Author's Note: This story is slow-it's not a Western where the gunslinger kills everyone he sees...at least, not yet

Lassoed

I hurriedly ate the last cracker I had before covering myself yet again with my blanket. I was finally in Nagoya just as the snow set in and my food ran out. All I needed to do now was to find Kara's underground bunker. She lived on the outskirts of the capital city.

The entire journey before Nagoya lasted nearly three days of backtracking, food shortages and cold weather. I barely had the gas to keep going and Haru's short appearances were now actually appreciated for the warmth that radiated from him. However, I noticed that upon entering Nagoya, the Horsemen attacks seemed to stop. I kept being chased by monsters of colossal sizes, but they seemed to stop. There were no sign of Horsemen anywhere.

After half a day of searching in a weird winter storm, I found her house in the capital city. It sat just outside the city, inside a large wall that surrounded a desolate garden. I remembered firing wax bullets from my Peacemaker in her sound-proof basement.

It looked like Kara's garden failed, but what of her Doomsday Shelter? I found its heavy steel door down a staircase. It was a safe door with a giant locker wheel combination. Luckily, I knew the combination.

Inside was dark; the light switch wouldn't work. I then remembered her saying that the entire place was running under a generator inside the facilities room. I filled it with gas and to my amazement it still worked. Back at the shelter, the lights lit up a room the size of a large Dining Hall. Refrigerators, storage chests, lockers, beds and supplies lined the outside of the place. All was untouched. I then felt the heaters giving off a warm gush of air as I closed the door, locking it behind me.

The first thing I did was take a shower. The water was clean and warm, thanks to an industrial water heater and a purification unit. A sense of joy rushed around me; I was loudly singing in the shower.

I clothed myself with fresh clothes and ran towards the refrigerator. I drank the first beer I had since the Apocalypse. I ate from an MRE as I did a detail on the storage bins and closets. Most had dry food, canned goods, clothes, medical and office supplies, but one cabinet, a long metal cabinet, held something much more amazing.

It was a gun rack. All that was inside was a Winchester 1903 Shotgun, two Sig Sauers, a HOWA Type 64, a Hunting Rifle, and a gun I never expected to see ever again. The Fast Draw Peacemaker.

"Long time no see, ol' girl,"I told myself, admiring the Peacemaker.

As much as I enjoyed seeing it, touching it made me feel an anxious feeling in my gut. It was like I could smell the stench of gunpowder mixed with dry sand. I felt an unbearable heat for a moment, but ended when I accidentally tipped over a rifle in my stumbling. I brushed it off, going back to detailing. I looked at the revolver and ran my hand across its barrel.

The .45 Colt Peacemaker was my speciality. I didn't know how Kara got her hands on it, but she somehow imported my specially-crafted Fast Draw-modified Peacemaker to Japan. The hammer was replaced with one that moved the thumb lever up for fanning. The front sights were removed and the insides were tuned up with the addition of blocks. The Bird's Head grip was solid silver, the gun a shining chrome. Although it used only .45 Long Colt rounds, there was enough here for a small army. Everything else was just as good, if not better. I could last in this bunker for years regardless.

That night, I stood outside the house with a bottle of imported Scotch. I took a swig before draining half of the bottle on the ground.

"Kyrrðu í friði, Kara,"I said in Icelandic, holding a dictionary in my hand. "Til Valhall."

I slept comfortably with the bunker door locked and my weapons next to me. Multiple blankets and the remaining Scotch made the night better. I slept soundly, until I felt a familiar hand reach out from behind me and ruffled through my hair.

"You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams,"Haru whispered in my ear.

"I was actually very much asleep, thank you." I welcomed his hand though; call me crazy, but I enjoyed him for now. I could feel his warmth, smell his flagrant scent.

"How are you holding up? Three more under the belt, interesting."

"I'd rather not think about it,"I murmured.

I opened my eyes at what I could only perceive as early morning. It was another fit of sleep paralysis, the scariest thing that could happen to me other than another asthma attack. Usually in sleep paralysis, the person affected's body isn't awake but their mind is. The person's mind hallucinates beyond REM and reality and soon the person sees things that weren't really there. Usually for me, I would see Haru standing next to me. I would try my damnest to break free just to see him disappear.

This time was different. Not only was there a different figure-I didn't feel the need to wake up quick, fast and in a hurry. The figure was blurrier than usual, but I could tell he was familiar. It looked so real too; once he came into focus, I could tell he wore a face that I never really thought I would see ever again. It was Crowley Eusford.

It was funny, at first, because I didn't really think about him as much, Ferid more so than Crowley. Crowley I thought of as a good friend-great, even-but I didn't really think about him at all during the Apocalypse until I saw him staring right at me with those red eyes of his. It brought on so many feelings, but something was causing me to wake up.

I closed my eyes and opened them again, trying to wriggle my fingers and toes to waken my body. After maybe five minutes of internally struggling, I finally awoke completely. He was still there.

"Oh shit, I must be hallucinating!"I laughed to myself.

"T-Tim-san!? You're alive?"Crowley asked, surprised.

I thought for a moment on his puzzled reaction. I smiled to myself. "No...you can't be...nah I don't believe it...oh God, you really are real!?"

I hurriedly got up, holding his arms; he looked and sounded real. I chuckled heartily and wrapped my arms around him. He was cold, as usual, and somewhat stiff, but I still felt a sense of familiarity and security from him. It was a feeling I have missed in a long time. I must have held onto him for a good five minutes; I almost wanted to kiss him. He didn't even budge, but I could tell he was somewhat glad to see me. He patted me on the head.

"Your hair got long,"he said.

"Crowley...oh, it's so good to see a familiar face,"I said. "A week ago, I thought I couldn't trust another human being."

"What?"He seemed confused.

"I messed up...there were these guys-humans-and they called themselves the 'Demon Army'. There was a misunderstanding...and I killed one of them. Here-"I got up and moved back the bangs near my right ear. "-the shot nearly deafened my ear and took a bit off the earlobe. The blast singed it."

"Uh...Tim-kun..."

"They were armed, and for over a year I was alone, so you have to understand how paranoid I was. Now, they're probably looking for me...wanting to take revenge."

"I'm...sorry to hear that." His tone was the same calm, but also confused, sound I was used to hearing. "How many people have you killed?"

"...what kind of man asks another man how many he has killed?"I said, almost disappointed. "He was the only one. As for vamps-"

"-you killed vampires before?" He sounded surprised.

"Around 5 or 6. It was hard. They were fast as lightning-faster than me. Funny story: the last two I killed I had my revolver taken away and I managed to distract them with a magic trick, so I can reach my other pistol."

"That's...an interesting story."

I looked back at Crowley as I was grabbing a bottled water from a supply chest. Something about his expression told me that he was honestly confused about something.

"What's wrong, mate, it looks like you've seen a ghost?"I said. "N-Now I know I wasn't someone that you were expecting, but it is me. And...I got fresh water, so, let's celebrate!"

I threw him the bottle, but he stood still. The bottle landed in a loud thud on the ground next to him.

Annoyed, I sighed, "Something wrong?"

"Well...I'm glad that you're alive and well, but can't you see it?"

"See what?"

Crowley smiled after letting out a slight sigh. "For the fastest and most accurate gunslinger in the world, you sure are unobservant."

"I still don't...wait...how did you get in here?"

The door was wide open, the latch broken. I turned back to Crowley to question him, but he suddenly stepped closer to me. I nervously chuckled and tried backing up, but his face grew closer to mine.

Pointed ears.

Red eyes.

White fangs barely sticking from behind the top lip.

A white uniform with a purple cape and black right arm sleeve.

A sword sheathed on his left hip.

I took another step back, double-taking to make sure I wasn't seeing things. He was one of them: a vampire. I then noticed two others step inside the bunker, both vampires.

"Oh...I must be hallucinating. You know, you-you ain't the first friendly looking face that torments me at night."

He smirked and laid both of his hands on my shoulder, staring right into my face with an awkward smile. He licked his lips, showing off his white fangs.

"Oh...this is not good."

An incredible rush of adrenaline overwhelmed me. As if instinct, my left hand grabbed for my Ruger, which was on the bedpost next to me. But, before my hand could even move, Crowley pinned me down on the bed in a matter of a second. I felt the blunt blow of the bed colliding with my back and shoulders; I struggled and tried tearing myself away from his hands, but the level of strength he exerted was growing stronger and stronger. The weight of his body alone made me stay still. Pretty soon, it felt as if my bones were about to crack from the sheer force of his grip. I cried out in pain before looking back at him.

"What're you doing?"I yelped. "I-I thought..."

"I've never seen that face before! Hold still, little livestock."

"Livestock!?"

"And a dangerous one at that. Now, be a good boy and relax. If you keep struggling, I might end up killing you."

Not a second sooner, he placed his hand over my mouth, forcing my head to the right, and sunk his fangs into my exposed neck. The pain was excruciating, sending me through vicious agony. I screamed in Crowley's gloved hand, wriggling for my freedom. However, I couldn't move. With every second, my pain multiplied ten-fold, making for an excruciating torture. I couldn't think straight, my instincts telling me to try and throw Crowley off of me. Obviously, I couldn't. Every struggle made me weaker, and I was shortly incapacitated, nearly falling limp in Crowley's grasp.

I fell unconscious, the last thing being seen by my closing eyes being Crowley shoving a towel on my neck.

Apparently, Nagoya was, in reality, a hotspot of vampire activity. A lot of the Vampire Nobles, including Crowley Eusford, had taken up residence in key points around the Prefecture, Crowley residing in the old Town Hall.

As for me, when I blacked out from blood loss, I was immediately given basic medical care before being chained inside of an old Police Station's jail cell. The bunker, my supplies and my car were raided and given to Crowley. Now all that was left was the decision on what to do with me.

They left me with nothing but the clothes on my back and a small ration of canned food that came three times a day to keep me alive. Nights were long, cold and harsh. I could barely sleep. For nearly half of a week, they kept me in that dank cell, making me rot in the frost. Haru never appeared, leaving me without even imaginary warmth.

I couldn't allow myself to suffer. I tore a chunk of the cracked floor and looked into it. Just one forceful swing and it would all end. There was no way I could get out of this alive.

Just as I tore it out, the sound of boots came from down the hall. I quickly dropped the rock and faced the people coming. It was Crowley and his aides, Chess and Horn. They were the rulers of Nagoya, Crowley being a thirteenth progenitor and his aides the fifteenth.

"What the hell do I even call you?"I asked.

Crowley signaled for his aides to wait outside, just outside of hearing range. "I thought you were dead." He gave me a cup of unknown liquor, which I drank quickly upon receiving it. I groaned from the burning in my throat, but was satisfied by the taste.

"Why are you doing this to me? I thought we were friends!?"I frantically asked.

"I thought your definition of a friend was when someone drank and ate ten times a normal human would along with you?"

"A-Are you serious, man. Other than Haru and Kara, I thought of you as, like, my Number Three. Shit! Why would you do this to me?!"

"You were going to try and kill me."

"No, I wasn't...I just couldn't believe you were-w-were you a vampire before this?"

"Yes."

"Why are you holding me here?"

Crowley gripped the cage bars. "I still don't know how much of a danger you really are. I already know what you can do with just a simple hair pin."

I scoffed. "It's gonna take a lot more than a hair pin to kill you."

Crowley sighed. "Case and point."

Dumbfounded of my own stupidity, I leaned on the bars. "Crowley...you know I can't kill you. Not only are you too powerful...but, you're the only somewhat friendly face I've seen in a long time."

"You mentioned a group called the 'Demon Army', right?"

"Yeah...maybe it wasn't such a good idea to hogtie one of 'em."

"How many of them were there?"he asked.

"...five...maybe ten? I even met their LTC."

He smiled. "So, an army that saw you as a threat because you hogtied one of their own...an interesting story indeed.

I looked back at Crowley. He looked exactly the same as before the Apocalypse. He looked calm, collected, and a lot more fleshed out than the vampires that hunted me back in Tokyo. Maybe I could stoke up some old cinders of our friendship to get me out of this cell.

"Let me go, mate. I don't go actively hunting your kind-everything was strictly self defense. You show me a place that's not full of vampires and I'll leave you all alone, I swear to you."

He snickered and pulled out a key. "I can't do that Tim-kun." He unlocked the cage and slowly pushed me against the wall.

"W-why not?"I said, shocked.

He put his hands behind my neck and wrapped a nearly tight-fitting leather collar around me. I muttered a curse in tagalog before looking back at him. Crowley's red eyes gazed into my own. I let out a mild groan of confusion as he slowly undid my shirt collar and vest. His face hovered just half-an inch from mine; I could barely look him in the eye.

"I decided that you're my trophy now," he said. "The Second Fastest Gun in the West as my trophy; how delightful. You'll do what I say and if that means I want your blood-" He opened my unbuttoned shirt and moved the collar up my neck. "-I'll take it."

"W-Wait-"I shoved my hands on his chest, but he didn't even so much as budge.

"-what?"he asked, annoyed.

"I'll die if you take another sip. I can barely stand. You've been feeding me nothing but bread and canned meat."

He took a look at me and groaned. He placed his teeth around my neck, just enough to where I could feel the sharpness of his fangs slightly puncturing my neck as my pulse increased. He hummed softly to himself, probably deciding if he wanted to take a drink regardless of my objection.

He looked back up. "Fine, but you remain by my side now. If you try to escape, I'll break your legs."

I groaned in annoyance, but was relieved of his last decision. "Sure...do I still have to live here?"

"No, I have a different arrangement for you."

His idea of a "different arrangement" was an office room inside the Town Hall. I was given a bed, some of my clothes, and a few books from the bunker. My weapons were clearly gone, maybe destroyed or stored.

My task, as directed by Crowley, was to now fix generators lying around Nagoya as well as shovel snow from the roads and buildings and into designated areas. At all times, a vampire or two watched me to make sure I wasn't straying off or killing anyone. Looking around, there were only vampires; as far as I knew, I was the only human there.

I heard rumors spread. They were asking questions on how an adult male survived the Apocalypse Virus: the virus that killed off anyone above the age of thirteen. Theories passed on from vampire to vampire; some theories included that I was a spy from religious organizations or that magic itself was used to immunize myself. I, myself, knew the best reason was due to a natural immunity an organism could have for any disease. Turns out I qualified, whether for better or worse.

Either way, they still looked down on me. To a vampire, a human was nothing more than livestock and should be treated as such. The guards would push me around from place to place, always telling me to hurry up. The only difference for me was that I was getting what most would consider "luxury" nowadays. I would still have a sleep schedule from 10 to 6, but work would last all day to make up for the extra treatment they had to give me to survive. To add on to that, being Crowley's slave meant that he would feed off of me whenever he felt like it; he would even "walk" me via the leash around my neck.

While the generators weren't as much of a problem as I thought, snow was consistently rampant as I kept trying to shovel it from the roads. That was my routine for hours on end for the next eight or so weeks, up until one fateful night.

I was getting ready for bed; a last drink of water and a few pages of Jack London and I was ready to call it a night. I found reading and logging down my thoughts ever since day thirty of the Apocalypse to keep me saner than talking to Haru, who now would only watch with melancholy whenever I shoveled snow or fixed a generator. I ignored the visions, knowing the vampires would treat me worse if they thought I was crazy or delusional. Haru would only crawl up from behind me in bed and just cover my back. He did the same for tonight, only this time he talked.

"Betrayal,"he said.

I grunted.

"He betrayed you."

I groaned in anger. "I can see that. A few years ago I was his friend and now...I'm his blood bag. I thought I meant something to him."

"I'm sorry..."

I turned to face him. "That's...don't. Nothin' I could do now."

"If only there was a car that could drive faster than a Lamborghini at top speed..."

"I don't even know where it is...if it's even in one piece still."

"Then find out. They have you all over the place. Maybe it's right-"

The door suddenly opened and Haru disappeared. I jumped up, throwing my blanket off of me, and looked at the open door. It was Chess Bell and Horn Skuld, Crowley's aides.

"Get up, human,"Horn ordered.

"What's goin' on?"I asked.

"Get up." She stomped over and forcefully pulled on my leash.

They led me towards the Mayor's office, where Crowley sat and waited. His two aides marched me towards a chair and sat me down right in front of the Thirteenth Progenitor. In between us was a desk with a typewriter and a ream of paper.

"Good evening, Tim-kun!"he greeted cheerfully. "How are you!"

"So far, so good, I guess. I thought you drank me yesterday. I got wounds all over my neck and arms."

"No, actually...I was thinking that you can help me type something."

"W-w-like what?"

"A report."

"...about what exactly?"

"Well, basically all I have to do is...summarize these other reports and on the other Nobles' reports and the yield of incoming activity of humans and monsters."

"And what is my involvement in all of this?"

"Lord Crowley's reports in the past..."Horn started,"...were somewhat unsatisfactory when received by the Queen."

"It was too general and unclear,"Chess added.

"Dear God, it couldn't have been that bad?"I said. "I mean, it's not like anything really happens around here."

Crowley passed me his first draft of the report and after reading it, it became clear to me why it was rejected.

"Hmm...okay...yeah, I can see why..."

He smiled. "Will you do it?"

"I-" It looked simple, but maybe I could push a small deal. "-what happened to my car? I'll write your report if I know where my car is. Come on, man, I put years of work into that monster."

"You didn't see it? It's still in the garage of the house next door."

"W-really?!"

"Don't think about escaping. I'll be watching you."

In my first week here, I was always searching for any opportunity to escape. The closest I got was when the vampire guards were switching shifts and left me near a derelict car. I managed to break in and cautiously hot-wire it, only to be ambushed by Chess and Horn. Horn took out her whip and lashed it around my waist, throwing me against a pile of snow. I still had the scars her whip made.

Feeling the past burning pain of Horn's whip scars, I groaned, "Okay, fine. Just give me the typewriter."

"Oh, can you actually...sit here?"

Even his aides looked shocked.

"What?"I asked, bewildered.

He sighed and got up from his chair before walking towards me. He lifted me up like I was just a sack of potatoes and sat me back on his lap as he sat back down on his chair.

"There. Type."

Crowley wrapped his arms around my waist and rested his head on my right shoulder. I turned to question him, but was immediately disengaged once his red eyes met my own. I grunted softly before examining the other reports and Nobles' comments. Going off what they were saying I based "Crowley's Report" off of theirs. It was just like the monthly, weekly and daily yields and orders I had to do back at the garage, only more high-risk.

The typewriter alone was hard to use. A small bucket of white paint was used to correct a mistake. As I typed, I made sure with Crowley about yields and actual facts, but most of the time when I was typing silently, he just licked my neck and gnawed on my collar. It wasn't until I felt a warm drip that I realized he pricked a small cut on my neck and was licking the blood off of it. Chess and Horn, meanwhile, were observing me type. Once in a while I caught a glimpse of them glaring at me as if they were jealous. I tried making myself focus on the report, making sure to greatly "enhance" Crowley's words.

I was finally done within two hours of typing, giving the report to Crowley for him to sign off on. Almost immediately after handing him the report, I slowly fell asleep as he was observing the report. I could hear him express his gratitude for a better report and woke me back up to thank me. He yanked me back to him by grabbing forcefully on my collar.

"Good job, Tim-kun!"

I snickered, tired from the lack of sleep. "Thanks bro. Anything else?"

"Do you want to sleep up here?" My room was in the lower floors but the office was high up in the tower.

I was afraid they would feed on me while I slept. There was an earlier incident where Chess and Horn nearly killed me when Crowley allowed the two to feed on me. "Oh...y'know what. It's fine bro. I just need a drink..."

I stood up but my legs couldn't support me; I remembered sitting in a position where my legs fell asleep. I nearly fell down if it wasn't for Crowley catching me.

"How about I just take you down there."

I closed my eyes and smiled. "Thanks man, you-you're a good friend."

I knocked out after we stepped out of the office but Crowley did manage to get me back to my room. When I awoke, I was also surprised to find him still wrapped around me with his eyes closed. I quietly checked my neck but I found no fresh marks. His entire body was lukewarm, but for some reason it felt almost comfortable. (A/N: OOC much?)

For once, I felt comfortable near him again, like it was the old days before the Apocalypse. I would wager now that I felt almost safe in his arms. I could almost fall back asleep right now if I wanted to; I laid my head back against him, closing my eyes for a bit. He must've felt me wake up for he soon awoke afterwards and turned me around to face him.

"Awake yet?"he smiled.

"You slept with me? What'd you do?"

"You're so paranoid,"he sighed. "Nothing. I never noticed how warm you were."

"W-What?!"

Crowley put his hand over my mouth. "Calm down. You'll choke again."

I took his hand away. "Yeah, whatever."

Crowley closed his eyes. Even with his eyes closed, his general expression looked as if he was thinking about something-maybe, it was something he regretted thinking about. He opened his eyes and grabbed my collar.

"Can I show you somewhere?"

"Huh?"

Crowley led me to a familiar looking building that wasn't ravaged by the Great Blaze. Going inside, I discovered an indoor target range and electronic timer desks. I immediately knew where I was after looking around, looking at the familiar light wooden desks, black balloon holders and boxes of wax ammunition.

"Nagoya's Fast Draw Club...I remember teaching one class on Fast Draw and then breaking two of their guns on accident. Man...where did the time go."

Crowley handed me my Peacemaker back. "Can I see your trick again?"

I looked at the revolver. I smiled to myself as I remembered all of the stunts I pulled off with this gun. Despite its appearance, it must've been older than even my grandfather. I opened the loading gate and saw that it was already loaded. I groaned and took a bullet out, rotating the cylinder to where the hammer stopped at the empty cylinder.

For some reason, after de-cocking the pistol, I smelled blood and hot sand. I coughed and sneezed, finally smelling fresh air.

"You wanna see me fast draw?"I asked.

"Sure." Crowley didn't seem to notice the phase I just went through. He stood back with his two aides.

"Um...Lord Crowley-sama. Are you sure we can trust him with a loaded gun?"asked Chess.

"It seems too risky,"Horn added.

Ignoring them, I found a rig. Putting it around my waist, I holstered the pistol. The timer tables wouldn't work, but Crowley had his own pocket watch. Each target had a ten inch diameter in the middle; I blew up balloons and tied them behind the holes, making my targets. I stood eight feet back, stretching my hands before taking my pose. I leaned myself back, bending my knees to bring them a little forward. I whistled to Crowley, not taking my sight away from the target. My heart started beating rapidly.

"Say when,"I said.

"Ready?"

I nodded, hearing Crowley raise the timer to my ear.

A few seconds went by. "N-"

Before he could even say the first letter, I shot all five bullets at all five targets. I brought myself back up and opened the gun's loading gate, dropping all five smoldering hot brass casings on the ground. The smell of gunpowder lofted into my nose. The nostalgia with each breath brought back memories of the days where I was a champion. I stood back up, flipping my gun around my index finger before holstering it. I looked at all the targets. Each one had a bullet in its dead center. I looked back at Crowley, who looked at the time.

"You shot all of those targets in under a second!"

"A second divided by five is...what? Around .2 seconds a shot? I still got it."

"I thought I loaded six?" Crowley walked over and grabbed the pistol and my rig.

"You did, but I didn't want to shoot my own foot off."

I handed Crowley back the revolver and the sixth bullet. Upon receiving it, he put the revolver behind his back and threw the rig back on the floor.

Meanwhile, I looked at my right hand. I noticed that my hand was shaking almost uncontrollably. My breathing was a little rapid, but, in keeping my composure, I grabbed my right hand with my left, stopping the shaking. I sighed as Crowley grabbed my leash and led me out the door.

For the rest of my time in Nagoya, my work shifted from plowing snow to writing and receiving reports from the Nobles and Sanguinem, the city under Kyoto that held the Queen herself. My own sleep schedule shifted from nighttime to early morning and afternoon. Working on the reports also meant I had to deal with the Nobles themselves. They were ignorant, stubborn, and less than likely to even interact with me. The only reason I could stand the hatred from both the nobles, and my own hatred against them, was Crowley standing behind me. I wanted to believe that he was still my friend, always having my back if things went horribly wrong.

A while later, as per Crowley's allowance to me, I had access to the Lusus Naturae only if he and his aides drove with me. Looking over, I could see he wasn't use to driving in this kind of Rat Rod. In fact, he never drove in the Lusus Naturae until just recently. His aides looked worse; being how they had to sit in the back with no seats, they felt the majority of the road hitting the tires. Around me, everything I put in the car that was a weapon or excessive was taken out, except for the picture stand. I carefully unfolded a picture from my wallet and placed it on the stand; the picture was of me, Haru, Kara, and Crowley in War Boy's.

"Didn't I take that picture?"Crowley asked.

"Oh yeah, you did! Oh, those were the days...when I wasn't living off dried food and instead could eat all the shit I wanted to."

"How did you not die?"

"I don't know...I mean, probably most likely I had an immunity to it before it even started. That's how some people were immune to HIV. Do you know why this happened?"

He hesitated. "I can't spread that news to humans."

"Holy fucking shit it's that bad? Damn. I was just getting used to Japan, too."

"Does the engine have to be this loud?"he asked.

I laughed. "Not used to Hot Rods, eh?"

"It's so obnoxious,"Horn said.

"Why do we have to drive in this thing,"Chess added.

"Didn't you walk in with that one guy...Ferid, and grab the Impala? That thing was almost as loud,"I asked.

"He still makes me ride in that,"Crowley sighed."I even had to fix it for him at one point."

I was shocked. "He's alive!?"

"Oh yeah, he's a higher rank than me."

"Sonuvabitch...that would explain a lot. Y'know, I always thought you two were weird, but I swept it under the rug because you guys were such good friends."

"Stop with the flattery,"he smiled sarcastically. "Do you know where we're going?"

"Kyoto, right?"

"Yeah. He's gonna be there, y'know."

"Really? And what will I be doing? You ever really told me."

"Do you still know magic?"

"Of course I still know magic, but compared to you, it's all parlor tricks and cheating-not, immortality and super strength."

"Well, Ferid requires you to entertain the Second and Third Progenitors while we prepare-"

"-who?"

"The three highest ranking vampires. Our lords. While Krul, a third progenitor, is already controlling Japan...the Second Progenitor from Russia and Third Progenitor from Germany are overseeing her rule here personally."

"And Ferid thinks I can entertain them with simple card tricks? Card tricks?"

"Well..."

Crowley pulled out something from behind him. It was a wooden box with the London Armoury Company's Logo burned onto it, dating back since 1858. He opened it and inside was a LeMat Revolver with a silver grip. While the revolver appeared to be the same as the normal cap and ball version, it was far different than a normal LeMat; the cylinder was converted for .45 Long Colt, the cylinder custom made with a conversion piece and different mechanisms. The shotgun barrel stayed the same, most likely a buckshot black powder 20 gauge. The vampire insignia was etched into the silver butt of the gun on both sides. I whistled.

"That is one beautiful piece of metal,"I said. "Whose is it?"

"Ferid's."

It then clicked to me. "Oh no...no I'm not...I can't."

"You shot five bullets in under one seconds."

"I didn't want to do it! Besides, this is a LeMat. This thing is a pound heavier than the Colt. This will throw my speed off."

With one hand still on the wheel, I grabbed the pistol from his hand. I could see Crowley's two aides motion towards their weapons as I examined the LeMat. I tested the hammer, made sure to hear the mechanism click four times, shifted the hammer from pistol to shotgun and back, and even dry-fired the empty pistol and shotgun.

Another flash of heat hit me. I got itchy all over; I heard a gunshot, but my hand stayed firmly in place on the wheel. I shook my head and focused on the road. I spun the gun and gave it back to Crowley as fast as I could.

"So...card tricks and trick shooting. What? He wants me to dress up like a cowboy, too?"