Rui trembled a little; not from the night chill, but from the fact that she was currently being held tight against his body. His breathing was labored, his heartbeat, a little too unnatural, and his arms were holding her tight, keeping her from pulling away. There was nothing altogether uncomfortable about it except for the very fact that he was what he was. A vampire. A Shadow. A killer.

"Wes... if you wished," she ventured, her voice soft and quavering, "could you kill me? Having me so close like this..."

Wes glanced down at her as she lifted her face to his, and cracked a weak smile. "It would be quite easy," he admitted, his gold eyes lowering briefly out of guilt. "But you needn't worry about that."

"And why is that?" she asked, a wave of curiosity washing over her. Despite all her fears, she allowed herself to relax in his arms, pressing closer to him as if he were suddenly the only comfort she could ever know. The only man that she could bury her face against and would keep her safe, forever and ever. And in that brief instant, as she felt him lean closer and laugh softly against her lips, Rui realized that he was. He was all of that and more.

"Easy to answer that, Rui," he murmured deeply, his jaw twitching not for a taste of blood, but for the taste of a kiss long overdue. "I love you."

----------------------

After about a week of work, this picture is finally DONE.

To all you Colosseumshippers out there (and even to those who aren't), I hope this comes as a very pleasant treat. =3 Presenting... Wes and Rui, vampire style! ...Ok, Rui isn't a vampire, just Wes is. But I'm sure you get it. ^^

This picture came about after a random doodle as I watched hilarious game shows. Not sure how this came out of that... But after I finished the sketch, I really wanted to color it. However, I knew that if I did it traditionally, the background would turn out horribly. I can't make backgrounds with colored pencils. >>; So... ambitious as it was, I decided to give Paint Shop Pro a try one more time. And, while it isn't perfect... I am very proud of the result. I tried to be as ambitious as possible and try new things with this, and I am so happy it turned out better than I initially expected.

The design for Wes' outfit is based off of a combination of one of my original vampire character's outfits, and Alucard's jacket from Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. Maybe you can tell. =3 Rui's was based off a combination of several gothic/Lolita dresses found in photos online, with a more modest and simple touch. I think the designs, for once, turned out well. Especially Wes~

The excerpt at the beginning of the description is a segment of a fanfic I'm working on, based entirely around the concept of this picture. I really don't want to reveal too much, but it'll be interesting~

Please let me know what you think, ok? I would really love feedback on how I did. Thank you so much! ^_^

Special Thanks to:
~Agent-Mothman for aiding me in reference pictures and supporting me through every step of the coloring process.