(As usual I was watching Moon Child and all of the sudden I got hit with a fic idea so, yes, I had to write it down.

This section takes place between the scene of Kei's embrace of Sho and Toshi's death.)

Undertone: Part One

"You don't drink blood these days."

Kei felt a flare fire through him, readying himself for defense. "It's none of your business." Then followed the explanation he had to give, but knew Sho would have none of. Kei did not want to have this conversation. They'd talked of this same thing on many occurrences, even when Sho was young.

The first time was when Sho was ten, and Kei had felt a strong surge of guilt. He couldn't take blood, simply because of the child always at his side. He had not wanted Sho to see him eating, ashamed of it. He'd gone weeks without blood until he grew so weak that he collapsed. Sho asked what was wrong but Kei refused to tell him, saying that he only needed rest.

The ten-year old asked no more questions and left him alone, returning in the middle of the night with an old, rusty tin can that he held out quietly to the vampire.

Kei had been unable to lift a hand to take it, asking what it was. Sho hadn't answered, climbing instead into the adult's lap, pressing the jagged rim to his lips, tilting it up to let Kei drink the content. When the first sweet drop touched his tongue Kei drew back, bewildered. It was blood.

He demanded to know where, how, and who from Sho had managed to obtain it but again the boy gave no response. Kei would not take it so the kid dipped two fingers into the red, spreading it over Kei's lips. "Drink, please," he muttered and the vampire listened.

The blood was enough to give him enough strength to hunt. Sho never answered him on how he'd attained the blood, but the boy limped on his left leg for the following two weeks, not letting Kei see what was wrong with it, but one night he saw the scar of a long, deep cut in the boy's calf. He did not question him.

From then on Sho always knew when Kei had not fed and always brought it up in worry for his friend. Eventually though, it would not happen anymore. Kei leaned forward, letting his fingers wrap around the thin poles that ran up from the floor to the ceiling. "One day you'll die..." Sho would grow old. With every breath he took, with every second he was aging. Kei, however, would always remain the identical. "...But I'll keep living." He'd have to go on alone, without company, without the friendships he had now and valued above anything else. "Do you think that's fun?!" The shout resonated.

He'd already had to go through it once, after Luka stayed to watch the sunrise on the beach. He did not want to face that solitude again. If Sho had not found him he would have let himself burn, let himself be put out of desolation.

A tear escaped from the corner of Sho's eye, slipping down the soft skin. Kei sighed, his momentary outburst fading quickly from him. He walked around to Sho, leaning down to touch the side of his face. "You crybaby." Lightly he stroked a thumb over Sho's right cheek, erasing the tear streaks. He reached to press a palm to the back of the younger man's head, drawing it against his chest. "Just like when you were a little kid."

Kei's fingertips scrubbed along the back of his head, nails scraping pleasantly at the delicate skin. Sho blinked tears from his eyes, holding back the silent sobs. His arms were loose at his sides despite his desire to lift them up and wrap them around the waist of the other.

When Kei pushed him back by the shoulders, against the wall, he gazed up into the eyes of the vampire for a brief moment almost in hope.

"So, go have a good time. They'll be worried."

Sho was about ready to snap back but raised a hand instead, wiping his eyes. It was difficult to have fun when he knew Kei would be trapped in their home, suffering. He knew that Kei wanted to go to support Yi-Che and congratulate her for her beautiful painting.

The boy turned away, but Kei caught his face in his hands, moving it back so he could look at him. "Look at me Sho," he said when the younger dropped his gaze. "I want you to go. They'll want you there. Tell Yi-Che what a wonderful job she's done."

Sho did not respond. There was almost no pleasure in being out without Kei. He'd been with the man so long he could barely recall the years without him. Any important occasion, they had shared together, and this would definitely count as one of them. However, there was nothing to be done. "I'll go if you eat tonight."

Kei scowled and pulled away. "Where you listening to what I said? I can't! You have no idea what this does to me. I can't even think about it." Fleetingly, his gaze flickered to Sho's throat.

"Then don't think about it!" Sho answered firmly and stood up, glaring down at Kei with his dominant height. "I would much rather have some worthless punk be dead than you. I don't want to lose you, Kei! I'm closer to you than I am to Shinji. And what am I supposed to tell the others? 'I'm sorry but Kei won't be around us any more because, oh, did we forget to mention he's a vampire and his refusal to drink blood ended with him starving to death? But don't worry, I'm not fucking insane!'"

Kei winced as Sho shouted the last portion. "I'll be fine," he insisted. "Just let it alone for a couple days..."

"In a couple days you won't be able to move! I know you. You'll wait until you can't do anything and then I will have to drag a body to you and force you to feed. Maybe I should just let you starve!"

"Sho..." he reached for the boy, but his hand was quickly slapped aside.

"You want to be left alone, so I'll go. Son and Yi-Che will be waiting for me. Toshi's supposed to be coming too," he said and walked away, grabbing his black leather jacket from the spot where it'd been tossed the previous night on an armchair. "Have fun sitting here alone, dying."

"Sho," Kei called his name lightly again and the younger paused at the doorway. "To someone else, you might be that worthless punk..."

The brunette scowled and slammed the door on his way out.

Kei sighed and settled down where Sho had been seated. Sho just didn't understand. The boy thought he knew how Kei felt, but no one could have nearly enough empathy. Yes, they were both used to death. Once a month, at the very least, they would go out on a job Toshi found for them and murder.

Murder: that is their line of work. He should be used to it by now. Sho hardly gave it thought anymore, able to turn the point of his gun on anyone and pull the trigger. It's a habit and during the gang battles Kei knows he has no trouble either.

So, then why? Why couldn't he do the same and kill off another to keep himself alive? There was no different, and yet it was all the difference. The gunfights were instant, implanted. He didn't need to think about it. If he saw someone with the threat on their face then he could blow them away. He couldn't die from being loaded with bullets, but the others could. Toshi could, Son could, and Sho... Sho could. He was there to protect them, all of them.

There were nights when he grew too worried. They would have a job lined up and he would go to Sho minutes before leaving and beg him – BEG HIM – not to go. To see Sho injured was more than sufficient. To see him in pain and see and smell his blood staining his clothing from wounds, dribbling to the ground to waste, it tore at him each time. Every now and again he'd be overwhelmed with feelings of dread, of the fear of losing Sho to the hard metal of a shell, just as he was overwhelmed now.

Sho would never agree to stay behind, but Kei would stay close on those nights, watching him with caution. Often times he would end up with several holes shot through him because of it.

Sho would always scold him afterward, demanding to know how he could get hit when he could run fast enough to bypass a runaway train. Kei would only shrug his shoulders in response, lighting a cigarette to avoid giving an answer.

Maybe that was what he needed: a good gun fight. They were dangerous, bloody and fun. He needed to lose himself in excitement, added that there were always a good supply of blood donors in the following. He wouldn't feel as guilty as they would be either dead or dying, or so he hoped.

The vampire glanced toward the heavily-curtained windows, always drawn shut in the day to protect him from the deadly light. He could tell from the lightened tint the dark material held that the sun still shone bright and cheerful outside. Years ago, before he'd been turned he would have died to have a day like this to go out in. Now if he did have a day like this to go out in he would die. That was simple irony working its way into life.

Closing his eyes, he leaned back against the wall, wanting to relax. Maybe Sho was right, and he needed to not think about it. He'd been fastening for more than a week and though he did his best not to display it he had grown rather frail. He'd call Toshi later and ask him if he knew if there was anywhere they could go to for work. It would definitely loosen him to fight before eating himself out to eat. For now he would rest, soon falling into an uneasy sleep.

Kei jerked his head up at the first sound of it. He'd trained himself to pick up the near silent patter of the beginning of rain, but it seemed too good to be true. The thing he noticed before all else was that the room had darkened slightly. In a millisecond he was tearing the curtains from the window, not caring if he might be mistaken in his assumption.

But no, he was right. The sun had slinked behind dark, heavy clouds which were starting to release droplets. He loved the rain, the overcast, the fog and all that in the same category. They meant he could go outside during the day.

Within a minute he was out while everyone else on the streets scampered in. His direction was set and he walked straight for the local park where Yi-Che had completed her mural. The group would be missing him and he wished to be with them. He forgot his worries during the time they all spent together, able to enjoy himself as if he were no different.

He did not hurry for one of many reasons. There was nowhere they could go that he could not find them. In addition, he did not want to draw attention to himself, and he had plenty of time. It was already a couple hours past noon and the clouds did not look as if they would be clearing up anytime in the near future.

His legs carried him along the streets, strides short but brisk, his red hood pulled over his head to protect him as best as it could from the rain. He felt the water seeping through his clothing; moist on his arms, shoulders and back.

It was oddly calm. No one else was around. It made him uneasy. The park was ahead, in his view, and he picked up his pace by a step or two. That was when he heard the gunshots.

Fear coursed through him, the familiar feeling of the unknown with so many different possibilities making itself know. Kei broke into a run, forgetting the abilities of speed that came with his vampirism. He arrived upon the scene at the sharp crack of another shot, his gaze darting around as he paused, a hand on the trunk of a tree.

"Toshi!!!"

His eyes snapped up at the voice he knew so well, and he saw Sho, the boy being held back by Son and Yi-Che. Just to the right, several feet from them were two gang bangers and beside them he was Toshi kneeling, his wrists handcuffed.

The fear quickly morphed into something stronger, and he could feel his blood growing hot, moving swifter through his veins. Blood. His mouth parted and a slick pink tongue slid from it, moistening his lips. Hunger added to his anger, the two mixing into pure fury.

He distantly heard Toshi shout, unable to make out the words. Whatever it had been the two men turned to Toshi, one of them extending an arm, a gun poised in hand, ready to set off a bullet. Kei's vision zoned in, and all instincts took over, driving him forward, up, but his strength wasn't there. His foot collided with one of their shoulders and it was more than enough to send his balance off, his side slamming hard against the ground.

Streaks of pain went through his side. He tried to push himself up, but the tremors took toll on his already weakened body. Looking up he saw a pistol now pointed at him, and yet the hint of a smirk flashed across his lips. It faded quickly when Toshi jumped in front of him. Baka. The word ran through his mind, repeated. Baka. He couldn't die from being hit, Toshi knew that!

Before Kei could push him out of the set-bullet path it was fired. Again, Sho screamed their friend's name. Sho... the others, they were still vulnerable. The notion drove him to his feet and although he swayed on them he was determined to defend his companions. Once more he found himself at gunpoint, an idea flashing through his mind as he leapt, taking the air to come down behind one of the two offenders. He grabbed his shoulders, holding him in place for less than a second but it was enough. He felt the man's body buckle as it took a slug, and he let go, letting him fall.

He drew the other away, the scent of blood now thick in the air, driving his famine. He'd held himself back too long and now it was coming out. Here was a ready-made excuse. Using the little control he had he took out the man further, into the more sheltered part, between trees and bushes, away from sight. The others did not need to see. Sho did not need to see.

"You're a dead man." Kei heard the words hissed to him and yet once more a gunshot echoed. It was perfect in aim, but the vampire avoided it easily and within seconds he was upon the man, the nameless stranger.

Firstly, Kei knock the gun from his hand, fingers winding around his wrist to jerk quickly, twisting with sharpness and strength, and there was another loud crack, the unmistakable sound of bones breaking. He shot Toshi... He killed Toshi... He killed my friend... He deserves the same. Kei knew he could kill him so easily with just his hands, snap that fragile neck in half, but it would mean wasting such a precious thing.

Neck... his eyes locked on that stretch of flesh, the skin so weakly protecting the exposed throat. Oh, how he wanted it, wanted the taste of it, wanted the energy of life. He struck, mouth open to clasp down beneath the Adam's apple, his lethal fangs sunk deep into the tissue, tearing it open.

And he tasted it, tasted the coppery flavor of the blood that was so sweet on his tongue, smearing over his mouth. He drank greedily, letting it flood his mouth as he drew out the bodily fluid. He was barely aware that the man let his weight collapse, going with him to the muddy soil. His surroundings did not come to his notice, mattering so little, but he could sense the presence of others.

Kei tore his mouth from the throat of his prey, glancing upward. He saw Sho, saw the almost dull expression on his face that looked almost like disappointment. This was what you wanted. You wanted this Sho!! He wanted this thing to come out and eat, to drink blood.

Frenzy overcame him and he couldn't stop, plunging back down, sucking in more and more, filling himself with his meal. He could feel in dripping down his chin, escaping his ravenous mouth. His tongue darted out to catch loose droplets, then once again he extracted mouthful after mouthful. He wanted all of it, every speck of the warm, addicting red liquid. This was life. This was life. Blood was life.

"Kei..." He heard his name, but it too held no importance. He was not Kei. He did no longer exist. He was not a vampire. He was blood. He was life. "Kei, stop it."

Stop it? Why? Delirious of starvation, he could not stop. He needed more, still more, always more. One body would not be enough, he wanted more. "Please stop! Please Kei!" The taste of the blood was too holding, too good, and it awoke his craving. He had no desire to control the impulse of the hunger, wanting to satisfy it. There was a still lot of blood left in his victim. "Toshi's dead!" Yes, Toshi was dead. And this man had killed him. He deserved to be drunk from, to killed slowly, suffering in the pain of the bite, feeling strength being drained from him with Kei's every swallow.

Because he could feel it. He could feel the heart start to slow its beat, feel the blood being drawn from each cell to supply his need. He could hear it flowing with a weak pulse. "Stop it please..." There was no stop. Not until he'd reduced the body beneath him to a withered corpse. It was too drawing, too beckoning. There was desperation in Sho's voice, but Kei could do nothing for it.

"Please... stop..." Kei did not listen, drinking, feeding, tearing further at the flesh with his teeth so more would flow until no more came. He licked the blood, catching the final few drops that were just as sweet as when he'd first taken the bite. And finally he ceased, turning his face up, blood smeared over his mouth, drops of it splashed across one cheek.

His eyes met Sho's; witnessing the listless look they bore. Yi-Che had buried her face in her brother's chest, unable to watch while Son also looked away, attempting to comfort his sister. Sho stayed unmoving, blank glazed eyes on Kei.

This was what you wanted Sho. Kei thought. This was what you asked of me.

(There is a second segment, and possibly - as I have been asked a third.

Please comment for the sake of Hyde's sanity, he did fanservice with Ken during the L'Anniversary performance... he's losing it... 3)