IV. Vampire Knight

Wooh. It's been so long since I wrote anything fiction. Maybe my brain cells died already, so give me a heads up if this story seems like it's the remnants of yesterday's road kill. Thanks.

Caine hadn't had the crap beaten out of him like this in ages. And whether it was a joke of fate or plain coincidence, it was the same person giving him one hell of a beating as last time.

"You know," he panted, brushing the flaming red hair out of his eyes, "you haven't changed a bit, Hei."

The figure in the deathly white mask and dark coat just stared at him, his hand poised to strike while a silver web-like string glinted in the moonlight.

Bastard. The guy knew how to exude a certain coolness without that much effort.

He wiped the blood dribbling from his mouth with the back of his hand. If this kept up, he'd run out on his contract since his own blood doesn't work. He had to deal with the Black Reaper now…and that meant cheating.

"And don't think about faking your own death because that's just damn pathetic," Hei said.

Caine couldn't help but laugh. It was like being back in the old days, but an important person was missing from today's cast.

He slowly stood up and concentrated hard below the Black Reaper's feet. He could have made the man's blood boil, but the Syndicate would wipe out his whole team, including him, if they found out that another pawn had disappeared without their consent. It sucked, but it was logical.

Just a little more. He could feel the bubbling, it needed just a little more…until the groundwater would explode in a flurry of hot steam and jets of scalding water, not to mention spikes of exposed plumbing and concrete from the impact.

"How do you like that, Hei?" Caine called out, wiping the cold beads of sweat dripping down his forehead. "Shit. Just lie wounded already."

There was coughing and a clinking sound. The steam partly cleared to reveal Hei holding a broken mask to his face and the other clutching at a wounded arm.

"Can't say I'm sorry," Caine said truthfully, "it's just that I had to let you know you were in the way of our target."

For a moment Hei's eyes softened, then returned to the hard gaze often associated with mass murderers and serial killers. "And here I thought you were here for revenge," he finally let the mask drop, exposing the face of the Black Reaper.

Caine sat down, trying to look cool but feeling extremely groggy. Blood, for all that is good and kind, I need blood…

"Oh?"

Hei looked as if he did a double take. "You- don't have news about your sister?"

The steam wasn't improving what he was feeling. "Havoc? She died the night Heaven's Gate became Hell. She's probably in a place where no one can save her."

Hei did an unexpected thing. He laughed, but looked as if he wanted to mourn. "She didn't die there, Caine. She survived Heaven's gate but," he said, turning to walk away, "it doesn't matter because in the end, she died."

Spite was in his eyes. "And certainly she wouldn't have been saved by you."

"DON'T EVER COMPARE ME AND HAVOC TO YOU AND PAI!"

Tires screeched in a distance, the slamming of a car door reverberating amidst the hissing and dripping of water all around. The world seemed to stop as Caine and Hei just looked at each other.

Their staring match was interrupted by the sound of running footsteps and Hei's quick exit into the rubble.

Caine followed him, somewhat slower than usual and against his best judgment. Then again, someone was already coming to investigate whatever destruction they had done to the carnival- best to disappear rather than be asked questions.

As Caine picked his way inside, he wondered why it was always the house of mirrors that chase scenes ended up. A blade rushed towards him out of the shadows then retracted.

"Hei? You here?" he called out. "I just need to know one thing-"

The glass around him shattered into hundreds of pieces.

You're not getting away that easy, Caine thought, and pulled out one of his trump cards: a grenade-smoke screen-flashbang hybrid. They had a crate full of it back in their lair- memoirs of one of their old team mates who had been exterminated by another syndicate some four months ago.

"Yo, Hei!" He called out, removing the pin with his teeth. "Catch!"

People usually run away from where grenades are thrown, but this time, Caine did just the opposite and lunged at the carnage head-on when someone else's reflection greeted hi m out of the corner of his eye.

When the smoke cleared, he almost thought that the real stars had come back. He could feel a shard stuck to his leg, and little bits scratching his arms. The explosion had blown a hole out of the makeshift room of mirrors, where Caine had tumbled out with the newcomer.

"What's a pretty lady like you doing in a place like this?" He said groggily, not letting go of the brown head cradled protectively in his arms, partly because she was probably still shocked and because the thought of her blood was really tempting.

Misaki Kirihara brushed his hands away and stood up, gun already a few feet away. "I," she began awkwardly, "thank you."

She's prettier in person, Caine thought, fishing in his memory information about the daughter of the Superintendent Supervisor of the National Police Agency.

"Hey," Misaki's face suddenly loomed over him, which he found weird because the last he remembered, he was the one looming over her. "Are you-"

"Peachy," he smiled, "better than this place. I think the question is: are you alright?"

A pink tinge spread across her cheeks. "I guess so. Thanks to you," and without missing a beat, "what happened here? Did you see anyone? Anyone wearing a mask?"

Damn it, Hei, even when you're not here you still get the ladies.

He shook his head. "I may have but the memory's getting fuzzy. Maybe it will all come back to me over dinner and maybe coffee?"

"Let me get an ambulance, you look like you're dying," then realizing her mistake, she quickly got up. "Not that you are, ah-"

He held up his hand. "I'm serious."

She hesitated for a bit, unusually disconcerted at the turn of events. "Don't move." Then she went off running.

Caine felt his head loll to one side and realized he hadn't the strength left to make it upright. Saving Misaki Kirihara from an "attack" would definitely open doors that would have been harder to unlock. From his vantage point an earthworm looked like it was supporting his idea by waving at him.

A voice snapped him out of his daze.

"Here you are, basically turning into butter because you haven't done your obeisance, in the middle of this carnage, and you're still checking out girls," Lilac sneakers appeared in front of his eyes. "You are an idiot, Caine. Hey! Spyder! Come pick your old man up. I don't feel like chewing paper today."

Hands haphazardly picked him up by the armpits and dragged him towards a familiar vehicle.

"You owe me. I had to look for a spider on the street to track you down," Spyder said, heaving him onto the passenger seat.

If he had the energy to shrug, he would have done so. Instead, he reserved his energy to call out to Yoni.

"There's a calling card in my jacket- no, the secret layer- good. Leave it where I was," he said, "someone has to know how to contact me."

Yoni rolled her eyes but giggled like a teenager would giggle after knowing that her homeroom teacher and science professor had the hots for each other. "You certainly has a way of charming women, huh? You should have lived in the Middle Ages where they don't do anything at all except for that."

And as expected, later that night, Caine's phone registered Misaki Kirihara's number.

Reviews and other related stuff would be most welcome and would inspire me to write more. Thanks!