The Celestial Tiger's Notes: Ok, I swore to myself that I'd never do a songfic. Why? Because they've been done so much. But I don't think this one's been done...and if it has, I haven't read it.

Song: "Haunted" by Evanescence
Anime: Nightwalker


- Long lost words whisper slowly to me -

Shido walked down the dark, abandoned streets, his eyes darting in an almost paranoid manner. It was dreadfully cold outside and the condensation of his exhalations betrayed the fact that he was breathing somewhat rapidly. He was alert, like a cat that smelled a predator but couldn't see it.

"Shido...come back to me..."

Shido tensed and began searching frantically for the origin of the almost whispered utterance. It still echoed in Shido's ears, making him shiver down to the marrow of his bones.

"Shido...I love you..."

- Still can't find what keeps me here -

Shido clenched his teeth and his fists. Why did he let it get to him? Why couldn't he ignore it...walk away from it? Why did he feel compelled to search night after night? And if he found who he was searching for, what did he hope to do?

- When all this time I've been so hollow inside -

If he found who he was searching for, he would be tempted. There was a heavy pull on him to give up this life...to go back to...him. He felt it every day, no matter how hard he fought to resist. They were bound by a force stronger than any other, and a part of him felt empty without his presence.

- I know you're still there -

Cain...once his sire, his master and his companion...now...his bane. He knew deep down that he would never be free...he knew it the night he'd fled Cain's castle, because even before he'd gotten out of the country, he felt the pull of their bond calling him back. No matter how far away he went, it was always there, as if Cain could call to his heart across entire countries. Somehow, he'd managed to resist it this long, but now...Cain had come to him.

- Watching me, wanting me -

Cain's presence now suffocated him. He smelled him in the air, heard his voice on the wind, and saw him at least once every night. It was never more than a glimpse...simply Cain's way of letting Shido know that he was there...he was always there.

- I can feel you pull me down -

Shido felt himself becoming almost paranoid. He jumped at shadows and bore his fangs at specters in the dark. Cain was toying with him...wearing him down. Shido knew this, but he couldn't prevent it from making him uptight. He didn't know what to expect.

- Fearing you, loving you -

Shido feared his former master. It was true that Cain was older and stronger and could defeat Shido in battle, but that was not what Shido was afraid of. If only it were as simple as a struggle fueled by hatred. Shido did not fear death.

But no...what Shido feared was the possibility that he might give in. It all came back to the temptation that he knew he'd face when he confronted Cain. Cain held frightening power over his mind and heart through the bond that they shared. Part of him only felt fulfilled when he was by Cain's side. He was terrified that Cain could amplify that desire until it consumed him.

- I won't let you pull me down -

He'd come close to giving in a couple of times already, but he'd fought it with every measure of his being and he was determined to keep fighting it. Shido knew that Cain would never leave him alone and that some day, when Cain had determined that the time was right, he'd corner Shido and confront him.

Shido took a breath of the cold, crisp air and steeled his resolve at last. He was determined to find Cain first. That was why he continued to search, despite his fears and Cain's mind games. It was time to even the playing field a bit and perhaps even force Cain's hand.

- Hunting you, I can smell you - alive -

Shido broke into a run, his senses on full alert and tuned to Cain's presence. After a moment, he jumped to the rooftops, tracking the oh-so-familiar scent of the blood that flowed through his former master's veins...the blood that had made him. Never throughout eternity would he be able to forget that scent.

- Your heart pounding in my head -

He and Cain had exchanged blood the night he was made. Part of him flowed through Cain...and part of Cain flowed through him. At times, the very beating of Cain's heart sounded out to him, growing louder if he drew nearer...as it was now.

- Watching me, wanting me -

Shido's own heart began to pound. He was getting closer. He could feel Cain all around him and he knew that Cain was nearby, undoubtedly watching him and deliberating whether to leave or strike.

- I can feel you pull me down -

Shido stopped suddenly. Cain's presence was uncomfortably close but he couldn't locate him. Before he could get a full sense of his surroundings, however, he felt an arm wrap around his waist and a hand close around his throat...not a strangle-hold, but firm and authoritative.

Shido gasped and his eyes went wide. How could he have been so oblivious of Cain until it was too late? In a mechanism of self defense, his eyes changed in color from blue-green to a glowing gold and his canines grew into fangs. He began to struggle, but Cain's hold was unyielding. The elder vampire was truly his superior in strength. At last, he gave up trying to fight, but his body remained tense with trepidation and revulsion.

- Saving me, raping me, watching me -

"Shido...why do you still fight me?" Cain whispered into his ear. "You know I don't wish to harm you. I love you."

Shido thrashed his head briefly and grasped at the wrist of the hand that held his neck. "Damn you, Cain!" he spat through clenched teeth.

"My Shido," Cain purred in a tone like thick honey, his accent enriching the seductive quality of his voice. "I've been very patient with you. Frankly, I thought that you would grow weary of this miserable existence and return to me. But now I see that I'm going to have to save you from yourself." The hand that held Shido's neck loosened and began to run sensually upward until it cradled Shido's chin, tilting his head upward and slightly to the side away from Cain.

Shido began to struggle again, growling futilely. "What in the hell are you doing?"

Cain smiled devilishly. "Jogging your memory, beloved." He licked Shido's neck lavishly and then allowed the tips of his fangs to press at the skin there.

Shido gasped again, fear seizing his heart. He felt quite powerless and his body finally went limp, accommodating the inevitable.

Cain grinned for this partial victory and then proceeded to bury his fangs into Shido's flesh. He felt Shido wrench at the puncture but otherwise his fledgling did nothing to fight against him.

Shido felt Cain invading his mind...his heart...his very core. His heartbeat began to synchronize with his master's...a flood of sensations and desires washed through him that he hadn't experienced in a very long time. He suddenly couldn't remember why he'd ever defied Cain.

- Ah-ah-ah-ah (watching me), Ah-ah-ah-ah (wanting me) -

Cain moaned softly, the sound vibrating against Shido's neck. Oh, how he had longed to do this again! All of his bitterness and sorrow temporarily left him. For that moment, there was only Shido...his scent...his taste...his presence. It felt right.

- I can feel you pull me down -

Shido's breath quivered in and out of parted lips. His eyes were hooded and complacent, slightly glazed over like that of a drug addict on a fix. He unconsciously leaned back against Cain, encouraging the continuance of his ministrations. Some distant voice deep down in his mind cried to him to wake up, but he wanted to silence it so that he could revel in this feeling.

- Ah-ah-ah-ah (fearing you), Ah-ah-ah-ah (loving you) -

Shido's hand reached up and came to rest on the side of Cain's face. He writhed slightly and breathed out a contented moan. He felt happy...complete. But then a twinge in his heart clawed at his reverie. Was he truly happy...or was it an illusion? That little voice screaming at him to wake up became much louder. It was happening...the situation that he'd feared. He was giving in. He was letting Cain get to him...get inside him...seduce him.

- I won't let you pull me down -

The hand that held Cain's cheek moved backward into his hair. Suddenly, it fisted roughly, grabbing a generous amount of hair and pulling violently. Both Cain and Shido uttered a brief cry when their contact was broken so forcibly.

Shido's body felt like gelatin, but he made himself tear away from Cain, stumbling backward slightly as he struggled to regain control of himself. His rapid breaths puffed in the cold night air and he could see that Cain was breathing just as hard.

Cain stood horrified for a moment, Shido's blood glistening from the fangs in his agape mouth. There was a look of betrayal and sadness in his eyes that lingered for a moment. Then, as if flipping an emotional switch, he stood upright and dignified once again.

"Shido...remember the feel of me...how only I can make you feel that way. I am lonely without you, Shido...and I know that you long for me as well. You have proved it to me tonight. When you have finally admitted it to yourself, come and find me again." He turned and began to walk away.

Shido glared at Cain with all the ferocity that he could manage. "You manipulated me, Cain! But make no mistake...I will find you again and next time..."

"Shido, Shido, Shido," Cain interrupted, turning and looking back over his shoulder. "You must realize by now that you won't find me unless I want to be found. But even if you can't see me...I always know where you are, Shido." Cain suddenly faded away, appearing to simply vanish into the freezing night air. However, his whispered voice lingered in the chilling breeze. "...Always..."


Additional Notes:
Well, there you have it...my first and probably only songfic. I rarely get to write nitty-gritty vampire stuff so this was fun to do in the very least. I hope it was as enjoyable to read. Please leave me a review, for better or worse.