Title: Love and life.

Rating: M

Content: Yaoi, Violence, Mild coarse language.

Characters: Daisuke, Tenshai, Hikaru, Tenji, Kaoru, Keishi, Daikota

Summary: Daisuke was once a sensei to a young boy. After being dead for 20 years, he has been resurrected with the blood and burden of his memories. In the process of learning to live in this new and unfamiliar era, he befriends a young part vampire, part shadow demon named Tenshai. However, just as he finds himself trusting Tenshai, he feels betrayed by the older male. Tenshai tortures his mind and heart to find a way to make Daisuke trust him again and rebuild their friendship. Will he win Daisuke over, or will he lose him forever?

01: A new beginning

‘A second chance.’

That was what Daisuke had been told when he was brought back into this life. They were words of inspiration, to give him heart to live. Now those words brought a bitter chuckle to his lips. Right at this moment, being two days into his new life, he lay face down in the dirt, covered in his own blood. His shirt was ripped in two, and the wings that had burst from his back to defend him were now nothing but bloody stumps. His attackers had cut them from his back in a twist of pure spite, nothing more. His chest and face were littered with deep gashes full of blood and bruises nearly down to the bone. Daisuke had tried to make it to a dirty little tavern that he knew was nearby, blinded by dirt and blood on his face and in his eyes. He had eventually fallen in the dirt a bare meter from the door and not moved, never seeing how close he was. Some second chance, he thought to himself bitterly.

Daisuke tried to lift his head from the ground as he heard voices and hurried footsteps, but he failed. He did his best to listen instead, but all he could discern was a single voice raised in what may have been worry, and a second, lower voice. A moment later he felt the top half of his body lifted from the ground and turned face-up, supported by a thin but strong arm at his back. Daisuke groaned in pain at the movement, then the next thing he knew was that he had been lifted into the strangers’ arms and was in the process of being carried into the warmth inside the tavern. He closed his eyes and let his head fall against the strangers chest, yet somehow the comfort of unconsciousness eluded him. Daisuke felt himself lain face down on a soft, yet firm surface. He guessed it was either a bed or a couch. A small, soft hand moved his head to the side so that he would still be capable of drawing breath. He wondered for a moment why he had been placed this way, but did not have to wait long for the answer. Soft hands removed his shirt gently, then ran slowly over his back, over the wounds. Daisuke felt a moment of confusion as he heard someone screaming. Slowly he came to the conclusion that the sound came from his own mouth. The searing pain that he felt as alcohol was poured over his wounds spread through his entire torso. Daisuke tolerated the pain for a few moments before surrendering to the waiting darkness and passing into unconsciousness.

Tenshai, the male who was tending to Daisuke’s wounds, realized that the injured other had passed into unconsciousness. It was probably for the best, he thought as he applied a salve that he knew all too well was extremely painful, but most effective on these kinds of wounds.

‘Hush…’

Tenshai heard himself whisper the soothing sound as he felt the injured other tremble beneath his pale, chill fingers. He blinked in shock at himself and pulled his hand away. He wasn’t supposed to care. Tending to the younger males’ injuries was nothing more than duty. At least that was what he told himself. Tenshai shook his head and pressed his fingers back to the wound, spreading the salve evenly.

‘Hikaru-kun, please find the bandages for our young visitor.’

Tenshai addressed a young male that was tending the bar.

The male turned his head, fine black hair down to his jaw line whipping around softly. His cheekbones and jaw line were both defined well, his eyes deep set giving him a slightly haunted appearance as the black shadows seemed to surround them. Hikaru nodded shortly then entered the staff room behind the bar. He soon returned carrying with him a medical kit, which he opened and placed on the floor beside the couch. He glanced at Tenshai, catching and holding the others’ gaze for a moment before closing his eyes. He nodded his head once more then returned to the bar to continue serving the few customers that remained, who were all rather bewildered by the turn of events.

‘Arigato, Karu-kun.’

Hikaru blinked in shock for a moment, though quickly accepting the thanks with a slight nod before re-absorbing himself in his sketchbook, leaning one arm on the bar counter so that he could draw. Tenshai took a roll of bandage from the kit and used it to make a patch of bandage large enough to fit over the wound on Daisuke’s back. He used tape to keep the patch on until such time as he would be able to fully bandage the other male. He gently turned Daisuke onto his back. Tenshai took a sharp breath as he saw the severity of the wounds that littered the other males chest and face. In the darkness outdoors, he had not fully seen the others’ wounds. In the light, however, he could see every wound through the blood and dirt on Daisuke’s skin. His eyes softened slightly as he looked at the other male, then brushed a few stray hairs from his face.

‘What has this life done to one so young?’

He whispered softly.

Tenshai sighed softly and shook his head, pouring alcohol over Daisuke’s chest. The blood and dirt ran from the wounds along with the alcohol, soaking into the couch. It didn’t bother Tenshai, as at that moment, the boy he had never met was more important than a seven hundred dollar couch that was probably stolen anyway. Tenshai wiped away the remaining blood and dirt with some pieces of cloth which had been in the kit. He applied the salve to each wound gently, then took a piece of sterilized bandage and pressed it lightly to a deep gash just below his left eye.

Daisuke gasped and arched, causing Tenshai to jump slightly from shock. He placed his hand on the other males’ hip, as it was the only place that wasn’t wounded, then pushed him back down and held him there while he cleaned up the other wounds. When he was done cleaning the wounds out, Tenshai dressed the wounds with bandages, placing adhesive bandages of varying sizes over the wounds on Daisuke’s face.

‘Let’s get you to bed, hm?’ Tenshai spoke gently as he lifted Daisuke into his arms.

Hikaru glanced over from the bar, dark eyebrows coming down over black eyes in slight confusion as he saw Tenshai hold Daisuke’s form close, then head towards the stairs that led down to the basement area.

‘You’re taking him into your bed?’

As the occupants had long deserted the bar, Hikaru’s voice carried easily to Tenshai’s ears. He paused on the stairs at the precise moment that Daisuke shifted to slide thin, pale arms around Tenshai’s shoulders, his head resting against the older male’s chest. Tenshai glanced down at the younger male before answering Hikaru.

‘Yes. It’s quieter than upstairs, besides, that way I can watch over him. He has a restless spirit.’ Tenshai replied.

An odd look passed through Hikaru’s eyes for a moment before he replied.

‘If that’s the only reason.’

Tenshai merely threw Hikaru a glare before continuing downstairs. He pushed the door at the bottom of the stairs open with his foot then entered slowly, being careful of Daisuke’s head.

He carried the other male into the room and laid him on the bed gently, close to the wall so he would not fall out. It was a good thing that Tenshai had thought to have a large bed. He’d never really liked small beds, even though he almost never stretched his form across the entire bed. He sighed then, brushing the others’ hair back as he sat on the bed beside him. Though the younger male appeared to have short hair, his fringe was long. Tenshai thought it was black, but that was only because of the amount of blood and dirt.

‘Baka…’

He made to get up then, planning to spend the rest of the night in an armchair nearby. He gasped softly and stopped, however, as he felt an iron grip on his wrist. Looking at the other, Tenshai noticed that though he still appeared to be unconscious, beads of sweat rolled down his forehead, and his arms shook.

‘Don’t go… Don’t l-leave me….’

Daisuke whispered shakily.

Tenshai blinked in shock for a few moments then smiled faintly, placing his hand on Daisuke’s shoulder to calm the other.

‘Though I have the feeling you’re thinking of someone else, okay. I’ll stay.’

Daisuke remained tense for a moment before a relieved sigh escaped his lips and his grip loosened. Tenshai lay beside Daisuke and pulled the blanket over the two of them before glancing at the other. In that moment, Daisuke rolled over, laying half on top of Tenshai, cuddling the other male.

‘Ehh… Kid?’

A faint blush rose on Tenshai’s cheeks as he questioned the action.

The only response was the sound of Daisuke’s deep breathing in his sleep. After a moment, Tenshai smiled faintly and drew Daisuke closer, one arm around the other male. He glanced at Daisuke one last time before closing his eyes and slowly falling asleep himself.

02: Nightmares

Tenshai awoke in the early hours of the morning to soft whimpers from Daisuke that steadily rose in volume. As he tried to sit up, he noticed that the younger had clutched his shirt in both hands so tightly that his knuckles were turning white. He also noticed that Daisuke’s body was beginning to shake violently. He was sure he knew what the problem was, but with his arm around Daisuke and the other clutching his shirt, the kit to fix it was just out of reach.

‘Shit… Hikaru-kun!’ Tenshai yelled at the top of his lungs as he tried to stretch as far as possible to reach the kit.

He heard a loud crash from the other room, which guaranteed was caused by the other falling out of bed, followed by the sound of running. The door flew open and in seconds Hikaru was by the bed, alert yet slightly panicked. By that time Daisuke was having convulsions, his body shaking violently, a thin trickle of blood running from his lips as a result of biting his lip in his fit.

‘Tenshai! What’s-?!’

‘I need the kit!’

Tenshai yelled, his voice high with panic.

Hikaru did not hesitate for a moment. He too had experienced the same situation. He spun on his heel and snatched the kit from the bedside table, then threw it open. He rummaged through it before he found a tube of blood. He wiped the outside with sterilizing wipes before passing it quickly to Tenshai. The other male took it, then struggled for a moment with the younger male, who seemed unwilling to open his mouth.

‘Karu, help me!’

Tenshai was, unfortunately, panicking and beginning to shake himself.

Hikaru nodded quickly before helping Tenshai to get the younger males mouth open. As soon as Daisuke’s lips were parted, the tube tip went into his mouth, and the blood went down his throat. Tenshai threw the tube before wrapping both arms around Daisuke, holding the other tight to him while whispering soft words into the younger males shoulder.

‘Come on, you can get through this.’

Hikaru smiled faintly, his back turned as he disposed of the emptied syringe tube. Black wolf ears picked up on the whispered words, so sensitive was his hearing. He had always known that Tenshai had a caring heart, as he himself had seen it on rare occasions - Usually when he was close to death. But those occasions were few and far between. Perhaps this injured male would be the one to bring that out more often in Tenshai.

‘Fight it, boy. You have to live.’

Tenshai held the boy tighter against his chest. Though his shaking had eased, it had not diminished. Tenshai jumped in slight shock as Daisuke’s eyes flew open and he gasped. A moment later, his fist connected with Tenshai’s chest and the younger male burst into tears. Once Tenshai had recovered from the shock, his eyes softened slightly and he rubbed Daisuke’s back gently.

‘Come on, it’s okay. You won.’

A strangled sort of cry escaped Daisuke’s throat then, and his fist again connected with Tenshai’s chest. This time both Tenshai and Hikaru winced slightly at the impact. For someone seemingly so young and frail, Daisuke definitely packed a good punch. Tenshai sighed softly and simply held Daisuke in silence, feeling the male shake and cry against him.

‘Hikaru-kun… We’ll need something strong.’

‘What for?’

Hikaru’s ears flicked back, a habit when he was confused or curious.

‘For when he’s fully conscious. He’ll need it, trust me on that.’

Tenshai replied.

‘Right…’

Hikaru nodded slightly as he understood and turned to leave the room. He paused for a moment, one hand on the doorframe, not looking back.

‘Don’t get too attached, Shai-senpai.’

That was what Hikaru was thinking, but what he said was quite different.

‘Be careful, Shai-senpai.’

Hikaru exited the room then, leaving a confused and saddened Tenshai. He simply sighed and resumed rubbing Daisuke’s back gently.

‘Come on, boy.’

He ran his hand up over Daisuke’s shoulders and to his cheek. He lightly brushed the tears away with a soft thumb, staring down at the younger male’s face. Daisuke opened his eyes slightly and somehow, Tenshai noticed every tear that clung to unusually long lashes.

‘There now… It’s okay.’

‘No, it’s not, is it?’

Daisuke’s voice was slightly feminine, though broken, and with a slight edge to it.

‘No. But it will be.’

As he spoke, Tenshai lightly brushed a hand through the others’ hair, pushing it back from his face.

Daisuke settled for a moment, then suddenly sat up, gasping as his wounds stretched.

‘Hey, take it easy, kiddo.’

Hikaru took a step forward from the door, hesitated, then continued forward toward the two, both of whom had now sat up. Hikaru held one of the bottles of alcohol that he held out to Daisuke. The younger male hesitated for a moment, then shrugged lightly and took the bottle, opening it almost immediately.

‘Arigato…’

‘No worries.’

Hikaru replied.

Hikaru glanced at Tenshai for a moment, then faltered. After studying Tenshai’s eyes for several moments, he held the second bottle out to the other. He was glad that he had thought to bring two bottles, though at the time he had not known his own reasoning for it. Tenshai tilted his head to the side with a questioning look, and Hikaru shrugged his shoulders slightly.

‘You look like you need it.’

Tenshai paused for a moment, then answered softly.

‘Arigato, Hikaru-kun.’

Hikaru inclined his head toward Tenshai then left the room quietly. After a moment, Tenshai glanced back at Daisuke, who had already downed about half the bottle. After taking a long drink from his own bottle, Tenshai sighed softly.

‘Tell me your name.’

He demanded of the younger.

‘Why?’

Daisuke asked suspiciously.

‘So that I can call you something aside from baka.’

Tenshai answered testily.

Daisuke reconsidered as he looked at Tenshai and noticed the way the others’ eyes narrowed. There was something in those eyes that told him he would not take no for an answer, but there was also something that said that he needed to know. For once in his life, Daisuke decided not to test his limits.

‘Daisuke. Might I know yours?’

‘Tenshai. Interesting to meet your acquaintance, Daisuke-chan.’

‘I could say the same, Tenshai-san.’

They both fell silent for a moment, both taking large gulps from the bottles of alcohol. They fell into a companionable silence, the only sound for several minutes being the sound of the liquid sloshing in the bottles.

‘It was you, wasn’t it?’

Daisuke broke the silence first.

‘Hm?’

Tenshai glanced at the other.

‘It was you who brought me in and-‘

‘Hai.’

Tenshai cut Daisuke off before he could continue.

‘And you’re lucky. I had a temporary lapse of sanity.’

‘What do you mean?’

A look of confusion passed over Daisuke’s face.

‘It’s the only reason I took care of you.’

‘No it’s not.’

Daisuke smirked slightly as Tenshai raised an eyebrow. He shook his head as the other opened his mouth to speak.

‘Never mind.’

Tenshai shook his head and looked away for a moment. His head whipped around, however, as he heard Daisuke gasp in pain. Tenshai’s bottle smashed on the floor, catching Daisuke in his arms as the other fell against him. Daisuke’s bottle rolled across the bed, already emptied of alcohol.

‘Dai-chan!’

Daisuke groaned in pain, rolling in Tenshai’s arms so his face was pressed against Tenshai’s chest, his eyes shut tightly.

‘Daisuke…’ Tenshai whispered worriedly. ‘Daisuke, what happened? Daisuke!’

The younger male groaned again and shook slightly against Tenshai.

‘I forgot… My wings were gone.’

Tenshai understood then. Daisuke must have attempted to use his wings habitually, and accidentally opened the wound again. Luckily the salve prevented any bleeding. Tenshai made a decision within a few moments, one that he would make with very few people.

‘Daisuke, I’m going to do something for you, but you have to stay completely still… Can you do that for me?’

‘What…?’

Daisuke began shakily.

‘Can you or not?!’

Tenshai snapped.

‘Hai…’

Daisuke groaned.

‘As long as you don’t let go.’

‘Trust me, I won’t.’

He shifted Daisuke so that he cradled the other against him in one arm like a young child. He pressed two fingers of the other hand lightly to Daisuke’s forehead.

‘Whatever happens, don’t move.’

Tenshai whispered, then closed his eyes.

‘Inocito Misharai Oinase…’

‘No!’

Hikaru screamed as he ran into the room far too late. He’d heard the smash, but hadn’t thought it was serious. Hearing those words and knowing what they meant proved him wrong.

Tenshai’s body went rigid and his eyes filled with smoke. He gasped softly as he began to feel the pain of every wound that had been inflicted upon the younger male as though they had been inflicted on him. And in fact, they were, as the wounds opened on Tenshai’s body, then slowly closed and scarred over, thanks to his healing abilities. At the same time, the wounds on Daisuke’s body slowly disappeared into nothing, not even leaving a scar, as now the scars were on Tenshai’s body. Through the pain, Tenshai bit down on his lip so hard that a drop of blood formed, with several following after it. Daisuke’s body arched as the most painful process came - Daisuke’s wings slowly rebuilt themselves in their original place beneath his skin. Through most of it, Tenshai had screamed in pain, as did Daisuke. As the pain slowly subsided, Daisuke slipped from Tenshai’s arms. Tenshai slowly came to the realization that it wasn’t Daisuke slipping, but he who was falling backwards off the bed. The edges of his vision began to blur slightly as he felt Hikaru’s arms and torso catch him. The male had dived for his friend, catching him on his chest and landing on his back on the floor.

‘Tenshai, you fool!’

Hikaru cried.

Tenshai simply groaned once then fell limp in Hikaru’s arms, unconscious. Hikaru took a moment to find his feet then stood, placing Tenshai’s form beneath the blankets beside the like unconscious form of Daisuke. Hikaru sighed and stroked Tenshai’s hair back.

‘Never have I meant so much to you as this mere boy does in the span of a few hours. I pray that he brings you no pain.’

As he spoke he brushed his thumb gently over Hikaru’s lips. As he finished speaking he pulled his hand back and sighed, brushing it through his own hair. Then he simply shook his head and left. No good would come of watching Tenshai lie with another.

Hikaru threw himself onto his own bed and pressed his face into his pillow. There seemed to be a lot of drama going on lately, and it was affecting him badly. He lifted his head slightly and glanced at a photo beside the bed of Tenshai and himself taken a few months ago. Hikaru was laying on a white surface with Tenshai lying behind him, propped up on one arm with the other draped lightly over Hikaru. While Hikaru had obviously strived to look as cute and loving as he possibly could, Tenshai had a cold look on his face. Still, it was the only picture he had of Tenshai and himself, so he loved it. Besides, it caught Tenshai in his most common state. He had given a photo to Tenshai as well, but he had never seen it afterwards. He suspected that Tenshai had thrown it out for fear that he would appear to actually feel. Hikaru sighed and rolled onto his back, staring at the ceiling. He wondered what would happen now, as Tenshai seemed to have taken a liking to the boy. He slowly fell asleep with that thought on his mind, uneasy with the future he imagined being possible.

Hikaru jumped awake, his hand flying to grip the handle of a knife that was under his pillow as he heard the door creak open. He guessed that it was in the early hours of the morning, though with the complete darkness, one could hardly tell. He guessed by the fact that he felt he had only been asleep for a few hours. He heard footsteps entering the room and sighed softly, wincing.

‘Not again…’

He whispered softly.

‘Karu-kun?’

He recognized the voice.

‘Shai-senpai?’

Hikaru slipped the knife back under his pillow quickly.

‘Hai…’

Hikaru felt a slight weight on his bed as Tenshai sat on the edge of it. Hikaru made to move to give Tenshai more room, but stopped as he felt a hand on his hip.

‘Tell me, Hikaru. What are you thinking?’

‘Nothing.’

Hikaru replied automatically.

‘Liar. How many times must I tell you not to lie to me?’

Hikaru looked away, then heard Tenshai sigh softly.

‘I have to take care of this boy, Hikaru. You know I do.’

‘I know.’

Hikaru replied softly, tears coming to his eyes.

‘You’re going to be with him, aren’t you?’

‘I doubt it. But if I was?’

Hikaru took that as a yes.

‘But… You can’t… I mean…. I’ll lose you then, and I don’t want to…’

‘Why is that?’

‘Because… Because I love you!’

Hikaru closed his eyes as the words he had resisted for so long burst forth from his lips.

His eyes shot open as he felt Tenshai’s finger beneath his chin, lifting his face toward the other male. His eyes slipped shut a few moments later as he felt velvety soft lips press gently against his own. The taste, the scent, the feel of Tenshai was almost intoxicating in itself, despite that he could taste a considerable amount of alcohol on the others’ lips. It lasted only a few seconds before Tenshai pulled back, leaving Hikaru wishing for more. For several moments all was silent save for the boys’ soft breathing. Then…

‘Don’t.’

Tenshai whispered at the same time as he laid a hand on the others’ cheek.

The touch remained for a moment before it was gone, along with the weight off Hikaru’s bed. Hikaru opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came from his lips. He heard Tenshai’s footsteps head for the door then pause for a second.

‘Goodnight, Hikaru.’

After another moment, the footsteps continued and the door slowly closed behind them. Eventually, Hikaru found his voice and whispered a soft ‘Goodnight…’ to the closed door. Halfway between Hikaru’s room and his own, Tenshai’s lips formed a faint smile as he picked up on the whispered words. As he entered back into his own room, he blinked in confusion. The room seemed to be spinning in front of his eyes. He barely made it to the bed in time, lying on his back on his side of the bed before passing into a deep state of unconsciousness.

03: Awakening

Daisuke awoke in the morning slowly, keeping his eyes closed in the hope that perhaps he would be allowed to sink back into blissful sleep. He wrinkled his nose, however, as he caught the scent of Tenshai beside him. The other male smelt of alcohol, and something else that Daisuke couldn’t quite isolate. He lifted his head and glanced at the other, then shook his head. Judging by the way he lay, Tenshai seemed to have fallen on the bed and gone to sleep shortly after.

‘What, are you going to sleep all day?’

Daisuke lightly nudged the other, a slight smile on his lips.

Tenshai moved slightly, but showed no sign of waking. Daisuke frowned slightly, pushing Tenshai’s dark red hair back from his eyes, staring into the others’ face. He eventually decided that perhaps Tenshai was simply exhausted - After all, the pain he must have felt… That put the memory back into Daisuke’s mind and he ripped the bandages off his chest, checking to make sure he wasn’t dreaming. His wounds were gone, completely healed with no trace that they had ever been there. Even as he was thinking that, he noticed a scar below Tenshai’s left eye. It was exactly the same wound he had been inflicted with before, but now it was on Tenshai. Daisuke lightly laid a hand on the others’ cheek.

‘Tenshai…’

He remained that way for a few moments before he sat up, tears in his eyes, though he refused to let them fall. He lightly slipped off the bed then headed for the bathroom, taking only a moment or two to locate it. He sighed softly as he looked at his reflection in the mirror. He definitely needed a shower. He pulled a tie from his hair, letting it fall to his usual length, just past his shoulders. His hair was extremely fine, and colored electric blue. It didn’t take him long to strip off, though it took him a little longer to get used to the cold water of the shower. Apparently Tenshai didn’t believe in hot water, so Daisuke had to deal with a cold shower, though it didn’t bother him that much after a few minutes.

He scrubbed his body until it was red, making sure he got every bit of dirt and blood off his skin. The scrubbing brought tears to his eyes as he was trying to scrub away the scent of the men who had hurt him. The hardest part was his hair, which he ended up washing roughly six times. It was about half an hour later when he stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel, which he assumed was Tenshai’s. He dried himself quickly then wrapped the towel around his waist and headed back to the bedroom. He glanced around quickly, then headed for the wardrobe in the corner. It was the only thing that appeared as if it would hold clothes, and as he opened the doors, he saw that he was right. He also noticed that Tenshai wore absolutely no color - Every piece of clothing was black, save for one suit, which was complimented with a dark crimson shirt. Daisuke flicked through the clothing for a few minutes before selecting a pair of black flare pants and a belt. He decided not to wear a shirt, but he did borrow a pair of Tenshai’s lace-up boots. The last touches were to first brush his hair until it was dry and smooth, then to replace his lip rings. He had a classic snake bite, though it hadn’t been seen because he had been using clear bars in them before. Now he pushed two silver rings through, one on each side.

Daisuke headed back to the bathroom for a last glance in the mirror then, as he saw eyeliner, decided to use the mirror to apply it darkly under his eyes. Eventually satisfied with his appearance, he nodded to himself then left through the bedroom door, taking a last glance back at Tenshai on the way out.

‘I’ll return…’ He spoke quietly, mostly to himself, before heading up the stairs to the main area.

Hikaru had just served a customer at the bar when he caught a glimpse of someone ascending the stairs. For a moment he didn’t recognize the male that appeared at the top, then gasped softly as he did. He hadn’t realized what a sight Daisuke really was - In Tenshai’s pants, topless, and with his hair gently framing his face, the boy was a rare beauty. Daisuke smiled faintly and nodded a general greeting to the other patrons as he headed to the bar. He issued a more personal greeting to Hikaru, leaning over the bar to kiss him on the cheek lightly.

‘Ohayo.’

‘Ohayo, Daisuke-san.’

‘Might I know your name, as you somehow know mine?’

Daisuke questioned.

‘I only know it because I heard Tenshai scream it.’

A slight grin flitted over Hikaru’s lips as he saw Daisuke give him a glare almost identical to the ones that Tenshai gave him.

‘It’s Hikaru.’

‘A nice name, that. Well, Hikaru-san, I was wondering if you have any weapons? I’d like to go out, get some exercise.’

‘Are you sure you’re up to it?’

A moment of worry passed through the other, but he dismissed it.

‘We do, of course… Depending on what you’re after.’

‘A recurve bow and a quiver of arrows, if possible. And I’m feeling quite capable at the moment.’

‘If you say so…’

Hikaru answered with a doubtful look before heading to the back room.

Soon enough, Hikaru returned with the requested items and handed them over to Daisuke.

‘Arigato.’

Daisuke swung the quiver onto his shoulder and over his chest, then strung the bow within seconds. He pulled on the string and let it slip off his fingers, smiling faintly as he heard the twang.

‘Perfect. I’ll see you in a few hours, then.’

Without another word, Daisuke turned and left. As he walked out the door, he took a breath of the cool air, then looked around. The sun was just shining its rays through the branches of the trees, giving the forest a misty look. Daisuke’s eyes seemed to turn a blue shade, slowly increasing until his eyes were bright blue in color. They seemed to have an unnatural shine to them, but one could hardly tell unless you looked close enough. A second later, the young male had taken to running, light on his toes, making barely a sound as he raced through the forest. It didn’t take him long to take to the branches of the trees, getting higher from the ground until he was in the topmost branches, jumping lightly from one branch to another. Eventually he paused, resting one hand on the trunk of the tree while balancing easily on the branch, the bow in one hand. He stared at a spot where smoke was rising, obviously from a campfire. Two people that stood around it were two that he recognized easily - they were two of the six that had inflicted such pain upon him. Slowly and quietly, he moved his hand back over his shoulder until he felt the feathers of his arrows. He selected three and brought them just as quietly back over his shoulder. He knew that any quick movement would bring a sound that would be picked up by the two, as they were not far from his spot. With almost complete silence he placed two of the arrows between his teeth, holding them while he nocked the third to the string. He drew back as slowly as he could, drawing his shoulders together for extra draw weight as he had been taught. He sighted down the arrow with both eyes, taking his aim on the closer of the two, who had his back turned. He aimed for where the man’s heart would be, held his shot for a moment, then released.

There was a slight thrum as the arrow flew through the air, but before the two could recognize the noise, the arrow thudded home, straight through the man’s back to protrude from his chest. There was a slight strangled cry before the man dropped, dead. The second made a noise of anger as he saw his comrade fall, locating Daisuke within an instant. Daisuke already had a second arrow nocked to the string, yet that didn’t stop the slight shock at the man’s speed, and at the way he located him so quickly. As quickly as he could, Daisuke aimed, brought the shot further forward to allow for speed, then released. The second arrow followed exactly the same shot a bare few seconds later.

The first arrow thudded into the man’s knee, making him falter for a moment, which allowed the second to imbed itself into the soft flesh between his shoulder and neck. He stayed on his feet, frozen about a foot from Daisuke’s tree. Daisuke growled low in his throat and jumped from the branch, dropping toward the ground with astonishing speed. Yet even from the height and speed he jumped, Daisuke landed lightly in front of the male. His eyes blazed with an unleashed fire as he looked at the man. He was dying an extremely slow, painful death, from all appearances. Daisuke slowly walked closer to him.

‘Now tell me, was it such a good idea to do what you did?’

The man refused to answer, simply glaring at Daisuke. Yet a flicker of fear passed through his eyes as a smirk came to the others’ lips, revealing lengthening fangs. He had not known that this male was any form of demon, yet as he looked into the others’ eyes, he felt paralyzed with a terror that he had never before known.

‘I’ll do more for you than you did for me, however. I’ll ease your pain, along with my own.’

Daisuke wrapped his fingers around the others’ shirt and pulled him closer. He did not hesitate for a moment, sinking his fangs into the soft flesh of the others’ neck as soon as he had pulled him close. The man found his voice then - to scream in true terror, a scream that echoed through the entire forest. Daisuke’s hair whipped up as though in a sudden strong wind then, though there was not a breath of wind passing through the forest.

Back in the tavern, Hikaru and Tenshai both lifted their heads at the same time. Tenshai had eventually woken, though not until Hikaru had thrown him in the pool, then both had sat in the bar and had a drink. Or more precisely, Hikaru served and drank on the job while Tenshai enjoyed a bottle of Vodka after nearly killing the younger male for throwing him in the icy water. They were both sure that they had heard a scream, but weren’t positive. The next second they were definite that something was happening, as they felt a rush of power go through them as what happens when a person one knows is ‘awakened’. In this case, the person would not know their heritage, and their awakening would happen when they had their first true taste of their natural heritage. Tenshai and Hikaru shared a worried glance.

‘Where did you say that little brat went?’

Tenshai asked quietly.

‘He didn’t say… Or what he was doing, as a matter of fact….’

Hikaru replied, then bit his bottom lip nervously.

‘Stay here.’

Tenshai stated simply before heading to the door, picking up a heavy black hooded coat on the way.

‘Where are you going?’

Hikaru called worriedly.

‘To find him!’

Tenshai snapped as he slid his coat on and covered every part of his body. He caught the shades that Hikaru threw to him and slipped them over his eyes, then pulled the hood up.

‘Before we have another version of me on our hands.’

He muttered the words as he walked out.

Tenshai winced as he felt the warmth of the suns rays through his coat. Still, there was something more important than that now. Tenshai breathed in lightly, picking up Daisuke’s scent easily. In moments, he was after it, speeding through the forest quietly yet faster than a speeding bullet. In a few more moments he was nothing more than a black shadow, weaving through the trees. Thanks to his shadow demon heritage, he could transform into such at high speeds or in times of need, with a cost. It wasn’t long before he found himself upon the scene. He transformed into solid form a few feet away from Daisuke. The first victim was long dead by this time, but the second had only just passed, as Daisuke had only just finished drawing every drop of blood from his veins. Tenshai did not know this, however, until the other turned to face him. Tenshai’s eyes widened slightly behind the dark shades as he took in the bloody handprints on Daisuke’s shoulders as the man had gripped for his life. He saw the blood that dripped from his nails, where he had dug them into the man’s arms to hold him still, and the blood that ran from the corners of his lips and clung to the newly lengthened fangs, which were visible as Daisuke was panting for breath. And he looked into Daisuke’s now blue eyes, which were luminous.

‘Daisuke-chan…?’

Tenshai approached with one hand out, intending to lay it on Daisuke’s shoulder.

He received a shock, however, as some unseen force blocked his touch. He realized that somehow, Daisuke had formed a barrier around himself. He wasn’t sure whether or not it was meant to keep him out, but at that moment he was questioning whether or not Daisuke recognized him.

‘Daisuke-chan… What have you done? Let me in…’

‘I don’t know… how…’

Daisuke replied, his voice slightly harsh and more masculine.

‘Trust me.’

Tenshai replied in a lower voice.

Daisuke stared into Tenshai’s eyes for a moment, his own starting to fill with tears. A moment later, Tenshai gasped as he saw Daisuke begin to fall forward. He jumped instinctively, catching the younger male on his chest and in his arms, so that Daisuke ended up leaning against him. He was glad to find that the barrier had disappeared from the younger male.

‘There, that’s better. Come on.’

Tenshai was not surprised to find that Daisuke could not walk, even with his help. He knew that awakening was a taxing process, and even though Daisuke had fed, he would need more before the day was out. Tenshai lifted Daisuke into his arms easily, one arm curled around his back, just underneath his arms, the other behind his knees, carrying him like a child, the same way he had carried him when he was unconscious. Daisuke made a small questioning noise, but Tenshai simply shook his head.

‘Just hold onto me, rest your head and close your eyes. We’ll be back before you know it.’

‘Arigato…’

Daisuke whispered softly as he slipped his arms around Tenshai’s neck.

He frowned, however, as he heard no heartbeat when he rested his head on Tenshai’s chest. A tear dropped from his eye as he noticed this, soaking into Tenshai’s coat. Somehow the tear worked its way through the material until it touched his skin. Tenshai suddenly stopped walking, his eyes wide as he felt his heart beat. A few seconds later it beat again, slowly gaining speed until it reached a regular rhythm. He was in shock, and even more so when he heard Daisuke whisper, ‘That’s better…’

He glanced down at Daisuke and noticed that the other had closed his eyes. His hair framed his face well, a few stray strands falling over his lips and eyes. Tenshai had the feeling that it would be better to wait until they got back and were alone before discussing the matter. With that thought, he continued walking back toward the tavern, though still in shock as he felt his heart beat with every step.

Hikaru was serving a drink to a customer when he heard three sharp knocks on the door. He quickly gave the drink to the girl before walking over and heading to the door. Before he got to the door, however, one hard thump sent the door flying off its hinges and towards Hikaru. The male dropped to one knee and set his forearms forward, deflecting the wood though slightly injuring himself in the process. He looked up to see Tenshai with Daisuke in his arms entering the bar. He headed straight for the couch, giving a brief nod in greeting to Hikaru as he passed.

‘Get off the fucking couch.’

Tenshai growled to a male who was sprawled across it.

‘Make me.’

The male replied, glaring.

In fact, Tenshai didn’t have to do a thing. Hikaru walked over and quite literally pushed the male off the couch, then gestured to Tenshai.

‘Arigato.’

Tenshai sat Daisuke up on the couch, placing him down lightly.

‘Shouldn’t he be laying down?’

Hikaru questioned.

‘He’s not unconscious.’

Tenshai replied shortly.

‘Hey, Daisuke-chan. We’re here.’

Daisuke opened his eyes slowly as Tenshai tapped his cheek lightly. Hikaru gasped softly, covering his mouth to hide it as he caught sight of Daisuke’s luminous eyes. His eyes traveled over Daisuke, taking in the bloody handprints and the blood on his nails and lips. He noticed the fangs also, long as they were.

‘What happened to him…?’

‘It was him that we felt. His awakening. He uh… Killed two people. I’m not sure why yet.’

Tenshai replied to Hikaru’s question.

‘They were two of the ones who attacked me…’

Both Tenshai and Hikaru blinked and looked at Daisuke as he revealed this piece of information.

‘Hikaru-san…?’

Daisuke began.

‘What is it, Daisuke-san?’

‘Could I get a drink…? I’m thirsty…’

Tenshai and Hikaru looked at each other with a worried look. Tenshai nodded slightly to Hikaru, who then smiled at Daisuke and nodded before heading back to the bar to fetch a drink. Daisuke looked between the two, slightly confused before giving a questioning look to Tenshai.

‘Daisuke-chan… There’s something I think you already know, but I need to tell you.’

‘Tenshai-san… What is it…?’

Daisuke was beginning to get worried now, and his thirst was practically setting his blood on fire.

‘This… thirst you have… It’s not going to go with normal drinks.’

‘Arigato…’

Daisuke looked at Hikaru as the other handed him a glass of bourbon and coke. Then he looked back at Tenshai, confused.

‘What are you talking about…?’

Tenshai sighed softly, resting his hands on Daisuke’s knees.

‘Do you remember what happened?’

‘I remember what I did…’

Daisuke replied shortly.

‘Well… It was your awakening. That means you’ll never be the same again… This thirst isn’t for normal liquid… It’s for life.’

‘You’re wrong… I’m not…’

Daisuke began, then stopped. He drank down the entire glass of bourbon and coke, noticing that he felt no better.

‘How could I…?’

‘Well it’s most commonly through family. Someone in your family, possibly all of your family if you didn’t know them, wasn’t human. When you drank someone’s life source, that part of you awakened. It will never subside again.’

Hikaru looked at Daisuke as he spoke.

‘Believe me, we know how you feel. Except, we never had the chance to be normal. We lived with it our whole lives.’

Daisuke listened then nodded slightly, staring into the empty glass. He didn’t even realize how loosely he was holding it until the glass slipped from his fingers and fell. Hikaru was quick enough to catch the glass before it smashed.

‘Daisuke-chan?’

Tenshai spoke gently.

‘I think I need to lay down…’

Daisuke answered quietly.

‘Well, come downstairs. Since we don’t know what your family is, it may not be best to keep you up here.’

Tenshai answered lightly.

Daisuke nodded and started to stand up, Tenshai and Hikaru both lending a hand. He barely got a few steps before stumbling, but Tenshai caught him easily.

‘Okay, I’m carrying you. Hikaru-kun… Could you bring some alcohol and bandages down in about ten minutes?’

Tenshai and Hikaru shared a look then that told Hikaru exactly what the older male was planning. He sighed then nodded slightly.

‘Of course.’

‘Arigato.’

Tenshai lifted Daisuke as he always did and carried the other down the stairs and into his room easily. He lightly laid Daisuke on the bed, then sat beside him. He felt his heart beginning to beat faster, which was still a surprise. He still had trouble believing he had a heart again.

‘Daisuke, you’re feeling weak because you need to feed. A lot more than you have already.’

‘Well I can’t exactly go out and find the others right now, can I?’

Daisuke couldn’t help a bitter chuckle.

‘Well no, but there is another way that you could have a definite source over the next few days that will keep you a little more energized than normal blood. It shouldn’t cause you any trouble for a short time, but if you have it for a long time, you could develop extra abilities.’

Tenshai replied slowly.

‘How would I manage that?’

Daisuke asked curiously despite himself.

‘You could take it from me.’

Tenshai replied softly.

‘You would… let me? You’d do that for me?’

Daisuke responded after several moments of silence.

‘I would. Besides, you need to learn from somewhere.’

As Tenshai spoke, he took his coat off and hung it by the door. He slipped his shades off and placed them on the side table.

‘You’ll need to learn how to feed without killing, and you also need to know that you will have to place a mark on someone that you do not intend to kill.’

‘How… How will I know how to do that?’

Daisuke’s voice shook slightly. Obviously, he was nervous about this.

‘I can guide you through it. If you were willing, I could be your mentor. In more precise terms, if you agreed to it, I would be your sire. But as you are already turned, I prefer to call it your mentor.’

‘Why would you be called my sire?’

Daisuke asked warily.

‘Because to do so, I would have to take a small amount of your blood also.’

Tenshai replied as he slipped his shirt off then sat back down beside the other.

Daisuke bit his bottom lip lightly as he thought for a moment. Then slowly, he nodded.

‘I think I’d like that.’

‘You and me both.’

Tenshai whispered under his breath.

‘You’ll need to sit up.’

Daisuke nodded and did as he was told, pushing himself up with Tenshai’s assistance. Tenshai scooted closer to the other, so that they were sitting beside each other, their legs facing the opposite way, though looking at each other.

‘What… Happens now?’

Daisuke asked slightly shakily.

‘I take a small amount from you first. Then you have your first willing victim.’

Tenshai replied softly.

‘Alright… I’m ready…’

Daisuke answered after a few moments.

Tenshai nodded slightly and slipped one arm around Daisuke, pulling him close. He lightly brushed the others’ hair back from his neck, leaving a bare spot.

‘You’re sure?’

He whispered softly.

Daisuke nodded slightly then closed his eyes, exhaling slowly. Tenshai nodded then pressed the tips of his fangs to the others skin. He paused for a second, then bit down, his fangs parting the flesh beneath them easily. Daisuke gasped as he felt the pain of the bite, then whimpered softly, falling limp in Tenshai’s arms. He felt Tenshai remove his fangs then before sucking at the wound, drawing the blood from the others’ body. Daisuke felt himself unable to move, shivers running up his spine. Tenshai was true to his word, not taking much of his blood. He pulled back a few moments later, licking his lips lightly before Daisuke could see the action. He helped the younger male to sit up again then looked into his eyes. He gave Daisuke a moment to recover then nodded slightly.

‘Your turn.’

‘I don’t think I can… Hurt you…’

Daisuke whispered shakily.

‘Mm… Well we can get around that for today…. But you will have to learn…’

Tenshai answered.

He dragged one sharp nail across his own neck, making a small cut. Blood came to the surface immediately, forming drops on his skin. Tenshai nodded to the other, his heart thumping in his chest lightly. Daisuke leant forward slowly, then pressed his mouth to the wound. His eyes widened slightly at the first taste of Tenshai’s blood, then closed in bliss. He forgot his former reluctance to hurt the other, suddenly biting down sharply, his fangs sinking into the soft flesh. Tenshai gasped softly and felt his heart skip a beat as Daisuke dug his fangs in, then drew the blood from his veins hungrily. Tenshai lightly took Daisuke’s hand and placed it on the other side of his neck, giving the other male a better grip. Daisuke took the offer, using the grip to press his fangs deeper. Tenshai felt a shudder run through his body, gripping the others’ shoulders. He gasped softly as he began to feel weaker. Daisuke was taking his blood faster than he had thought. He lightly pushed Daisuke away, hoping he took the hint. The younger male did, and released his bite, then sat up. As he opened his eyes, Tenshai was slightly shocked. His eyes shone a brighter blue than he had seen them yet. He was practically mesmerized as he looked into his eyes.

‘Now all that’s left is the bond…’

Tenshai whispered softly.

He brought one finger up to rest under Daisuke’s chin, bringing him closer. A moment later his lips pressed against the younger males lightly. He felt Daisuke’s hesitation for a moment before the younger male slipped his hand behind Tenshai’s neck and drew himself closer, pressing against the other male. Tenshai’s arms slowly slipped around Daisuke’s waist and held the boy tight against him. Daisuke leant harder against Tenshai until they fell back on the bed, right at the moment that he parted his lips slightly. Tenshai’s tongue pushed into the others’ mouth lightly, playing teasing circles around the tip of Daisuke’s tongue. Both could taste their own, and each others’ blood. Daisuke couldn’t help pressing himself against Tenshai as they kissed, satisfied as he heard Tenshai groan softly. Slowly Daisuke began to pull away, lightly sucking on Tenshai’s bottom lip for a moment, then giving three small ending kisses. As they broke apart, they both released a pent up breath.

‘Wow…’ Daisuke whispered softly.

‘Mmm…’ Tenshai answered, his fingers running lightly over Daisuke’s back.

They fell silent, both of them feeling weak. They started to fall asleep, but just before they did, Daisuke pulled the blanket over the two of them. Tenshai mumbled something that sounded like a thanks, and Daisuke nodded before laying his head back on Tenshai’s chest, falling asleep quickly.

Hikaru entered the room half an hour after Tenshai had asked him to. He had figured something would happen between the two, and he didn’t particularly feel like walking in on it. As he looked at the way they were laying, Daisuke on top of Tenshai, he knew that he was right. Something had definitely happened, though he didn’t want to find out exactly what. He sighed softly and shook his head, carefully rolling Daisuke off Tenshai, gently enough not to wake him. He tilted the boy’s head to the side so that he could reach the wound, then lightly wiped the blood away before placing a square of sterile bandage over it. When he had finished dressing Daisuke’s wound, he moved to Tenshai’s. It surprised him slightly that the other had allowed Daisuke to wound his neck rather than his wrist, as he usually would. Yet somehow he knew he had been expecting it. He wiped the blood away once again before dressing it. As he leant over Tenshai to secure the bandage, he stopped, his eyes slightly wide. He was sure he had just felt a heart beat, but Tenshai didn’t have one. Did he? Hikaru finished dressing the wound, then pressed his fingers to Tenshai’s wrist, as he would if he were taking a pulse.

‘No way… I don’t believe it…’

Hikaru whispered softly.

‘It was Daisuke…’

Hikaru jumped slightly as he heard Tenshai’s voice.

‘What do you mean Shai-senpai?’

‘I don’t know how he did it. But I… He gave me a heart again. He tried to listen to my heartbeat when I was bringing him back, and was sad when I didn’t have one. So I guess he just… gave me one.’

‘How could he possibly have that sort of power?’

Hikaru asked, surprised.

‘Honestly, I don’t know… But I plan on finding out.’

‘Couldn’t that be a bit dangerous?’

‘Of course it could…’

Tenshai looked at Daisuke, brushing a few strands of hair from his eyes as he spoke.

‘But I need to know. So does he, I think.’

Hikaru looked thoughtful for a moment, watching Tenshai. The other looked over for a moment, then frowned slightly.

‘What?’

‘Well I was just thinking… Would he be happy if you…’

Hikaru didn’t quite get to finish, as Tenshai cut him off.

‘We need it.’

‘Are you sure he needs it so much as you do?’

Tenshai glared at Hikaru for a moment, then sighed softly. He knew within himself that he needed to know more than Daisuke needed to. Daisuke probably didn’t want to know anything. But Tenshai had to know.

‘Yeah well, just be careful with it, hm? Betrayal is something that is not forgiven easily.’

Hikaru smiled slightly as he said the words, patting Tenshai’s shoulder lightly before he got up and left the room. Tenshai lay alone then, staring at the ceiling, deep in his thoughts. He sighed softly as he glanced at Daisuke, running his fingers through the soft blue hair. He couldn’t help thinking of the possible ramifications of his actions if he chose to find out without asking Daisuke first. He had never really thought about what affect his actions would have on people with anyone other than Hikaru, and he had known Hikaru from a very young age. They had spent time together as children, then somehow been separated. Years later, they bumped into each other and recognized one another immediately, more from feel and scent than from sight. Though Tenshai had cared for Hikaru more than he should have, he never let the other boy know. He acted cold, as though he cared nothing for the other. The problem with Tenshai was that though he acted like he was better than everyone, deep within himself he truly believed that he was not worthy of anyone’s affection. For some reason he had found himself unable to restrain his desires with Daisuke - A boy he had only known for a few days. If he couldn’t curb his desire soon, who knew what would happen? Almost the same as if he couldn’t kill his curiosity within the next few days.

Tenshai sighed softly and closed his eyes, resting an arm over Daisuke.

04: Recovering

Over the next few days, Daisuke slowly began to recover and discover new parts of himself, all with the help and support of Hikaru and Tenshai. With a shock, the two older males had found that his awakening was so bad that he had to learn how to do things again. Three days after they had brought him back, Tenshai eventually forced him out of bed. He had been staying in bed the entire time, either sleeping, or talking, or simply staring into space. Every night Tenshai allowed him to feed, though it was draining his own strength. During the day Tenshai went upstairs and helped himself to packaged blood, mostly to keep his strength up so that he could continue feeding Daisuke. But after three days, Tenshai got sick of Daisuke staying in bed. They had a short fight, which resulted in Tenshai forcing Daisuke to get up and out of bed. That was when they realized that Daisuke was unable to walk. He seemed unable to force his legs into the correct movements to walk. Hikaru had managed to catch Daisuke as he stumbled forward, then with Tenshai’s help, they both helped him back to sit down. Daisuke had burst into tears, talking shakily of how he hadn’t wanted them to find out, because they would think he was useless, which the two assured Daisuke that they did not think such. After that, there was more to do than ever. Every day when they woke up, Tenshai and Daisuke showered together, as Tenshai needed to help Daisuke shower, since he couldn’t stand on his own, and when he was holding onto the bar in the shower he had no hands free to wash. Then Hikaru would come down in the morning and together, he and Tenshai helped Daisuke to walk upstairs. The first few days it took roughly half an hour just to get him up to a seat, and for most of the way they had to help him move his legs. After four days he was moving and lifting his legs on his own, but he was not steady on his feet, and if they let go of him, he would have fallen over. After another two days, Hikaru and Daisuke cheered together when he took three steps without any support. More valued to Daisuke, however, was the soft smile on Tenshai’s lips and the slight nod that he received from the other male. He was at a loss as to when Tenshai’s approval had come to mean so much to him, but it filled him with a gentle warmth when he found that he had it.

A week and a half later, Daisuke had made amazing progress. He was walking with minimal support, he was showering on his own, and Hikaru even had him doing some low impact training. Tenshai had never really let anyone see his training, so Hikaru and Daisuke went into the training room while Tenshai remained in the bar, drinking until he was at least light headed. Then they would usually spend some time together, sometimes outside, where Tenshai and Daisuke would just walk for awhile. They never really walked too far, just in case Daisuke was unable to handle it, but if that happened, Tenshai simply carried the other male back to the tavern. By that time it was usually night, so that way Tenshai could walk without his coat. They would get back, Tenshai would help Daisuke down to bed, as the younger male was still uncomfortable heading downstairs with no support, then Tenshai would let Daisuke feed from him before the other went to sleep. Once Daisuke was asleep, Tenshai went back upstairs for a short time to do his own training. He would do that for about half an hour before going back to the bar to join Hikaru in a drink or five. Usually that resulted in sensitive moments with the other male, though they didn’t share another kiss. Tenshai managed to restrain himself, unlike with Daisuke. Since their first kiss, the two had kissed very few times. They had kissed three times in the first one and a half weeks after Daisuke’s awakening, then not at all after that. It was three weeks after they had found that Daisuke needed to learn how to walk again that something really happened. Tenshai had completed the usual routine over the day, except for the fact that as Hikaru had fallen ill, it was left up to Tenshai to help him train. The experience had left Tenshai slightly more wiped than usual, so he skipped his usual evening drink, substituting it with an extra half hour of training, which left him even more exhausted. He headed down to the bedroom and entered quietly. As he went to sit on the bed, he noticed by the younger males' breathing that Daisuke was still awake. He lay down next to the other, then gently pulled him close.

‘You’re still awake?’

Tenshai asked softly.

‘Mm. I couldn’t get to sleep.’

‘Why is that?’

‘I don’t know. I guess I was feeling a little restless.’

‘So was I. That’s why I’m back early.’

‘Mm…’

The two boys fell silent for a time, holding to each other loosely. Neither of them felt anywhere near sleep, being that they had a bit on their minds, but they didn’t want to talk in case the other was going to sleep. Eventually, Daisuke felt he couldn’t keep silent anymore, and broke the quiet with a soft voice.

‘Shai-san…?’

‘Mmhm?’

‘What would you do if I said… that I need you to be with me tonight? If I asked you to, just for tonight?’

Tenshai blinked a few times as the question caught him slightly off guard.

‘Why just for tonight, Dai-chan?’

‘Well, I somehow don’t think you would want it to continue any longer than that.’

‘I see. And why do you need this?’

As Tenshai spoke, he looked at the younger male, rolling slightly to face him properly. Daisuke chewed on his own lower lip lightly as he looked back at Tenshai.

‘I don’t really know. I just know that I need you tonight.’

Tenshai thought for a moment, then gently pulled the younger male into a soft kiss, their lips fitting together perfectly, almost as if they were made to fit together.

‘Then I suppose I will have to give you all you need. And myself at the same time. I have needed you near every night, Dai-chan.’

Tenshai shifted until he lay on top of Daisuke, supporting his weight with his knees on either side of the other male’s hips, straddling him. Then he leant down, his back forming a slight arch as he pressed his lips to the younger males’ beneath him, kissing him deeply as he prepared to become intimately linked with the boy.

The night was spent in a wave of passion, heat and ecstasy, exhaustion eventually drawing near after several hours of intimacy. Daisuke was sweating and still shaking slightly as he rolled into Tenshai’s arms, his back to his lovers chest. His throat was still sore after screaming the older male’s name several times over the course of that few hours. Tenshai gently slipped one arm over Daisuke’s naked body, drawing him closer to his own. He rested his head so that his lips were by the younger males ear before whispering softly.

‘I think you should be able to sleep now…’

‘Mmm… Ari…’

Tenshai never heard the rest of the word, as it was replaced with a deep breathing from Daisuke. But he knew what the younger male had meant to say, and he smiled slightly.

‘No worries.’

He replied quietly before closing his eyes. The only thing that he drew over them was a sheet, as it was a warm night anyway, and would still be when they cooled down. A moment before he fell asleep, Tenshai found one of Daisuke’s hands and before he had realized what he was doing, he had laced his fingers in with the younger males. With the warm comfort of Daisuke’s hand, he fell into a peaceful, dreamless sleep for the first time in months.

Hikaru was in his own bed when he woke with a start. For a moment he couldn’t isolate what had awoken him, then he heard the footsteps. He slipped his hand under the pillow for his knife, but stopped as he realized the person he knew all too well was close enough to see him. He didn’t want the other to know that he had a weapon until he could use it effectively, and at the moment, he knew the other would overpower him. Instead of using the knife, he balled his fists up and braced himself, then kicked out at the intruder with both feet. He heard an exclamation, then the male was on top of him, delivering a few well-aimed hits to Hikaru’s face. Hikaru struggled for a moment, managing to get one hit in before iron grips on both of his wrists forced him flat on the bed and held him down. He continued kicking for a moment before he felt a knee dig into his hip, hitting one of his personal pressure points and rendering him unable to move his legs. A quiet sob escaped Hikaru’s lips as he realized that he’d lost once again.

‘That’s right, give up.’

A harsh male voice broke the silence, and Hikaru turned his head to the side, looking away from the man who held him pinned. His wrists hurt as he felt the vice grip on them, but he refused to cry out in pain. He felt a harsh kiss on his cheek before the man found his lips and kissed him roughly, forcing him to part his lips. Hikaru participated slightly, knowing that if he didn’t, he would only suffer more. Suddenly the man broke off him.

‘You know what… That’s the first time you’ve fought me. I think that warrants a little surprise for you. I think it’s time to go all the way with you.’

Hikaru’s eyes widened in fear as he realized the full implications of what the other meant. He started to struggle, though as soon as he did, the grip almost broke his wrists.

‘No… gods no…. Don’t Tenji… Please no….’

Hikaru whispered the plea as he continued to struggle, though it didn’t take long for him to tire and lay motionless.

‘Now, Hikaru, you know struggling only makes me more determined. Be a good boy, now.’

Hikaru shut his eyes and kept them shut as he felt the other peel his shirt up and off, whimpering softly. Tears began to leak from his eyes, as hard as he tried to stop them. Through the pain of his rape and hearing the moans of Tenji’s ecstasy, Hikaru remained motionless, tears soaking his pillow as they rolled down his cheeks. He was silent, however, pretending that he simply refused to speak to the other. The only pain that was worse than feeling the male he most hated violating him, was when Tenji kissed him roughly as he grabbed his own clothes and dressed, then told him how nice a boy he was and how wonderful he felt. Hikaru’s wrists hurt so much that he couldn’t even press his hands to his eyes as he shook and cried once Tenji had left the room. Instead, he pressed his face into the pillow, convulsing with the force of his sobs. As he slammed his fist in the pillow, he felt the knife beneath it. A thought came to his mind, something drastic that he would never usually even consider doing, but with his pain, it seemed perfectly rational. He couldn’t die, after all, so what harm could it do? He pulled the knife from under the pillow then stared at it, the tip resting on the inside of his wrist. Before he could change his mind, before he could even think about it, Hikaru had dug the knife in and dragged the blade down his wrist, along the vein. In seconds there was a puddle of blood soaking into the sheet that rapidly widened. Hikaru gasped softly as he felt how quickly the blood flowed, being unable to see it. Even if he couldn’t die, he knew how weak he would be if he lost all of the blood in his veins. He noticed that he was already feeling weak, soon having to struggle to stay sitting up. It wasn’t long before he found that he could no longer keep his eyes open and passed out, falling back on the bed with the knife still in his hand, the sheets, his chest and his arm covered in his own blood.

05: Revelation and Betrayal

Tenshai woke the next morning and blinked a few times, trying to locate himself. He had an odd feeling deep within him that he couldn’t quite isolate, but it was making him feel worried. He gently slipped his hand out of Daisuke’s, then brushed dark red strands out of his eyes. He sighed softly as he sat up, rubbing his eyes. He glanced at Daisuke and smiled slightly, watching the younger male for some time, thinking. He had questioned Daisuke as to what he knew about all that had happened, but the younger male was either being stubborn or he truly didn’t know. Now Tenshai wondered if it wasn’t time to finally find out. He chewed on his bottom lip as he stared at the boy, trying to decide. Then he sighed and shook his head. He couldn’t afford to care. He pressed his two fingers to Daisuke’s temple then whispered a few words. The next second he gasped as visions flashed through his mind almost faster than he could catch them. He saw Daisuke being born to a woman who appeared to be an angel. Then he saw a male, apparently Daisuke’s father, cradling him. He was a demon, or more precisely, a fallen angel living on earth, fallen from the lords grace. In the next vision Daisuke was at the age of two, and there was some creature fighting his mother and father. Both were killed, and Tenshai found that the creature’s true aim was to let a few drops of blood fall between Daisuke’s lips. That was when Tenshai saw that Daisuke also had a twin brother, though the creature did not seem bothered with him. Yet Daisuke, young as he was, wiped some blood from his own lip and put his finger in his brothers’ mouth, so that he too tasted the blood and gained the apparent abilities. Skipping to when the twins were five years old, Daisuke’s twin died. Yet somehow, Daisuke managed to start his heart again simply by letting a tear drop onto his brothers’ chest. Then and there they made a pact never to tell the people they knew as their parents. But their parents did find out, and their father decided to separate them. He wiped their memories of each other, then sent Daisuke to a tutor in Tokyo, where he lived for the next fifteen years. When the twins were eighteen, however, Daisuke’s brother, who was still in America, performed a spell that went awry. As a consequence, or perhaps more of a blessing, they both stopped aging. Daisuke became a tutor himself at the age of nineteen, tutoring a fifteen-year-old blonde boy. He was Japanese, yet his blonde hair made people doubt him. The boy got too close to him, and ended up dying because of it. Out of guilt and hatred for himself, Daisuke had killed himself. Twenty years later, Tenshai had a vision of a demon standing above Daisuke’s still body, muttering a spell. The male’s face was not clear, yet Tenshai was sure he had heard that voice before somewhere. As Daisuke awakened, the figure knelt and put a hand on his chest.

‘A second chance.’

The male had whispered before disappearing into nothing but vapor. On top of Daisuke’s coat was a small silver pendant - the same that he now wore, and the same that the two brothers had worn as children. Tenshai saw once again the persons who had attacked Daisuke and caused him such pain - all up to the point where Daisuke had lain face down in the dirt by the dirty little tavern where Tenshai and Hikaru had found him.

Tenshai snapped back to the present, his heart thumping wildly from the experience. He had learnt much more than he had expected, more than he had wanted to. But that was always the danger of doing such. He let himself calm down, watching Daisuke while he waited for his heart to go back to its normal rhythm. Eventually he decided he would wake the younger male up, so without hesitation, he nipped at Daisuke’s ear. Daisuke started and sat up quickly with a shock.

‘Didn’t think I’d let you sleep all day, did you?’

Daisuke blinked a few times and shook his head, then smiled slightly as he took in Tenshai’s appearance and recalled the events of the previous night. He slipped his feet out from under the blanket then stood shakily before starting to slowly walk toward the bathroom. Once he was safely in the bathroom, he grinned and commented to Tenshai.

‘You know, you’re an ass when you’ve been laid.’

He quickly closed and locked the door then before Tenshai could reach it, as he knew he would get his ass kicked for that. Which was exactly what Tenshai yelled through the door. Daisuke simply giggled softly to himself before stepping into the cold shower. He didn’t think he’d ever get used to the lack of hot water, he thought as he shivered underneath the stream of water. He washed quickly, including washing his hair, then stepped out of the shower and dried himself quickly. He stepped out of the bathroom with the towel wrapped around him and made his way over to the wardrobe then opened the door and looked through the clothes.

‘You know, that is -my- wardrobe.’

Tenshai piped up testily from the bed.

‘I know. But your clothes fit me so well. And they look better on me.’

Daisuke gave Tenshai a cheeky grin seconds before receiving a pillow in the face. The younger male threw it back at Tenshai twice as hard, catching him in the back of his head. The older male groaned and pressed his face into the pillow. Daisuke just smiled then looked thoughtful as he pulled on a pair of Tenshai’s belted pants. They rattled as he pulled them on due to the chains that hung from them. He belted and zipped most of the parts of the pants, but had trouble with one of the belts on the back. Eventually Tenshai got up and helped him to tighten the belt.

‘Arigato.’

Daisuke smiled as he felt Tenshai’s hands rest on his hips, then turned to face the other male, letting his hands rest up on his shoulders. Tenshai leant down and lightly pressed his lips to the younger males’.

‘You were right.’

Tenshai spoke softly.

‘Hmm?’

Daisuke tilted his head to the side in slight confusion.

‘They do look better on you. I haven’t worn them for two years.’

‘Really? They’re actually really comfortable. And they look awesome.’

Tenshai smiled as he looked at the younger male.

‘They do on you. They’re yours.’

‘Really?’

Daisuke smiled as Tenshai nodded and leant up to kiss the older male.

‘Arigato.’

‘Mm. Get upstairs.’

Daisuke nodded slightly and headed for the door, then waited at the bottom of the stairs. Tenshai threw a pair of pants on then followed and helped Daisuke up the stairs. The younger male still didn’t feel comfortable going upstairs on his own, even though it had been about three and a half weeks. Upstairs, Tenshai gestured for Daisuke to take a seat at the bar, slightly confused as he noticed that Hikaru was not behind the bar. That feeling of unease that he’d had since he woke was still there. He stepped behind the bar and into the back room, but noticed that it was empty. He looked back at Daisuke, then shrugged his shoulders, putting a calm look on his face to not worry the boy.

‘Probably still in bed, the lazy git. Good thing he put the closed sign up before he went to bed, or we’d have no bar.’

Though he kept his voice calm, Tenshai was truly worried. Hikaru had never been late to get up to work before, not even when he wasn’t feeling well. Yet here they were, the bar closed and Hikaru nowhere in sight. Tenshai chewed on his bottom lip for a few moments, and Daisuke knew that he was worried. Daisuke stood and started to head over to the stairs, which surprised Tenshai. So far the younger male had refused to attempt the stairs.

‘Where are you off to, brat?’

‘Off to kick the git out of bed. I won’t be long.’

Tenshai nodded slightly then watched Daisuke until the younger male was out of sight. Daisuke slowly made his way down the stairs, leaning slightly on the wall for support, his heart thumping in his chest as he feared he would fall down the stairs. Once he got to the bottom he breathed a soft sigh of relief, pausing for a moment until his heart reached a regular beat once again before he moved forward. He knocked once on Hikaru’s door, then after not receiving an answer, he slowly pushed it open. He thanked his new eyesight that he could see easily.

‘Hikaru-san…?’

He asked as he took a few steps inside. He paused as his eyes adjusted, squinting at the bed.

‘Hikaru!’

Daisuke bolted to the bed as he saw that Hikaru had passed out in a puddle of his own blood that ran from his wrist. Daisuke tapped Hikaru’s cheeks, trying to wake the other.

‘Hikaru, Hikaru, wake up please…. I can’t carry you, I’m not strong enough… Not good enough…’

Daisuke sobbed softly and whimpered, rubbing Hikaru’s cheeks. Hikaru stirred slightly, hardly at all, but enough to raise his hand and put his bloodied wrist to Daisuke’s lips. Daisuke blinked in shock for a few moments, staring at Hikaru in confusion. The other still had not opened his eyes.

‘You want me to… drink from you?’

Hikaru simply nodded slightly, his lips forming a plea. Daisuke felt a moment’s hesitation, then steeled himself and nodded slightly. He took Hikaru’s wound to his lips and drank the small amount of blood that remained, careful not to let his fangs pierce the other. Immediately he felt a new strength flow into him, and he stopped drinking, as there was no blood left in the others’ veins. He lifted Hikaru into a sitting position, placed the others’ arms around his own neck then lifted him into his arms as Tenshai usually carried him. Hikaru’s head fell limp against Daisuke’s chest, where some drips of blood from Hikaru’s slit wrist had dropped on him.

‘It’s okay, I’ll get you up to Tenshai…’

‘No…’

Hikaru whispered the word hurriedly, almost whimpering.

‘Don’t let him…’

Hikaru was still trying to form the words for several moments, then Daisuke realized what he was trying to say.

‘You don’t want him to know?’

‘Mmm…’

Hikaru breathed a sigh of relief as he found that he didn’t have to try to tell the other.

‘Alright.’

Daisuke carried Hikaru to a small room between the two only bedrooms in the basement. The room had a chair and every bit of first aid that one could imagine. It also had a sink and mirror. Daisuke gently placed Hikaru in the chair, conveniently forgetting to notice that he was naked save for the sheet he had thought to wrap roughly around the other male when he’d picked him up. He turned and found some alcohol wipes easily, then used them to clean up the blood off Hikaru’s wrist. Then he found a needle and some thread. He bit his bottom lip, looking at Hikaru doubtfully. The other male had his eyes closed, which Daisuke figured was for the best as he prepared Hikaru’s wrist to stitch the wound.

‘I hope you don’t mind pain…’

Hikaru stirred for a second before gasping and going rigid as Daisuke began to stitch the wound. It took only a few seconds for the first stitch, but it was agony for Hikaru. A tear rolled down his cheek as he felt the needle go in for the second, then come back out.

‘It’s okay, only a few more to go. Hold on there, Hikaru-san.’

Hikaru made a soft noise to show he had heard, though tears rolled down his cheeks quickly as Daisuke continued stitching up the wound. He finished as quickly as he could, cleaning it up and applying a salve that would stop any bleeding. He put everything back in its right place then gently lifted Hikaru into his arms again.

‘Where…?’

‘Back to your room. We have to get some clothes back on you then get some strength into you before you go upstairs.’

Daisuke finished Hikaru’s unspoken question for him. He gently laid Hikaru on the bed then went to the door and thought to lock it, luckily. Then he went to the drawers and picked out some pants for the other male and a long sleeved black shirt. He had seen the bruises on Hikaru’s wrists and was sure that he should cover them. He helped the other into the clothes he had picked out, noticing that he fell back on the bed as soon as he let the other go.

‘Open your mouth.’

Hikaru obeyed, thankfully, as Daisuke bit down into his own wrist. His fangs pierced his vein, forming a steady flow of blood as he put his wrist to Hikaru’s lips. Hikaru drank weakly for about a minute before he was able to move his head forward, then he dug his fangs in and bit down, drinking hungrily. Daisuke let him drink for some time, then gently pulled away. At that moment there was a rattle on the doorknob, then a pounding on the door, and Tenshai’s voice was yelling their names. Hikaru released his wrist then licked his lips lightly, sitting up on his own. Daisuke slipped on a material wristband to cover his wound then smiled lightly and helped Hikaru to stand up before going to the door and unlocking it. Tenshai fell in the room, having been about to throw his weight against the door. He stared at the two in shock.

‘Didn’t you hear me knocking?’

‘I’m sorry Shai-senpai, I was having a bit of a talk with Daisuke-chan.’

Tenshai looked between the two suspiciously, then gestured out the door.

‘Well, get a move on and get your asses upstairs.’

The two nodded and headed upstairs quickly, passing a slight grin to each other when Tenshai wasn’t looking. Thankfully, he hadn’t found out. Although, Daisuke felt that something was bothering Hikaru. Tenshai looked over at the bed when they were out of the room, frowning with worry as he saw the large puddle of blood and the stained sheets strewn over it roughly.

Tenshai sat for some time, watching the other male as he served the few customers that had come in during the day. Daisuke had gone downstairs for a bit of a sleep by the time that Tenshai decided to confront his friend. He grabbed Hikaru’s wrist and dragged him into the back room while no one was looking. That action was part of the way he found out what was wrong. Hikaru was struggling much more than usual, and a sob of pain escaped him. Tenshai closed the door then took his hands off the younger male, putting them up in shock. Hikaru had never acted this way to him before - the fact that Hikaru stood in the corner with his back pressed into the corner, then slid down with his face in his hands sobbing only made it worse. When Tenshai went to touch Hikaru's shoulder, the other male actually flinched away as though he were scared, which both shocked and hurt Tenshai.

‘Hikaru-kun?’

Hikaru whimpered and pushed himself further back into the corner. Tenshai squinted through the darkness to try to see him. Then he realized - it was the dark. He pulled his silver lighter out and lit it, then knelt down by Hikaru, holding the light up so that it illuminated the two of them.

‘Karu-kun, look at me… It’s me.’

Hikaru looked up, still trembling and a look of fear on his face. His black hair was wet with sweat and covered half of his face, clinging to the skin. Tenshai gently brushed the wet strands back from Hikaru's eyes, frowning slightly.

‘Hikaru-kun, why…?’

Hikaru shook his head, and Tenshai sighed. He put the lighter down, leaving it upright and lit, then took Hikaru’s hand in one arm and pushed the sleeve back. He’d had the suspicion that he would find what he needed to know there, as Hikaru had really struggled when he had touched his wrist. His eyes widened in shock as he saw the deep bruising that colored his friends’ wrist. He snatched up Hikaru's other hand and pushed back the sleeve on it, finding identical bruising. Hikaru hung his head in shame as Tenshai turned his hand over, then looked at his wrist. He gasped in pain as the older male felt the rough stitches on the wound. It seemed like hours before Tenshai finally let go of his hands.

‘At least the little brat knows how to stitch a wound. Hikaru, what the hell did you think you were doing?’

‘I… I figured since I couldn’t die anyway, it wouldn’t do any harm…’

‘And you felt the need to hurt yourself because…?’

‘It’s… nothing.’

‘Bullshit!’

Tenshai stood and turned away from Hikaru, cursing underneath his breath.

‘Baka! How could you let anyone do this to you?! If this is all they did!’

Hikaru hung his head once again, tears forming in his eyes then rapidly rolling down his cheeks.

‘It’s not all they did, is it? These bruises, these are from someone holding you down, aren’t they?’

Hikaru stayed silent, choosing not to answer. He learnt that this was a bad decision, jumping as Tenshai yelled at him.

‘Aren’t they?!’

‘Hai!’

Hikaru flung his head up as he screamed the answer. Tears rolled down his cheeks in rapid succession as he glared at Tenshai.

‘Hai, he held me down, and I feel bad enough as it is! Isn’t it enough that I have to scrub myself clean every day without you yelling at me for that which I cannot control?!’

Tenshai took a step back from the younger male who was now screaming at the top of his lungs, his hair whipping around his face in a wild fury. In the dim light, the dark circles around Hikaru’s eyes were more prominent, showing how little sleep the male had got of late.

‘Hikaru-kun…’

‘All I ever wanted from you was a little bit of affection! But you never show it to me. All you ever do is yell at me and get pissed at me, and I’m sick of it! I can’t control what he does to me…’

Hikaru finished the last few words off quietly, nearly beneath his breath. Tenshai’s eyes softened as he looked at the younger male, who now had tears falling down his cheeks rapidly.

‘Gomen, Karu-kun.’

Tenshai gently drew Hikaru into his arms. The younger male hesitated for a moment, then fell against the older male, shaking and sobbing against him. Tenshai gently wrapped his arms around the sobbing male, rocking him gently.

‘Hush, it’s alright. I won’t yell at you again. Gomen asai….’

Hikaru didn’t answer, simply clutching to Tenshai, shaking and crying. Tenshai rested his chin on Hikaru’s shoulder, sighing softly and continuing to rock him. As he ran his hand down Hikaru’s back, however, the younger male gasped and pulled away in fear. An expression of pain entered Tenshai’s eyes as he sat back, his hands up in defeat. Although he understood the way Hikaru felt, he couldn’t help being hurt over it.

‘I’m sorry… I can’t feel you anymore and I don’t know why…’

‘I know why. It’s because for a few seconds, every drop of blood left your system. That’s why I was feeling so odd all day… You broke the bond….’

Tenshai was shocked as he spoke those words, realizing the implications of this event. He could hardly believe himself that the bond between them was broken, and by the look on Hikaru’s face, the other male couldn’t believe it either.

‘You mean… I can never get that back?’

Hikaru’s voice was shaky as he spoke, tears coming to his eyes once again as Tenshai shook his head slightly, silent. Hikaru dropped his head into his hands, both of the boys falling silent at this realization. They’d had a bond since they were children, when they first met. And it was what brought them back to each other when they were both free as teenagers. To find that now that bond was gone was devastating to the two, more so than many people would realize. Never again would either of them know where the other was without asking, nor would they know what the other was planning unless told. These thoughts ran through their minds as they sat until the lighter failed. Even in the dark they still sat, Hikaru with tears running down his cheeks silently and Tenshai not crying but staring blankly, deep in thought. They stayed there for several hours in silence, despite the fact that there were customers in the bar.

Daisuke woke up a few hours after he had gone down for a nap. From the moment he woke up, he knew that something was wrong. His connection with Tenshai was very thin, as though the older male was far away, though Daisuke knew that he was upstairs. He sighed softly as he slipped out from underneath the thick blanket and slipped on Tenshai’s belted pants, then started tightening the belts again. Five minutes later he headed upstairs, stifling a yawn as he did so. He received an unwelcome shock, however, as he saw that there were customers behind the bar, helping themselves to alcohol and making a right mess in the process. His eyebrows came down over his eyes like thunderclouds, making him appear terrifying as his eyes blazed red. Without having to make a noise, the bar fell silent as every occupant looked his way. He approached the bar, making a motion for the occupants to get out from behind the bar. With a look of fear, the two males put the bottles down and stepped back to the lounge area.

‘Better. Now where are Tenshai and Hikaru.’

His words came out in a low growl, his eyes burning into that of a customer. The male hesitated for a moment, and then lifted his hand to point to the back room. Daisuke didn’t even trouble himself to thank the man, turning to knock on the door.

‘Shai-san!’

He waited for a few moments, but when he didn’t receive an answer, he got the shits and kicked the door in. The lock broke from the force of his kick, nearly throwing the door off its hinges. That surprised him, as usually he wouldn’t be able to do such, never mind even attempting it. He stepped into the room, glancing around the partial darkness until he saw the two, sitting by the wall. He walked over and knelt down in front of Tenshai, looking into his eyes. As soon as Tenshai looked at Daisuke, the younger male nodded his head toward the door. As Tenshai got up and exited the room, Daisuke turned to face Hikaru. He gently stroked Hikaru’s cheek, wiping away the others’ tears.

‘Hikaru-san?’

Hikaru made a soft whimpering noise as he looked at the younger male, then a moment later he practically jumped on Daisuke, throwing his arms around his neck as he sobbed. Daisuke blinked in shock for a second then sighed and slipped his arms around Hikaru, rubbing his back gently.

‘It’s okay.’

Hikaru shook his head slightly, shaking against the younger male. Though his body shook, he was out of tears and exhausted. Daisuke sighed then gently lifted Hikaru into his arms and carried him from the room. As he walked out of the door, he glanced at Tenshai, who received a shock as he saw Daisuke carrying the heavier male. He opened his mouth to ask a question, but closed it as Daisuke shook his head slightly.

‘Go to bed. I’ll be down in a few minutes, just as soon as I put this one to bed.’

Tenshai nodded slightly, then headed downstairs as he saw Daisuke indicate to him to go first. Once Tenshai had disappeared downstairs, Daisuke glanced around at the occupants. Hikaru’s face was pressed against his chest, his arms wrapped around Daisuke’s shoulders. He still shook from tears that didn’t fall.

‘Bar’s closed. Out you get, come back tomorrow.’

There was a lot of grumbling and arguing, but eventually everyone either left the bar or went to their rooms upstairs. Daisuke locked the main door then shifted Hikaru as gently as he could so he could walk downstairs. Hikaru made a whimpering noise, but Daisuke hushed him quietly as he took the other male to his own room. He laid Hikaru on the bed as gently as he could, noticing as he stepped back and looked at the other males face that he had already cried himself to sleep.

‘Poor guy… You must be exhausted, Karu-san…’

Daisuke whispered softly before pulling clean blankets from the wardrobe and gently placing them over the other male. He smiled and gently brushed Hikaru’s black hair back from his face, wiping the tears from his cheeks at the same time. Then he turned and left the room.

Tenshai looked up from the bed as he saw Daisuke enter the room. The younger male did not meet his eyes straight away, closing and locking the door before looking at his hands. He tried to rub the red stains from his skin as he walked toward the bed then gave up, sighing as he sat on the bed. He pressed his face into his hands, hiding it as he thought. A moment later, he looked up and back at Tenshai, who was looking distant once again. He sighed softly and moved closer to the other male.

‘You know, he only didn’t want to tell you because he didn’t want you to worry about him.’

‘Does that matter? He didn’t tell me…’

Daisuke glanced at the other as he heard the soft words, raising a single eyebrow.

‘I don’t think you can really speak as though you were innocent.’

Tenshai blinked as he looked at Daisuke.

‘What do you mean?’

‘I know what you did.’

Silence fell between the two as they stared at each other. The look in Tenshai’s eyes was indescribable as he realized how big his mistake had been, without realizing how bad it was at the time.

‘Dai-chan… I…’

‘I don’t want to hear it, Tenshai-san.’

Tenshai fell silent again, sadness filling his eyes as he looked at the younger male. The look in Daisuke’s eyes was calm, though hidden behind it was anger. Tenshai tried to find words to tell Daisuke how he felt, but he couldn’t find them. Instead, he made a move to touch the younger male, but blinked in shock as the other pulled away from him. He closed his eyes and sighed softly, hanging his head.

‘I’ll see you in the morning.’

‘You won’t stay with me?’

‘Not tonight. Goodnight, Tenshai-san.’

Daisuke stood from the bed and headed towards the door slowly, then paused at the doorway as he heard Tenshai speak.

‘Gomen, Dai-chan. Goodnight….’

Daisuke didn’t react for a moment, then he simply nodded and left the room, closing the door behind him. Tenshai sighed softly and lay down, pressing his face into the pillow. Daisuke paused outside the door for a moment, one hand on the wood as the sadness he felt came through in his eyes. A moment later, the younger male shook his head, forcing anger to take over as he headed up the stairs to the bar area. Instead of heading for the lounge area, Daisuke pushed open the door to the training area. As he pulled on the two black hand-wraps, he thought about how he had hardened emotionally over the past few weeks. He wondered if he hadn’t become just like Tenshai. Thinking of the other male at this point made him angry, however, and he lashed out at the punching bag. He went from various training equipment for humans until he was out of new things to hit. Then he began practicing his powers with the targets, throwing small balls of energy at the various figures. It was the only thing he could do for the moment, but he was learning lightening. As he got angrier, however, he realized something was changing. The bolts he was throwing were no longer plain energy, but lightning and electricity. He stopped for a few minutes, looking at the palms of his hands in slight wonder and confusion. But it only took a few seconds before rage took over again. He turned and swung his hand out toward the punching bag, intending to throw another lightning ball. But what came out was quite different. A black ball burst from his palm with amazing speed. As it hit the punching bag, however, it did not explode. Instead, it wrapped around the bag, engulfing the material object in darkness and slowly disappearing. It took Daisuke a few moments, but eventually he realized that he had thrown a shadow ball, and it had disintegrated the bag. He blinked a few times in confusion, then sighed, sitting with his head in his hands.

‘Tenshai….’

He knew exactly where the power had come from - after all, Tenshai had warned him the first time he fed that it was possible that he would get some of Tenshai’s power if he continued to feed from him over a lengthened period of time. But Daisuke had paid it no mind, until now. He was in such a bad mood with the other male that he didn’t want anything to do with him, including having a share of his power. Daisuke got up and paced the training room for a few minutes, thinking. As he got near the wall, he lost control, yelling and punching the wall, hard enough that his fist went straight through. He growled softly as he felt the pain, pulling his hand out of the wall. Blood had formed on his knuckles already, and it was clear enough that one of his knuckles had shattered. He sighed softly as he looked at his hand, then let it fall back down to his side. He glanced back at the wall for a moment, wondering if he should fix it, then shrugged. There was no point. Seeing as he had already taken up four hours simply beating the shit out of any inanimate object he could find, he figured he might as well head out for a walk. There was no way he would be able to sleep now.

06: Voices in the night

Daisuke opened the door that led out into the bar quietly, making as little noise as possible. He glanced around quickly, ensuring that there was no one in the bar area. As soon as he was sure, he grabbed a coat that was resting on the bar and threw it on, then headed for the back door. He stepped out into the night easily, pausing just outside the door to take a breath of the cool air. The night always seemed to refresh him, much more than the day ever had. After a few moments, Daisuke began walking toward the trees. He didn’t speed like he had when he’d gone hunting, taking slow steps instead, listening to the leaves underfoot making soft crunching sounds with every step. He sighed, letting his head hang down as he walked, staring at the ground. Daisuke walked for over half an hour, getting himself thoroughly lost in the process. His hair came down over his eyes, blocking half of his vision as he walked, but also blocking anyone he might encounter from seeing that tears made their way rapidly down his cheeks. After about 40 minutes of walking, Daisuke slowed for a few moments. He was sure that he felt someone or something nearby. Then after a few moments, he heard a soft voice, unmistakably male, but hard to tell as the being barely whispered.

‘What are you doing, walking so late in so sad a mood?’

‘Who are you?’

Daisuke answered slightly shakily, cursing himself mentally for not bringing any weapons.

‘That’s not important. I asked you a question.’

‘Well… I needed some alone time. Outside. Why aren’t you where I can see you?’

As Daisuke posed the question, looking around him to see if he could locate the stranger.

‘Because I don’t wish to be seen. Why were you sad?’

‘Why would I tell you that?’

‘Because I’m the only person asking.’

Daisuke only took a moment to realize that the statement was true. He sighed softly, sitting down by a nearby tree, leaning back against the trunk.

‘I’m angry because I’ve been… Well, betrayed, is the best word for it.’

‘I see. And upset, I’m guessing.’

‘Why would I be upset?’

‘Because I would be.’

‘Mm. Well I suppose I am a little. I just can’t believe he did that, without my permission.’

‘What did this person do, exactly.’

‘He did some sort of spell and looked into my memories. Because I don’t remember my past…’

‘And do you remember it now?’

‘No… I don’t know what he saw, I just know that he did it without my permission.’

‘I see…’

Silence fell for a time, and Daisuke would have thought that he was alone, save for the gentle breathing he could hear in the trees. He was sure it wasn’t simply the wind, even though the wind lightly swayed his blue hair, making it tickle his neck. A few minutes later, the tears began to roll down his cheeks again, bringing a small amount of sniffling with it. Daisuke was surprised a few moments later to feel soft arms slip around his waist from behind, and a small chin rest on his shoulder.

‘You really care about him, don’t you? That’s why it hurts so much…’

Daisuke stayed silent, hesitating for a few moments. Another few moments and Daisuke had turned in the strangers arms to face him, though keeping his head down. The strangers’ arms tightened gently around his mid-section as Daisuke laid his head on the others’ shoulder. He slid his arms up the strangers’ back, holding onto his shoulders. He shook slightly as he cried on the shoulder of the being he did not know even for one day. He cried for over twenty minutes, all the while the stranger was patient with him, gently rubbing his back. As Daisuke started to calm down, he noticed that long hair was tickling his fingers lightly. He couldn’t see what color it was, considering how dark it was at the time. But he liked the feel of the strangers’ soft, long hair.

‘Who are you and why are you here?’

Daisuke whispered softly, feeling weak from both his tears and lack of feeding.

‘I’m whoever you want me to be, and I’m here for you.’

The stranger answered without the slightest trace of hesitation.

Daisuke paused for a while, leaning into the other male weakly. His eyes were half closed as though he was asleep, though he was still awake. Although he was getting used to his thirst, it didn’t make it much easier to handle.

‘How long have you been without life?’

‘Uh… What?’

‘You know what I’m talking about.’

‘How did you know?’

‘It’s not too hard. Now, the answer?’

‘Uh… A few days… But I’m okay.’

‘Yeah, right, lift your head.’

Daisuke did as he was told, attempting to lift his head. But to his surprise, he could hardly do so, finding that he was gripping the strangers’ shoulders far too tight. He let his head rest back on the others’ shoulder, sighing softly.

‘You’re not okay. Look, you can take from me.’

‘But I hardly know you… No, wait, I don’t know you at all.’

‘That’s okay. I suppose you haven’t been taught all there is to learn.’

‘I guess not…’

‘Mmhm.’

The stranger moved his own hair to the side, baring his neck. Then he gently placed a hand on the side of Daisuke’s head, gently guiding him to his neck. Daisuke hesitated for a moment, but temptation took over. He touched the tips of his fangs to the soft flesh of the strangers’ neck for a moment, then pressed down. The stranger stiffened slightly, taking a sharp breath as Daisuke’s fangs pierced his neck. Daisuke drew the blood from the wound quickly and hungrily from the stranger, his eyes closing in pleasure from the taste alone. His fingers tightened on the mans shoulders, his nails digging into the others’ shoulders through the material of his shirt. The strangers’ head tilted to the side slightly, giving Daisuke more room to draw blood. As the other grew steadily weaker, Daisuke grew stronger. He drank hungrily until he realized with a shock that the man had barely a few drops of blood left. He pulled back quickly, receiving a bigger shock as the stranger swayed forward.

‘Oh god…’

Daisuke panicked for only a few seconds, then suddenly, he realized that he knew what to do. He flicked his hair back from his own neck, then placed his hand on the strangers’ cheek as he had done for Daisuke. He dragged one of his sharper nails across his own neck, forming a wound for blood to come through. Then he gently placed the strangers’ mouth to his own neck. The male seemed hesitant at first, but it didn’t take long for him to begin slowly taking a share of Daisuke’s life force. Daisuke slipped his hand to the back of the strangers’ neck, lightly keeping his head up until he could do so himself. He could feel the blood running from his own lip, but he made no move to clean it off. After a few minutes, the stranger stopped drinking from Daisuke and pulled back, breathing slowly. Daisuke took a moment to recover before looking up to the stranger, who initiated the bond almost immediately after. The stranger leant slightly forward, pressing bloodied lips to Daisuke’s, kissing him gently and yet intimately, as the entire process was an intimate procedure, the bond being especially so. Daisuke whimpered softly and pressed forward, one of his arms slipping back around the strangers’ waist. He gently licked the blood from the others’ lips, then pressed his tongue past his lips, licking the blood from inside his mouth. A moment later the stranger did the same, completing the process of mixing their blood together. Daisuke felt something then that he hadn’t felt with Tenshai, perhaps because he felt weak at the time. He felt as though a new power or strength flowed into him, and he felt some of his own power not leave him, but shared from him to the stranger. Daisuke and the stranger both released a soft moan at the same time before their lips parted. Daisuke sat back, letting out a soft breath before opening his eyes to look at the stranger, licking a small amount of blood off his lip rings. The stranger looked back at him, then Daisuke heard a sharp intake of breath.

‘What is it?’

Daisuke asked softly, slightly shakily.

‘Your eyes… They were gray before, now they’re so beautifully blue… I guess that’s what happens when you feed…’

‘I guess so…’

‘Do you feel better?’

‘Much better… Arigato.’

‘I should be saying arigato to you, Sama.’

‘Sama?’

‘Do you realize what just happened?’

‘I’m guessing not completely.’

‘You are now my sire. My Sama.’

Daisuke blinked in slight shock, surprised by the revelation. Yet, he realized that he already knew that he was the strangers’ sire. He knew what he was doing when he did it, although he didn’t at the same time.

‘I see. Should I know your name then?’

‘It’s Kaoru.’

‘Kaoru-kun. A good name. Mine is Daisuke.’

‘Daisuke-sama. I like that.’

‘I think I do too.’

Daisuke looked at the person whom had previously been a stranger and smiled faintly. A moment later, he pressed his lips back to Kaoru’s, pressing against the other. Kaoru smiled against his lips, kissing him back gently. The two pulled apart several minutes later, wrapped in each other’s embrace.

‘You should be careful….’

Kaoru whispered softly.

‘Why?’

Daisuke asked quietly.

‘Because you’re going to pass out soon.’

‘Why would I pass out? I feel full of energy.’

‘Because of my breed. My blood is strong for you.’

‘I see…’

‘Where are you staying?’

‘The dirty little tavern about 40 minutes from here…. I don’t know which way it is from here, I got lost.’

‘I’ll find it when you pass out…’

Kaoru answered softly before gently resting his lips on Daisuke’s neck. Daisuke closed his eyes for a moment with a soft smile, then quietly spoke.

‘Kaoru-kun…?’

‘Mhmm?’

‘How old were you…?’

Kaoru hesitated for a moment, then answered softly.

‘Nearly eighteen.’

‘Youngster…’

That was all Daisuke got out before he felt light-headed, the power and strength suddenly hitting him hard. He swayed slightly, then with a soft pull forward from Kaoru, passed out on the other with his head resting on his shoulder. Kaoru smiled lightly, shifting Daisuke slightly so that he could carry the other in his arms. A moment later he stood, then began to head back toward the tavern, seeing as he knew exactly where it was.

07: Mixed feelings

Hikaru woke up slowly, guessing that he’d only had about 6 hours sleep. He had an odd feeling in the pit of his stomach, but was unsure as to what exactly it was. He slid out of bed, stretching before he stood up. He headed to the door slowly, his bare feet padding softly on the floor, making a slightly louder noise on the stairs that led up to the bar. He got to the top of the stairs and glanced around, finding the place silent and empty. He wondered for a moment, as he was sure that he’d heard Daisuke go upstairs. He decided that Daisuke must have gone back to bed with Tenshai. Hikaru shrugged and headed for one of the armchairs next to a couch, falling into it lazily and sprawling out. He stared at the ceiling for a while, thinking. He didn’t even realize how much time had passed before he heard footsteps. He looked up to see a tall male enter through the back door. The male had long, jet-black hair that was layered so that it fanned out at different points. His fringe came down over his left eye, hiding it from view. His face was thin, yet not badly so, as was his body. He had small eyes, yet they were enchanting in a way. His lips were thin and curved like Cupid’s bow. Hikaru saw all this, yet his eyes were drawn to the smaller figure in the mans arms.

‘Daisuke-san!’

‘Hush.’

The male replied softly as he carried Daisuke over towards Hikaru.

‘What happened, and who are you?’

Hikaru replied, lowering his voice.

‘It’s personal. I met Daisuke-sama when he went for a walk to be alone.’

‘Sama?’

Hikaru looked from the wound on Kaoru’s neck to the wound on Daisuke’s neck and his eyes widened slightly.

‘You mean…? Oh hell…’

‘Where can I put him?’

‘Uh… Usually he stays with Shai-san, but if he went out, maybe they had a fight… Best just to put him on the couch.’

‘Right.’

Kaoru gently lay Daisuke on the couch, letting his head down as gently as he could. Daisuke made a soft whimpering noise, but a calming touch on his forehead from Kaoru settled him within an instant. Hikaru raised an eyebrow at this - even Tenshai couldn’t settle the boy that easily, and this new male appeared even younger than Daisuke.

‘Would you happen to have a clean cloth?’

‘For what?’

Kaoru pointed to the blood on his neck as an answer. Hikaru nodded slightly and leant over the bar, grabbing a clean cloth from where they were kept. He handed it to Kaoru, who nodded a slight thanks to the other male. He gently wiped the blood from Daisuke’s neck, careful not to wake the other, before he wiped the blood from his own neck.

‘So, if I may ask, what exactly happened with you two?’

‘I found Daisuke upset and angry, and talked with him a little. I lent him a shoulder to cry on, before finding that he hadn’t fed in awhile. Well, one thing led to another, you get my drift.’

Kaoru looked down at the sleeping male and smiled softly.

‘Dai-sama is an extremely sensitive person. I think this will be interesting.’

‘Oh, that it will. Might I ask what he has told you of Shai-senpai?’

‘Would that be the male that he cares greatly for, whom had betrayed his trust?’

‘Betrayed him? How so?’

‘If it is this male, he sifted through Dai-sama’s memories.’

‘Oh, hell. And Dai-san found out about it?’

‘That is correct. He wasn’t happy that he wasn’t asked permission.’

‘Shit! I told Shai-senpai! Why doesn’t the fool ever listen?!’

Kaoru raised a single eyebrow in curiosity, but shrugged it off. He had the feeling that he didn’t want to know.

‘Either way, I don’t think he’ll be any happier with this Shai when he wakes up.’

‘You’re probably right.’

Hikaru sighed as he stood and headed over to the bar. He slipped behind the bar and began to rummage through the bottles, eventually finding himself a bottle of black Absinthe. He opened it easily, then poured out six shots.

‘Hey, what’s your name?’

‘Kaoru.’

‘Mine’s Hikaru. Come and get a drink, Kaoru-kun.’

‘But I’m under age.’

Though Kaoru brought the fact up himself, he still resented it. He was slightly surprised when Hikaru snorted with amusement.

‘Not anymore you’re not, if he’s your sire.’

Kaoru looked at Hikaru for a moment, then looked at Daisuke again.

‘He’ll be fine. Come have a drink. You look like you need it.’

Kaoru hesitated a second more, then shrugged and walked to the bar, brushing his hair back from his eyes as he did so. Hikaru raised an eyebrow as he saw the deep purple shade of the others’ eyes, but dismissed it without a word. He had black eyes himself, and he found others with colored eyes odd. But that was probably only because he was envious of them. He placed three of the shots on the counter as Kaoru approached, smiling slightly at the look on the younger males’ face.

‘What on earth is that?’

‘Something you’ll like… Just down them as fast as you can and try not to taste them.’

‘I guess I can handle that…’

Hikaru smiled at these words, then placed a hand on one of his own shots, noticing that Kaoru copied his move. It was one way of teaching him, at least.

‘Cheers.’

Hikaru raised his shot, then downed it, followed in fast succession by the second and third, then a chaser of whiskey and soda. He put the chaser up on the bar as Kaoru copied him quickly. While Hikaru was still fighting off the bad taste, he heard Kaoru coughing. The younger male had lasted long enough to take the chaser, so he didn’t throw it up immediately, only coughed harshly. Hikaru chuckled softly as Kaoru kept coughing for a few moments before straightening up, blinking to get over the shock.

‘That’s some strong shit, Hikaru-san.’

‘Certainly is, Kaoru-kun. Now you know why I told you to try not to taste it, hm?’

‘Definitely. I’ll be sure to try harder next time.’

‘I’d say that’s a good idea.’

Hikaru chuckled softly as he saw Kaoru lose his footing and stumble slightly while he had been standing still. Obviously he didn’t drink much, and the Absinthe went straight to his head.

‘I think a seat is the best idea for you, Kaoru-kun.’

‘Yeah… I think I’ll sit….’

Kaoru started back toward the couch that Daisuke was on, giggling softly as he kept tripping on nothing. He sat beside the couch on the floor, leaning back against the lounge. Hikaru soon joined him, sitting on the floor beside him. There was silence for awhile as both of them felt the effects of the alcohol.

‘You could have sat on a chair you know.’

Hikaru commented, then looked at Kaoru. Kaoru stared at the other for a few moments before both dissolved into a fit of giggles, leaning against each other slightly. Suddenly Hikaru sat up and put a finger to his lips, gesturing to Kaoru that they should be quiet. For another few minutes they tried to keep quiet, giggling behind their fingers. Eventually Kaoru passed out, and Hikaru smiled as he looked at him. The other had turned slightly and rested his head back on the couch, his hand in Daisuke’s. Hikaru guessed by the peaceful look on Kaoru’s face that he had just got some well earned sleep. Hikaru grabbed a few blankets from the back room before he went downstairs, throwing one blanket over Kaoru and one over Daisuke. He got to the bottom of the stairs a little later, then headed for his room. He noticed that his door was open and frowned slightly. He went in and closed the door, then went over to his bed. He fell onto the mattress, sighing softly as he did so. It had been quite the odd day, that was for sure. It wasn’t long before he fell asleep again, breathing softly and peacefully. He had no dreams for the night, which was a welcome change.

Tenshai woke in the morning and moved his arm to slip it over Daisuke. He sighed softly as he felt the cold, empty space beside him. He’d hoped that Daisuke would come back to him when the morning came, but found that he was wrong. He lay for a while, staring at the ceiling and thinking. He wished he could turn the clock back and undo what he’d done, but he knew he couldn’t. The most he could do was try to prove himself to Daisuke, without letting the boy think that he cared too much for him. It didn’t matter that he suspected that he might have fallen in love with the boy. It wouldn’t be good for the boy if he knew how he felt. After a while, Tenshai got up and threw a shirt on, then headed upstairs slowly. He got a shock as he reached the top, however, looking over to see a young male that he didn’t know, asleep holding Daisuke’s hand, who was also asleep. Daisuke was laying on the couch, and the unknown male was sitting on the floor beside it, his head resting on the edge of the couch, his arm curled up with his hand in Daisuke’s. Tenshai stared at the two for a moment, then sighed softly and moved over to the bar. He noticed the empty shot glasses, and caught Hikaru’s scent as he breathed in lightly. That meant that Hikaru must know. He shook his head slightly and began to make himself a coffee to wake himself up.

‘Hey, brat.’

Tenshai called out to Daisuke. When the other didn’t stir he threw one of the empty shot glasses at him. Daisuke sat up suddenly with a shock as the glass hit his chest. He blinked in shock for a few moments, then looked around.

‘Do you want a coffee?’

Daisuke looked around at Tenshai, frowning slightly. His blue hair was a mess on top of his head, and his eyeliner was slightly smudged. Tenshai also noticed that the lip-gloss he rarely wore was also smudged. Still, he didn’t bring it up, as Daisuke’s eyes were slightly angry.

‘Come on, you can be angry at me all you want, but at least take a cup of coffee…’

Tenshai’s voice had dropped the carefree tone, and he had an odd look on his face.

‘I’m not angry with you Tenshai-sama.’

‘You’re not?’

‘No. I’m furious. And I know now that I can’t trust you.’

‘Daisuke-chan…’

‘No.’

Daisuke slipped his hand from Kaoru’s, then slipped off the couch. He leant down and gently lifted Kaoru into his arms, moving the younger male from the floor and laying him on the couch. He lightly brushed the long black strands of hair from Kaoru’s face, then kissed the boys’ forehead. He then looked over at Tenshai before walking towards him.

‘You betrayed me in such a way that I never believed even you could do. All I ask is that you would at least have asked my permission. But that you couldn’t even do. I don’t know what you found out, but it was in the worst way you could.’

Tenshai hung his head slightly as he accepted the words that Daisuke was saying.

‘Would it make it any better if I apologized and told you what happened in your past?’

‘No. But tell me.’

‘Come here.’

Daisuke raised an eyebrow, not moving any closer. Tenshai sighed softly as he realized just how far Daisuke’s mistrust went.

‘I won’t hurt you. Please.’

Daisuke considered for a moment, then shrugged slightly and leaned forward, within arms reach of Tenshai.

‘I don’t think it makes much of a difference. You’ve already hurt me as much as you could have anyway.’

Tenshai hesitated for a moment, hurt entering his eyes for a moment. Then he leant forward and pressed two fingers to Daisuke’s forehead and whispered a few soft words. A second later, Daisuke gasped softly as he saw all that Tenshai had seen. His eyes were unbelieving as he took a step back. Then he changed, his eyes going cold as he looked at Tenshai.

‘Who is he?’

‘Who?’

‘My Ota-chan!’

‘I don’t know who he is.’

‘Then where. You should know, you should be able to do something, find him god damnit!’

Daisuke had raised his voice until he was yelling, which woke Kaoru. The boy sat up and rubbed his eyes, glancing over to the two in confusion. He watched for a few moments, shaking his head slightly.

‘I can’t Daisuke. I don’t have that sort of power.’

‘Then figure out a way of doing it.’

‘Dai-sama…?’

Kaoru’s voice came over the two softly as they fell to silence. Daisuke looked over at Kaoru, not seeing the shocked look on Tenshai’s face.

‘Kaoru-kun. Did I wake you? Gomen.’

‘It’s okay… I shouldn’t have slept so long anyway… What’s going on?’

Daisuke glanced at Tenshai for a moment, frowning at the look on his face, then looked back at Kaoru.

‘Nothing important, dear. Just some negotiating.’

Daisuke held one arm out, a gesture that meant for the boy to come to him. Kaoru slipped off the couch then padded over to Daisuke, rubbing more sleep from his eyes on the way. He slipped his arms around Daisuke’s waist as he reached the older male, smiling slightly as Daisuke’s arm rested around him.

‘Would you like a coffee to wake up a bit, Kaoru-kun?’

‘Hai… I would appreciate that, Dai-sama.’

Daisuke looked at Tenshai, who snapped out of his shock and nodded slightly.

‘I’ve got it….’

He turned to make both his own coffee and one for Kaoru. He heard Daisuke lightly kiss the younger boys’ forehead once again and sighed softly.

‘So if I might ask, why are you calling Daisuke-chan ‘sama’?’

Tenshai asked as he placed Kaoru’s coffee on the counter. Daisuke stopped Kaoru before he answered, looking at Tenshai as he spoke.

‘I met him last night, and turned him. You don’t need to know any more than that.’

‘You…’

Tenshai glanced at the closed wounds on both Daisuke and Kaoru’s necks. He sighed softly as he saw them, then took a sip of his own coffee.

‘Be careful, Dai-chan.’

‘Do you really have any right to say that to him?’

It was Kaoru that replied to Tenshai, not Daisuke. Tenshai blinked and looked at the younger male in slight confusion. A moment later he understood and shook his head.

‘I suppose you have a point there.’

They fell into silence for a little while, Kaoru sipping on his coffee slowly, one of Daisuke’s arms around him still while Tenshai and Daisuke stared at each other in silence. Then suddenly Tenshai went to the door and grabbed his coat and his shades. He slipped both on easily before Daisuke piped up.

‘Where are you going?’

‘Out.’

‘Tenshai.’

‘What?’

‘Good luck.’

Tenshai looked over at Daisuke for a moment, noticing that despite his words, the younger male had not a hint of a smile in his eyes. He nodded slightly after a few seconds before throwing his hood up and heading out into the harmful rays of the sun. Daisuke watched him go, then sighed softly before looking back at Kaoru. The younger male was looking up at him with a slightly worried look. Daisuke forced a smile onto his lips and rubbed Kaoru’s arm gently, comfortingly.

‘It’ll be fine. Don’t you worry hm?’

‘Alright Dai-sama.’

Daisuke lightly kissed the younger boys’ lips, smiling softly. Though he acted fine, he was secretly worried about what Tenshai was planning to do.

Tenshai sighed softly to himself as he walked through the trees slowly. He knew what he was planning to do, but of how to do it, he had no idea. He decided he would start by trying to do something that he had been told was possible, but had never attempted. To start though, he had to find the most comfortable spot for him, and he knew that he would not find it anywhere inside the tavern. So he was walking through the trees. It didn’t take too long before he found himself on the shore of a gently flowing lake. He sighed softly as he saw the scene, then sat on a rock close to the water. Tenshai had always found water calming, and even more so when it was surrounded by trees softly blowing with the wind. He closed his eyes and breathed in, letting himself relax. A few minutes later he opened his eyes again and sighed. The moment of truth had come – to see whether or not this would work. He searched through his memory until he found a memory of Daisuke’s brother. As soon as he found it, he closed his eyes again, breathed in, then whispered a few words. He gasped softly as he felt a slight tugging motion on his heart. Then it increased, eventually feeling as though his entire body was being pulled apart. Tenshai gritted his teeth and kept silent for a small time, before it became too much and Tenshai screamed. At the same time as the scream burst forth from his lips, Tenshai’s body appeared to break up into a million pieces and disappeared.

About 40 miles away, a scream sounded through the air in the middle of a forest where a male was using various powers to try to ward off several older demons, slowly failing. Tenshai appeared on his hands and knees moments later, gasping for breath. It took him seconds to catch his breath before he stood and stared at the others gathered, who appeared to have stopped fighting to stare at him. He looked through them, easily locating Daisuke’s twin, as they looked identical. Tenshai glared from behind his glasses at the demons before flicking his fingers forward, throwing five deadly darts that he’d held ready at the attackers simultaneously. Every dart hit home, killing the attackers within instants. Tenshai was not in the mood at the moment for a prolonged fight. Daisuke’s twin blinked in shock for a moment, then glared slightly. He was as thin as, if not thinner than, Daisuke. His facial features were identical to his twins, save for a small blue mark on his cheek, just above his ear. His hair was the same shade as Daisuke’s, but it was shorter, about the same length as Hikaru’s. His fringe reached just past his eyes, and the rest of his hair was layered to the same length as his fringe. His clothes were all black, and Tenshai guessed that just like his twin, this male never wore color. He wore thick black eyeliner and black lip color, showing that he was also of the same orientation as his twin.

‘Who are you?’

Daisuke’s twin questioned Tenshai as he walked toward him.

‘The question is who are you. I believe you have a twin, named Daisuke-chan?’

The younger male stopped in his tracks, his eyes widening slightly.

‘How would you know that?’

‘I know young Dai-chan.’

‘How do you know him?’

‘I was his lover for some time, until I betrayed him by searching his memories. This is how I, and now he, know of you.’

‘You hurt my brother?’

The tone in the others’ voice was now angered as he stood a few feet from Tenshai.

‘I did, accidentally. I didn’t realize what I had done until it had happened.’

‘I see. Where is he.’

‘He’s safe, and I can take you to him. It will involve some traveling, and it will also require something of you.’

‘What would that be?’

‘Your name.’

The young man raised an eyebrow, then shrugged, deciding it couldn’t do any harm.

‘Daikota.’

‘Well, no one could dispute that you two are twins. Daisuke and Daikota. Well, Dai-chan, my name is Tenshai. I am also your brothers’ sire, in a way of speaking.’

‘I see.’

‘We’d best head off. It’s a fair way.’

‘How far, exactly?’

‘40 miles.’

‘Dear god. How do you expect me to walk that, Tenshai-san?’

‘With a lot of perseverance. Let’s go.’

Without another word, Tenshai turned and started walking. Daikota hesitated for a second, then bolted forward to catch up with the older man. He caught up within a few seconds, then walked to the left of Tenshai, sensing easily that Tenshai didn’t much feel like talking.

Back at the tavern, Daisuke and Kaoru were laying on the couch, rather light-headed. They’d had a bit of a talk, then a bit of a drink after that. Hikaru wasn’t too happy with them drinking so early, but he decided that it was their own choice. And though Tenshai was hurting, he figured that at least Daisuke was happy for a little while. He was worried about Tenshai, but he knew that the other male could hold his own in the world. The tavern was quiet, as it was only early afternoon. It was probably this fact that allowed for Tenji to slip into the back room, then grab Hikaru and drag him in as he was passing. Tenji closed and locked the door as soon as he had Hikaru, grabbing the key so that the younger male couldn’t escape.

‘What the hell is this? ….Tenji?’

‘That’s right, Hikaru-chan.’

‘No, Tenji… Please, not now…’

Even as Hikaru begged the other, Tenji had pushed him against the wall and held his wrists against the wall. He pressed against Hikaru, rubbing against him. Hikaru turned his head away, shutting his eyes tightly to attempt to stop the tears. But the tears rolled down his cheeks anyway as he felt Tenji’s mouth on his, kissing him harshly. He sobbed as Tenji ripped his clothes from his body, whimpered in protest as the other tried to pleasure him and failed, then cried silently, practically dead inside as Tenji violated him again. Through the pain emotionally and physically, Hikaru remained silent, not wanting the others in the bar to witness what was being done to him. The tears that rolled down his cheeks were unstoppable as he tried to block out the sounds of Tenji’s moans. Even as he was thinking that he hoped none of the others found out about this, he heard a loud crash at the door, which flew open in a matter of seconds. The next second he felt Tenji ripped off him, and a crash across the other side of the room as he fell to the floor. There was a low growl and he looked up to see Daisuke’s fist connect with the side of Tenji’s face. Though Hikaru couldn’t see it, Tenji could see that the look on Daisuke’s face was murderous.

‘Don’t you ever, EVER touch him again, you filthy bastard!’

Daisuke screamed the words as he continuously hit Tenji, holding the other up by the collar of his shirt. Blood covered the others’ face by the time that Kaoru ran in, a shocked look on his face as he heard Daisuke’s screaming.

‘How does it feel now?! Does it feel so good, you son of a bitch?! Answer me, god damnit!’

Tenji opened his mouth to answer, but Daisuke’s fist closed it before he could get a word out, and he choked and coughed on his own blood. Still Daisuke did not stop hitting him, rage completely taking over the younger male.

‘DAI-SAMA!’

Kaoru screamed his sire’s name, squeezing his eyes shut with the effort of screaming as loud as he could. Even this did not stop Daisuke, though he hesitated for a moment, he still continued beating into Tenji. Kaoru eventually grabbed Daisuke’s shoulders and attempted to pull him off Tenji, as the other male had passed out already, and blood covered him and the floor around him.

‘He deserves it! He deserves to die for what he did!’

Daisuke screamed back at Kaoru, even as he was torn away from Tenji. Despite trying to fight to get back to Tenji to beat him more, Kaoru managed to hold Daisuke back.

‘Dai-sama! Hikaru-san needs you! For gods sakes, get your senses together!’

Those words made Daisuke stop fighting and re-consider. He glanced over at Hikaru, naked and curled up by the wall, crying. His eyes softened slightly as he looked at the other. Then he sighed softly and headed over to the sobbing male.

‘Hikaru-san?’

‘Dai-san… Why did you do that?’

Hikaru looked up, his face stained with tears.

‘Because he deserved it. Can you get up?’

Hikaru nodded, and stood. Kaoru had already collected his clothes and handed them to him so that he could get dressed. He threw on his clothes as quickly as he could, then flinched slightly as Daisuke touched his arm. He looked into the others’ bright blue, extremely concerned eyes. There was fury behind them, but he hid it from Hikaru.

‘Are you okay?’

‘Of course…’

Hikaru answered quietly, not meeting Daisuke’s eyes. He wiped his cheeks with the back of his hand, though it didn’t make much of a difference. As he went to walk out the door, he glanced at Tenji, passed out and covered in blood as he was. Guilty as he felt for it, he couldn’t manage to feel any sympathy for the man that had caused him such pain. He shook his head slightly and walked out the door, glaring at the few occupants who were staring until they looked away. Daisuke joined him in a few moments, gently touching his shoulder with one hand. Hikaru turned to look at him, his eyes filled with a deep sadness and resentment.

‘Go have a shower, love. Then either go to bed or call me and I’ll come sit with you. Alright?’

‘Alright…’

Hikaru answered softly, before walking toward the stairs. Just before descending them, he paused.

‘Dai-san?’

‘Mhmm?’

‘Arigato.’

Daisuke hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to say. Hikaru shook his head slightly, indicating that words were unnecessary. Then he descended the stairs, heading for his room and the shower.

‘So what should we do with him now, Dai-sama?’

Kaoru came out of the backroom and joined Daisuke, who was still staring after Hikaru. Daisuke glanced at Kaoru for a moment, then into the room. He grabbed a bucket from underneath the bar then filled it with cold water and began carrying it into the room, Kaoru on his heels.

‘Dai-sama, what are yo- Dai-sama!’

Kaoru yelled as Daisuke up-ended the bucket of icy cold water over the bloodied form of Tenji. The other jumped in shock and gasped, sitting bolt upright. Daisuke dropped the bucket on the floor and simply glared at the other male.

‘Had to wake him up somehow, Kaoru-kun.’

‘I suppose that’s true.’

‘Besides, after what he has been doing to Hikaru-san, he deserves all I can throw at him.’

When he saw the confused look on Kaoru’s face, he sighed softly.

‘Raping him nearly every night.’

‘Oh…’

The look on Kaoru’s face changed then, first to a thoughtful look, then to a look of rage and fury. Daisuke gently put one hand on the younger males’ arm, calming him, as he looked as though he might even kill the male himself, though he didn’t know Hikaru as well as Daisuke did. Daisuke saw that Tenji seemed to be coming to his senses, so he stood ready. When he spoke, his voice was low and filled with loathing.

‘Get up.’

When Tenji didn’t immediately obey, Daisuke yelled in a deep voice.

‘Now!’

After that, Tenji obeyed, pulling himself up from the floor slowly. He winced in pain, but somehow he knew it was best just to keep his mouth firmly shut.

‘Right. Now you can listen to me.’

Daisuke took one step closer to Tenji, smirking slightly as the older stepped back in fear.

‘Scared, are you? Good. You ever touch him again, and I won’t stop. I will kill you. Ever set foot in here again, and I don’t give a fuck who is around, I will throw you out. Got that straight?’

‘You have no right to order me out.’

‘You want to bet on that? Shall I throw you out here and now?’

Tenji and Daisuke glared for a few minutes, and finally Tenji was the one to look away, though he wasn’t happy about it.

‘Now either walk out, or fly out. Your choice.’

Daisuke pointed to the door, just in case Tenji had forgotten where it happened to be. He spared one last glare before walking out of the door.

‘Don’t ever come back here.’

Daisuke growled to his back, then slammed the door. He glanced at Kaoru, who actually stepped back from the look on his face. He realized what he must look like and sighed softly, heading over to sit on the couch, then letting his head rest in his hands. His hair fell over his face, hiding his eyes from view. A few moments later, he felt Kaoru’s hands gently rest on his shoulders as the younger male knelt in front of him. Daisuke lifted his head slightly and leant his forehead against Kaoru’s.

‘He’s gone now, Dai-sama. Don’t dwell on it, or you’ll go after him. Just let it go. It’s dealt with.’

Daisuke nodded slightly, closing his eyes and sighing softly. Kaoru slipped his arms around Daisuke’s shoulders, moving his head to rest his chin on the others’ shoulder, hugging him gently. Daisuke let his head rest on Kaoru’s shoulder lightly, thinking. A second later he felt a slight tug, as though some power had attempted to pull him. He knew it was the weak bond he had with Hikaru calling him.

‘I have to go see to Hikaru-san. Will you be okay up here for a bit?’

Daisuke sat up as he spoke and looked at Kaoru. The younger male nodded slightly, and Daisuke smiled faintly.

‘Arigato, Kaoru-kun.’

‘No problem. Go take care of Hikaru-san…’

Daisuke nodded slightly and headed toward the stairs then descended them, heading to Hikaru’s room. He anticipated a fair amount of talking and crying.

‘Shai-san, my feet hurt…’

‘Stop whining, you little brat. I swear you’re as bad as, if not worse than, your brother.’

‘Can’t we just rest for a bit? We’ve got to have walked twenty miles by now!’

‘Well actually, only fourteen.’

Tenshai rolled his eyes as he heard Daikota’s high pitched whine once again. He was more than sick of it by now, and though he wouldn’t tell the boy, he’d actually done pretty well to walk this far. So thinking that, he stopped near a larger tree, gesturing for the boy to sit. Daikota heaved an exaggerated sigh of relief as he dropped down by the base of the tree.

‘Arigato…’

‘Oh, do shut up. You’ve got five minutes to rest.’

‘Five minutes?! But-’

‘Five minutes, then you can get some wood for a fire. I’m sure that can’t strain your capacity too much, or will you need help?’

Tenshai’s tone was beyond sarcastic. He was annoyed at himself, because for some unknown reason, he kept giving in to the boy. Perhaps it was just because he looked so much like Daisuke.

‘I’ll manage.’

Daikota muttered, though he smiled when Tenshai wasn’t looking. He liked this male, and he thought he might be a good choice for his brother, though he didn’t like the sound of this betrayal thing. He sighed softly as he sat, thinking about what would happen when he reached this tavern that the older male had told him of. He wondered if Daisuke would recognize him or not.

It was far too soon that Tenshai told him his five minutes were up. He got up without complaint, however, and began collecting firewood. It wasn’t hard to find, and as such it didn’t take long for him to collect about five armfuls before Tenshai said it was plenty. He sighed softly and looked at the stacked firewood, then at Tenshai.

‘I guess it’s my job to start the fire?’

‘You’ve got it.’

Daikota nodded slightly and shrugged.

‘No problem.’

He flicked his fingers forward, letting a small flame shoot from the tips and straight into the firewood. It didn’t take long for the wood to flare up, dry as it was. Soon enough the fire was crackling, splitting the darkness of the night. Daikota sighed softly and lay down by the fire, watching the flames. He was deep into his thoughts by the time that he felt something hit the back of his head. He jumped slightly and looked around to see Tenshai with one eyebrow raised.

‘What?’

‘I asked if you want something to drink.’

‘Oh… Eh… Well… No, I’m okay…’

Daikota looked away, biting his bottom lip. Tenshai rolled his eyes and walked over to Daikota, just to sit on the ground beside him.

‘Let me guess, you only drink blood?’

‘How did you know?’

‘It’s about the same with Daisuke. Except he can eat very rare cooked meat.’

‘I can as well… I just don’t like people to see it…’

‘Just like your twin.’

‘Mm… I guess we must be pretty alike.’

‘You have no idea. Now do you want something to drink, or not.’

‘What exactly are you offering?’

Tenshai looked at Daikota with a look as if to say ‘you can’t be that blonde’. Daikota blinked, slightly surprised.

‘You’d do that…?’

‘Hai. I did it for your brother, but it’s a long story. I’m willing to do it for you, since you’re going to need all the strength you’ve got. We’re doing another twenty tomorrow, I should think.’

‘That’s a long way… Alright…’

Daikota nodded slightly, accepting the offer. Tenshai nodded as well, sitting closer to Daikota. He shrugged his coat off, realizing that as it was night he no longer needed it on. Then he bared his wrist to Daikota. The younger male took his wrist in both hands, glancing back at Tenshai for a moment.

‘You’re sure?’

‘Just do it.’

Daikota hesitated for a moment more, then brought Tenshai’s wrist to his lips. Tenshai took a sharp breath and closed his eyes as he felt Daikota’s fangs dig into his flesh. Daikota gasped in shock as he tasted Tenshai’s blood. A second later he whimpered as he drank hungrily from the older male, swaying slightly with every movement that Tenshai made.

It was awhile before Daikota released the others’ wrist from his grasp, sighing softly as he wiped the blood from his lips. When he opened his eyes, Tenshai blinked in shock for a second. Daikota’s eyes had turned bright green, casting their own light into the area. Tenshai wasn’t too shocked, as he was used to Daisuke’s eyes having the same effect. Though he didn’t quite expect the same to happen, even if it was Daisuke’s twin brother.

‘Arigato…’

Daikota spoke softly, his voice smoother than it had been. Tenshai swayed slightly as he nodded, realizing just how much Daikota had taken from him.

‘No problem…’

‘I took too much, didn’t I? Are you okay?’

‘I’m fine.’

Tenshai snapped, then sighed.

‘Just go to sleep, Dai-chan.’

Daikota looked at Tenshai for a few moments then nodded and lay down. Tenshai laid down a little way from him and yawned, closing his eyes so that he would be able to sleep. A little while later, it occurred to him that Daikota’s teeth were chattering. The kid was cold. Tenshai grabbed his coat, then pulled Daikota back against him and threw the coat over the both of them. Daikota stiffened in shock for a moment or two, then relaxed, whispering a soft thanks to Tenshai before drifting off to sleep. He smiled softly as he thought how alike the twins were before falling asleep himself. The fire continued to blaze for a few hours through the night before eventually dying down to no more than a pile of coals.

Earlier in the night, Daisuke had gone downstairs to Hikaru’s room. As he pushed the door open, he looked in to see Hikaru sat on his bed, staring at the floor. He sighed softly and walked into the room, closing the door behind him before walking over to Hikaru. He crouched on the floor in front of the other male, then gently brushed his black hair back from his eyes.

‘Hikaru-san…’

The other glanced up to meet Daisuke’s eyes. Hikaru’s eyes were cold, as though he had died inside. Daisuke sighed softly as he saw this and moved to sit on the bed beside Hikaru, reaching over to gently wrap his arms around the other. Hikaru leant against him, eventually resting his head on Daisuke’s shoulder. But he didn’t cry. He didn’t feel that he could cry. He felt as though he was dead to emotion, after what Tenji had done to him once again.

‘He won’t be back here. You’re safe now.’

‘He’s still everywhere else though. I can’t hide for the rest of my life. He’ll be waiting for me to come out, just once.’

Daisuke hesitated a moment. He wanted to comfort Hikaru, tell him that everything would be fine and make him feel better – but he didn’t want to lie to him.

‘I know. But somehow, we’ll get through it. You’re not alone.’

Hikaru didn’t answer, simply cuddling into Daisuke silently. Daisuke sighed softly, holding the other close to him.

‘Hikaru… Why didn’t you call for me?’

‘I didn’t want you to see what I was doing.’

‘What do you mean, what you were doing? What Tenji was doing to you was not your fault, love. Don’t ever think that it was.’

‘But I let him…’

‘You had no choice. You were scared.’

‘I guess…’

‘Don’t blame yourself for what that bastard did to you.’

Hikaru nodded slightly, fighting the tears that threatened to roll down his cheeks. But though he fought them, they won. He stayed silent through the first few tears, but it wasn’t long before he was shaking with silent sobs.

‘Don’t hold it in. Just let it out.’

Daisuke whispered in his ear gently, holding him closer. Hikaru clutched at his shirt and shook more, sobbing as the tears rolled down his cheeks. As soon as he let go, he couldn’t stop, and his crying only increased until it soaked Daisuke’s shirt. Even then, he didn’t stop crying. Daisuke shifted, keeping hold of Hikaru while he laid down, then pulled Hikaru to him so that they were both laying down on the bed, Hikaru crying on top of Daisuke. He pulled the blanket over them so that Hikaru would be warmer. Hikaru cried until he had no tears left, and even then, he found more tears to cry. Eventually, he was so exhausted that he cried himself to sleep in Daisuke’s arms, all the while having been calmed by Daisuke gently rubbing his back and holding him close. Daisuke sighed softly as he saw that Hikaru had cried himself to sleep once again. He lay awake for some time, thinking about various things before he, too, fell asleep.

-x-

Daikota woke up abruptly, frowning slightly as he sat up slowly. He rubbed his eyes tiredly, wondering as he did so what had woken him. A second later he found out, as he heard the sound of a soft footfall in the trees. He scooted back slightly, realizing as he did so that Tenshai was still beside him, and the older male had an arm resting over Daikota. The younger male smiled faintly, before it faded once again as he heard the footsteps through the forest.

‘Tenshai-san….’

Daikota whispered softly, hoping that the older male would wake.

His hopes were in vain, however, as the other slept on, the footsteps coming closer. Daikota slipped away from Tenshai and swept his hair back, short as it was, preparing himself for a fight. However, his stance eased as he caught sight of the figure that stepped out of the shadows. Short, spiky red hair on top of an almost unhealthily thin face and body. Black and crimson clothes that clung to that body, with a deep violet cloak covering them. Beautiful green eyes much like Daikota’s own that burnt into your mind.

‘Keishi?’

‘Daikota-san.’

‘What on earth are you doing here, Keishi-san?’

Daikota lowered his voice to a whisper, stepping closer to the other male.

‘Following you. Where exactly are you going?’

‘To my Aki-san, if that is okay with you.’

‘You have a brother?’

‘I do. He is about 25 miles away, or something like that. So Tenshai-san tells me.’

‘And Tenshai-san is…?’

Daikota glanced back at the sleeping male, chewing on his bottom lip nervously.

‘Well… He was my brothers’ lover.’

‘You know this how?’

‘He told me so.’

‘And you trust him?!’

Keishi’s voice was far from calm by that point. In fact, one could say that he was thoroughly pissed off.

‘Well… Yeah.’

Keishi swore underneath his breath, sweeping one hand back through his spiked hair. It was obvious enough that he wasn’t used to the short hair. He looked at Daikota briefly, but even the brief look of anger in the others’ eyes made the younger male shiver in fear. It got worse, as a second later, Keishi’s fingers were wrapped around Daikota’s throat, the younger male being lifted off the ground. Keishi glared up at him, growling his next words below his breath as Daikota grabbed at his hand, trying to loosen his grip.

‘If I find out you’re simply trying to leave me, you know that you will pay.’

‘Kei…Keishi…’

Daikota choked out the others’ name, gasping in breaths of air. The other waited a few minutes, glared at Daikota before dropping him. The younger male dropped to his hands and knees then held his throat, gasping in the breaths of air with tears in his eyes. He tried to speak but couldn’t, his lungs forcing him to gasp air.

‘You know that I will make you pay, Dai-san.’

Daikota listened to Keishi’s voice as it grew fainter, still on his hands and knees, holding his throat and gasping for air. He stayed like that for a while, and even when his breathing returned to normal he remained on his knees, staring at the ground. Roughly half an hour after Keishi had left, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked across and saw Tenshai kneeling beside him, looking at him oddly.

‘Are you okay, Daikota-chan?’

Daikota nodded slightly then looked away, rubbing his throat absent-mindedly.

‘What’s wrong with your throat…?’

‘Oh, nothing…’

Daikota replied softly, pulling his hand away immediately. Tenshai looked at him suspiciously for a few moments, then brought his index finger underneath the others’ chin and lifted it. He stared at Daikota’s neck for a few seconds then released it, frowning.

‘Bullshit nothing is wrong. A bruise is already forming, in the exact shape of finger marks.’

‘Don’t worry about it.’

Tenshai opened his mouth to form a protest, then stopped as he saw Daikota turn away. He knew by the slight shaking of the boys’ shoulders that he was fighting off tears.

‘You’re too much like your brother.’

‘How so?’

‘Refusing to tell me what’s wrong. Hiding your tears. Pretending you’re strong.’

‘You must be mistaken. I don’t do such things.’

Tenshai glanced at him, then took his shoulder and turned the younger male to face him.

‘I think you do.’

Tenshai brushed his thumb across Daikota’s cheek, gently wiping the tears that he had tried so hard to hide away. Daikota opened his mouth, attempting to form words, though failing. Tenshai smiled lightly and shook his head slightly.

‘For Daisuke-chan, I am there whenever he needs me. As you being his brother, and for showing admirable behavior, I give you the same courtesy, Daikota-chan.’

‘I… Arigato, Tenshai-san.’

‘It is not a problem.’

Tenshai replied to his thanks gently, then pulled the younger male into a brief, gentle embrace. Daikota blinked in shock for a moment, then accepted the embrace, sighing softly as he rested his head on Tenshai’s shoulder for but a moment.

‘Come, you need more sleep before we continue our journey.’

Daikota nodded slightly, following Tenshai as he realized just how tired he really was. Tenshai lay on his side, then held an arm up for Daikota. The younger male scooted in close, his back resting against Tenshai’s chest, feeling the older male wrap his arm around Daikota.

‘This time, wake me up if you hear anything.’

Tenshai spoke softly. Daikota nodded slightly, assuring the other that he would before closing his eyes, soon falling into a deep sleep. Tenshai shifted a few times before eventually finding himself in a comfortable position, holding to the younger male while he slept peacefully. The two had restful, dreamless sleeps for the rest of the night until it came time to pack up and continue on their way towards the tavern and towards Daisuke.

-x-

Kaoru woke and sat up, realizing after a few moments that he had fallen asleep in the armchair, waiting for Daisuke to return. He frowned slightly then shrugged, moving over to one of the couches. He arranged the cushions so that they formed a rest for his head, then grabbed a blanket. He sighed as he lay on his back and pulled the blanket over him, staring up at the ceiling. He brushed a few long black strands of hair away from his eyes, one arm up behind his head. He lay there thinking for some time before eventually falling asleep, the incident with Hikaru, Daisuke and Tenji sitting on his mind. Those thoughts proved for a rather restless sleep on Kaoru’s part.

-x-

Hikaru woke in the late morning, not fully refreshed though feeling a little better than he had the night before. He smiled slightly as he saw Daisuke sitting up on the end of the bed, looking at him. The other smiled back faintly, gently brushing his hair down with his hand.

‘How are you feeling now, love?’

‘A little better.’

‘Good to hear.’

Daisuke smiled a little more and gently hugged the other male, then stood from the bed.

‘Come on, we should go upstairs. I know a young boy that’s going to be very disturbed.’

‘Kaoru-kun? Why?’

Hikaru looked slightly confused.

‘The incident with Tenji.’

‘Oh… I see.’

Hikaru nodded slightly, thinking for a few seconds before standing and stretching.

‘Well, suppose we should go make him feel a little more at ease.’

Daisuke smiled slightly as he watched the other, then stood up himself. He gently pulled Hikaru into a hug, surprising the other male slightly. Hikaru blinked a few times, then smiled faintly and returned the embrace. It lasted for a few seconds, then they released each other. Daisuke smiled encouragingly and lightly kissed Hikaru's cheek.

‘You’ll be fine love. Come on.’

With those words spoken, Daisuke turned and exited the room, Hikaru close behind as they made their way up the stairs. As they reached the bar, Daisuke looked around for Kaoru. He smiled softly as he saw the younger male asleep on the couch, one arm up behind his head, the other resting over his stomach, on top of the blanket that was strewn roughly over him. As he reached the sleeping boy, Daisuke crouched beside the couch and lightly brushed the long black strands of hair from Kaoru’s face. The boy stirred slightly then opened his eyes slowly.

‘Hey, boy. Sorry I didn’t come back, hm?’

Kaoru blinked in slight confusion, then nodded slightly, forming a slight, tired smile.

‘It’s alright Dai-sama… Is Hikaru-san alright?’

‘Why not ask him yourself?’

Daisuke nodded his head towards Hikaru, who then stepped a little forward so that Kaoru could see him. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out, due to how embarrassed he was over the events of the previous night.

‘Are you okay, Hikaru-san?’

‘No…’

Hikaru replied truthfully, then winced slightly.

‘Yes, of course I am. Look… I’m sorry about yesterday… That you had to… you know.’

Kaoru blinked in slight confusion, then shook his head slightly, smiling faintly.

‘No need to apologize. It wasn’t your fault, Hikaru-san. Please don’t ever believe it was.’

‘It.. It was, Kaoru-kun.’

‘It wasn’t. Don’t degrade yourself to that level.’

Hikaru fell silent, slightly surprised by Kaoru’s outlook in the situation. When both had been silent for a few minutes, Daisuke broke the silence by gently mussing up Kaoru’s hair, speaking softly.

‘He’s right, Hikaru-san. He’s got a fair amount of sense for one as young as himself.’

Kaoru looked at Daisuke with a slight smile, his head moving slightly as Daisuke gently stroked his hair. He came close to purring, though managed to restrain himself. He didn’t wish for Daisuke to know all of his secrets just yet.

‘I’ll get some coffee. You both want some?’

Hikaru asked softly.

Both Daisuke and Kaoru nodded slightly, with a chorused ‘Arigato’. Hikaru nodded then walked to the bar, yawning softly along the way. Daisuke smiled as he watched the other go, then looked back at Kaoru. He frowned slightly, however, as he noticed that the younger boy was far too pale.

‘Are you alright, Kaoru-kun?’

‘Hmm?’

Kaoru blinked and looked at Daisuke.

‘Of course… Just feeling a little tired.’

Daisuke frowned, moving Kaoru’s fringe back to place the palm of his hand to the younger male’s forehead. The boy was cold and clammy, which worried Daisuke.

‘Sit up.’

Kaoru did as he was told, pushing himself up into a sitting position. He found as he did so, however, that he was dizzy. He fell back against the pillows, panting slightly as though he had just been for a brisk walk or run. Daisuke had an even more worried look on his face, mirrored by Hikaru, who was watching from behind the bar.

‘Kaoru-kun… Have you fed at all since the other night?’

Kaoru shook his head slightly, and Daisuke’s face changed, then he sighed softly.

‘I figured as much. I should have thought of it, I’m sorry.’

As he spoke, Daisuke pulled his shirt up and off. Hikaru easily knew what the other was preparing to do, and automatically grabbed the medical kit and brought it to the couch. Daisuke smiled faintly at Hikaru as he brought the veins on his neck to stand out at will, knowing that it would be hard for Kaoru to find them otherwise.

‘Arigato, Hikaru-san.’

Hikaru nodded slightly and sat on the arm of the couch, watching. Daisuke slipped one hand behind Kaoru’s neck, using the other hand to help him sit up. Kaoru put his hands on Daisuke’s shoulders to keep himself steady. He looked at Daisuke a moment later, hesitation in his eyes.

‘Kaoru-kun… Just do it.’

Daisuke told him in a firm voice, tilting his head to the side and closing his eyes. Kaoru nodded a moment later and slowly lowered his mouth to the soft skin. His breathing grew shallow and his pulse quickened, sweat beading on his forehead in the few seconds before he allowed his fangs to pierce the soft flesh. A soft gasp from Daisuke, the tightening of his grip on the youngers’ shoulders, the first taste of blood in his mouth sent Kaoru spinning out of control. He dug his fangs into the vein hungrily, a soft groan working its way past his lips as he drank the others’ blood.

Daisuke allowed the other to drink until he felt himself swaying, and actually began to worry, as he had not the strength enough to stop him. Yet Hikaru was the one who stepped in, taking Kaoru’s shoulders and pulling him away from Daisuke. Kaoru faught it for a moment, but soon let himself be pulled away, shock registering when he actually realized. He had weakened Daisuke far more than he had intended to.

‘Gods… I’m sorry, Dai-sama….’

Kaoru whispered as he helped lay the other male down and handed Hikaru the medical supplies as he asked for them, first to clean, then to cover the wound. Kaoru had nearly reduced himself to tears before Daisuke spoke gently.

‘Hey, kid… You feeling better?’

The whisper was barely audible, but Kaoru lifted his head as he heard it, answering quickly.

‘H..Hai, Dai-sama. But you’re not well… I hurt you. Gomen nasai….’

‘Don’t apologize, Kaoru-kun. As long as you’re okay.’

Kaoru lowered his head again, nearly in tears again as the words showed that Daisuke really did care. Daisuke chuckled softly to himself as he looked up at the ceiling, turning his words to Hikaru as the other was dressing the wound.

‘I’m turning into Tenshai, aren’t I?’

Kaoru visibly tensed at the name, while Hikaru merely looked at the injured other, a sad look in his eyes that told Daisuke his answer, that yes, he was. Despite what Hikaru told him next.

‘No. You are your own person, Dai-san.

‘But I’m much like him now, ne?’

‘I suppose, in some ways. But you have become your own person, and that is no more than exactly what you were destined to be.’

Daisuke thought on this for a moment, before a faint smile crossed his lips. Hikaru’s words gave him heart, assuring him that he was not becoming the man he disliked at the moment. Though he couldn’t help wondering where he was, missing him, even. He even hoped to any gods that may exist, that the older man was alright, wherever he was.

‘Don’t worry, Dai-chan. It will be okay.’

Hikaru spoke softly, not realizing that only twenty-five miles away, those same words were spoken.

‘Don’t worry, Dai-chan. It will be okay.’

Tenshai was speaking to Daikota, who was sat by the path, holding his leg. He’d pulled his trouser leg up, and beneath his hands, there was a rather bad wound. It would have been bleeding badly, save that Tenshai had brought the same salve he had used on Daisuke with him, and applied it to the wound.

‘Though I still can’t figure out how on earth you managed to trip, or what you hurt yourself on.’

‘Hey, I don’t know either! It just sort of… happened.’

Daikota replied, a whine in his voice.

Tenshai merely chuckled and shook his head, pulling the leg of the pants back down to cover it again before he helped the younger male to his feet.

‘Come on. We can’t afford to waste time.’

‘But Shai-san…!’

‘No buts about it, brat. Get moving, now.’

‘Hai, Shai-san.’

Daikota replied, far from happily as he started walking, following Tenshai’s footsteps. His leg didn’t really ache that much, as the salve had sort of numbed it. He was just tired from walking the morning away and wanted a rest. But apparently, rest was not a word that was in Tenshai’s vocabulary. And so they walked, and walked. And eventually, Tenshai carried Daikota for some of the way. He couldn’t keep track of how far they had walked – only that by the time they rested for the night again, he was sure they would be there by noon the next day.