Niko suddenly felt life. He felt himself within his body once again, he let out a gasp, as he drew in breath, his head pounding with pain.Looking he saw his body had been washed and Nienna sat, weeping.
What had happened? Had he died?

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She wept. She had lost the only thing dear to her. She kissed his cold hand "My love...my life is lost." It truly was. Niko had been her life. The candle burned out, and Nienna fell into black, exhausted from mourning.

Niko slowly sat up, rubbing his head. He felt odd. Looking down, he saw Nienna, unconscious. He lifted her up gently and set her on the bed. As he did so, he noticed, he felt nothing of her weight, as if there was nothing in his arms. What was wrong with him? He moved and unbolted the door, going to fetch more ale. He did so and opened the bottle tossing the cork away and he was shocked. The cork flew away, all but gone. It suddenly came to him. Nienna had saved his life, but he was no longer human.
Testing his theory, he ran up the stairs and found himself in their room in less than a moment.He was shocked, he took a drink of ale to calm himself before draining it entirely and going back down for another refill. Why did his head hurt so? He never got hangovers.

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She stirred, groaning. She looked around. How had she gotten on the bed? Where was Niko? She rolled to where his body had been and curled up there, crying into the covers. They had taken him from her, now she had nothing! She did, though, have his necklace. Her hand reached up to it and clutched it as she cried. The only thing besides her memories.

Niko set down his fifth bottle of ale, he had went through them quickly, noticing how they helped his head. He was slightly drunk. He swayed with a sixth bottle in his hands and began to sing a war song he knew. He had defeated Dante so why not celebrate?
''Blood rains down from an angry sky!, My sword rages on, my sword rages on!'' he continued on with that verse, it being his favorite. He cared not who heard.

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She heard his voice in her head...wait...it wasn't just in her head! She heard him singing, from downstairs? She slowly got up and swayed, then walked down the stairs, still in her white, bloodstained dress. She looked once she got to the bottom of the stairs, Abd her face turned white. Niko was there, his middle bandaged, and he was singing and drinking. Obviously, it was his ghost, she thought, or her own mind tormenting her! Her eyes rolled back in her head and she dropped to the floor.

Niko drank merrily, until he heard Nienna moving. He could even hear her from down there! He was shocked but he did not ponder the matter, the moment was too good.
He grinned as he saw Nienna walk down the stairs, then looked confused when she fainted. He walked over to her and picked her up, returning her to the bedroom.
''Angel, wake up! All is well.''

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She opened her eyes, once again in her bed. She must have been dreaming. There was no other explana-she looked over mid thought and saw Niko. Her eyes widening and her face going white again. "But...but you are dead..." she whispered, she didn't know what was happening. "I must be crazy...I have to be crazy...my mind has finally left me..." she muttered

''And your husband shall follow if you continue on'' he said with a laugh.
''I am real.'' He took her hand and put it to his cheek, offering her a smile. He wiped away any signs of her crying from her face.
''You saved me''

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She stared "You are...alive?" she moved her hand over his face, feeling him. He didn't feel like a ghost. He seemed to be real...she looked into his eyes, not believing what she was seeing. "Niko?" was it someone playing a trick on her?

He smiled at her and kissed her hand.
''Angel''
He wasn't sure what he was anymore, but he was alive, and with his wife, that's what mattered.

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Angel...only Niko could have known that. With a cry she launched herself at him, holding him tightly, tears rushing again. "You were dead! You died in my arms! I thought...I was...and you.." her Niko was back. In her arms where he belonged.

He wasn't sure how to reply as he himself was unclear. He hugged her back tightly, quelling her sadness.
''I said I would not leave you'' he whispered.

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She breathed in gasps through her tearsl. "Le melon...Le melon.." he had left her for a short time, yet returned. Again. "Hold me...I need you..." she did, he was there. She moved her head to his chest, searching for the sound of the heart beat that comforted her. She listened. Nothing. She frowned with alarm and moved her ear. Still nothing. Her eyes grew wide and she slowly moved, sitting up and meeting his gaze. "Niko...you have no...you have no heartbeat...."

''Le melon, angel'' he said, gladly holding her.
When she next spoke, he stiffened. She had confirmed what he knew, deep down.
''When you saved me. There was a price. I am now... as Dante was. A vampire'' he said slowly, unable to meet her eyes. He hadn't considered what she would think of him.What was she thinking?

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As Dante had been. She looked down in shock. Immortality. He now was immortal. Among other things. She looked at him. Yet he was still Niko. But would he still wish to to remain with her? She looked at him sadly "You're immortal now." surely he would find a she-elf. Someone who could spend eternity with him.