Takao snatched the ball out of the air and tore down the court, the shouts of the opposing team's panic like music to his ears. Their opponents converged like sheep and began to chase him.

Perfect.

His eyes darted around until they rested on the vibrant green head standing above most of the others.

And here we see a Shin-chan in its natural habitat, he thought as he grinned. He faked a pass to Miyaji, which effectively confused his pursuers, and tossed the ball to Midorima.

Takao watched with glee as his partner in battle caught the ball, then calmly set up his shot. Their opponents were an angry mess, frantically trying to prevent what they all knew was unstoppable.

Midorima took the shot.

As always, the ball soared up and seemed to hang in the air, mocking the opposing team, before swishing through the net and hitting the floor with a very satisfying thud.

The buzzer sounded the end of the practice match.

Takao threw his arms up and yelled out happily, they had won again. He grinned while he saw the senpai preen a bit. He took a quick glance at Midorima and caught the tiny, satisfied smirk that always appeared after they won a game.

It quickly disappeared as they lined up.

Takao always found the way this little expression disappeared so quickly to be perplexing. Actually, he pretty much found Midorima in general to be perplexing.

Sometimes it felt like he just wasn't on the same frequency as the rest of the world.

As they packed up their bags to head home, Takao slung an arm over Midorima's shoulders as he bent down to retrieve his lucky item, a vanilla-scented candle.

He restrained his mirth as an idea popped into his mind.

It could probably be used as a summoning device for Kuroko.

Pushing away the tempting image, he gave one of his usual grins as Midorima gave one of his usual glares.

"Nice shooting today Shin-chan!"

"Hmph. Of course."

Midorima straightened up, obviously trying to dislodge Takao from his shoulders.

Takao's eyes sparkled with mischief and he hooked his arm to firmly attach himself around the other's neck.

They ended up face to face with Midorima glaring right into his eyes while he dangled comically by his arm.

They were close enough that Takao could see all of those hilariously long eyelashes behind Midorima's glasses.

Midorima's eyes seemed to drill into him like the eyes of a venomous snake.

He felt a strange panic wash through him as he realized he couldn't look away. He felt like a mouse spread out on a platter for dinner.

Takao glimpsed a flicker of movement as Midorima's throat constricted.

Ah, he was swallowing.

That small, thankful distraction let him break their eye contact.

Midorima was the first to speak.

"Let go you fool."

"Eh, Shin-chan's no fun!"

He pouted, let go and slung his bag over his shoulder as he strolled over to the other members of their team.

In reality, Takao was in no rush to keep hanging there. He was a little spooked at what had just happened.

He was used to Midorima being a weird, awkward being that was easily provoked for quality reactions. He had only glimpsed the scary side of his friend a few times and he had no idea how to handle it.

A shiver ran down his spine.

He definitely preferred the eccentric Midorima to the predatory Midorima.

As he walked off, he was uncharacteristically oblivious to the burning gaze that had fixed itself on him until he went through the gym doors.

Takao took aim, then shot his empty can into a nearby garbage bin.

What was taking so long?

Midorima said that he needed to finish something and had taken off like a bat out of hell as soon as the bell rang. Takao had estimated that he wouldn't take that long, but waiting could get boring really quickly.

What was he doing? Was there a lucky item dealer having a sale or something?

Takao stretched his arms out and stood up.

Might as well walk around.

He had made it to the outdoor field when he noticed something strange.

Midorima.

Midorima was walking briskly towards the back entrance of the school.

Even weirder was the fact that what appeared to be a pretty, dark-haired girl was following him.

Did Midorima have a secret girlfriend?

He had to check this out.

The curiosity boiled in his veins as he strolled casually towards where the two had disappeared. When he reached the corner, he peeped around it very cautiously.

What he saw rooted him to the spot.

The girl was pressed back against the building, head back and her pale eyes glassy. Her hands fluttered as they tried to grab on to something, then fell limp at her sides. Her jaw was slack, like she had no strength to close it.

Takao's eyes were drawn from the helpless girl to Midorima.

He had pressed the girl up against the wall with his hands on both her shoulders. The strong muscles in his arms seemed even larger when compared with the girl's slight build. He was bent over at a very uncomfortable looking angle with his head at her neck.

Takao was confused, then the girl's head shifted slightly, giving him a prime view.

Terror locked all of his muscles in place.

Midorima's mouth was fastened on the girl's throat, eyes hungrily fixed on her skin. As Takao watched, a small trickle of blood began to slip from those lips. Midorima's eyes darted down and saw the red liquid. His mouth released the girl's neck and he carefully licked up the escaping blood.

Takao got a very good glimpse of the girl's neck when Midorima's mouth released it.

There were two half moons of puncture marks or her otherwise unblemished skin. His knees started shaking as he watched, unable to run away like he desperately wished to do.

Midorima had finished licking up the blood and was staring at the girl's neck. He carefully let go of one shoulder to take her chin in hand. His untaped fingers pressed gently into the area under her jaw.

He was checking her pulse.

Seemingly satisfied, Midorima fixed his attention on the puncture marks. Slowly, he began to lick them. Amazingly, with each pass of his tongue, the marks grew fainter until they had disappeared entirely.

As Midorima set the girl's limp body down against the wall in a sitting position, Takao felt the last of his strength crumble and his legs gave out. He sat down with a thump, falling forwards so that he was clearly visible.

Midorima's head turned quickly and Takao had no time to react before those predatory eyes were fixed on him.

He stared blankly in shock and panic at Midorima, who was, strangely, staring back at him with a similar expression. The only difference was the hunger in his eyes.

Takao felt a dull throb coming from his right leg. He had probably scratched it when he fell.

Suddenly Midorima clapped hand over his mouth and took a few steps back, his body language screaming that he was panicking.

His eyes told a different story.

They narrowed and fixed themselves on Takao's… neck?

Oh god.

No way.

This was not happening.

Impossible.

Every cell in Takao's body screamed at him to move, to get up off of the ground and run, but he couldn't. He was paralyzed.

Midorima slowly moved towards him. Takao snapped out of his terror long enough to realize that his friend seemed to be fighting every step he took. Midorima's face was a mix of hunger and desperation.

Eventually he reached Takao and sank to his knees in front of him.

He was breathing heavily and seemed to be sweating more than the summer heat would excuse.

"Tak…ao…"

Midorima gasped out his name like a plea. His hands shook as they clasped Takao's shoulders in an iron grip.

As Takao's mind whirled and panic surged through him, he realized that Midorima was trying to get away from him. The shaking hands, his voice, and the look on his face, it was all directly coming from Midorima's attempt to escape what was about to happen.

An attempt that they both knew was futile.

Midorima slowly pushed his face into Takao's neck, resting his forehead where it connected to his shoulders.

"Forgive me…"

Takao could only gasp as a fierce pain ripped through him as Midorima bit down on his jugular vein and let out a low, almost keening noise.

Takao didn't even squirm, he couldn't. His head tipped backwards, giving Midorima more space, and he felt all of his strength drain from his body.

Then he blacked out from the pain.