Disclaimer: I do not own Hana-Kimi. Hisaya Nakajo does. If I did, Ryoichi would be burned at a stake...and Sano would wear a funny clown wig.

This is my first story ever submitted so...here you go. Be nice and I apologize... the first few chapters are not very relevant. They're acutally a lot of inside jokes with friends. Enjoy, cause there's more to come!

Ch. 1: Predator

January 28. It was almost 11p.m. The night was clear and below freezing. A young girl in her early 20s hurried through the streets of the city. She shivered, a combination of cold and fear. She turned back nervously down the empty street from which she had just come. No one was there, but she thought she had heard footsteps.

No.

She was sure she had. Turning behind a second time, she gasped. A man's figure stood less than a block away. He was tall and dressed entirely in black. She couldn't make out his face. In fact, his entire body was merely a silhouette, black against the white light of the full moon behind him. An overwhelming sense of urgency to get away from this stranger overtook the girl.

She turned and ran, completely forgetting the direction of her house. All that mattered was getting far, far away from him. The echo of footsteps behind told her he had taken off after her. In a flash, he was at her side.

How was that possible? He was almost a block away!

As she passed a dark alley, he swooped sideways, pulling her in. The man clamped his hand over her mouth so she couldn't scream. His other arm pinned her shoulder against the wall. He leaned forward, but surprisingly, he pushed her head to the side with his own. The girl gasped out in horror from behind his hand.

He bit her neck.

Blood began to flow as the unmistakable teeth of a vampire punctured her skin and the dark-haired man drank her blood.

She dared to glance up into the face of her attacker. He didn't look down at her, but his eyes shone a deep crimson. In less than a minute, he pulled back from her and ran. The vampire was gone in seconds.

She stood, shaking in shock as blood continued to drip down her neck and shoulder.

Ch. 2: Black Coffee

As usual in the late afternoon, Starbucks was hopping. A giddy group of teenage girls laughed and joked, ordering hot chocolate and 'the last doughnut.'

"Kateland, you sure you don't want anything?"

"No thanks."

"That doughnut's calling me!"

More giggles.

"Lissy-chan, order already!"

"Geez, Becca, fine!"

Umeda rolled his eyes. Tourists. He took another sup of his black, bitter coffee. Aaah. Turning back to his textbook, he flipped through a stack of research papers for his Biochemistry class. College was killer, but he didn't feel alone, at least. He recognized the punk across the room at a single table. Her hair was short and gelled in spikes. She came in often… usually with a base guitar strapped over her shoulder. She scribbled furiously in a music book now, writing notes by the text and occasionally taking a sip of her non-fat soy latte. A young businessman sat by the window, typing into his laptop. The usual copy of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying sat on the counter. He nibbled his croissant as he typed. The usual crew. Umeda thought, turning back to his own book. If he could just get this typed, he would be able to go out for the night for the first time in weeks. His university wasn't very close to home, and he hadn't made many friends yet this year, his first year without a dorm. Slamming his book shut with satisfied finality, the 22-year-old grinned. Hokuto, you are free to LIVE tonight!

The nightlife buzzed. Young couples raced around. Signs flashed and the smell of fried foods wafted though the streets. Umeda made his way aimlessly through town. He was tempted to stop by a bar for some alcohol, but decided against it. It would be better to be alert alone in a town like this. Passing a vendor making takoyaki, he noticed a store on a street corner lit by candles with unusual purple flames. Interested by the sight, the megane made his way over. Even from outside, he could smell the incense that wafted out through the door that was cracked open. Not thrilled by the price tags on the items, Umeda turned to leave when a familiar voice stopped him in his tracks.

"No way! Hokuto? Long time no see."

At first, Umeda couldn't even turn around. He stood frozen in shock. Finally, he managed to face the person addressing him.

"Ryoichi?"

There was no mistake. He looked up the steps to face his best friend and heart's desire, Ryoichi Kijima.

"Wh-what are you doing here?" he sputtered in utter shock. Ryoichi grinned, his gorgeous face glowing. He was even more beautiful than Umeda remembered with his ivory skin and spiky, jet-black hair.

"I work here as a part time job," he explained. "Cool place, huh?" he hopped down off the stoop gracefully. He had grown since high school. He was almost as tall as Umeda now. They had been friends all those years back. After harboring his feelings for most of their freshmen year, Umeda kissed Ryoichi. After the confession, Ryoichi seemed to 'move on.' He cheerfully told Umeda to forget the fateful kiss, and treated him as a distant friend for the rest of their school years before disappearing out of Umeda's life. Now, it was difficult to stay calm in front of the man Umeda still loved.

"Exactly what is it?" he asked tentatively.

"It's called Nightlife. It sells cool mythical stuff. You know, charms, books, that kind of crap. So, what are you doing here?"

"My university's a town over. I came here 'cause I was free for the night."

Ryoichi flashed a white-toothed smile. "Cool. I spend a lot of time here. I'll show you around!" he grabbed Umeda's wrist and led him eagerly down the street. His fingers were cool against Umeda's skin.

"Uh… sure!" he responded as he allowed himself to be pulled down the street.

Ch. 3: Something More

It had been less than an hour since the friends had reunited and Ryoichi had shown Umeda the entire city. They now sat in a bar quiet bar, with decent sake.

"So, what college are you attending?" Umeda ventured curiously, watching the black eyes of the man he loved. Ryoichi looked uncertain, and then regained his usual composure.

"To be honest… I dropped out of Mabudachi a year ago. That's why I can spend so much time at Nightlife."

The studious Umeda was incredulous. "Ryoichi! You? But… you're so smart! Why wouldn't you want a formal education?"

Ryoichi snickered. "Hokuto, it's my philosophy that you can attend any college you want and all you're gonna learn is textbook crap. Or, you can get out there into the real world."

Umeda had to laugh. "You haven't changed a bit, Ryoichi Kijima."

His friend leaned closer now. " Neither have you." He said, his voice lower.

Umeda knew he was blushing, but he couldn't look away from Ryoichi's beautiful black orbs. He seemed drawn into him. Abruptly, Ryoichi pulled back, looking flustered. "Um, tell you what, I've gotta go. I'd like to see you again, though. Here's my number. So, next time you catch a break from you textbook crap, call me and we'll do this again." He had written his number in a neat scrawl over a piece of paper and handed it to his friend, who gratefully smiled and took it.

"Sure. Thanks, I'd like to do this again too." He answered, trying to mask his disappointment. This last hour had gone far too fast.

"Bye." Ryoichi called cheerfully. He was already out the door.

The weeks blurred. Papers, essays, oral reports, fraternities (no thanks!) all mixed. Umeda's life was in a constant state of stress, bookwork and laptops. He was beginning to slow down, to become tired and just like that, spring break came.

Umeda had gone home for break the past few years, but now, he eagerly called the number Ryoichi had given him.

"Hello?" came the familiar drawl on the other line.

Life was about to go even faster.

They ended up in the same place as last time. The weather was getting warmer and the days longer. It wasn't very late and it was much lighter than last time they had been there.

Ryoichi laughed, his pleasant voice ringing through the bar. "You're so cynical." He teased.

"That's just my opinion." The redhead concluded bluntly.

Ryoichi leaned closer, as he had done a few weeks earlier. This time, he didn't pull away. Umeda felt a light blush cross his face, and not from the weak alcohol he had been drinking.

"Hokuto… why did I ever let you go?" he mused quietly to himself.

"What?"

Ryoichi's teeth flashed in a perfect smile. "Sorry. I'm just thinking, you're really something special."

Umeda visibly flinched. He hadn't seen something like that coming. "No, I'm nothing special at all." He finally objected.

"You really are," Ryoichi pressed, "I was an idiot for letting go of you. Especially since you still have feelings for me—"

"Ryoichi! That isn't tru—"

"Don't lie to me, Hokuto," Ryoichi ordered calmly. "I know you do. It's so obvious. There are risks involved, but evidently, I don't care."

Once again, Ryoichi was talking to himself rather than Umeda.

"What are you talking about? What risks? Why—" he was cut off when Ryoichi pressed a pale finger against his lips.

"We've always called ourselves friends," he said quietly, "but I want you to be… something more."

Umeda's blush returned, darker this time. "Uh… well…"

Ryoichi smiled, completely at ease. "Now. There's something I've wanted to do for a while now. Don't freak out, Ok, Hokuto?"

"S-sure, Ryoichi."

Once again, his white teeth shone in a super model-smile. "Greeaat." He drew the word out, leaning closer. His lips brushed Umeda's. Not wasting any time, he leaned in for a deep, satisfying kiss. Umeda almost fainted.

Please review. It makes me smile. If you don't, tourists from Starbucks will attack you in your sleep.