One distant and lonely day ago, on that beach that he was standing on now, he had lost one of his closest friends ever. Yet, his friend didn't seem to be in pain when he died, on the contrary, he seemed to enjoy it. Death was the one thing he wanted most in his immortal life. He wanted to end it all, so that he could sleep in peace forever and not have to live his endless years by sleeping during day and waking during night. Suddenly the man felt someone place a hand on his shoulder and he turned to look at his visitor.

"Hello, Sho,"

"Kei, what are you doing out here by yourself? Don't you know it's almost dawn?" Sho asked glancing out towards the waves in the ocean. He felt Kei relax under his grip and watched as the shorter man turned around to face the ocean once more.

"Why does it matter? If I stand here long enough I'll just die. That's what I want," Kei sighed and stepped closer to the water.

Sho took two steps so that he was right behind Kei and placed his arms around him. "Kei, not this again. You know that it doesn't matter to me that you'll never age, as long as I can be happy with the time I have with you, that's all I want."

"Maybe you're right. Of course, you know you're being selfish?" Kei said and Sho laughed.

"Me? What about you? C'mon, Kei, let's get out of here. Look the sun is just about to rise," Sho grabbed Kei's arm and started pulling him away from the enticing waves. Kei finally gave in and allowed Sho to pull him towards the white convertible that Sho owned.

Once they arrived at Sho's apartment, Kei took a seat on the leather couch that served as his bed. He kicked off his shoes and laid down for sleep. He could hear Sho walking around his house, cleaning his guns for the next mission, and getting some more ammo out of his stash so that way he would not be caught unprepared during the next mission. Kei turned on his side and let out a long sigh. How many days had he lain here like this and had such a strong thirst for blood? Too many days to count, and today it was driving him insane. He had to get some blood or else he would go crazy, yet he didn't want to go out in the sunlight. He could go after Sho…He quickly banished the thought. Kei could never turn on Sho. They had been friends since Sho's childhood, and he had never once turned on him. Kei closed his eyes and slowly started counting in his head. Soon the blood lust should dissipate and he would be fine. Either that or he would go out hunting that night and quench his thirst. Finally he couldn't stand it.

"Sho?" He called.

"Yeah, Kei, what is it?" Sho asked as he walked into the room wearing a form fitting black t-shirt with a pair of matching black leather pants.

"Help me…" Kei sat up and placed his head in his hands, hiding his face from Sho. He knew if he caught one sight of Sho's neck he would instantly attack it. He missed the sweet taste of blood on his lips, rushing down his throat instantly filling him with life again and the great confidence of power that he received from filling his thirst.

"Blood? Why do you do this, Kei? Why don't you just quench your thirst when you need to? Why torture yourself like this when it hurts you? I see how painful this is for you, Kei. Please, just drink from me and satisfy your thirst. You know I don't mind," Sho tilted his head to the side, offering his neck, and glanced down to see what Kei would do.

"…I can't…" Kei said hesitantly. Sho could see the way he was watching the pulsing vein in his neck. Sho knew he wanted to drink his blood, yet Kei was torn.

"I can't stand to see you like this, Kei. Do it!" Sho growled and then sighed as something stabbed the side of his neck. He felt something draining from him, yet he couldn't quit tell what it was. Soon his world started to become hazy and he felt himself go lightheaded. Everything was spinning and soon it all went black.

Kei paced back and forth in front of the plush couch where Sho was resting. How could he do this? How could he turn on his only friend like that? He swore that he would never drink Sho's blood no matter how tempted he was. Of course, Kei didn't drain Sho completely dry, which meant he might still have a chance to be human and not change into a vampire. Sho knew the dangers Kei could wreak when he was blood lusting and yet he still offered his own blood to help Kei. Kei knew what was going to happen when Sho woke up, he would be upset that Kei had actually taken his blood and Sho would probably sit him in the sun until he was a smoldering pile of ash.

Kei heard stirring from the couch and turned to realize Sho was finally waking up. He stayed a distance from the bed, fearing what Sho could and would do to him once he remembered what had happened to him. Sho shook his head and let out a groan before he opened his eyes. They traveled over the room, taking in everything as if it was new to him, and then Sho's eyes fell on Kei. Kei squirmed a little under Sho's gaze but then relaxed when he saw Sho wasn't mad at him. In fact, Sho seemed kind of happy in a way.

"How are you feeling, Sho?" Kei asked taking tentative steps toward the couch and towards Sho.

"My head kind of hurts and my neck is really itching," Sho answered and started scratching his neck where the bite marks were. He felt them and Kei could see his eyes get big; Sho was remembering what had happened. Sho glanced over at Kei and Kei turned his head away.

"Kei, are you satisfied now?" Kei turned his head back to face Sho. It was difficult to look his friend in the eyes but he managed to. Finally he forced out an answer.

"Yes, Sho. How could you do that though? You've never wanted me to turn on you before now. Why today?"

"Because, Kei, I'm sick of seeing you in pain without any blood and it tears me to see you suffer like that," said Sho, a few tears gathering on the edge of his eyes.

"You know this kind of thing could be dangerous to you? Once I drank your blood, I'll have cravings for it for a while."

"Yes, but I knew what I was getting into when I offered my blood to you. I knew you wouldn't kill me, which meant that I could possible end up becoming a vampire. It doesn't matter though, at least you aren't suffering any more," Sho let the built up tears fall and Kei walked over and hugged him.

"Look at you. You're such a cry baby, just like when you were a kid," Kei joked and he felt Sho laugh while he played with his hair. Suddenly Sho's cell phone rang. He grabbed it out of his pocket and groaned when he saw who was calling him. Sho clicked it on and answered in a bored tone.

"Hey, Toshi. What do you got lined up for us tonight?" There was a response and then Sho answered, "Alright, so we'll meet you there about eight? Don't forget the pizza or else I will have your ass on a platter." Sho clicked off his phone and started laughing.

"So where is it at tonight?" Kei asked yawning a bit.

"This new mafia league's headquarters. Apparently, according to Toshi, they're supposed to be loaded!" Sho smiled and Kei knew that he meant there were plenty of guards to fight and a good reward if they survived.

"Alright, then. I'm going to bed, though, I'm gonna need some sleep if I'm to keep up with you tonight and all those guards!" Kei joked and threw his hand in the air to say 'night' to Sho and laid back down on the couch: Kei was instantly asleep after that.

Sho sat on the other couch for some time thinking things over in his mind. What was it going to be like if he changed into a vampire? He knew he would have to live off the lives of others by stealing their blood, yet there was also the perk of never dieing. He could also spend the rest of eternity being friends with Kei. But what would happen when he fell in love, got married, and then had to watch the love of his life die while he lived on forever? Sho didn't have an answer to that.

He sighed and stood up, grabbing a glass off the table by the couch and filling it with water from the pitcher also on the table. Sho headed over to the window that was covered by curtains for Kei's safety and started pulling the curtains back until he stopped. He wasn't sure what he was right now, so he decided to be cautious and not open the curtains at all. He might not be able look at the sunlight anymore; he might not even be able to go outside to play on the beach with his friends anymore. His life surely was changed after this incident. Whether he ended up a vampire or not, Sho and Kei's friendship would not change; they would always be friends. Sho finished his glass of water and sat the empty glass on the table with the pitcher. Then he sat back down on the couch looking around his apartment. Life with Kei was going to be fun, yet it was going to be boring being in all day and having fun only during the night. Sho shook his head and grabbed a pillow, fluffing it, then laid down and fell asleep almost as quickly as Kei had.

Kei slowly woke with the taste of blood still fresh on his tongue. He sat up, shaking his head to clear the grogginess, and headed in search of something to change into. He started digging through Sho's drawers, shifting through the different pairs of pants. At the bottom he found a pair of baggy, black sweats. Kei changed into the sweats and then headed to Sho's closet in search of a shirt. He shifted through all of the tight, form-fitting shirts and, at the back of the closet, Kei found a large, red t-shirt that was sleeveless. Kei put it on and spotted a matching red hooded sweatshirt. He grabbed the sweatshirt and headed out into the kitchen.

Causing a raucous, Kei searched through the cupboards. He continued looking through the cupboards, but with no prevail. He cursed lightly and headed to the fridge. There was nothing tasty looking enough for him. Kei looked at the counter and noticed something that wasn't there before: a bag of cheesy potato chips. He grabbed the bag eagerly; he opened it and started shoveling them into his mouth. Kei heard laughter and turned around to see Sho leaning against the entrance-way to the kitchen, a smile plastered on his face.

"Hungry enough, Kei?" Sho asked, laughing still.

"I am now!" Kei replied after shoveling another group of chips into his mouth. Kei saw Sho stifle a yawn and said, "Not enough sleep?"

Sho shook his head and replied, "No, I kept waking up and then falling asleep again." He walked over to the fridge and grabbed an ice-cold bottled water. Sho finished drinking it within a few seconds. He threw the bottle into the trashcan and whooped when it went in. Sho turned back to Kei, a smile on his face. "It's seven thirty. Ready to get our 'groove' on?" Kei laughed and nodded. Soon the two were leaving, heading for the Mafia headquarters that Toshi had told them to meet him at.

It was late that night when Sho and Kei arrived home. The mission was a gruesome one, resulting in a horde of dead bodies (of course from the opposing force) and a large pay off that was expected. Kei took a seat on a couch and grabbed the carton of cigarettes and a lighter off the side table. He pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and took a long drag from it. Sho emerged from the kitchen, a bottle of water accompanying him, and took a seat in the chair conveniently located next to the couch. Sho let out a sigh and glanced at the clock on the wall. There was only a half an hour until sunrise. Sho finished his water and stood to leave the room. Kei glanced up at him, a different look in his eyes that was strange compared to his usual nonchalant glares he normally had.

"I'm off to bed," Sho informed Kei, even though Sho barely sounded like he was tired.

"Off to bed so soon, Sho? Why don't you have a smoke?" Kei asked, clearly stalling for some reason.

"I'm not really in the mood for a cigarette, Kei. I just feel like going to bed," Sho replied, heading off in the direction of his bedroom.

Kei glanced down at the floor, tears gathering on the edge of his eyes. Why is this so hard to tell him? Kei's mind screamed. It should be easy! Just go and tell him how you feel! Kei shook his head, deciding that it was too late to tell Sho how he felt since Sho had already closed the door to his room. He reclined against the back of the couch, closing his eyes while listening for the music coming from Sho's room to inform him that Sho was indeed going to sleep. When the music did not come, Kei's eyes opened and glanced at Sho's bedroom door. The door was still closed, which caused Kei to wonder what was going on.

Kei shook his head again, closing his eyes, and stretched out on the couch. After a few minutes of lying there, Kei heard a door quietly open, as if someone didn't want to be heard. Kei heard shuffling feet across the carpet and soon felt someone sit down on the edge of the couch, extremely close to Kei's body. He heard an intake of breath and kept his eyes shut, waiting to see what his visitor would do. Soon Kei felt a hand on his hip, slowly making its way under his shirt and up his side. The hand stopped on his chest, as Kei felt lips close to his own, his visitor's breath warm on his face. Kei could hear a frustrated sigh and felt the hand leave his chest.

Before his visitor could leave, Kei brought his arm up, wrapping it around his guest's neck and pulled them down, forcefully pressing his lips against theirs. His visitor resisted for a few seconds before giving into Kei, allowing Kei's tongue to enter his mouth and explore his own. Suddenly, Kei opened his eyes, after pulling away, and smiled as he finally saw who his visitor was. Kei's eyes traveled over the loose braids over his guest's shoulders, traveling to the angelic features of his face, and finally landing on the ice blue eyes that could charm anyone. Kei noticed a smile on his visitor's face and graced them with a smile of his own.

"What happened to going to bed, Sho?" Kei asked, still smiling, sitting up on the couch.

"Well, I figured you were lonely out here on the couch by yourself and I thought that you might want some company," Sho responded while a deep blush became visible on Sho's cheeks.

"I sleep out here all the time, why would tonight be any different?" Kei questioned, smiling for a completely new reason.

"I don't know, I just thought—" Sho was interrupted by Kei lightly kissing him on the lips.

"Sho, let me just ask you this: do you love me?" Kei searched Sho's eyes, looking for the answer.

"Yes, Kei, I do. Ever since I first met you, I've been in love with you. But what about you, Kei, how do you feel about me?" Sho returned the question, only to have it answered by a passionate kiss from Kei.

Kei pulled away from Sho, looking at the bite mark on Sho's neck, "I guess I know what this means."

Sho felt the bite marks before replying, "That I'm not a vampire?" Kei nodded his head in confirmation and Sho sighed. At least he could spend his time he had left with Kei.