The air was still but crisp, threatening an early hint of winter as the hours dragged toward dawn. Darkness draped the alleyways without a spark of moonlight to illuminate their deep corners. Even the streets tended to be poorly lit in the areas Shirosaki frequented, which wasn't the least bit surprising. It was little wonder he stayed so healthy when his hunting techniques had been honed across decades of practice. And absolutely no one could argue that he had the mindset of a perfect predator.
This late at night, there was scarcely any traffic in the city. A factor for which they were fortunate, given their entire troupe was porting deadly weaponry. Mostly katana, though Madarame had insisted on bringing his beloved spear with its bright red tassel. Yet, if any unlucky pedestrian dared mention it, they would instantly regret the decision to speak up. Uryuu certainly couldn't say much when he was audaciously armed, as well. Because kendo had never been one of his hobbies, he'd chosen a simple set of longbow and arrows from the dojo's special armory. It had been years since he'd held one but a single practice shot proved his skills hadn't been lost. His arrows weren't silver-tipped like their blades but they would still hurt like hell. Was it bad that with one touch to the polished wood he had cheerfully envisioned their quarry as an undead pincushion?
"We're running out of time," said Kurosaki with a glance toward the visible horizon. "Only a couple hours left…Tell me you guys have a place to stay in town? Otherwise, we might as well call it a night."
"Matsumoto has an old friend not far from here who offered to take us in for the day," Hisagi replied because none of the others were around to say it. The group had all split into pairs except for the three of them.
They paused on the sidewalk as Kurosaki's phone trilled a short message alert. A flare of light from the screen made the amber of his eyes glow in the gloom as he read and summarized, "Renji and Rukia finished sweeping the market district. No sign of Shirosaki."
"Ayasegawa says it's been quiet in their quadrant, too."
"Kira still hasn't checked in?"
"No, but that could just mean he and Matsumoto aren't done patrolling."
Gazing thoughtfully at the two vampires, Uryuu asked, "Do you think he could've already caught on and gone to ground?"
"Hiding out isn't really his M.O.," negated Kurosaki with a shake of his head. "If anything, he'd switch to guerilla tactics and start picking us off one-by-one while we're spread out."
A frisson of unease rippled between the trio at the disturbing notion. As if on cue, Hisagi's cell buzzed in the silence.
"Kira's district is clear."
Kurosaki scrubbed a hand through his hair and released a rough sigh, equal parts relieved and frustrated. The conflict was entirely understandable. On one hand, he didn't want any of his comrades to get hurt trying to help him out. On the other hand, he was ready to get this over with and that wouldn't happen as long as they couldn't track his twin. The lack of wind that night was simultaneously boon and bane: Shirosaki was less likely to catch their scent, but it went both ways. Plus, Uryuu was unable to cast any sort of locator spell without a personal article of the target. None of his trap-charms had been triggered as far as he could tell, either. There was really only one option left.
"Use me as bait."
"What?" Kurosaki sharply snapped.
"I have the most noticeable scent out of everyone. For all we know, he's been stalking us since we got here. And if he thinks I'm alone…"
"He has a point." Hisagi cautiously agreed. "We could hang back a couple blocks and just let your brother come to us."
"Fuck that!"
"Kurosaki—"
"No, Ishida. We're not doing that, so forget it. We'll figure out something else."
"There is nothing else and you know it. Look, I've got my bracelet and my anti-vamp charm, not to mention this bow and plenty of energy to fuel my repulsion spell so—"
"I said no and that's final!"
Uryuu glared at the stern expression he wore, knowing it meant he'd refuse to be persuaded despite sound logic. But logic was not his only method of persuasion. Taking a quick assessment of Hisagi, the witch decided his odds were good that the more mature and reserved vampire could be trusted not to react recklessly when surprised. That was probably the main reason Kurosaki had asked him to join them over any of the others.
"May I borrow your sword, Hisagi-san?" He blinked at the odd request, then wordlessly drew the blade and offered it hilt-first. "Thank you."
Ignoring Kurosaki's suspicious stare and the question he was undoubtedly primed to pose, Uryuu rolled up the sleeve of his sweater and swiftly sliced a shallow cut across the underside of his forearm. He winced lightly at the sting as both vampires froze in shock. Maybe it was a tad on the dramatic side but he knew better than anyone how strongly the smell of blood appealed to Shirosaki's wild nature. If anything was bound to get him out in the open, it would be the prospect of another taste.
Hisagi softly swore as his katana was handed back bloody. Kurosaki scowled and snatched it from a loose grip, wiping it clean on the hem of his shirt as he berated Uryuu, "Damn it, why did you do that? Now everyone's gonna be distracted when we meet up!"
"You shouldn't underestimate your friends' restraint, Kurosaki. It's rude."
He said that even though he noticed the way Hisagi brought a hand up to cover his mouth, gaze fixed on bright liquid leaking out to drip onto the concrete beside Uryuu's shoe. Kurosaki noticed, too, and practically shoved the spotless sword back into its owner's grasp before growling out his response.
"You shouldn't underestimate how good you smell to us." In a warning tone, he told Hisagi, "Don't breathe."
"Right…"
Stepping up to Uryuu, he commanded, "Give me your scarf so I can wrap your arm."
"No."
Dissent didn't stop him from reaching for it. He got the scarf off but didn't get a chance to use it. The astonishment on Kurosaki's face as he was propelled backward to land on a pile of trash bags across the alley would have been hilarious under casual circumstances. Uryuu didn't even crack a smirk. He pivoted on a heel and sprinted in the opposite direction. All he needed was a head start. Maybe Hisagi would even attempt to delay Kurosaki because this really was their best shot at accomplishing what they'd come here to do.
The witch ran about a kilometer away, near the place where he'd been snared for the very first time, and paused to catch his breath. There was an intentional irony in his choice of location, of course. In retrospect, Shirosaki surely regretted ever apprehending the wily witch that night. He had lost his brother over it, after all. Uryuu hoped the reminder would serve to goad him further. It wouldn't take long for Kurosaki to find him and he needed to lure their mark out into the open before he did.
Pacing around the area, he challenged, "Come on, Shirosaki, now's your chance to finish me off! What are you waiting for?"
His voice echoed around the empty alley, bouncing off bricks and tapering away to nothing. That eerie, stifling silence was making him anxious. What was Shirosaki waiting for? It wasn't like he'd be discouraged by a longbow. Not when his track record for close encounters with Uryuu was pristine. Hell, being outfitted in a suit of silver-plated armor wasn't likely to put a dent in the vampire's self-assurance. His hesitation didn't make sense.
Unless his goal was something else entirely. He shut his eyes and muttered a scathing pejorative aimed at himself. It was so obvious!
The return trip seemed even longer the second time around. Fear made it harder to breathe but he pushed past his limits to make it there that much faster. Uryuu turned the final corner and stumbled to a stop. Hisagi was lying on the ground, unmoving. There was no sign of Kurosaki or his twin. He approached the fallen comrade and kneeled as he struggled to normalize his pulse. It spiked again to see Hisagi stir at a light touch.
"Where are you hurt?"
He moved the hand held against his abdomen to reveal a jagged wound carved into the flesh there. Apparently Shirosaki was armed, as well. It wasn't fatal for a vampire, he could already tell, but it had to be excruciating. Uryuu held his hand above the injury and closed his eyes in concentration, a whispered litany disturbing the scene's heavy hush. Healing magic was one of the most difficult branches but his medical knowledge went a long way toward improving efficacy and he was brimming with stored energy. The skin sealed shut in moments and Hisagi sighed at the cessation of pain. It wasn't perfect but at least it stopped the bleeding.
"Thanks," he grunted, marveling at the witch's handiwork. "Bastard jumped out as soon as you ran off, stabbed me, and took off so Kurosaki would chase after him on his own."
"Which way?"
A nod of his head sufficed. Uryuu started to stand but he was held fast for one more vital piece of information.
"Be careful, Ishida-kun. The way he moved…" Shifting to slowly sit up, Hisagi speculated, "Even for a vampire, it wasn't normal. He must've gorged on half a dozen humans to gain that much power."
"All the more reason for me to find them quickly."
"Go. I already called the others. We'll catch up as soon as we can."
"Understood."
The walls on either side blurred into a dingy backdrop as he dashed between them. It took a massive amount of willpower not to envision every gruesome scenario his mind could conjure during the brief interim. Ideas like Kurosaki could already be dead, or he might be walking into an ambush were blocked from the forefront. Instead, Uryuu told himself that his boyfriend was fine. They would both be fine. All of this would be over soon and morning would be so much brighter because of it.
Although the mantra was meant to soothe, somehow it made him feel cold to his core.
The clamor of metal clashing could be heard as he closed in on the dueling siblings three blocks down. They had found a spacious intersection of alleyways as the setting for their sparring match. For that was all it'd been so far, seeing as neither of them had a single scratch.
Both men halted with blades crossed to stare at the newcomer they detected. Uryuu drew his bow and nocked an arrow but one word from Kurosaki kept him from letting it fly.
"Don't."
Uryuu wasn't as surprised as he should've been. Part of him had anticipated this. He was almost waiting for Kurosaki to say something lame like 'this is my fight' but he didn't. It was implied, however, and Uryuu was loath to lower his bow when he could've ended it in an instant. But he had no right to take this from Kurosaki. Whatever 'this' was, he knew it was important enough to push his own desires aside regardless of how it pained him to do so.
He reluctantly eased the string's tension and Shirosaki giggled.
"Patience, little witch. You're next in line."
"Shut up!" barked Kurosaki, pitching them apart with a fierce thrust. "You don't talk to him. Don't even look at him after what you did!"
It was strange seeing them together again after so much time apart. A knot formed in Uryuu's stomach as he watched them slash and parry, jab and dodge. All because of him. Or perhaps they would have wound up here eventually without his interference. He found it hard to imagine Kurosaki would have ever become the feral counterpart Shirosaki craved. A falling out seemed inevitable based on their divergent personalities. Still, Uryuu had sped the confrontation along ever since that night he let Kurosaki kiss him.
Consequently, he'd been relegated to wait on the sidelines while his lover fought to the death with a heartless villain. The only scrap of comfort Uryuu had to hold on to was that he would step in if necessary, no matter how it might hurt Kurosaki's pride to be saved by someone.
For a while the clang of steel, skid of shoes, and rustle of cloth were the only sounds in their urban arena. There were no harsh rasps or labored puffs of exertion. No bravado-laced banter was exchanged. It was too quiet for the amount of violence imbued in each combatant. Every so often Shirosaki would loose a delighted burst of laughter that made the whole situation even creepier. He was enjoying the battle far too much, playing his favorite game with his favorite victim. The longer Uryuu watched, the more he believed it really was a round of cat-and-mouse because he wasn't giving anywhere close to a hundred percent. The white-washed freak was toying with him. Kurosaki just didn't know it yet.
An inanimate screech transitioned to a startled hiss as first blood was finally drawn. Uryuu flinched to see the macabre streak etched into flesh as if it were his own. It was just a cut to his shoulder, momentarily smoking as the silver coating Shirosaki's blade took effect, but it began healing within seconds. That was the power of a recent feed.
"Aw, what's the matter, King? Chock full o' witch-blood and you still can't get it up?" Kurosaki glowered at the ridicule but held his tongue. "I can barely smell you underneath all the layers of his scent. Did you fuck him before you came to kill me?"
Uryuu took it like a punch to the diaphragm and, judging by his expression, Kurosaki didn't fare any better. Shirosaki leapt in lightning-fast and drew another red line on his brother's body just to watch him cringe. He had grown tired of playing and was tilting toward serious attacks. The next could very well have been the last. Heart racing, the witch took an impulsive step forward and two sets of eyes flicked to him as though they'd forgotten he was there. He swallowed dryly and started to say…he wasn't sure what but he had to say something, had to provide some kind of distraction and give Kurosaki an opening because an impending sense of doom was settling in so rapidly it was making his head spin.
The sudden shooting pain in his elbow didn't help. Uryuu blinked dumbly for a few seconds as he processed the fact that Shirosaki had vanished, only to reappear right behind him. Now he got what Hisagi meant about abnormal movement! His left arm was bent behind his back and held tightly at an awkward angle, hence the discomfort. His right was gripped directly around the fresh nick he'd put there himself.
"You didn't have to ring the dinner bell just to get my attention," he murmured into Uryuu's ear, "But I appreciate the gesture."
"Let him go, Shirosaki!"
There was a note of terror in Kurosaki's tone that resonated inside him because he couldn't use the repulsion spell without potentially breaking his own arm. Uryuu took very small, careful sips of air and reminded himself that he still had his bracelet and his anti-vamp charm. If only he could wrangle a little leeway…All it would take was a slight diversion.
"Go ahead," he invited his captor with forced calm, "Bite me."
"Oh, did you think I'd forgotten about your fancy piece of jewelry? Think again. I even figured out how it works." His grasp constricted incrementally until the pressure forced a breach in the nascent scab and a few drops of blood welled out. Uryuu clenched his jaw against a sting the vampire had to have been feeling, too. "As long as I don't hurt you too much, I get to play all I want, right? Can't wait to see who has the higher pain threshold!"
"I said let him go or—"
"Or what?" Kurosaki's advance faltered at a yank to Uryuu's bent arm, triggering a visible wince and a disrupted breath. Shirosaki sniggered and said, "You know, King, I can see why you like him. He reacts to each tiny touch and gets flushed so easily! Pretty, too. I bet he looks so cute when he comes."
"Hope you have a strong imagination, 'cause you'll never find out," muttered Uryuu, earning another cruel wrench for his snark.
"I'd have taught him better manners, though. Pets shouldn't talk back."
He went rigid at the feeling of Shirosaki's fangs skating along the side of his neck, threatening to pierce. Kurosaki made a sound like a cornered wolf—the most disturbing blend of panic and rage he'd ever heard—and tensed to move in but Uryuu gave the slightest shake of his head as he mouthed the word 'wait'. It took a lot out of him to heed the silent order rather than give in to his instincts, but he backed down. For the moment. Didn't stop him from expressing his displeasure verbally.
"You're a twisted, revolting husk of a person, Shirosaki. You live to cause suffering, don't you? You thrive on it. I can't believe I ever thought you were my brother."
"I am your brother. I have his memories, his features, his charming wit." Uryuu was sickened by the smile he could hear in the soulless creature's voice. "If not him, who am I?"
"You're a god damn coward," Kurosaki spat. The hand holding his katana tightened so hard it made the corded hilt creak. "Using Ishida as a shield between us…Are you that afraid of a fair fight?"
The response was a peal of high, manic laughter that sent chills down Uryuu's spine. "Fair? Hah! We both know I've always been the stronger twin."
"Then prove it, once and for all!"
"Sure. As soon as I'm done torturing your witch."
The question as to whether Shirosaki would be able to sense the flow of his magic like Kurosaki was answered at last: he couldn't. Otherwise, he would have paid more attention to how quiet Uryuu had gone during their discussion. It wasn't his repulsion spell, but it would have to do.
"What the…?" Kurosaki saw them first, drawing his brother's attention to the swarm pouring over a roof into the alleyway. "Are those butterflies?"
Uryuu would've shrugged if one of his shoulders wasn't still out of commission. "It was the first spell that came to mind."
Familiar summoning: butterflies.
All it took was a slight diversion. Shirosaki released one of his arms to bat at the legion of flying insects flapping circles around him in a dizzying vortex of color and motion. It had to have been even more disorienting for someone with enhanced vision. Sensory overload. Meanwhile Uryuu's puny human eyes could scarcely discern a limited spectrum of hues, dulled by darkness. Ignoring them was easy. He freed his other arm from the vampire's grip and immediately pushed him with a particularly powerful example of the spell he'd been dying to use against its originally intended recipient for months.
The butterflies parted from the force like a gemstone-studded sea as Shirosaki went sailing backward. He hit the bricks behind him with a reverberant thud and a shower of displaced dust. A little more energy siphoned into the spell and cracks began to fracture the wall, a sunburst radiating outward around him. Uryuu would've kept piling on the pressure—he was beyond pissed and well into the range of infuriated—but Kurosaki's palm on his back kept him from splattering Shirosaki all over the masonry like a blood-filled water balloon.
"You okay?" Uryuu rotated his shoulder, testing. It was tender but intact. He nodded and Kurosaki said, "Let him go, but if he comes at you again use that charm in your pocket."
Granted permission to launch what was the mystical equivalent of napalm at the bastard, he almost wished Shirosaki would try to attack. Uryuu released the spell and watched him double over with a hand to his chest. His expression announced the wall wasn't the only thing that had gotten cracked. Kurosaki didn't give him long to recuperate. He strode over and stared at his twin for a long moment. Then he stabbed Shirosaki through his middle so forcefully the sword embedded in mortar, pinning him in place as effectively as any spell. Uryuu gasped at the abrupt display of brutality from someone he had only ever known to be gentle. Everyone had their breaking points; Kurosaki had clearly hit his.
"Fuck." The skewered vampire coughed and blood dribbled from the corner of his mouth. "Never thought you'd pick a piece of ass over your own family."
"You're not Masahiko!" adamantly insisted Kurosaki. "You're not my family. But Uryuu is."
Silver steamed with alchemical corrosion and Shirosaki's widened eyes snapped shut on a wave of agony. His fingers scrabbled at the hilt, trying to yank the katana out of his gut, but he didn't have the strength for it. All he could do was flail and groan as his innards were slowly liquefied. However much Uryuu hated him, the spectacle was uncomfortable to witness. He couldn't begin to guess what Kurosaki was going through, but he knew this wasn't remotely beneficial.
"Ichigo…" As if gleaning the message solely from Uryuu's tone, he tugged the sword free and watched Shirosaki collapse to his knees without its support. He raised the weapon and all sorts of alarm bells rang in the witch's brain. "Wait!"
Too late. There was a whisper of steel and a sound like melon meeting concrete. The very thing he had vowed to keep Kurosaki from doing had been done. He had taken his own brother's life.
Uryuu realized he was holding his breath, waiting for some sign of the emotional maelstrom he must've had roiling inside him. He wondered if Kurosaki would have a breakdown right there in the alley. No one could've blamed him for it. But he looked up and there wasn't a trace of the despair he had every reason to feel. Uryuu exhaled, inhaled, and started to speak but the patter of footsteps approaching took precedence.
"Holy hell…" hissed Abarai as the entire band of them spilled into the intersection.
Madarame scoffed and griped, "Looks like we missed all the fun."
Spotting the severed head to the left of its body, Ayasegawa made a face. "What an ugly way to die."
The others stayed silent, demeanors arrayed in various shades of saddened and somber.
"Where were you!?" Uryuu shrilled at the useless collective. "What took you so long? You were supposed to be here! You were supposed to—"
"It's okay." His gaze sought Kurosaki's and indignation melted at the exhaustion he read there. "It doesn't matter anymore. Let's just go home."
Nodding agreement, Kuchiki stepped forward and promised, "We'll take care of the rest. Go get some sleep."
The witch went to his side and they started walking out of the alley together. Kira stopped them at the exit to ask, "Is there anything in particular you'd like us to do? Like a memorial or—"
"Burn it," he replied without glancing at the body. "Whatever's easiest, I don't care."
From the corner of his eye, Uryuu saw Matsumoto's long hair ripple as she turned to stare. Hisagi just looked grim as he watched Kuchiki kneel beside the corpse in subdued mourning. With everyone dressed predominantly in black and delicately frowning, it felt more like a wake than a murder scene. That was all the sentimentality the not-so-dearly departed would get from any of them.
Kurosaki started walking again and he moved to follow.
They didn't utter a single word on the way to Uryuu's apartment. Not for lack of things to say but ways to say them. He knew his condolences meant next to nothing in the wake of tragedy. It was over and they were fine, yet at the same time nothing was fine. Everything around them seemed cold and foreign. Even the comfort and familiarity of his home weren't enough to set the world right again after it had been so thoroughly shaken askew.
Their shoes were left by the door and the lights were left off. They took a few more paces only to pause uncertainly in the silent space. Kurosaki's face was disconcertingly blank. There was a gnawing, bristling beast in Uryuu's chest that railed at him to do something and make it all better but there was nothing to do.
As he turned to face the bereaved, he haltingly began, "D-do you need anyth—"
Kurosaki drew him into a desperate embrace, dropping his head to rest on Uryuu's shoulder. He was trembling.
"Can I just…hold you for a while?"
His voice was muffled and strained and brimming with all the emotion he had been trying so hard to contain. Uryuu didn't answer. He didn't need to because he had already raised his arms to hold Kurosaki just as tightly.
The perpetual sigh of a nearby vent and the occasional rustle of a turned page were the only disruptions in an otherwise silent room. A particular perfume that could only be described as 'old books and dusty carpet' permeated the area. Afternoon sunlight was allowed to gently filter in through latticed windows veiled by sheer curtains. Between the quiet, the smell, and the sun Uryuu should have been feeling very calm and focused nestled in his favorite nook of the university library. He wasn't.
Although his laptop's position had been adjusted several times, the cursor on its screen had been blinking at him from the same spot of his thesis for the past twenty minutes. He was stuck mid-sentence no matter how hard he tried to keep his thoughts on-point long enough to finish it. They kept veering to a topic that threatened to drive him insane. Namely, the conundrum of switching someone from undead to alive.
There were only four days until the end of October and if they missed the chance to perform Kurosaki's ritual that night, the likelihood of ever reviving his humanity would shrink substantially. Uryuu had a vague idea, a general outline of how the spell should work but he couldn't pin down the specifics. Bits and pieces were still missing. Too many to work around, like a crossword puzzle with half the hints hidden. Yet, there he was collating notes on viral techniques of ribonucleic acid manipulation as though everything was just fine and dandy.
He exhaled harshly and shut the lid of his laptop, swiping off his glasses to rub at tired eyes.
"Need a brain-break?"
"Gods, yes, but I can't afford to take one. I'm almost two weeks behind! As if Ise-sensei needs another reason to hate me…"
Kurosaki snorted and gave him a sideways look. "You know she loves you, right?"
"If by 'love' you mean 'barely tolerate', then I'm aware."
"No, I mean she seriously loves you. Her heart gives this weird little twitch when she looks at you sometimes. At first I thought she love-loved you and I was kinda jealous, actually, but I realized it's more like mother-son love than anything. Last week when you said something insightful in lab, you were staring at a graph and totally missed her proud maternal smile."
At a loss for response, it took Uryuu a moment to say, "Wow. I…had no idea."
"It makes sense, doesn't it? How long have you two been working together?"
"Over three years but—"
"That's plenty of time to create a strong bond. Plus, you're easy to love."
An undergrad walking past their table overheard Kurosaki's statement and stumbled. She paused to turn widened eyes on them before resuming her path toward the hallway. Uryuu ignored the minor incident and tucked his computer into the messenger bag propped against his chair. It wasn't the first time someone had stopped to stare and it wouldn't be the last. Honestly, he didn't mind the extra attention aimed his way when they were in public together. It wasn't every day a breathtaking, bright-haired man could be spotted hanging out with a stereotypical nerd, after all. Their curiosity was wholly justifiable.
Besides, if the alternative was leaving his boyfriend at home, Uryuu would gladly endure every last student and professor on campus gawking at them all day long. Kurosaki was grieving—he wouldn't admit to it but he was—and he didn't want to be alone. Uryuu didn't want him to be alone, either. Not when he still noticed Kurosaki getting lost in a thousand-yard stare every so often. It was going to take some time to process everything that had happened during Shirosaki's final days and the witch wanted to make sure his vampire had plenty of support to see him though it.
A phone buzzed and Uryuu automatically reached for his until he saw Kurosaki's light up with a message alert.
"Kuchiki-san again?"
"She's a menace, I swear," he irritably confirmed. "This is the seventh text she's sent in the past hour!"
"She's worried about you."
"She's bored. Renji's out of town and Matsumoto is on vacation with Hisagi, so—"
"Are those two dating? I did not get that vibe from them."
"No, but they're probably sleeping together."
"Ah." Uryuu nodded and agreed, "I could see that."
Watching Kurosaki type out a terse text, he was once again filled with the same antsy energy as usual whenever he thought about the vampire's past and the people tied to it. There was still so much they didn't know about each other, so much more they might never know. A depthless chasm seemed to separate them and the only bridge Uryuu could construct across it also represented the most difficult undertaking of his life.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Raising his gaze from where it had fallen, he read the concern in Kurosaki's and shook his head. "You're thinking about it again, aren't you? For the hundredth time, you need to stop stressing out over it. Halloween isn't—"
"Samhain," the witch quietly corrected.
"Samhain isn't the last shot we'll ever have at this, special moon or no. If we're not ready this time, we will be next time. It can wait. I'm not getting any older."
It was a poor attempt at humor and he didn't pretend to be amused. "It could be years before another major opportunity arises and when I think about everything you've suffered, I just…"
"I know. But I'm not suffering anymore, Uryuu. Not like I was." Kurosaki's hand closed around his under the table and he fervently continued, "You've already changed my life in ways I never could have imagined and I'm not about to let you beat yourself up over leaving me like this a little longer."
That may have been good enough for him but it wasn't good enough for Uryuu. He just had to hide how much it bothered him from then on. Shutting his eyes on a slow breath, he nodded for Kurosaki's sake while inwardly doubling his resolve. Even if he had to buy more time by staying awake for the next three days, he wasn't giving up. In fact, he was putting his thesis on hold until after November first. He'd have to test Ise-sensei's so-called motherly love and ask for a mini-vacation.
Uryuu pulled out his phone to begin drafting the email but the blurry kanji reminded him that his glasses were still on the table. When he reached out to grab them, they were gone. He glanced at Kurosaki—the likely culprit—and arched an eyebrow to see him wearing them.
"What are you doing?"
"Do these make me look smarter?"
"Intelligence isn't aesthetic."
They did sort of make him look smarter, though, which made Uryuu wonder if he looked dumber without them. Kurosaki struck a pensive pose, tilting his head to regard him over the rims that slid downward with the motion. Then he tapped them back up with the exact same gesture their owner always used. Despite himself, Uryuu smiled.
"Is it working yet? Quick, give me something smart to say!"
"Like what?"
"I don't know, something scientific like…'the host's macrophages are engulfing infectious agents at prodigious rates'. I think you said that once." Entirely possible. Also, hearing the vampire use that caliber of vocabulary had an odd effect on his pulse. Kurosaki grinned and teased, "I heard that. Do you like it when I talk nerdy to you?"
Bringing his palm up to muffle a laugh, Uryuu shook his head but denial was futile when his own body gave him away. Kurosaki leaned in and whispered a string of microbiology jargon he'd gleaned from crashing labs and lectures. Half of it made no sense whatsoever but that wasn't important. The important part was how he could always make Uryuu feel better regardless of whatever else was going on. Although he had been inundating himself with notions of viruses and curses and—
"Ichigo," he interjected a tad too sharply, startling him silent, "We need to go. Now."
"Whoa. If I knew using big words would get you this excited, I'd have paid more attention in your classes."
He stood up, grabbing his bag, his glasses, and Kurosaki's hand. "It's not that. I think I just had a breakthrough!"
"Wait, really? How?"
"Lab now, explanation later."
They left the library in a hurry. It was all Uryuu could do not to race across campus like a man possessed. He felt possessed, with inspiration or insight or whatever brand of enlightenment brilliant people experienced right before a critical discovery. Others had called him a genius before but this was the first time he truly believed it because he'd just cracked a riddle that had remained unsolved for centuries.
Uryuu burst into Ise-sensei's lab and dumped his bag onto the first surface he came across. He didn't need anything inside it. What he needed was a microscope, a clean slide, and a hypodermic syringe. Flitting frantically around the room to gather supplies, he swore when the key item was nowhere to be found.
"Can I help?"
"Not yet. Wait here."
He left Kurosaki and ran down the hall to another lab. One that was designed for pre-med and nursing students. Of course, he realized it was in use after barging into the room. Two dozen faces swiveled to spotlight him like a cartoon burglar. Uryuu apologized for the intrusion even as he rifled through a cabinet for a sterile syringe pre-packaged with some alcohol pads. The teaching assistant glared. He didn't give his fellow grad student time to tell him off, however, swiftly exiting the lab and returning to Ise-sensei's.
"Will you tell me what's going on?" begged Kurosaki the moment he walked through the door. "You're starting to freak me out."
"In a minute. Sit so I can draw some blood."
Perching on the indicated stool, he eyed the witch warily. "I've never seen you like this. Your heart's going crazy and you're shaking."
"It's okay," Uryuu assured him over the squeak of latex gloves and the crackle of plastic wrap. "I'm okay, I promise. Manic energy isn't always a bad sign."
"If you say so. What do you need my blood for?"
A deep breath and a shallow sigh did nothing to slow his pulse. "Please, Ichigo, can you just go with it for now?"
It was a rare day that either of them used that word. Kurosaki's surprise abated in lieu of acceptance. He licked his lips and agreed, "Yeah, I can do that. Here, take as much as you want."
The vampire offered up the thick vein in his inner elbow. Uryuu fumbled with the needle in his haste, but he paused a smidge shy of piercing the skin. His hands were indeed shaking and he didn't want to jab Kurosaki on an errant angle. Concealing his hesitation by reaching for a prep packet, Uryuu rubbed the tiny square of alcohol-saturated cotton over the sight and hoped he was the only one who knew it wasn't necessary. Vampires weren't susceptible to sepsis.
His second try didn't get him any closer to the goal. Kurosaki wordlessly took the syringe and inserted it for him.
"I don't need much," Uryuu sheepishly murmured. "A couple CCs is fine."
"As much of yours as I've taken, I'd offer up every single drop of mine," Kurosaki replied, steadily turning the transparent tube ruby.
Taking gentle hold of his wrist to withdraw the needle, he insisted, "I should only need a single drop."
"Be careful with that. One nick and—"
"I know. I study contagious substances, remember? If anyone should be familiar with the protocol for handling a deadly virus, it's me."
"Hold on," requested Kurosaki as a glass slide was safely smeared with his blood, "Are you saying I'm infected with a virus?"
"That's what we're about to find out."
The microscope was loaded, light switched on and lenses adjusted. Uryuu peered through the eye holes, fine-tuning the focus until he could see the various components clearly against a pure white backdrop. Red blood cells, leukocytes, platelets, plasma, and so on. At this scale he wouldn't be able to discern any viral elements, of course, but that wasn't his goal. He chanted a few sentences under his breath, directing the energy in his own blood to affect the sample of Kurosaki's.
"What are you casting?"
"A detection spell I came up with my second year here to save myself some time analyzing transduction results. It's kind of like a litmus test for viruses, eliciting a certain reaction if the host cells' genetic material has been altered by foreign RNA."
"Okay…but what if I'm infected with more than one virus?"
Glancing up from the microscope, Uryuu had to awkwardly ask, "Are you?"
"Not that I know of but 'stranger things' and all that." He rolled his eyes and Kurosaki shrugged. "Hey, if vampirism is a disease wouldn't it have a cure by now?"
"Not necessarily. The science to research a cure didn't exist when it would have been relevant. Keeping in mind that the vast majority of people in this era believe vampires—and witches, for that matter—are extinct, there is no reason to study the affliction now. Besides, if this is what I suspect then neither scientist nor witch would be able to fully comprehend the condition on their own."
It would take someone bearing in-depth knowledge of both topics to even begin to understand a flawless hybrid of biology and magic so stable that the success rate was one hundred percent. The question of who or what could have conjured such a complex phenomenon in the first place was incredibly unsettling. Better to let it remain a mystery for the moment. He turned back to the microscope and gasped because the red blood cells were emitting a faint green shimmer.
Bending to see the slide, Kurosaki ventured, "Does that mean 'positive'?"
"It means more than that!" Uryuu cried, standing so quickly he almost toppled the stool. "It means vampirism is caused by an arcane-infused viral vector!"
"And that means…?"
"It means I know how to reverse it, Ichigo," he proclaimed, a mix of excitement and relief making him giddy. "Or I will, given a little more time."
Every facet of the ritual had to be triple-checked; the smallest oversight could lead to disaster. More research wouldn't hurt. There were a ton of supplies to gather and plenty of preparations to make, as well. Then there was the issue of providing such a cosmic amount of power to basically defy the laws of nature and magic alike. He would still need to take that extended brain-break until the first. There was zero probability he'd be able to focus on anything else until Kurosaki was human again. Uryuu had his work cut out for him, but he was damn sure up to the task.
"So, there's no way it could be anything else?"
"This is the only explanation that fits. Any vampire ever sired had to ingest the blood of another vampire. Therefore, it must be something in the blood and a virus is the perfect vehicle for total system transformation. I'll run more tests just in case but I'm convinced this is the piece I've been missing."
His enthusiasm and confidence finally began to take root in Kurosaki, too. A tentative smile emerged right before he pulled Uryuu into a happy hug. The witch stole a celebratory kiss while they were at it. And that's when his professor decided to see what all the fuss was about next door to her office.
"Ishida-kun, is that y—" Ise-sensei took one look at their proximity and sighed. "Good grief, you two. Again?"
Since they were fully clothed and breathing somewhat evenly, she didn't scold them like last time but purposely left the door open on her way out. His odds of winning permission for a brief leave of absence had just sunk a little lower.