Disclaimer: I do not own Gravitation.


Nimble fingers were hard at work, weaving the strange, satin-like material into an unusual pattern. The fabric itself was a light silverish-grey, and it had come from the hide from a species of wolves most people no longer knew existed. Darkness surrounded him as he worked on the complex pattern, creating a square here, an oval there. Occasionally, car lights driving by would illuminate his face, but such things would not distract him from his work.

Normally, Shuichi would not have done this, not for any vampire. He'd become reclusive as the years had gone by, thanks to those who would either use him to gain immortality or to kill him. However, Ryuichi wasn't just anyone. The other vampire was a long-time friend, and had been there for Shuichi when he had lost faith in humankind. He still didn't have much faith in humankind, but there were some that made his immortality worthwhile. The Shindou clan, his descendants, were among those select few.

Idly, he glanced at the clock in his bedroom. Almost midnight. He had to meet Ryuichi at one.

'Plenty of time.'

He continued to work on weaving. The talisman was nearing completion. Ryuichi would have to put the proper spells on it, but Shuichi knew his friend would not have a problem with that. Tohma Seguchi was not on Shuichi's list of people to protect from other vampires, but he'd create the talisman for Ryuichi. That's what friends were for.

Softly, Shuichi started to hum. It was an old tune and one he intended to use some day. His nephew – a teenager with the same name and appearance as he – wanted to become a musician. The boy hadn't been very good, but he had the dedication. Unfortunately, the teen was missing. While Shuichi had been in New York, watching over Eiri Uesugi (and killing that bastard Yuki Kitazawa), the young teenager had supposedly run away. He had been mistaken for his descendant upon his return.

'He'll be home soon,' Shuichi told himself, finishing the talisman. 'My people are working on it. They'll find him and no one will be the wiser once he's back.'

Satisfied with the talisman's design and confident about his descendant's return, Shuichi rose to his feet and walked the short distance to the window. It was time to go. He just prayed that the daywalker wasn't in Japan this evening.