Well this certainly took a while. It was actually finished a month ago, but Diablo 3 came out at the time and my beta started playing it, meaning this was put aside for a while. But it's here now.

Raineh Daze: Yes, you are my main readership I think. I'd love more, but I can't complain.

PerspexChameleon: I do have some sort of ending planned out, but I have no idea how many chapters it would take to get there.

ralf07: Kyon adds the suffix -senpai to Taniguchi's name because he is the person who will inherit the clan and thus deserves respect. Taniguchi, however, tells him to drop it and he does, all too happily might I add.

I do not own Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu.

Onwards!

Chapter 9

Most people don't like yakuza in general. We're a group of people who pull strings, threaten, and steal to get what we want, whether it is drugs, guns, women, or territory. Every now and then, people stand up and will try to get the group to leave town with nonviolent protesting. Some people have recorded who enters and who leaves a known yakuza headquarters to cause groups to forcibly cut ties because of the unwanted publicity. Celebrities and officials don't want to be seen entering a yakuza building anymore. It used to be a sign of power and prestige to be aligned with a yakuza gang, but not anymore. We keep to ourselves, making sure that something like this does not force us to leave the area.

That doesn't mean we're impervious, though. Every now and then, someone finds out too much or is just too curious for his or her own good. We have a few options. We can bribe them to keep their mouth shut or induct them into our fold. It depends on how dangerous the person is to us, really. If it's a male teen that is easily swayed by money and the idea of loyalty for protection, we'll take him in and make him one of us. If it's an official who has their own ugly scandal to keep out of the public sight, we'll scratch their back and bribe them if he'll scratch ours and turn away.

But sometimes, we just can't have these as options.

Taniguchi and I don't talk much on the evening train ride back to the city. He was busy staring off into the dark through the window. We usually would have talked more, or at least he would have talked more, but the both of us have things going on in our minds.

For me, it's Haruhi. Things would be complicated if she rejected my advances, but at the same time it is unlikely. I had plainly laid out what lay ahead of her in life, and gave her the option of changing it all by joining me. It was the first of a multi-step plan that could fall apart, but it was better than nothing.

The train pulls into the station, its gears screeching to a rest and letting its passengers off. We pick up our school bags and step onto the platform. We spot the middle-aged men, dressed casually like us, who will be accompanying Taniguchi and me on the way to our destination, which is my father's fish bait factory. We've seen them around before somewhere in the mess of faces that is our clan. No one really knows everyone, just recognizes faces. The only people that do know everyone is our fathers.

They greet us casually, as if we were their friends' children, and we follow them to a car and get in. It looks plain on the outside, but is outfitted with bulletproof glass and a reinforced frame, strong enough to stop most bullets. Most won't realize us for who we are, but it's always good to be careful.

As we pull out from the parking lot, another car follows behind us. I'm not worried, however. It's carrying our fish. My left hand fingers the stopwatch in my pocket, starting and stopping the count, resetting it. There's a bit of cord that lets me hang it from my neck, but I'm not going to need that.

Taniguchi finally breaks the silence. "So, who are they?"

The man in the passenger seat speaks. "One is a drug dealer who decided to side with the police. Our members in the force got wind of it and so we pulled him in for the trip."

Start. Stop.

"And the other? I was told that there were two." Taniguchi says, looking out the window and watching blankly while cars pass by.

"His girlfriend, to tie up loose ends." Start.

"Any contacts?"

"The drug dealer was disowned for dropping out of college ten years ago. The woman hasn't talked to her parents in years."

Stop.

"Well then..." Taniguchi pulls his eyes from the window and faces forward, "business as usual."

When we say fishing, we don't really mean fishing.

We're at my father's fish bait company. Today, the uninformed employees are off because of maintenance, but it's far from the truth. Even from the interior of the car, I can hear the gears running, but it's only the grinder that's operating.

We pull into the private parking lot, hidden away inside the loading garage, and get out of the car. The second car pulls a little further behind us and parks. One man gets out of the driver's side, opens the trunk and points a gun.

"Get out," he coldly says. A naked man and woman, both around the same age as the ones who first picked us up, slowly pull themselves out, hands bound from behind by rope. A second man exits from the passenger side of the car, also pointing his gun at the couple. Their heads are covered by a brown sack before it is quickly pulled off, revealing their mouths to be gagged.

We head towards the stairwell with the man and woman at gunpoint, following us as we go. The humming gets louder and louder, each flight of stairs taking us closer to the heart of the metal jungle. We reach the top floor and unlock the maintenance door with a key that only we have and the full sound is unchained.

In the center of the room is a large hole. It leads to the center of the grinder. Normally, a wide pipe takes its place, but today it is pulled back. Harsh fluorescent lights fill the room. I can just hear the rapid heartbeats of the two over the drone. It sends my own into frenzy. My thumb goes wild over the stopwatch buttons. Start. Stop. Start. Stop.

"Kneel at the edge with your backs turned to us." This time, it is Taniguchi who gives the command. Stiff with fear, the two begin to make their way to it. Their steps are small, hoping to drag out as much time as possible. When they finally reach it, they slowly kneel down, fifteen feet away from us, who are leaning against the wall of the room. It's hard for Taniguchi and the other men to hear, but the woman is sobbing, terrified at the whirring noise mere feet below her.

Taniguchi takes out a cigarette, puts it in his mouth, and looks to me. I take out my lighter, giving it that special spin and flick it open with the flame lit. He smiles a little, as if forgetting where he is for a moment. I light it for him and he takes a puff and exhales. He closes his eyes and turns back to the couple.

Before he can give the order, I interrupt him.

"Wait," the other men and Taniguchi look back at me. "I want to interrogate them, alone, if you don't mind. No more than five minutes."

One of the men speaks up. "We've already done that. There is nothing else we can get from them."

"But did you have them facing the gaping maw that is death?" I poetically ask. Start.

The men look at each other. They look at Taniguchi. He looks at me and I stare back. He takes another puff and heads to the maintenance door. "Give him a gun." He turns and faces me once more. "Don't do anything stupid," he says before leaving the room. One of the men walks up to me and hands me his pistol and everyone exits through the heavy door. I hold it in my right hand. Stop.

"Woman," I bellow. Her body snaps up. "Stand and slowly walk to me. Do not turn around. You will stop when I say so." She doesn't move.

I raise my gun and point it into the air, firing a shot. It echoes noisily off the walls and shocks the woman out of her thoughts. "Now!" She stands and walks backwards, slowly placing one foot behind the other. Start.

"Stay still. Get on your stomach." Once again she gets on her knees and this time puts her entire body flat on the ground. Her breathing is staggered. Her heart is wild, like mine. Stop.

Clear.

I move to her body, standing over it before placing my right knee a little to the right side from the center of her back and putting the gun up to her head. "Don't move." I let my weight go, holding her in place and putting the gun away. My right hand then goes to her shoulder to keep her down. I take my knee off of her body and lean in. Her heart beats wildly and her breathing picks up. She must think that I'm going to rape her. But that's not what I want.

My fangs slide out. I lean in to the left side of her neck and bite down. Her blood is sweet and overflows, no doubt a side effect from the increased heartbeats due to her fear. Her body stiffens, unbelieving, and lets out a stifled cry of pain behind the gag.

I drink a little and start the stopwatch. I pull away from her and take it out, watching as time ticks by. I blink, and my vision turns blue. The two bodies are golden but I can visibly see the effect of my vampirism taking hold of the woman. There is a little spot of green against her gold body where I bit her.

Five seconds. The green has begun to branch out, dropping down towards the left side of her back, no doubt heading to the heart.

Twelve seconds. It spreads from the heart to the rest of the body. Her breathing is heavy and her heart still races.

Twenty two seconds. The green has spread to the rest of her body. She begins to crawl with her knees, pushing herself towards the man kneeling at the ledge. Her hands try to tug at the rope around her wrists. They slowly start to give away, not because the knot is being undone, but because the very fibers are beginning to snap.

Thirty seconds. Her crawling is faster now, becoming frantic. She keeps tugging at the bindings. It won't be long until she's free.

Thirty seven seconds. It snaps. Her hands now unleashed, she haphazardly pushes herself up and runs, giving a muffled roar and diving at the man. They fall over the ledge and the crunching of bone and flesh is heard. A small spray of blood permeates the air above the pit for a moment before disappearing.

Stop.

I wipe the blood off my lips with the back of my hand and softly lap it clean.

Heavy bass reverberates from the speakers on the painted black walls, with little white LED lights dotting the surface. Hanging from the ceiling are black lights and strobe lights. Mixed together with complimentary glow sticks for the visitors, they come together to create a sensation of outer space warfare with lasers. There is a circular bar in the center of the wide dance floor, serving beers, mixed drinks, and other quick snacks. An elevated stage at the back has a DJ playing and mixing records and songs for the patrons, who are looking for a wild night. Throughout the floor area are circular stages, slightly raised, with a metal pole and dancer on each. One of them has two dancers, entwined around the pole while kissing and teasing each other for a watching crowd of young men and women. The smell of alcohol, drugs, sweat, and sex infuses the air.

Welcome to a night at the Sagittarius. Taniguchi and I were given ownership of the club right before we moved out into the new city as birthday gifts. We manage costs and whatever profit is left at the end of the month we keep. With a little help from advisors, we run the music, we run the themes, we run the party.

But most importantly, we run and take care of the girls. With a few favors and pulling strings, we have the only club in the city where the dancers can be topless or full out naked if it gets to it. There are no loopholes to get around prostitution laws, but we use this place as a hookup zone for prospective customers. Because of this, we have no real competitors. Every night we open, it's packed. Party-goers line up starting as early as seven in the evening, hoping to get in. Many don't and go to the other clubs in the red-light district.

Of course, our drugs are also a huge attraction to the visitors, especially cocaine. We have members in the police force in high positions that can turn the force away from our illicit deals. We don't deal openly, but in a private room below the club. We don't sell directly to the druggies here, but to the ones who will sell it to them. But ever since we went fishing, we're in need of a new dealer.

It's hard finding good dealers. As the music thumps away above us, Taniguchi and I sift through profiles, looking at potential people we can promote to primary dealers. Each document contains their name, age, pictures, what they do, what makes them a good candidate, what makes them a bad candidate, and who their contacts are.

"Any plans for the weekend?" Taniguchi asks me.

"Nothing really. You?"

"Probably get a massage tonight. Been feeling a little stressed ever since we planned our fishing trip."

I was expecting him to say that. As we continue to look, an idea comes to mind. Pausing, I look up at him. "Hey, what if we choose to not fill the position?"

"...Well, if we were a normal company, we certainly lose sales. We would need as many people selling our products to ensure a steady income." He closes the file he's looking at and turns to me. "However, we're not exactly a normal company."

"Not to mention that we're selling drugs, here," I mention. "It naturally builds a loyal customer base for us. The issue is letting the people know that their dealer has changed."

"And whether the other dealers are okay with the increased workload. Granted, they'd make a lot more money, but they might be busy enough as it is already." He leans back in his chair and looks at the ceiling. "I'd have to get my dad's input over the issue. You might have to get in contact with the dealers themselves and ask." No doubt he's already lost in the idea of delving into the flesh of women.

Pushing distractions aside, we keep flipping. If our idea doesn't work out, we still need to find a good candidate.

I didn't get home until three in the morning. Taniguchi probably won't arrive at his house until the afternoon, instead staying at the hotel our clan owns. It doesn't bother me, however. While sleep is still needed, I've found that I need less as of recently. I don't know if it's me adapting towards my nightlife or my vampirism.

I find that it's a welcome change in my life, as not only do I need less sleep to function, I have more time in my day to get things done. Like homework.

There is a knock on the door of my room. "Kyon-kun!" It's my half-sister. "Time to eat!"

"I'll be down soon, then," I reassure her. Putting my books away into my bag, I take them with me as I leave the room. I probably won't be back until next week, earliest. Walking down the stairs, I place my bag at the entryway where the shoes are and move to the kitchen table, where the dishes and bowls of rice are already out.

My father and stepmother are already sitting at the far end of the table, where they always sit. My sister takes a seat opposite from them, looking at me with bright eyes and a smile. She fidgets a little, as if unable to contain her excitement from seeing me again. I sit down next to her and we begin to eat.

"How was the fishing trip?" my father asks.

Before I can even answer, my sister pipes up. "You went fishing?" She looks up from her food and turns to me.

I smile a little, "It was fun. Didn't catch anything, though."

My mother nods, eyes looking away, as my sister speaks up again. "Next time, can I come too?"

I give a short look at my dad. He doesn't say anything, just looks back down at his meal and resumes eating. I turn to my sister.

"Maybe when you're a little older. Fishing out in the ocean means you need strong arms to hold onto that rod if something bites. Wouldn't want you to be pulled out of the boat and into the sea, now would we?"

There have been accidents before.

"That won't happen!" she sticks her tongue out at me. "You and dad never catch anything anyway!" she says with a giggle.

I shrug my shoulders and rustle her hair a bit. "We'll see how things turn out."

Late night ride. We take one of the last departing trains back to our project city. I walk Taniguchi back to his apartment to make sure he gets there safely before heading back to mine. When I get home, I turn on my laptop and search for any new information on the officer death story.

It's the same thing over and over again, however. No new facts are appearing and police still have not disclosed how the policeman died. Police have a time frame on when the murder happened and what the male suspect was riding at the time because the officer radioed in what he was doing at the time, but everything else is fuzzy. There are fingerprints, but they can't identify the person because he is not on the record.

I leave the page and search other news sites, but they all say the same thing.

And as I had expected, no one has written about the disappearance of homeless people.

It's morning. Taniguchi and I are on our way to school, as usual. I drop by his apartment and walk with him. "You really should join in the fun one day. This one girl has the cutest squeal. I kind of want to hear what she sounds like when you and I have a go at her."

I feign interest. "Really now?"

"Yeah, and we got toys too, you know. In case you're into that kind of stuff."

"Are you?"

He turns his head a bit. "Ehh... dunno. I guess every now and then it's okay. But why would I stick in a toy when I can put my dick in, you know? It feels counter intuitive. What about you?"

I shrug my shoulders. "Well, I've never been with anyone so I don't really know how I feel over the matter."

"Hmph," he smiles again and looks down the road, "if you didn't express so much interest in that ribbons bitch, I'd assume you were a eunuch."

"And here you are, thinking you're a saint by inviting me to a threesome."

He gives off a scornful laugh and we continue to walk. The school gate comes in sight. Leaning against the front of it is Haruhi. As we get closer, she picks herself off the wall and starts coming towards me.

"Speak of the devil," Taniguchi says. He turns to me and winks, "Try to have some fun now, you hear?" and takes off to his class. He passes by Haruhi. She turns to look at him go by, but he pays her no mind. He still doesn't like her. She looks back towards me, wearing that annoyed frown on her face.

"So, have you made your decision?" I calmly ask.

"No. I need more information before I commit to anything." She turns on her heel and begins to walk to class, her hair twirling ever so slightly to the side and revealing just a bit of her neck to me. "I have questions for you and I want answers for them."

"Alright, what do you want to know?" I follow after her.

She whirls around and stares daggers at me. "Not here, idiot," she hisses, "After class. Rooftop. And this time don't be on the other side of the fence."

Last Monday was a holiday, so I did not know the class routine for it beforehand.

Today, it's a lot about history. The history of China, in particular. The teacher is talking about how the Great Wall of China was designed as a method to protect its borders while also being an important component in trade regulation. Now it's just a tourist site, however. Any real invading force would just blow up the damn wall.

Boring class. But the concept of history made me wonder. Being the unaging vampire I am, I would live until my body is destroyed in some way or another. Would I perish in fire? Drown in water? Or would I live until the end of days, where my identity cannot be hidden anymore and be captured, observed, dissected, and preserved as the first real vampire?

Having kids would probably be a bad idea. It would be a world of running. No real place to stay, no real friends. Lacking in childhood experiences.

Thankfully, the class ends. The lunch break went by with nothing in particular. Afternoon classes are uneventful as well, which means I have more time to think.

My mind turns to Kunikida. I should ask him what his father does tomorrow in gym class. The chances of him being the police chief is small, but if it pulls through, the information would be valuable. We could find out what the police station is looking into and what they're currently after. We could even use the child himself as blackmail, saying we know who his son is. I foresee him as a potential ally or bargaining chip.

Class ends. I hear Haruhi's chair scrape behind me as she gets up and quickly leaves the room. I know I'm supposed to be at the rooftop soon, but I don't want to follow her immediately. I would rather give each other some distance before making my way to the rooftop. While we were already the talk of the town and much of it has died down, I would rather not take the chance to piss off Haruhi.

I give her five minutes before making my way to the central stairs. I slowly go up a floor, but I pass by two familiar faces.

Tsuruya and Asahina Mikuru. They're on their way down to the bottom floor, no doubt getting ready to leave the school or heading towards clubs. Asahina trails a little behind the green-haired girl silently, who is talking about something.

Something about them bothers me though. Whether they knew it or not, both of them glanced towards me for the slightest moment, staring into my eyes before looking back down the path. Normally this is nothing too strange. I do it myself, after all.

What strikes me as odd is how they both looked at me at almost the same time, as if they were both looking for me. If this is the case then that means two things, if I bar coincidence. Either someone found out what happened on the rooftop or Haruhi knows those two through some network and they found out through it.

Someone is watching me. It might even be Haruhi herself.

Sounds hot.

I move past them and start heading towards the rooftop. My footsteps echo against the walls and I reach for the door.

"I had expected that you would be eager to follow me, you know." Haruhi stands in front of me, about ten feet from the door I went through. I let it close behind me.

"I figured you didn't want anyone to see me following you. A little personal space, you could say."

Her face has a scowl and her arms are crossed over her chest. She brushes aside my comment and begins to speak. "I gave your offer some thought."

"What do you think about it?"

"It blows. Most of it, at least."

"Well then, what don't you like about the offer? I'm sure we can negotiate a little."

"I hate just about everything in it. I am not in the mood to even entertain the thought of fucking you right now and-"

"Right now, sure, but would tomorrow work better for you?"

"…" she closes her eyes and takes a breath. Her lips stay pursed for a moment, biting back her scathing replies before speaking again. "The interesting part of the deal was the notion of a secure future. I know I'm not the brightest student around, but I know that exam scores impact your future. The deal is too good to be true. Be your fuck buddy and never have a care in the world again? That's bullshit."

She walks towards me. Then she goes by me towards the door, opens it, and looks in. Closing it, she walks behind the roof exit to make sure that no one else is around before coming back to me.

Her voice is quieter this time. "The only reason why I haven't fucking kicked your ass is because of your whole roof jumping habit. I did some research. No one merely jumps off the school roof and walks away. All the results I found were suicides or accidents. Even if they lived, they suffered broken bones. You laughed at death in the face. What are you?"

Psychologically, asking questions usually means someone is interested. "So, I take it that, for this one piece alone, you're interested in the bargain?"

"It's the most persuasive part of the deal." She crosses her arms again.

"Well, you can't just have that though. You have to buy the whole package." I walk up to her, staring into her golden eyes. Slowly, I raise my hand and begin to brush the hair away from the side of her face. She scowls at the contact, but doesn't shy or push me away. A soft blush creeps onto her cheeks.

So, so beautiful. "What do you say?"

My finger trails down her jawline, resting just a bit below her chin. I can hear her rapid heartbeat, and I'm mere inches away from her neck. I could just glide my fingers to the side and travel up and down, and it would be pure bliss.

Eventually, she turns away from me, unable to keep up with my gaze. I know she's contemplating, not sure of what she really wants.

She eventually looks back at me and starts to speak, "If I go down this path with you, what exactly are you guaranteeing?"

"A future with me. You won't have to worry about your next meal or clothes on your back." A half-truth. But she doesn't have to know the rest of it for now.

"And what's expected of me?"

My hand rises to gently cup her reddening cheek, my thumb resting just below her cheek bone. "Loyalty and unwavering faith. Sound good enough for you?" And a blowjob. That would be great because she owes me one.

"… You don't have to make it sound all nice and pretty, you know. You told me that your main motivation is to fuck me, after all."

"You need some better self-esteem, you know that?" I jest. "It might be easier for you to understand if I simply said that I want to fuck you senseless, but it wouldn't make you feel good about it."

"You're not denying it, though," her lips stretch into a smirk, gloating over the fact that she caught me.

"What is there to deny? I mean what I said." A good salesman never waits for the customer to actually say yes. Instead, he or she assumes the sale and gets ready to collect the check.

I lean in and softly kiss her lips. My body yearns for more, to dive my tongue into her mouth, to let my hands explore what belongs to me. But I pull back. Her expression is mixed between hate for me, self-loathing, but most importantly interest. And blushing.

I back away. "I trust negotiations are over?"

"… For now."

"Good enough." I flip my phone open, pull up the picture of Nagato showering in the locker room and hand her the phone. "For starters, I want you to tell me everything you know about this."

I should also add that I got a job now. This may or may not affect update speeds. Also I keep saying that I'm going to try to get back into Fire Emblem but I never seem to do so...