Author's Note: This was written for lunargeography over at livejournal, I'd also like to thank my excellent beta's snowaltz and lilhobbit. :D Rated mainly for blood and violence and some sexuality at the very end, just to be safe. I won't hold you up any more, please Crit harshly!

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Doumeki jumped forward to grab the vampire that had been causing trouble in the area recently when suddenly Watanuki pushed him aside. They landed together on the ground in a mess of limbs, but Watanuki got up surprisingly fast. The elder vampire whirled around to face them again from where he had missed in his lunge for Doumeki. It was old enough to have lost all it's hair and would never be able to pass off as a regular human even at night, for it's skin was bluish white and clammy and it's eyes were an unnatural reddish hue and even Doumeki could smell it. He couldn't imagine the stench Kimihiro was dealing with if he smelled the rotting and whatever that "spirit stench" was that evil things carried.

The vampire had been consistently directing his efforts after the taller man the entire encounter. Which was rather a switch for them since usually ghosts and demons focused so acutely on Watanuki that the other man could act with impunity. This time though their adversary seemed to have it out for Doumeki. What they didn't realize was that for an elder vampire drinking the blood of an exorcist would infuse him with resistance to any type of magic used against him.

"Run! I'll keep him busy!"

"Idiot, no!"

They both dodged the vampire's next attack, but Doumeki didn't make it out of the way in time, earning a wicked set of scratches on his arm where the vampire had grabbed him and Watanuki had kicked it off. Watanuki gave him another shove, "I said to RUN you bastard!" The moonlight made the blood on Doumeki's arm appear black as it ran down to drip on the packed earth. They were in the middle of "their" park a place they found themselves frequently, even at night. As all three froze and watched the fat drop of blood absorb into the soil, Doumeki wondered again if there was something special about this place, but reality reasserted itself as the vampire made a strangled sound of wanton hunger at the sight of his blood.

As Watanuki interposed himself between the monster and it's quarry, Doumeki froze again, staring up at Watanuki in anger. "No! I won't let anything happen to you!" The promise had become familiar over the years and it brought a familiar clench to Watanuki's heart, but as usual he refused the feelings it stirred and glared daggers with their shared eye over his shoulder at Shizuka. The vampire sneered and actually laughed this time as it side stepped Watanuki with blinding speed and grabbed for Doumeki again.

"NO!" Watanuki threw himself at the monster this time, crying out, "I'm not the one in danger! Now RUN!"

It dawned on Doumeki that in this instance Watanuki might get himself killed trying to stop the vampire from killing him so he scrambled to his feet and bolted out of the clearing to the trees beyond. Once the archer was far enough he doubled back around to cautiously approach from a different direction.

Watanuki was out of breath, but now that Doumeki was gone he could think again. It had frightened him amazingly watching the beast go after Shizuka with such tenacity. He couldn't bear for anyone else to die trying to protect him, bad enough he'd lost half an eye for him. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if the fool died trying to protect him, especially from a monster that was after Shizuka and not himself. It was another feeling he didn't examine closely - even though the feeling of not wanting anyone else to die protecting him was familiar, fearing for the archer's life was new. Before this he had always been so resilient and calmly capable, the idea of him actually dying to save him had never seriously crossed his mind before.

Distracted by his thoughts, Watanuki just managed to dodge an attack by the now angry vampire, but that apparently had been exactly what it wanted him to do as it continued in it's inhuman gait in the direction Doumeki had run off in.

No.

Panic gripped Watanuki as he dove after it, just managing to tackle it around the legs and bringing them both to the ground and winding him painfully on it's heels. The vampire reached down and grabbed him, snarling fiercely as it pulled him on top of it like a lover. Before he could even begin to struggle with it, it's teeth were embedded just below his left collarbone, drawing freshly oxygenated blood almost directly from his heart.

The scent of the cherry blossoms dying on the trees that was normally so sweet to him seemed grotesquely appropriate mixed with the acrid scent of his blood and the rotten stench of the once-human creature. Some morbid part of his mind examined the fact that they not only represented elegance, but death, the very transience that was inherent in all beauty.

His eyes widened and a strangled sob escaped him, it hurt so much, he could feel the physical sensation of the strain on his heart as he lost so much blood. It felt like it was going to implode; he just hoped that Shizuka had gone back to his home, he'd be safe on the temple grounds. Safe from this creature, from this pain, from his life being drained away...

Suddenly with an almost parental gentleness, the monster released him. It cradled his head as he went into convulsions, as his heart stopped completely, and his vision went black.

"You will draw him to me."