This brought about a mixed response from the little girl.. Confusion, terror, and intrigue collided. She leaned in, her eyes never leaving his, searching for the answers in that cold expression.:: <q> Kain, what are you talking about?

A Vile Fate: I was human at one time.. And that is when I had my children and that is when I began to embrace what I have always been Victoria.. A Biological weapon, ment for killing and taking lives.. And just give people a hard time in general.. ::Those glacial depths flickered once as he whispered for a moment and then looked to her once more:: It is time to regain what was lost Victoria.. And as I said before.. You are the beginning...

VikiChylde: ::His reply caught her by surprise. Cherry-glossed lips smiled softly, and she stared on with those wide eyes.:: <q> Are you.. are you talking about love?

A Vile Fate: A wraiths Matrix runs off emotions.. We thrive off them to be exact... ::As he tossed off his trench coat with his ebon clad, armored form that was dulled to a matte black, he whispered once more as his chest plates of his armor shifted slight with a red gem exposing itself, as if a third eye was there as he studied her in silence for a moment::

VikiChylde: ::She tilted her head to the side, sending a spillage of chestnut curls down her right shoulder. Slender chestnut brows dipped into a soft frown as she studied him, still not quite understanding his motives for bringing her here.:: <q> If you are in love with me, then why bring me here by knife point?

A Vile Fate: Because I know you would not go with what your "Protectors" are these days.. They think you are a child... ::As those glacial depths narrowed for a moment, he had scanned her for a moment, and then he cracked his knuckles slowly:::

VikiChylde: <q> And you don't believe that I am? That I've always been? ::Her voice was as high as a child's, and just as soft, but those eyes always gave her away. They screamed of all the horrors she'd undergone, and all the experiences she ever had.. and as she step forward, her heart pounding against her underdeveloped chest, she pressed against his armor, trailing her tiny fingers along the contours of the metal as she stared up at him.::

A Vile Fate: <vq> ironic usstan xunus ssinssrigg dos nin ol zhah draeval ulu restore dos.. :::As those blue eyes shifted down to her as he moved his fingers slowly with those tindrils of darkness ripping out at her with them coming to ensnare her arms, dragging her back and holding her in place, a knowing smirk came to manifest slowly::

VikiChylde: ::Just as she was decoding the Drow that spilled from his lips, as she was still learning, a look of sheer surprised transformed her as those tendrils caught her.. She twisted and struggled and cried out in his grasp, sending ribbons and curls and lace a'flutter.::

A Vile Fate: :::A reflexive gesture and a slender blade came out with him eyeing it for a moment, and then he slid out a gem from one of his pockets, one of clear amber, slowly affixing it to the hilt of the blade with those glacial depths then shifting to her in silence for a moment:: <vq> usstan uil taudl Victoria jhal doeb d'ssinssrigg usstan inbal ulu xun nindol

VikiChylde: Ka dos ssinssrigg ussa.. Xun naut xun ussa jiv'undus! ::Teary-eyes flickered to him pleadingly. She knew her struggling was futile. She knew she couldn't overpower him, not then, not now.::

A Vile Fate: <vq> It will only be momentary.. ::And with a swift whisper, the blade came to flicker to life and he then slammed the blade to her chest in a pricise moment, the blade coming to steal her life essence from her as he began what was needed to be done::

VikiChylde: ::She made an attempt to scream, but her voice was lost in blood and horror... Tears trickled down her rosey cheeks as the little girl's dress was soiled with blood. She made a few pathetic gurgling sounds, her tiny body trembling, and those eyes.. they never left his.. not even at the moment he stole her life.::

A Vile Fate: ::He didn't say anything, he didn't feel the pain of taking her life, but he knew he had a reason for why he was doing this... And in a swift motion, the blade came out of her body with him setting the blade down in silence.. Drawing out a second dagger, he then cut off her clothing in silence, she didn't need them when he was finished:::

VikiChylde: ::Her breathing was slowed, hindered by the gaping hole in her chest.. blood gushed from the wound, forming a small pool around her.. and strange.. a flicker of light.. almost as if a field of electricity surrounded her.. flickered and died.::

A Vile Fate: <vq> You will just have to trust me Viki.. That is all.. ::And he slowly came to peer at the wound for a moment, before he then started to whisper once more, his hands coming to fold together as he began to muster his psyche once more. A tindril of energy came to coarse against the dull surface of his armor for a moment before he then opened his eyes once more, eyeing her as he whispered:::

VikiChylde: ::All the colour had drained from her pretty little face. She just lay there, gurgling, those tears forever frozen to her cheeks, those eyes wide as saucers, lost in the darkness that seemed to surround her.::

A Vile Fate: ::And that red gem that was embedded into his chest came to flare as Kain let go of his own body and his soul jumped into her body with him assuming control of it for the time being, he had now taken Viki's body for his own as those eyes of a dead woman came to life once more, but this time, it was Kain in control with him then peering at the body and gem once more as the tindrils let go of the childs form:::

VikiChylde: ::And where was she through all this? Encased in red glass? So this was how it all went down.. and Kat was no where to be found.. Trust? The word formed at her lips, or what she assumed was her lips.::

A Vile Fate: ::Those off blue eyes came to flare as the child finally began to chant itself, a slender digit came to press into the hole in her chest for a moment before the tindrils of darkness began to rebuild flesh and bone with her eyes then shifting upwards.. Viki was in that amber gem.. So she was entrapped between worlds so Kain could do what was needed:::

A Vile Fate: ::And then the Darkness came to enshroud the childs form as if a cocoon, Kain was tearing the body apart with his psyche and rebuilding it into what he last saw Viki as when she was 19, not eight.. As if the building blocks of her body were being rearranged and changed into what was needed once more, Viki as an Adult, not the child she always was, and always remembered as:::

VikiChylde: ::She was floating.. drifting.. living in memories.. She felt the pulls of both sides, but she passed through neither gate.::

A Vile Fate: ::And finally a translucent form of what Kain is now presently came to step out of the cocoon with the darkness finally rebuilding what was his now mandate.. Leaving a little something for her to remember him by if he ever disappeared again.. A near inhuman growl came to manifest as another whisper came to manifest with the amber coming to detach from the dagger and it was moved into the cocoon and then came to enter into the body once more, turning slowly to eye this cocoon in silence before he uttered the final words of the transformation:::

VikiChylde: ::Spinning.. voices.. it was all in her mind. And something screamed higher than all those voices and called her back.. back to warmth and blood and flesh.::

A Vile Fate: Nin dos zhaun vel'bol usstan uil vel'uss usstan uil ele usstan uil lueth lu'oh usstan inbal doera ulu tlu.. ::Said in a monotone fashion as he brought his hands together and then he whispered once more as his head bowed and those hands came to slam together with a shockwave coming to issue outwards destroying the cocoon of darkness and her form came to spill down to the ground.. Whole and of course, she was an adult now:::

VikiChylde: ::The naked figure rolled from her birthplace onto the coldness of the floor. The curves of womanhood had replaced the prepubescent features.. Eyes fluttered open, and she coughed unceasingly as she took her first few breaths.::

A Vile Fate: ::A simple black shift dress and a concealing black cloak came to land next to her as his transparent visage came to look down on her in silence with not a word issued:::

VikiChylde: ::A few quiet sobs, and then she saw him. Those eyes were wide still.. but she wasn't crying about the transformation, about the pain and the grief he caused her, or because she was thankful, relieved... rather, she was horrified with these new memories... saddened.. ohh, it was just so sad...Rising to her feet, rather unsteadily at first, she took her first few steps and fell against him, clutching his arms, and sobbing.::

A Vile Fate: ::And she fell against him with those glacial blue eyes coming to shift down to her with him not saying a word, he already knew why:::

VikiChylde: <q> Kaaiinn.. ::Her voice was hoarse, and barely audible, and those tears just kept their trail down her cheeks.::

A Vile Fate: ::His body that of coldness, but those glacial depths shifted down to her and he then arched a silverish brow slowly:: Yes Viki?

VikiChylde: <q> I never knew... ::She had felt so complete with him there then.. For he had shared something with her.. something more precious than life.. a piece of his soul.. and he in turn had saved hers.::

A Vile Fate: I do what is needed Victoria.. Even at the cost of myself.. ::As he peered down at her in silence with him then looking into the shadows of the darkness once again:::

VikiChylde: ::Her little face was red from crying, but she clutched at him tighter still.:: You've given me so much.. and I don't think I could ever be with anyone else but you.

A Vile Fate: ::And he came to stroke her hair slowly with him just saying nothing to her words, sometimes he kept unsaid:::

VikiChylde: ::She gave him a half-smile, sniffling somewhat, letting those last few teardrops fall.:: <q> I.. love you. I've always loved you.

A Vile Fate: <vq> I know.. ::As those fingers slowly came to slide through her hair slowly once more:: But now I have to return you back to your life...

VikiChylde: <q> A life without you is no life worth living... ::Curls. There were still little curls in those locks, and they bounced lightly as his fingers retreated.::

A Vile Fate: I will still be there Victoria.. But I will also be placing you back with your friends once more..

VikiChylde: ::Without a word, she snatched the garments from the floor and dressed quickly.. She had no shame of being naked in front of him.. in front of most for that matter.. seeing how her past was and all. The dress and cloak properly wrapped about her figure, she turned to him then with a look of utter determination.::

A Vile Fate: ::He just stared at her in silence as she looked at him in determination with those arms of his coming to fold across his chest slowly, a slight grin came to cross that near stoic visage:::

VikiChylde: <q> Shall we? ::She extended a single, dainty hand.::

A Vile Fate: Indeed.. ::And he came to take her hand within the confines of his hand and he whispered in silence before disappating their forms into nothing once more:::

The Drow Translations

"Ironic usstan xunus ssinssrigg dos nin ol zhah draeval ulu restore dos..."
Ironic I do love you, now it is time to restore you.

"Usstan uil taudl Victoria jhal doeb d'ssinssrigg usstan inbal ulu xun nindol..."
I am sorry Victoria but out of love I have to do this.

"Ka dos ssinssrigg ussa.. Xun naut xun ussa jiv'undus!"
If you love me.. Do not hurt me.

"Nin dos zhaun vel'bol usstan uil vel'uss usstan uil ele usstan uil lueth lu'oh usstan inbal doera ulu tlu.."
Now you know what I am, who I am, why I am and how I have come to be.

(Author's Note: If these translations are a little off, don't blame me, blame my dictionary.)