Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing or any of the characters within said series. If I did, I would redo the entire series and Heero's "Omae o korosu" wouldn't have been such an empty threat.

Warnings: This fic will definitely be YAOI. For those who don't know what that means (and really, if you're into the Gundam Wing fandom at all there's no excuse for you not to), it means good ol' fashion male-on-male loving of the sort your grandparents enjoyed, but now you young whippersnappers think you're too good for.

This story will also involve vampires and other beings of the supernatural and occult. Some of it may remind you Buffy. Some of it may remind you of something else you may have read somewhere. I've even gotten from some that it reminds them of Inuyasha (Oo?) but before you get pissed and thinkI intentionally ripped something off that you hold dear, let me apologize now and explain that the idea for this story is my own. I do however, borrow a lot from the concept of the vampire slayer as seen in Buffy, the Vampire Slayer. But you'll see how that players out soon enough.

Pairings: 1x2 (eventually), 3x4 (sooner than later). Other pairings abound, but I don't want to give everything away.

So, here we go.

Chapter 1

Busted Evening

"So, how many are there?"

"I'm getting four, but the place is very crowded with people all muddying my senses, so I could be off by one--give or take."

"No matter – it's nothing I won't be able to handle."

"Not so sure, if you finish that third mojito."

Duo's response was only a quick, barking laugh before he lifted the half-full Collins glass to his mouth, downing the stinging drink with two deep gulps before slamming the glass back down on the table he shared with his partner. He pinned Quatre with a devilish grin, eyes only barely masking the bite of the rum-based drink he had the bartender make a bit stronger than usual.

"Awww, come on Quat. Don't rob me of the only fun part of this gig. You know I do my best work under the influence." Duo chuckled at his own mirth but the humor was lost on Quatre, who barely controlled a glare before returning his eyes back to the laptop in front of him. It was a Friday night in March, the cusp of the warmer season in New York. It was the time many dining establishments once again brought out their deck furniture so that patrons could enjoy their food and drink while basking in the warmer weather. It was one such place -Wholey's Bar and Grille- that entertained these two men tonight. Duo Maxwell lazily pushed his glass to the side, allowing a waitress to come around and pick up the discarded glass along with his dinner plate, its contents long since devoured.

"Can I get you guys anything else?" The busty young brunette—who had informed them earlier that her name was Countess--responded in typical food server convention.

"Not at the moment, thank you" Quatre politely replied, a single hand snaking out from behind his open laptop to pick up his fork and stab at a few leafs of lettuce in his half-eaten salad.

"I'm pretty dandy here, too" Duo followed then, after a quick glance at Quatre, amended, "but I'll take a tall glass of water, if you can manage it."

"That's fine, I'll be right back with your water," the waitress replied before she sauntered off. Quatre looked up from his laptop and smiled.

"Now that's good thinking Duo. "

"Well, you have to drink a little water with your liquor. That's my rule." Duo grinned widely. He leaned back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest. "So, are they just four lackeys, or will there actually be some measure of thrill tonight?"

"Duo!" Quatre scolded, only just managing to gently close his laptop and not slam the screen down. They'd had this conversation many times. "I don't think I need to remind you that you're a slayer, and as one it is your job to eliminate all vampires. Even if none of the vampires inside that club are of any structural importance to the clan in the area, it doesn't change the fact that you should kill as many of them that you can manage."

Duo sat up and held his arms in front of him defensively. "Geez, touchy touchy! I was just askin', you know. Of course I'm going to kill them all, but let's face it: this city is overrun with stupid vampires. They're starting to outnumber the rats! Hell, half of them are probably too dense to know they're vampires even if the sun hit them upside the head. That club could be full of them and I'd kill them all in my sleep!"

"Duo! Need I remind you to keep your voice down?" Quatre's panicked eyes quickly gazed their surroundings. They'd picked a table facing a busy street, and the other patrons looked too absorbed in their own conversation to have noticed. That, combined with the jazz music coming from inside the establishment was enough to drown out their conversation. But Duo could stand to be a bit quieter.

"Oh right, we gotta be all secretive and stuff. Can't let the normies know that their lives are all in grave peril from a supernatural threat they have no idea exists. I almost forgot." Duo giggled in a way that was exaggerated in its quietness, and Quatre couldn't gauge whether Duo was being serious in a way only he could be or if the alcohol was starting to talk. Then again, Quatre wasn't really sure yet if, with Duo, there was a difference. Their friendship was still young enough to be considered new. It had only been a year since he was dispatched by the Watcher society to find Duo and train him. And boy, was that a year to remember.

"Well, if you want to take on the work of convincing an entire world of people that their lives have all been compromised, as they have been for thousands of years, be my guest. But the consequences won't only be for you to suffer. As your Watcher, Duo, we're in this together, and while I'll gladly admit you've made a lot of progress since I first found you, I still wish you would be a little more….pliable, when it came to this job." Quatre was trying really hard to not let his frustration show, but with every email he got from his sisters detailing how exceptional their slayer charges were, Quatre had to wonder why he was the odd man out with his experience in just about every way.

"Oh, I'm just giving you a hard time, Quat. Don't worry about it." Neither of them had noticed when Countess returned and sat down Duo's glass of water, but it was a nice surprise when Duo looked to the left. He depleted the glass of half its contents in a few quick gulps as Quatre continued to pick at his salad. Duo wiped the moisture from his mouth with his hand.

"Ok, so what's the skinny?" He raised four fingers in front of his eyes. " Four of them…is it the usual 'I go in, use my charms to convince them I'm a nice meal, then lead them somewhere dark and private where I turn them into dust' routine? Because I have to say I'm getting quite good at that."

"Actually," Quatre sat down his fork and motioned to his laptop with his eyes and a smug look, "it just so happens that, according to one of my contacts, one or two of the vampires in that room may be quite important." Quatre smiled when he saw Duo's eyes light up like a child on Christmas morning,

"Shit really?" Duo exclaimed, then remembering to keep his voice down looked cautiously around them and leaned in, "well, about freakin' time. Any idea of what they look like?"

"Not really," Quatre opened his laptop once more to re-check the email he had been reading, the quickly shut it again. "No, all the info my contact was able to give me was that, apparently, a pretty high up vampire from the East is in the city. There's a welcome wagon made up of at least one important member of the Merquise family to show this vampire out on the town."

"Ahh, show the guy what good ol' American blood tastes like, eh? Fun," Duo cracked his knuckles and checked his watch, "Well, it's about midnight, I should probably get down there before they zero in on some poor raver and get a dose of blood laced with E." Duo finished the rest of his water and began to stand up.

"Wait a second, Duo," Quatre reached over the table and placed a hand on his shoulder, keeping him in his seat. He could have launched into another rant on patience being an especially important virtue when it came to vampire slaying, but he was sure his words would fall on deaf ears.

"What? Is this about the check? Well, I just kinda assumed you'd—"

"Duo, no, of course I got the bill. I just need to warn you of something before go."

"Warn me of what? That there might be big bad vampires where I'm going?" Duo chuckled. He knew that he had only been "slaying" officially for a few months now, but Quatre had trained him well enough, and in the short time he'd been in the business he hadn't encountered any kind of true danger. His slayer powers ensured that he was faster and stronger than all of those vamps.

"That's exactly what I need to warn you of, Duo" it was the somber tone in Quatre's voice that convinced Duo to take him seriously. Quatre continued. "You've been doing well in your first months of slaying Duo, but I have to tell you that so far you've only faced the lowest of the low. The poor vampires who were once human, and then turned to be some masochistic vampire's plaything or to increase their status. Or vampires who were just careless and wanted you for dinner. Those are easy enough. Even I could slay a few of them. But so far, I believe you have yet to face a full-fledged, dangerous vampire. And I have to warn you, that if any of those vampires are important, chances are they'll be of that sort."

"I still fail to see what the big deal is." Duo went for another drink of water, only to awkwardly sit the glass down at the realization that he finished his drink only moments before. "I mean, I am a slayer. I may not look the part but that doesn't change the fact that I'm a lot stronger than your average blood-sucker."

"But that's just it, Duo. You're strong enough for the average blood-sucker." Quatre really wished there was some way to impress upon Duo the dangers that vampires posed—even to slayers. But there was just no way to learn without first experiencing it. His hands folded neatly in front of him in an effort to figure out exactly how to verbally communicate his worry to Duo.

"Look, Duo. I trained you for months before I thought it was time for you to start slaying, and I know you're ready. You've been very successful thus far. But I have to tell you that, the strength the slayer is blessed with isn't always enough for the job. I've told you several times before that it is very possible for slayers to be killed by vampires, and in fact many have been."

"I know that!" Duo was getting the defensive. The alcohol had begun to make him antsy, and he just wanted finish the night's task quickly. Duo was never really the person for words. "And I'll be careful."

"I hope that you are, Duo," Quatre continued, more to reassure himself. "Because there are vampires out there that have the blood of slayers to count amongst their many kills, and it's usually the ones higher up the hierarchy. There's more to vampires than just brute strength. The older and more experienced they are, the more tricks they'll know to ensure their own lives."

"And I said I'll be careful." Quatre was starting to ramble again, and there was nothing more grating to Duo's short attention span. He stood up quickly and patted Quatre on the head like an eager pet. "There's nothing I can do besides be careful. We both know that what we do has an amazing potential to leave us both as dead as doornails, so I really don't see what all the fuss is over safety," Duo said. He was quite ready to go—the alcohol was really settling in and the idea of a rave was becoming all the more appealing.

"Just trust your instincts, Duo" Quatre was wringing his hands. He didn't know why tonight was making him so anxious. It wasn't as though this were Duo's first time slaying, after all. But the threat of Duo going against a challenging vampire worried him, and his instincts were throbbing with the idea that something was going to happen tonight. One of those vampires would be really dangerous. Quatre was sure of it. "If any of those vampires seem like too much for you, don't feel as though you can't run away. You're still new, Duo, and there's still much of your power that you have yet to grasp. Don't feel like you can take on the world."

"Oh, don't worry about me," Duo flashed a disarming smile and puffed his chest out confidently. "What did I say when we first met? 'I may run and hide, but I never tell a lie'? Well, emphasis on the 'fun and hide' part this time," Duo said, and Quatre couldn't help laughing at the childishness, even in the face of what could be a dangerous evening.

"Well make sure you do that. I'll be keeping a track on you, and if I sense that you're in the slightest trouble I'll come running. Just remember that I'm not super strong like you, and there'll be very little I can do, so try not to get yourself in too deep a mess."

"I'll be good I'll be good! Now can I go?"

Duo was clearly restless, and if there was one thing Quatre could consider a plus when it came to Duo it was that when he was ready to work, he was ready. "Yes, you can go," Quatre replied, and waved his hand dismissingly. "Good luck"

Duo snickered, "Yeah, like I'll need it," And he took off down the street before Quatre could say something about him being overconfident.

Quatre turned back to his food and stared down at his salad, pondering whether he wanted to eat anymore of it. Though his eyes weren't on Duo his senses were; he was about two blocks away from his destination. Quatre hoped beyond hope that this would somehow turn out to just be a routine slaying.

"Sir, would you like your check?" The soft voice jerked Quatre out of his thoughts and he looked up with a start. Countess was there, a bill waiting in her hand.

Quatre recomposed himself, opening his laptop once more as he replied, "No thanks, I'll be here for a while longer. There'll be another gentleman joining me soon."

-------

Duo jogged down one more block and turned into a dark alleyway. It was quiet and full of places for anyone to hide and jump out at him, and part of him was screaming to turn back onto a street with decent lighting. Another part of him, however—the dominating part—knew that no thug, or much anyone else for that matter, would stand a chance. His jog slowed to a walk—according to the directions Quatre had given him earlier, the place he needed to be was just two blocks away.

"This should be fun," Duo said out loud, more to break the disturbing silence than anything else. "I get to dance around and rid the world of a few vamps all in one go. What a dream job."

Duo pulled his long, chestnut braid of hair into his hands and fiddled with it as he walked. He had only been officially slaying for a few months now, though it was a life he had been preparing for for about a year now. Slaying vampires, blood-sucking creatures that Duo had been sure only existed in cheesy movies until recently. Now it was his job, along with others, to kill them all. It was surprising how easy it was coming to him.

"Well, it's a better life than what you were getting used to," Duo responded to his own thoughts.

And he was sure he was right. He was an orphan. A dirty little kid whose one home that he could remember was destroyed in ways that his mind wiped out. Since the age of seventeen he had made his home on the streets of New York City, taking shelter wherever he could find it—the streets, shelters, decent people willing to give him a bed for a few months—all the while stealing to survive. He'd only managed to find his own apartment two years later at nineteen. It was a crumby basement single room with no hot water and roaches that swam in the toilet. He paid for it with a job delivering pizzas by bike for minimum wage. He hadn't had time for school since he left the orphanage and he still hadn't. Life didn't seem like it was going to be taking him too many places.

He remembered the sudden string of events like it was yesterday. Events that took his life on a turn for the better and worse all at once.

It was his twentieth birthday, and like most young people Duo had decided to celebrate with alcohol. He had gone to the nearest bar, only a few blocks away from where he lived. Sure, he wasn't twenty-one, but there were enough seedy places in Brooklyn that he didn't have to be. It was well into the early morning hours when he left the place, drunk off his rear and just barely coherent enough to stumble the few blocks home, most of his recent paycheck already depleted. He was, however, coherent enough to notice about halfway home that someone was following him.

It wasn't unusual. Duo Maxwell knew the he was a man slight of figure, stranding at just 5'7, blue-violet eyes and with a long braid of hair usually trailing behind him. He knew why, to some, he would seem the easy target. But usually he was fast enough to outrun those bold enough to openly chase after him. His speed was actually his saving grace: Duo had never once been in a fight or mugged, for there was never a would-be assailant or unfortunate victim of his petty thieving that he couldn't outmaneuver and outrun. Duo noted, on several occasions, how it was almost freaky how easily he could leave even the more burly and muscular assailants in the dust, his speed even enough to clear fences more than twice his height in mere seconds.

That's why it came as a great surprise, then, when the man following him was still behind him and fast gaining ground when he had started to run. He was stupid for drinking so much and stunting his own speed, and he was stupid for turning into that alleyway, for that's when his pursuer caught up with him and pinned him to a wall. He was a big guy, looking only slightly older than Duo, his face a five o'clock shadow and his eyes wide and manic. Duo had never been so scared in his life, and his fear increased ten-fold with the realization that the man who had caught him wasn't interested in mugging what little money he had on him. Due wasn't sure, even then, of what was going on, what the man was. All Duo knew was, when the man's vise-like grip on his wrists tightened to the point of breaking skin and the bigger body began to press against him, that he was certain it was no ordinary encounter. His alcohol-influenced body had begun to ache when the man easily lifted his body up by his wrists, and positioned him against the wall with his bare neck exposed. Putrid breath burned against Duo's skin. The man was saying no words, just growling in a way Duo had never heard before, his mouth slowly lowering to his neck. Duo's body began to shake when tongue and teeth caressed his bare neck. And it was just as the man was about to bite down that Duo screamed. It was a loud, primal scream that carried an aura of awakening power that set the attacker on edge, and before he could jump back the bigger man found his hands in a grip much tighter than that he had previously been inflicting. With all the rage in the world and not nearly the same amount of effort, Duo had the man by the wrists and had thrown him clear across the alley. Duo could still remember the sound of the man's body slamming against the brick wall across from him, then landing in the dumpster below. He hadn't stuck around to see if the guy would come after him, or wonder just how he had manage to throw a man weighing well over one-hundred pounds several feet over and into the air. The event had filled him with fear and killed his buzz; the run home felt like only seconds.

Duo looked up from his thoughts at the sound of muffled music of the sort one would expect from the type of place he was looking for. He really mustn't have been paying the attention, he thought to himself. The alley he was now standing in was smattered a few people, all heading to or leaving a tall, steel door, guarded only by one very sordid looking man.

"Welp, I must be here," Duo thought to himself, getting into "Work Mode" and chuckling at year-old memories. If he was lucky he'd get to throw a few bodies up against walls tonight.

---------

Quatre had just finished picking at his salad when he sensed that Duo had reached his destination. He couldn't figure out whether to relax or tense up from the news, and he realized that Duo might have had a point when he suggested ordering a drink for himself.

Countess was only two tables away so Quatre caught her attention by slightly raising his hand. She noticed and, with a few parting words with another table, trotted over to him.

"Yes? Is there anything else I can get for you, sir?" Her voice was less enthusiastic than before, and Quatre could tell that she was quite ready to end her shift and go home.

"Yes, I think I'll try something to drink," Quatre smiled at her and glanced over to the drink menu that was propped up in the center of the table. He looked over his options quickly, "I think I'll try a peachtini, if that is ok with you?"

"Of course sir, but don't take any offense because I am going to have to see some ID…" Countess responded hesitantly, but Quatre only chuckled.

"No worry, I guess I should take that as a compliment." He quickly fished out his wallet from his back pants pocket and pulled out his passport. He opened it to the page that would reveal his age and handed it to the waitress, who only gave it a quick look over before handing it back and snorting.

"Compliment? Sir, you're only twenty-two."

"Still, nice to know I can pull off the younger look."

"I don't think you'll ever have a problem with pulling off the younger look." The smooth voice was much too masculine to come from either Quatre or Countess, and both jumped at the man who seemed to appear from nowhere. It was Quatre who recognized the tall, lean form and immediately switched his reaction from surprise to delight.

"You're here. I'm glad you could make it."

"Of course I could make it." The man replied, then looked over at the slightly dumbstruck waitress casually addressed her with a nod. "And can you add a double rum and coke to that order?"

---------

It didn't take long for Duo to get into the place. The bouncer seemed to enthusiastically welcome him, actually. Duo figured that young boys ready to get loose, party, and spend their hard-earned money on the drugs peddled within were considered A-listers at this place. Still, the music was loud and the atmosphere was positively euphoric, so it didn't take long before Duo was on the dance floor and moving in time with the crowd, sweat beginning to form under the tight black tunic and matching black skin tight jeans he wore. It was nearly enough for him forget why he was there in the first place, but in the midst of the excitement and alcohol, his mind was focused enough to do it's job.

It involved one of the first things Quatre had taught him about vampires and the power he held. His ability to sense them. It was difficult at first, as slayers usually carried the power to sense vampires in their—a tidbit that would continue to gross Duo out—ovaries; accessories that Duo conveniently lacked. It took a while for them to find out that Duo's own vampire sensing ability would manifest in his stomach. Similar to the feeling Duo got whenever he was taking a test he knew he was doomed to fail, or when going down that first drop on a rollercoaster. It took a while to master in training, and Duo still didn't quite have it down yet, but all he had to do was reach out with his mind, concentrate on the people around him, and if vampires were close enough that's how his body would respond.

And so the closed eyes and fierce look of concentration on his face as he danced wildly to the music wasn't from the music itself, but from the effort it took to determine that there were indeed only four vampires in the club, as Quatre had said, and that they had broken off into pairs of two, and were on opposite ends of the club.

Hmmm, this is going to be tricky… Duo thought as he continued to dance, making sure to dodge the flailing limbs of the people dancing around him. He figured he would have to tackle this group in the pairs they were in. Go after one group, lead them outside, do his business, and come back for the remaining two.

Yeah, that's what I'll do. Time to get to work, and in a random choice he chose to go after the two vampires further back in the room. He began to fight his way through the crowd, exerting some of his strength here or there to get the more annoying ravers out of his way.

------

If this is the American idea of fun, I'm better off without any fun until I'm back in Japan.

Heero Yuy leaned against the back of the wall furthest in the rear of the club. The club was relatively dark, save the strobe lights and the occasional spattering of glow-in-the-dark paint gracing the walls. The nameless club was filled to the brim with young humans, all dancing around wildly to a repetitive techno track. Many wore all sorts of glow-in-the-dark accessories—necklaces and bands, and the spinning masses of random colors was almost nauseating to the young-looking vampire.

Heero almost yawned, averting his eyes from all the colors. He had no idea what he was doing in a trash hole like this place. He had figured that when he got to New York after a long journey from Japan he would be greeted with some form of welcome from the Merquise family, but he had been expecting a relatively quiet affair. Boring dinner and conversation that was usually the staple of entertainment for most ancient and Victorian vampire families. Instead he had been met by three fellows of the sort he usually wouldn't have consorted with and dragged out on the town for "all that the city had to offer."

"All the city had to offer…" Well, suffice to say he wasn't impressed.

With a lazy hand he brushed his messy black tresses away from his dark blue eyes, and cast and equally lazy glance at his companion. The vampire seemed to be even younger than he was. Tall, skinny, and with short silver hair that fell—perfectly styled of course—into his face. Silver hair much like the other man who had accompanied them and was now somewhere else in the club. He was wearing a black T that clung to his muscled body (much like the one Heero had been coincidentally wearing himself), and baggy black cargo pants (not as good a choice as Heero's starched blue denim jeans). And, as far as Heero was concerned, he looked perfectly at home with the rest of the idiots dancing around the place.

"Isn't this great?" The idiot—named Cid, Heero remembered—called out to him, moving closer as he danced to the beat. Heero gave him a black stare, but the man paid no attention.

"The blood in here, it's so hot…I bet you can feel it too!"

Indeed, Heero could. It was the least appealing thing about the place. The blood ran hot, alright. Hot and drugged with the various drugs most of the people in the room were under. There was nothing Heero hated more than dirty blood.

"Hn," was his only reply.

He continued to stand there, bored and uncomfortable as his welcome wagon continued to have the time of his life, wondering when he was going to get to the business aspect of his little trip. It didn't take long for Heero to begrudgingly realize that he had better take his time, and part of that meant not rushing these guys.

"Well, if this isn't a lovely start to my mission…" he said in a lowered voice. He was just considering the idea of ditching the idiot entirely, until the both of them sensed something…something that made him look up and Cid stop dancing.

It was a person. A boy—something that Heero surprisingly had to take a split second to consider due to the long braid tumbling over his shoulder…and something else he couldn't quite pinpoint. The boy just moved within a few feet of them and began to dance, not paying attention to either of them. His body twisted and turned in his tight-fitting, all black attire, his braid and bangs swinging with the music. And Heero had to admit that it wasn't completely unappealing. There was something there, something pulling him. After giving it a moment's thought, he figured it must have been the boy's blood. Despite a little something Heero assumed was relatively harmless alcohol, the boy's blood was relatively pure…and absolutely enticing when compared to the dirty blood that surrounded him. Heero was beginning to realize just how hungry he was—it had been a while since he had fed.

Maybe there was something worth checking out at this dump, after all, Heero thought, and was just about to make his move, turn on his vampiric charm that could draw any person of any sex to him, and to their deaths.

"I think I might have just found my next meal! See ya, Hero!"

But the idiot had beaten him to it.

Before Heero could do or say anything, Cid had sauntered off and within seconds was dancing with the boy, their bodies twisting and turning in sync with each other and the music. No words seemed to be exchanged. He could sense Cid had turned on his own charm. He could also sense something else at work, something else that was still drawing him, and mostly likely Cid as well.

-----

Well, that was beyond easy, Duo thought as he continued to dance with the taller man. He had barely been within seeing distance of the two men he pegged as his first group of vampires before the taller one pounced on him. His hands were now clenching Duo waist, and caressing his body in a manner that Duo vaguely realized was seduction that he probably would have fallen for had he not known what the guy was. Duo had realized a long time ago that guys weren't exactly off the radar when it came to what he was attracted to, and this guy was admittedly attractive. But vampires definitely weren't a blip, especially when he couldn't get his human relationships in order.

The vampire's gaze never strayed from his eyes, a technique Duo had learned most vampires employed to get their victims under his spell. He made sure to only glance up occasionally. His own power didn't require eye contact.

It was the second thing Quatre had taught him, about vampires and about himself. Vampires had the power of persuasion—a skill that, for them, would always translate to seductive charm and nearly overwhelming attraction. It was how vampires lured in nearly all of their prey. Slayers had a similar power that had more to do with their aura, he had been told. In the right conditions a slayer could alter their aura to make their bodies more enticing to a vampire—to accentuate their heartbeat and make their blood like sweet nectar, filling any vampire close enough with an almost irresistible bloodlust. Duo remembered describing it as a "Venus-Venus fly trap-trap". Quatre had also told Duo that, in his drunken state the night of his birthday, he may have accidentally triggered that power, which resulted in that particular vampire fervently chasing after him. As such, it was one of the easier powers for Duo to tap into. And this vampire he was currently dancing with was definitely snared.

Duo figured he would wait until the end of the song playing before he would "let" the vampire lure him outside. If he was lucky, his Asian buddy would come along. A few quick glances at him told Duo that the unlucky vamp was definitely interested.

-----

I can't take my eyes off of him. This is more than just his blood. Heero was perplexed. As the tempo of the track increased, so did the movements of the two dancing in front of him increase to an almost sexual fervor. The boy dancing outshined Cid. Heero could nearly feel the heat coming from his body, and even from where he was standing he swore he could sense the syrup texture of the boy's blood. Could smell it. Wanted to taste it. He briefly pondered the idea of forcing Cid to share the boy with him, but his pride quickly squashed that idea. It didn't help at all that occasionally the boy would look over, directly at him, almost daring him to come over. To join in. To drink of his flesh…

Heero shook his head violently. Where was his mind going? He had never had thoughts like this when it came to his prey (male prey, no less). It was a sort of pull that felt almost familiar, yet indescribable. Heero didn't like how it was wrenching away his control. Rather than stay and guiltily bask in it, Heero decided it would be best to pull away and see what the other gentlemen he came to this forsaken place were doing.

It was with great effort that he walked away. Heero pushed through the crowd making his way to the bar where, sure enough, he spotted the two other vampires he had come with. Both were older, much older than he was, though one was slightly older than the other. They were both old enough to look out of place, and the suits they wore as they casually sipped at flasks they had with them made them sore thumbs all the more. Both had a gaggle of females draping themselves over them, but neither seemed to pay much attention. Too wrapped up in conversations of their own.

As Heero grew closer the younger of the two—Zechs Merquise, he knew—turned and acknowledged him.

"Ahh, Heero Yuy," His voice was soft and seductive, no doubt to keep the females around him drunk on his charm. In fact none of them looked coherent enough to know what he was saying. Heero couldn't be bothered to feel sorry for the fate he knew was soon to befall them. "Interesting choice of venue, is it not?"

Heero had to still himself from looking visibly appalled at "interesting" being used to describe such an unbearable place to spend one's time. "Yes, one could call it interesting."

"And what has become of Cid?" Treize Khushrenada, the older one and good friend of the Merquise family, entered himself into the budding conversation.

"I left him in the company of another. He seemed more interested in feeding than in keeping me entertained." Heero said, not really upset at having been ditched by the idiot.

"I sensed that. Definitely Cid. But whoever he's with…is absolutely scrumptious" the slightly glazed expression that accompanied Zechs words told Heero that they, too, had sensed the presence of that mysterious boy Cid—and Heero—had been taken with.

"Yes indeed. Some boy with a rather long braid attached to his head. Very intriguing blood flowing through his veins, though" Heero responded. He wasn't prepared for the stunned and suddenly alert expressions of both of the other men's faces.

"Long braid?" Zechs questioned him.

"Yes, long brown hair woven into a braid. Quite an unusual style, I think." Heero didn't know what was going on, and thus was further unprepared when Zechs short a look at Treize who was already calmly buttoning the front of his suit coat. Some of the girls around them were beginning to come to.

"Heero, I need to go and fetch Cid, Now" Zechs requested, though Heero didn't have to know the man to know that it was an order. An order he should follow if he planned to learn anything of value while in the States.

"Yes, but what, may I ask, is the issue here?" Heero asked cautiously, better to show respect than make demands of his own.

"Heero, that is no ordinary boy Cid has taken up with." Zechs too, was now buttoning his coat. "That boy is a demon. A demon quite well known around here for slaying vampires. Get Cid and bring him here. The demon won't kill him if we're here and together. What the hell was Cid thinking? He should have known…" Zechs reached into his coat pocked and pulled out a cell phone, beginning to dial the number to his driver.

"Yes," Heero responded while turning on his heels and heading back the way he had come. He didn't see Zechs and Treize preparing to not be there when he got back. And sure enough, a car was already waiting for them at the front entrance.

A demon? Heero was stunned. He was experienced with demons, they were quite a nuisance in Japan, many having personal vendettas with vampires that spanned the course of centuries. It wasn't uncommon for demons, back where came from, to take pleasure in the killing of vampires.

Still, a demon that I couldn't sense? The boy's aura was unusual. But a demon? He must be particularly crafty. And that makes him dangerous."Heero mentally prepared himself for anything as he pushed through the crowd to spot where he was once standing, watching the two men dance.

Now to only find the spot empty.

Heero looked around urgently. Truth be told, he cared very little for this idiot Cid and, if what Zechs said was true and Cid should have known better, then he probably deserved to die. No, Heero was more interested in salvaging a complete waste of an evening by confronting a demon crafty enough to completely hide its demonic aura while being only mere feet away from him.

A few more moments of looking around and he caught sight of an inconspicuous back door which was just slightly ajar. Throwing caution to the wind he went to it, opening it slowly and looking outside into a dark alleyway. He could sense Cid and the boy ahead, and so, keeping cautious to stay quiet, he began to follow them.

The alleyway was quiet and empty, but it only remained quiet for a few steps before Heero's keen ears picked up the barest sounds of a scuffle, and with that he began to run the rest of the distance past a few dumpsters and around a corner that led to a dead end…

And the sight of the boy from the club effortlessly ramming a sharp object into Cid's chest. A wooden stake. Cid's eyes went wide only for a moment before his body shook violently. Heero knew what was coming next, and shielded his eyes as Cid's body exploded into ash, raining over both Heero and the demon.

Heero didn't have much time to think over the loss, as had to jump back just a split second before the wooden stake that had taken Cid's life was rammed directly where Heero's heart would have been. He landed a few feet away from the demon, whose expression from under his bangs was an absolutely murderous grin.

"There you are, loverboy," The boy called over to him, tossing his murder weapon from hand to hand. "You saved me a lot of trouble, you know. I thought I was going to have to go back in for you, which would have made that one more trip than I originally pl—" The boy suddenly looked over in the direction of the club, his actions stilling for just a moment before he hissed out "shit!" and stomped his foot.

"Damnit, your two other blood sucking friends got away. I wanted this to be a full job!"

Heero, for his part, had jumped into a defensive stance. His knees bent and his eyes focused solely on that stake in the demon's hands. His mind, however, had a hard time wrapping around the boy being a demon. I still can't sense anything demonic about his aura, even now that I'm specifically looking for it. Something's not right here.

"I take it you don't talk very much?" the boy continued after a few moments of the second vampire just standing there funny and appraising him. "I mean, geez, I at least would have gotten an 'I'm going to enjoy draining you dry' by now. What's your deal?"

Heero didn't care to respond, his body was taunt, his mind flurrying, trying to figure the boy out. There was only one thing that made sense whenever he ran his mind over the boy, but that option was immediately thrown out by the simple fact that the boy was just that: a boy.

"Oh well, then" Duo stretch his arms out and yawned, stake firmly gripped in one hand. "Since you aren't very much fun to talk to, I guess I might as well just kill you and get home. I have a Saturday class, you know."

The attack was nearly faster than Heero had anticipated. In a second the long-haired boy was in his face and once again ramming the stake at his heart. It took all of Heero's reflexes to jump to the side. Damn, whatever this boy is, he's fast. But…Heero noticed how unsteady the boy looked after such a quick lunge, it took him almost a compromisingly long moment to gather himself for another lunge that Heero also managed to dodge. He doesn't seem quite…skilled.

"Damn, would ya hold still?" The boy lunged again and again, frantically stabbing at Heero's heart but just barely missing each time as the vampire jumped in some direction out of the way each time. "I thought I was supposed to be faster than you freaks?"

Freaks? What kind of idiot demon is this? Heero didn't take kindly to insults, and it was with that that he figured it was time to stop being so passive. The boy lunged again, but this time instead of jumping well out of the way, Heero jumped slightly to the left and spun on his foot, moving just enough out of the way to dodge the boy's stake and end up directly behind him. Before the boy could right himself, Heero kicked him square in the back with enough force to knock the demon off-balance and send him flying into the wall in front of him. The long-haired killer hit the wall with an audible crack and fell backwards on the ground in a mass of coughs. The stake was lost.

Heero moved forward, authoritatively grabbing the boy by the collar of his black tunic and yanking him up of the ground and into the air above him.

"What the hell are you?" Heero demanded, slightly wringing the boy in his grip to get his attention.

Big mistake.

Without warning the boy's eyes snapped open and with one hand broke the grip Heero had on his shirt. He dropped to the ground in front the vampire and in a fluid motion punched Heero in the chest with enough force to crack several ribs. Heero was thrown back by the force, his body hitting the brick wall behind him and slowly sinking to the ground.

-----

Duo's shock at being bested, for the first time, by a vampire was only outdone by the anger he felt at being bested by one. Sure, he'd managed to be hit by a vampire before, but it was only ever when he was taking on several at a time. Duo had never been hit—at all much less so hard—by a vampire one on one.

This must be one of those "dangerous, tricky vampires" Quatre was warning me about. Thinking of Quatre, Duo realized that he had most likely sensed when Duo had gotten kicked into a brick wall and was most likely coming to help. Shit. His opponent was slumped on the ground and somehow managing to get to his feet. Duo could only take pleasure in the fact that his punch looked like it hurt infinitely more than the vampires kick.

"Didn't your buddies tell you? You must be new around here. I'm the vampire killing demon." Duo chucked all the while wiping the blood that dripped from his nose with his hand. Quatre and Duo and had gotten wind a while ago that the vampires who were privy to Duo's existence did not know that he was, indeed, a vampire slayer and instead took him for a demon. An error Quatre and Duo figured would be best worked to their advantage.

The vampire didn't respond. Just got back up and resumed the fighting stance he had had since the beginning.

"Oh geez," Duo groaned audibly, "not this cat and mouse shit again. Can't you just accept that you're about to die? It really would make things easier on the both of us."

Duo's body tensed up in preparation to attack, and he was a split second from doing so until the sound of sirens decided the outcome of the fight for the both of them. Shortly after a bustle of commotion was heard, and then the sight of scantily clad ravers fleeing down the alley could be seen.

"Fuck," Duo muttered to himself, as he the saw the signs of a busted party? "Guess we're going to have to continue this fight some other ti—"

He turned back to where his opponent had been standing only to find him gone.

"Geez, well if this night wasn't a total bust," Duo's displeasure manifested in the form of a frown and he wiped the ash from his hands against his pants. The only vampires worth killing tonight all got away.

Turning from the dead end he followed the crowd through the alley, stopping only when could spot Quatre fighting through the crowd to get to him. He was going to have a lovely time explaining a bruised back and what he was sure was a broken nose.

Next Episode:

Heero Yuy gets charged with the task of finding out more about the mysterious vampire hunting demon before he can get started on any of the work he was deployed to do, while Duo also becomes slightly obsessed with the vampire that managed to get away. Quatre and his mysterious gentlemen friend both shed light on their mysterious pasts.

And there we have it, end of chapter one. First chapters are always the hardest for me, but I have this story planned out perfectly in my head, so expect more structure by the next chapter? Oo So, like it? Hate it? Either way, send me a nice review why don't ya?