He has nothing to protect himself tonight. The wards and charms are all gone. I set Honey Bear down on the ground next to the tree Megumi-Chan always hid behind. Tonight's my chance to talk with him. The others are at the clinic, there's no one here to supervise me, no one who can hear me tell him to get the Hell out of Dodge, to run and follow his dream and never look back. It's just past midnight and officially Tuesday morning as I approach the window. Tap, tap, tap. Tap, tap, tap.

No answer. I try the window. Thanks to Shizuka-Chan, I should already have the invitation required to enter the house. It doesn't open. Natsuno's locked it. He always was a smart kid. I'm proud of him for taking the precautions to prevent entry, but... I really would like to see him, just to talk to him one last time would be enough. I stop rattling the window, turn and walk around the house. I remember Natsuno once told me his father forbade locking the door, because he believed nobody in Sotoba did so, due to lack of crime.

The front door opens and I'm able to slip inside. I head toward Natsuno's room. No, that door's locked too. I smile. Good boy, Natsuno. You made sure all your bases were covered, didn't you? I go back outside and try to convince myself to leave. If I can't get in, I can't get in, that's all there is to it. Then I stop and shake my head as I remember Tatsumi's words. "If you don't do it, I'll send someone else. If I have to I'll kill him myself, and force you and Megumi-Chan to watch. Then you and your family are next!"

NO! I can't just leave like this! I have to try. I return to his window. Tap, tap, tap. "Natsuno?" Tap, tap, tap. "Natsuno?" I hear something heavy and metal drop onto the floor. "Natsuno, it's me." I kneel down next to the window. My mind is suddenly torn as I can only begin to imagine what seeing me will do to him.

He opens the blinds. "Who is it?"

"It's me," I say again. He hesitates, but finally opens the window.

"Hey?" he leans over. I reach up and grab his hand. For a brief moment, I forget I'm not on the hunt and try to pull him through the window. But, he's not like my usual prey, he's younger and stronger, he pulls back. I remember what I'm really here to do and try to cover my face, but he yanks so hard he's able to pull me so that he can see who's caught him. "T-Tohru-Chan...?" I look up at him. His voice and face are both full of fear and confusion as he calls my name. Cruel irony. He looked to me for safety, and now he's frightened of me. I can't bare to look him in the eyes. I cover my face again, releasing him, and turn and run. "Tohru-Chan!" I hear him call after me.

I run, hoping he doesn't follow me. He's safer inside. The others all know he's seen as a threat. He and Ozaki-Sensei have been branded as hunters. If any of them see him and he doesn't bare my fang marks, they'll attack him on sight to gain favor with Sunako. I reach the healing spring and stop, looking down into the water. The Spider God's still there. I start to cry as I remember the day I'd brought Natsuno to it. I can't touch the water, can't drink it. It has healing properties and works against us in the same manner as Holy Water. All I can do is stand there and watch it flow, and remember all the time I spent at this stream, listening to it gurgle and bubble. Natsuno and I actually hung out here a few times after I showed it to him, but he never actually touched the water again. I move up to the trees behind the fountain and begin to weigh my options.

Closing my eyes, I start to cry. He looked so scared when he saw me. I closed my eyes and started to sob, leaning against the closest tree. I don't know what to do at this point. "Tohru? What are you doing?" a voice comes from behind. It burns in my ears to hear HER voice at this moment. It's akin to being stung by a bee, right at the most sensitive spot in the back of the ear. "So, YOU'RE the one Tatsumi-Kun sent?" she asks. She giggles, "Well, he is quite the sadist. Leave it to him to send Yuuki-Kun's best friend."

"Tatsumi-Kun said if I don't do it, he'll target Aoi-Chan or Tamotsu-Chan next," I sob.

"So, you're going to kill him?" I can almost hear excitement in her voice as she taunts me, "Compared to them and your best friend, your family won out?"

"NO!" I exclaim, punching the tree so hard that I dent it. "That's not it!"

"Then what?" she asks.

"Tatsumi-Kun wants to get back at Natsuno for finding out about us. This is your fault, Megumi-Chan! If you'd never shown yourself to him, he'd never know we exist! So to get back at Natsuno for fighting back, Tatsumi-Kun sent me. If I refused, he would have sent someone else! I'd rather it be me. It'd be better if it was someone he knew." I whip around and look at her, frustration smeared across my face, tears streaming down my cheeks.

"Then what are you doing wasting your time here?" she asks. I look up at her. YOU didn't see that look on his face when he saw me. Natsuno's not the kind of guy to break down in tears, but in that moment, it truly looked like he could have. "His house is in that direction." She points in the direction of Natsuno's house.

"Yeah, of course YOU know which way it is!" I scoff. She blinks at me. "He knows you've been spying on him since the start," I inform her. A blush sweeps her face. "He told me so himself."

She shakes that comment off, neither confirming or denying the accusation. "You've chickened out!" she says, "Fine! I'll do it."

"Wha...? Cut it out, Megumi-Chan!" I exclaim.

"I won't falter like you!" she says.

I catch her shoulder. "Wait! If you act on your own, Tatsumi will punish you, maybe both of us. You know how scary he is, right?"

"Of course, I know all that!" she says, slapping my hand away. "I don't care." She turns and smiles at me, her pink hair swirling around her like a dancer's ribbons. "I'll bite Yuuki-Kun and turn him. He can't hunt us if he becomes one of us. Then, he'll be all mine," she giggles, "Maybe we can convince Tatsumi-Kun to move us both to the City Division together."

"He'll hate that, Megumi-Chan!" I exclaim. "Why can't you just accept he's not interested in you? And he'd hate it if he became one of us. He'd never forgive either of us for that. Don't you care anything about what he wants?"

She glares at me for a moment. "Tohru-Chan? Where are you?" Natsuno's voice rings out. Oh God no, he followed me! "Show yourself, Tohru-Chan? ...Please..."

"You can just sit still and watch from there!" Megumi-Chan scoffs, jumping down, and heading toward him.

I stand quietly for a moment, before burying my face into my hands. "Natsuno," I sob.

Natsuno staggers up to the spring. Oh God, don't tell me now of all times, his bad knee's decided to start bothering him? He kneels down at the spring. I can't help watching in silent horror as I try to sort things out in my mind. How am I going to get him out of this without hurting him now? He looks like he's in so much pain. I shouldn't have run. Natsuno reaches into the water. Let's hope the spider god has mercy on him.

Megumi-Chan stops. She simply freezes in her tracks, like a deer caught in the headlights, and stares. I trail my eyes up to see what she's looking at. Oh no! "Hi! You are Yuuki Natsuno-Kun, right?" Tatsumi-Kun asks, smiling at him.

"Who wants to know?" Natsuno scrambles to his feet.

"That's right, I didn't introduce myself the last time we met, did I?" Tatsumi-Kun laughs, "My name is Tatsumi, I work up there at the Kirishiki household on Kanemasa. I'm here to kill you." He acts so casual about it. My nails dig into the tree next to me. This whole thing just went from bad to worse.

"WHY?" Natsuno demands.

"You're pretty sharp, kid. You were the first one to become aware of us," Tatsumi-Kun says bluntly.

"That's your own damned faults!" he points out. "You shouldn't have revealed yourselves to me, if you knew that was going to be a problem for you!"

"You're brave, too. You noticed us, but instead of leaving the village like you should have, you came running back," Tatsumi-Kun continues.

"I..." Natsuno clenches his fists. "I couldn't leave after that. My heart was tied here! I couldn't leave while I knew you people were ruining everything the one person that ever meant a damn to me cared about." He sounds so brave as he says it. His voice never faltered, not a single tear or sob. But the way he's talking. Something suddenly clicks. 'The one person that ever meant a damn to him?' 'His heart was tied here?' I close my eyes as those words resonate in my head. Oh, Natsuno...

Tatsumi-Kun laughs. "Exactly. You couldn't leave, because you're very kind, aren't you, Natsuno?"

"Don't call me that." Natsuno growls. "Don't you DARE call me by my name!"

Tatsumi-Kun keeps his hands on his hips and moves closer. "You couldn't leave because after a year of living here, you've actually grown to care about Sotoba, haven't you? You don't have very many, but you're not exactly bereft of friends, are you?"

"Don't talk like you know me!" Natsuno snips.

"But, that's a problem for us. Just like Ozaki-Sensei, you're trying to hunt us. We can't let hunters live, it simply isn't allowed. This would be easier if you were someoene who'd just lie in bed, trembling under the covers, like your friend Tohru."

"You bastard!" Natsuno growls. Mentioning my name hit the very nerve Tatsumi-Kun was hoping for. Natsuno throws the ladel from the spring at Tatsumi-Kun, but Tatsumi-Kun dodges with very little effort. "Alright, so you want to kill me? But, I won't take it lying down. You'll have to catch me first."

"Oh, a game of Oni tag does sound fun, but let me suggest something a bit more fun? Megumi-Chan, come out here, please," Tatsumi-Kun calls calmly. Megumi-Chan and I both jerk in response. He knows she's there. Does he know I'm here, too? Is he trying to use her to bait me? Damn it all, Tatsumi-Kun, you sick sadistic bastard!

Natsuno turns and looks wide eyed in horror as she walks out of the tree line. Skin so pale it would put a Kagome doll to shame, hair so pink it almost glows in the dark, pink dress and boots, pink gloves and nails, and fishnets running up the rest of her legs. She's beautiful, but to him, she's nightmare fuel. She slowly walks out onto the road and turns to face Natsuno and Tatsumi-Kun. "Sh...Shi-mi-zu..." Natsuno's voice is full of fear as he says her name.

"Tatsumi-Kun, I..." she stammers.

"I expected you'd come running to find him," Tatsumi-Kun laughs, "You said you were going to make Yuuki-Kun yours, didn't you? Well, I'm going to make this special exception. This is your chance." Megumi-Chan looks up. "Now it's him against two of us!" Tatsumi-Kun says, holding up his arms. "Do WHATEVER you please with him."

Megumi-Chan turns to Natsuno and smiles. Natsuno's front melts. All that poise and bravery he'd been exuding toward Tatsumi-Kun leaves him in a mere instant. "Yuuki-Kun, please understand. It's better if I attack you than a stranger, right?" she reasons.

"NO!" he screams, feeling for the ladle, before realizing that's what he'd thrown at Tatsumi-Kun. "You stay back!" He moves around the edge of the spring. Damn it all, Natsuno, I warned you the spider god would curse you the next time you touched the water! Don't just stand there, run! He slips, and falls flat on his butt, scooting back a bit, he forces himself back to his feet and makes his way toward the trees, hoping to find a place to hide. They're faster than he is, and have a better sense of smell, and night vision. Even if he finds a hiding place, they'll find him. He doesn't turn his back on them, I suppose he knows that'll seal his doom. Megumi-Chan's eyes begin to glow red, as do Tatsumi-Kun's. He reaches the edge of the tree line and looks back and forth between the two of them, frozen in fear. If Megumi-Chan gets him first, she'll force him to play at being her boyfriend until he dies. Tatsumi-Kun's already promised he'd make us both watch if he catches Natsuno, he WON'T be gentle. Natsuno's clearly frightened, but still refusing to cry.

"Yuuki-Kun..." Megumi-Chan beckons using her same sickeningly sweet voice she used to use when greeting him. "Yuuki-Kun, come to me."

Damn it all, I'm left with no choice! I leap from the trees, wrapping my arms around him, covering his mouth and pulling him into the threes. Megumi-Chan gasps and stops in her tracks. Tatsumi-Kun stops and smiles.

"Shh... Shh..." I whisper into his ear, "It's alright, Natsuno, calm down. You're only making this harder on yourself." He stops struggling, but trembles as I gently press my lips against the back of his neck. "I know you're scared, but I've got you. I won't let them touch you," I promise.

"Teru-hun?" he calls my name, but it's muffled by my hand. Natsuno, I'm sorry it's come to this.

"Mutou, no!" Megumi-Chan exclaims as I walk out of the trees, with Natsuno in tow.

"You wanted me to do this?" I glare at Tatsumi-Kun. "Fine. As long as it's not her!" I point at Megumi-Chan. "But I do it my way." Natsuno starts to squirm again. "Shh... It'll all be over soon, Natsuno," I promise, "In the morning, this'll have been nothing more than another bad dream." I pull him closer and my tears splash onto his shoulders. Still holding a hand over his mouth, I tilt his head the side, exposing his neck. Gently supporting his back, I grab him firmly, my arms wrapped around his chest. Natsuno's not a faceless, nameless victim. He's not some older person who's staring death in the face every time he wakes up or goes to bed. He's my best friend, a young man who's got the potential of a bright future sprawling out in front of him. He deserves any sort of treatment that will make this easier on him. He turns his eyes so that he can see me. Fear, hurt, and betrayal are all clouding those beautiful indigo eyes of his. I lean down and press my lips to his neck once more and his whole body shivers. "I'm so sorry, Natsuno," I whisper, tearfully.

I open my mouth and a muffled scream escapes him at the sight of my fangs. He's no longer able to fight back the tears as I bite into his neck. I try to be gentle and make it as painless as possible. Megumi-Chan shrieks, and looks on horrified, mortified that I beat her to him. Tatsumi-Kun merely laughs.

I think we both blush. His blood tastes better than any I've had. My body starts to become warmer, as his becomes colder, his strength slowly leaves him. His legs buckle and he wraps his left arm behind my head for support.

"Oh my," Tatsumi-Kun chortles, "I think he's getting turned on by this Tohru-Kun. I knew you two were close, but I didn't realize you were THAT close." Pervert!

"Wh...What!?" Megumi-Chan shrieks, her face turning as pink as her hair. "Y... You mean, Yuuki-Kun is...?" She wide eyed, she looks on at us for a moment, then looks Natsuno up and down, from head to toe. She shakes her head, covers her face, and sinks to her knees. It's true. I think he is getting turned on. I've betrayed his trust in more ways than one tonight. "I'm such an idiot," she sobs into her hands.

One of my tears drops on his shoulder and runs down his shoulder. Natsuno's fingers catch the back of my neck, and slip into my hair, almost as if he's trying to let me know he's not mad that his secret's been discovered. I drink until he's just moments from passing out, then release him. My face is the last thing he sees before he falls unconscious. Natsuno, I'm so sorry!

Megumi-Chan just sits there and sobs as her dreams have all come crashing down around her. "Good job, Tohru," Tatsumi-Kun commends me. "I knew you had it in you. You just needed the right motivation." He smiles as he slaps a hand on my shoulder and looks down at Natsuno. "But, I don't think you drank enough blood. You're not planning on deceiving me, are you?"

"N-No, of course not, Tatsumi-Kun!" I lie.

He smirks. "Then I guess you just weren't hungry enough?" He licks his lips. "We can't have that, now, can we?" He bites me. I let out a shriek of pain and Megumi-Chan merely stands there, glaring at me, tears in her eyes, like she thinks this whole thing is my fault. Tatsumi-Kun bleeds me. He's a rare kind of Okiagari. Stronger than us, faster, meaner, most of what will kill us is nothing more than a mosquito bite to him. He can feed from us or humans. But he can also eat human food. He just prefers not to. He drains me until he hears me give out a low growl as a hunger pang hits me. Satisfied with that, he lets go, allowing me to slump to my knees. "Now, maybe next time, you'll drink more. Take him home, change his clothes so no one finds it strange that he's still in his day clothes when they find him in the morning. And make sure to hypnotize him so he doesn't tell anyone else what happened."

I give a quiet nod and gently scoop Natsuno into my arms. Megumi-Chan turns away in disgust and storms off. Tatsumi-Kun merely leaves. I carry Natsuno home and slip into his bedroom through the still open window. I lay him on the bed and begin rummaging through his drawers to find something to dress him in. I pick out a pair of boxers and a tank-top style muscle shirt. I feel like I'm invading his privacy as I change his clothes. Somehow, though... Something tells me he wouldn't mind under normal circumstances. I lay him back on the bed and tuck him under the covers. I'm suppose to hypnotize him, but I've already broken him enough tonight. I can't bring myself to break his mind, too.

"You're smart enough not to tell anyone, even if I don't," I say out loud, ruffling a hand through his hair. "I'm so sorry, Natsuno. I don't know if you can ever forgive me, but it was the only way I saw out." I start to cry as I wrap my hands around one of his. His body's already so cold, and his breathing's strained. "I'll give you some time to get better, then I'll come back," I promise. "I'm so sorry. We'll talk when you're better."

With that, I leave, closing the window. The next night, I decide not to go Natsuno. I figure I'll feed from someone among my usual target range, but Tatsumi-Kun bars my way. He refuses to let me leave, or feed. Any attempt to do so is met with physical violence. He's starving me on perpose. He wants me to be good and hungry next time I see Natsuno.