Disclaimer: I don't own Hana-Kimi. Hisaya Nakajo does. But if I did, Ryoichi'd burn at a stake. And Sano would wear one of those rainbow afro clown wigs. Heh heh...clown Sano.
Sorry about the whole 'no disclaimer or authors notes in the first chapter.' And also, there were three chapters, but the site only recognizes it as one. Technically we're on chappie 4. Four. Quatro. Chi (?). OK? This is where the story starts making sense. I was just learning then. I understand now how to work this thing. Ready for an awesome chapter? Read on.
Ch. 4: Kiss of Death
Umeda was finishing college. He was 25 years old. He was also in sheer ecstasy. Never in his life had he dreamed Ryoichi would return his feelings, and now he had been dating him for over two years. Well, dating was a loose definition. They never spent more that a dinner, movie, or brief make-out session together. They also didn't meet nearly as often as Umeda would have liked, but when they did meet, it was like magic.
Ryoichi seemed to grow more and more beautiful every time they met. Graceful, always smiling to himself, always composed and enigmatic. In short, everything about Ryoichi made Umeda's head spin. And that made Ryoichi laugh.
Of course, perfection never lasts forever.
Swinging his jacket on, Umeda closed the door of his small apartment and leapt down the steps. Ryoichi stood on the sidewalk, smiling.
"Hey," he said casually. He kissed him and hooked his arm around Umeda's waist and swung him around with ease despite the height difference. His arm was cool and his grip was unbreakably strong, not that Umeda had any intensions of pulling away.
"I'm getting dizzy," he giggled, feeling like a giddy schoolgirl as the ebony-haired man placed him back on his own two feet. "Where are we going?"
"I don't have much of an appetite." He responded with a shrug. "You pick."
"It doesn't matter to me. I'm not really hungry either."
"Ok," Ryoichi said with a smile, "let's just walk around."
The pair wandered through the streets, enjoying the warmer weather. After a few blocks, they ended up across the street from the shop Ryoichi worked at. They crossed so Umeda could admire the strange but beautiful objects inside.
"Do you want to go inside?" Ryoichi asked.
"Can we?" he asked in shock.
Ryoichi pulled out a ring of keys. He twirled one away from the others. It was big and had a red rhinestone on it. It looked like something out of a fairytale story, and seemed to go with the store very well. The door opened with a creak, revealing nothing but pitch black aside from the minimal light cast from the candles in the window. Ryoichi placed his hand on the small of Umeda's back, causing him to jump. Laughing, he led him in, apparently too used to the layout of the shop to be affected by the dark. Once inside, Ryoichi somehow found some candles to light. Umeda's light brown eyes adjusted to the sudden brightness of the flames.
"It's so cool in here." He murmured.
Ryoichi watched as he wandered around, carefully fingering the cool metal surfaces of the numerous talismans and leafing through huge, archaic-looking books. He wore a soft smile on his face the entire time. Lifting one medallion with a golden chain and ancient Greek symbol on it, Ryoichi drifted over. He draped it around his boyfriend's neck.
"That's the symbol for love. There's a series of those." He informed. "That suits you."
Umeda laughed, his eyes sparkling. Ryoichi pulled him closer and cupped his face in his cool hands to kiss him. Umeda sat on the counter behind him, allowing Ryoichi to press him down further and further. His fingers twisted furiously through his lover's short, spiky hair as Ryoichi trailed down his neck, his breath hot and damp. Umeda let out a soft moan.
Suddenly, Ryoichi jerked away, his eyes wild. Umeda's face dropped.
"What?" he panted.
Ryoichi wiped his lips and shook his head. "Sorry," he muttered shakily. Unlike his lover, he wasn't out of breath at all, but his hands were trembling. Umeda hopped off the counter nervously.
"Ryoichi, what's wro—"
"NO, HOKUTO!" he screamed, slapping his hand away with such force that the redhead cried out in pain.
"ACK! That hurt!" he yelled angrily. His lover turned away, ignoring him. "Ryoichi!" he persisted, "What the hell?" he ripped off the medallion and set it on the counter, not noticing the nail that stuck out from the edge at an awkward angle. It caught his palm and in jerking away, Umeda only managed to bring it ripping across to just under his thumb.
"OW!" he hissed, adding a few choice words under his breath. Ryoichi turned in surprise. When he saw the crimson-red blood forming across his lover's hand, his eyes widened. His entire body convulsed.
In the blink of an eye, Ryoichi was clenching his wrist in an iron grip. He brought his bloody hand to his lips… and licked the liquid away. Hungrily, he drank until no more blood shed from the lacerated skin. Umeda gasped, his eyes wide with shock and fear. This was inconceivable; he simply couldn't grasp what this meant.
"Ryoichi…?"
"Hokuto," he rasped, "there's something I've always been afraid to tell you. Listen closely. When I was around 20, after a… nightclub, party? — I can't remember—I was attacked. By a—a vampire. A pureblood. Another vampire pulled him off and saved me from being killed, but it was too late. I became—one of them. Hokuto, you're blood. I haven't had a drink in over a week." He clenched Umeda's arms tightly. "I'm a vampire, Ok? And, oh, my god, your blood smells so good."
"Ryoichi," he whispered fearfully, "if you take my blood, will I die or become a vampire?"
Ryoichi shook his head. "No. I'm not a pureblood, so I couldn't transform you. That's how I have the ability to go in the sun, and eat, and…" he moaned. "Your blood. It's so… intoxicating."
"Then," Umeda winced in fear, "take it, Ryoichi."
Ryoichi's black eyes were pained, torn. He slowly took Umeda's head in his hands. He tilted his head sideways, revealing Umeda's slim neck. He kissed Umeda's lips softly, trailing down to his neck.
"Hokuto." He whispered on his exposed skin. Then, he bit, sinking his teeth into his lover's flesh.
How was that? The sooner you review, and the more people reveiw (thanks, Tono, but you alone do not inspire Baka!) the more I update. I want people to tell me what they think...this story's my pride and joy...my baby...REVEIW!
