He Without Sin

December 30th 5:12 am

'H-hot…' Heaving breaths rushed past dry lips that no matter how many times they were wetted, remained parched. Even in the dark of the room, Saburōta's respire still marked the frigid air with a misty cloud as it sputtered sporadically between painfully extended teeth. Ever since Neirah had moved in, they'd begun to turn the heat up, so considering how hot his breath had to be to make the apartment look cold was frightening. 'W-why… is it so hot…?'

Trembling fingers reached for the centre of his bare chest, trim nails clawing crimson abrasions onto his pale complexion. His eyes burned but flashed wide, his lungs ached, but he couldn't reach the pain to settle it. The tension in his muscles couldn't be worked free, and what was worse was that he was losing track of his surroundings. 'How long… have I been like this? Hours? Days?' His breastplate began to twinge beneath the intensity of his struggling grip, begging for the mercy of his touch's evacuation. 'How much… time… What does it even mean?'

No matter how desperate Saburōta was to turn his head, to survey his surroundings, he couldn't. He sat in the centre of his quiet apartment, panting like a dehydrated mongrel. The sheen of perspiration on his skin reflected the diamond moonlight spilling through the window. 'Where are you?' Even if he didn't move, charcoal irises flickered with life to the rousing thought behind the uncommon crimson light passing through his wild stare.

Red. There was red everywhere. It was smeared on the walls, leaking from the seam in the ceiling. Outside, the sky seemed to drain blood from the clouds to stain the once-clear windowpane. It wasn't just oozing; it splattered on the partitions and streaked the floors. Saburōta felt he was burning from the inside out, and when his heart raced in fear of his deliria, it only worsened. 'Tsukiyo… where is she?' His gaze remained fix, but shadows were shifting around him, causing his paranoia to pique his anxiety. 'D-did I… no. No! I couldn't have…' It didn't make sense. Nothing made sense anymore. 'She was here against me… all night.' Nobody could have hurt her. She was his to protect. His knuckles knocked against his heaving chest as his shuddering inhales deepened. 'W-where… Where am I?'

Suddenly, the crimson in his eyes dissipated, leaving Saburōta's senses jarred until he keeled over like he was in pain. With a desperate surfacing gasp, his teeth bared and his eyes finally sealed tightly to bear the stifling temperatures of his body. "H-hot…" he whimpered quietly in agony. The room spun, disorienting him as his ears started to ring with an unsettling choir of noise that he knew was coming from somewhere inside him. Louder and louder, the sirens blared, but that wasn't exactly what they were. Whatever was ringing saw him desperate to cover his ears, but he also felt that if he released his heart, it would stop beating. 'N-no… she's here. She's right beside you.' If the screeching to deafen him was anywhere nearby, Neirah would surely wake and raise the alarm. Even if he couldn't turn to face her, he could feel her near. That was where she belonged, after all, because she was his.

It seemed like Saburōta might've managed to catch his breath, regulating the inhalation to fill his lungs past capacity, causing his chest to tighten with every breath he swallowed. 'He can't have you…' The aura of the room thickened, inspiring a stirring moan to slip past Neirah's lips as she fidgeted restlessly in her sleep. That caused a thin and victorious grin to sneak onto Saburōta's suffering features as he tried to straighten. 'That's right. You're mine now.'

Then, as quickly as it appeared, the smile vanished, causing Saburōta to choke on his next struggling breath, wilting over his lap as he tried to mediate his suffering. 'Too hot,' he mused helplessly. 'Why? I-it hurts…' Finally, his body began to tremble, and his senses cleared, allowing him to open one eye and scour his apartment for traces of activity. But it was silent as the night around him.

The binding on his legs seems to free, and with mechanical movements, Saburōta began to coil the outstretched extremities beneath him, shrinking his presence in hopes that he could find comfort. Once they folded, he hunched his shoulders, shifting tremoring fingertips from his chest, over his collar and to where he clawed at his neck for security. He had never felt waves of heat rush through him like he was experiencing. Even as the bloodstains cleared from the walls, he prayed that it was all a dream, and he was soon to wake. "H-hot…" Nervous tears leaked in the corners of his tightly sealed eyes as he milled his teeth that were beginning to realign after whatever episode had him so strained. "Mikoto-san…"

From behind the panicked silhouette of her distressed roommate, Neirah's concerned gaze watched the light within her lover burst and fizzle until nothing remained. At first, she was afraid she was dreaming, but then she heard him speak and stir. The calm blue that used to beat with his racing heart had dissipated entirely, and in its place, the mapping of veins beneath his skin bled near-crimson and flashed hues of gold. It reminded her of lava conduits boiling down a mountainside for just a moment, causing her chest to ache, and mortified eyes to widen. Then, as it passed, the blistering corruption faded as soon as it came, leaving the return of calm waves to rush throughout his body.

She was nervous, undoubtedly, but what caused her to reach out to him was the fear she felt as the menacing aura to stir her dissipated. Assuming that he'd just woken from a terrible dream, she reached for him, her gentle fingers connecting with his shoulder blade to beg his attention. "Bandō… is everything alright?"

As soon as her touch brushed his skin, he jerked away like her fingers had seared him, hissing as he clasped the afflicted area. "H-hah… hot," he muffled. "D-damn, it burns…"

Neirah sat on her knees, letting the blankets slip from her entirely in a moment of desperation. She figured that he was still partially unconscious when she disturbed him, so her next touch wasn't effortlessly banished. Without worrying about the repercussions, she threw herself against his back, sinking her teeth into his neck in the place where he was desperate to cling. 'Wake up,' she begged. When his entire body bucked in response to the pain, she tightened her hold on his torso and encouraged her jaw to clamp tighter around his shoulder.

Shortly after, he whimpered out a drowned moan of pain, and his palm fell against her head like he was trying to pry her free with weak fingers. She refused to let go until she knew he was calm and conscious. Her fear was stirring so violently within her that the moment she tasted his unaltered blood flow, she synchronized them immediately and shared in his terror.

But she fought it. Even as she felt worrisome tears prick the back of her eyes, she shook them away and kept her lock on her lover's skin rooted. She forced herself to remain calm, hoping he could sense her reassurance in his addled state, and when she felt his need to submit to her comfort, she grabbed onto it with everything she had, begging it to take hold of him. Maybe he liked being in control, but he wasn't right now, and that worried her. Even if he hated her for it later, she needed to settle the tension in their apartment immediately. Something that ominous had no place in their lives.

Soon, the hand that held her head began to shake, and as her charm took hold, his breathing began to stabilize, deepening as he lengthened his neck for her to taste. She felt his palm relax, but quiver as he fisted weak fingers in her bangs, tugging them to one side and pressuring her crown as if he was begging her continuation. Harder. Don't stop. Slowly, she retracted her teeth, sucking lightly on his lesions until a pleasured groan filled his chest. The tension in his shoulders began to lessen beneath her breast, so she rewarded his submission with delicate kisses up his neck.

When she reached his ear, she tried to peek his face, but between the shadows and his bangs, it was a futile effort. It left her no choice but to abandon his skin. "Are you awake now?" she whispered nervously. "You frightened me." Her brow tightened with vexation when his touch on her hairline suddenly went limp, dropping his hand back into his lap as his head fell forward like he was battling exhaustion. She didn't mean for her charm to cause him to submit so entirely. "Did you have a nightmare?"

"Y-you're here…"

Another faltering expression caused Neirah's face to tighten. "Of course, I am." She reached for him again, her fingers dusting over his shuddering shoulder. The fact that he wouldn't turn to face her was alarming, and the way his skin crawled made her heart sink. "I'm here," she prompted again. She wanted to retract her touch, wincing with how uncomfortably warm his skin was beneath. He sat soaked with sweat, and she couldn't imagine how that wasn't the factor to wake him in the first place. "Look at me." Her words began as a command because she was trying her hardest not to let her fear accidentally cause their connection to worsen his condition. Unfortunately, when she elevated her voice, she couldn't conceal her worry. "Saburōta, please, look at me."

Finally, his dusky eyes shifted, his head tilting the desperate kohl gaze over his shoulder. He looked fine, although visibly shaken by whatever had seized him. But his wet bangs clung to his face, and there was a tight knot in his brow that begged comfort.

A soft sigh slipped past Neirah's lips as she took his face between her hands, steadying him while she peeled his hair from his face. "You're a mess," she whispered tenderly. "What on earth happened?"

Without answering her question, Saburōta lowered his eyes, looking unusually guilty as his downtrodden expression shamelessly considered her naked curves. "You're here," he repeated breathlessly. "You're with me, not him." Something about his tone sounded grateful, but for what, she wasn't sure.

Neirah seemed staggered by his sudden proclamation, and maybe a little unnerved that he was sizing her up like a meal. Then, when her eyes lowered just momentarily, she realized that his wound still hadn't healed from her minor incision, making her wonder if the thirst wasn't calling to him even after Izumo warned them to keep up with it. When she considered the likelihood, her tone flattened with impatience. She lingered wound far too tightly to deal with his insignificant concerns. "Oh, please tell me you aren't talking about Chitose."

Even as she derided the insinuation, Saburōta seemed to take the topic particularly seriously that morning. Before she could scold him, he captured both of her wrists and forced her back into the damp mess of blankets they'd shared the night before. Once she'd opened her mouth to demand that he come to his senses, his lips had already swallowed the sentiment, his tongue snaking behind her teeth to taste the exclamation she couldn't utter. That was unsettling enough, but what fluttered her heart was his taste on his tongue. She distinctly recognized the flavour of his blood, and it saturated his kiss.

She started to squirm, raising her knees to line his hips as she struggled to push away from his intensity. Something was outlandish about that evening, even when she considered how unusual he was any other given day. Despite her radiant blushing, Neirah finally tore away from his possession with a gasping breath. "What seems to be your problem right now?!"

"He can't have you." For whatever reason, that seemed significant enough for him to repeat in a territorial growl. "You're mine."

"Stop acting like a jealous brat-" Neirah's words morphed into a pained cry as he dipped towards her shoulder and snapped his teeth around her skin, but he didn't stop there. Once he made the first mark, he made another on her shoulder, her chest, and then he switched sides to pinch her ear between his teeth.

"Mine," he repeated breathlessly through an arrogant smirk. He let her pant her confusion for a moment before licking traces of her blood from his teeth. "I'm going to keep you for myself." A strangely affectionate nuzzle tickled the back of her ear, and then he snuggled into the mess of hair splayed about the floor, profoundly inhaling its comforting scent. He cut his tapered leer into his peripherals to peek her panic, his peaceful smile broadening as she surrounded him. "So just give up and submit to me, 'kay?"

It was starting to get creepy. 'W-why is he acting this way?' Even as she fought it, Neirah's eyes grew heavy. The thighs that once scoured against his hips looking for escape locked around his dominance and her back hollowed as she squirmed. 'He already knows that he's the one I want.' His touch was hot, causing her wrists to ache as he braced the entirety of his weight against them. "Y-you know… I don't want anything to do with… with him and he… wants nothing to do… with…" Before she'd even finished her statement, she forgot the tangent.

The guttural and shameless moan to fill Neirah's chest was convincing as he lengthened her arms above her head. He clawed his fingers down her strained forearms while he pierced her skin with the full extension of his teeth opposing the side that he'd previously wounded. The position he'd subconsciously left her in was reminiscent of how she probably looked the day he caught her and Yō together. 'Is he really so petty that he needs to take me the same way just to mark his territory?'

Her mind was too foggy, to begin with, but when his hands returned to her body, their chests connecting beneath his passion, she began to lose focus. 'Did he… dream that I left? Is that why he…?' She thought that they'd surrendered the games, with trying to outdo each other, but it seemed he was addicted to the rush. His jealousy was indulging needy fingers, and his hungry kisses were joined by possessive nips that only satisfied him if they drew blood.

Still, her halved gaze lingered on the sight of his collar whenever it came into view, and through the euphoric haze, she could see his blood leaking over his clavicle like it had the moment she'd penetrated his flesh. 'W-why are you…?'

By the time he backed away from her skin and reconnected their gazes, Neirah's thoughts were so distant that she probably looked inebriated. But she stared back into his eyes, her feelings rampant with theories about her typically mousy lover. The gentleness that was usually in his eyes had left, leaving something vain and arrogant in its place as if he was satisfied to watch her writhe. But somewhere deep within the demanding kiss that he pressured her to reciprocate a moment later, she heard his heart. The final remnants of their connection began to sever by his command, and she felt the threads coming undone, but the last one to hold on was something she felt like he was fighting to protect.

Their relationship was strange, undoubtedly, but it began strangely, so that wasn't surprising. Maybe Neirah longed for that feeling as he struggled to keep her close, and hidden deep within his passion for her body, she felt the seeds of love. For some reason, he was desperate for her, in that moment and in a skewed way. He was terrified, and something in his callous grip on her that night whispered tender words into her heart, words so meaningful that she wondered if she hadn't made them up entirely.

"I'm sorry… I really do think I loved you."

Neirah couldn't explain why tears were forming in her eyes, why she began to taste them in their kiss. She didn't know where the sudden sentiment came from, because he evidently hadn't spoken to her while he was so busy devouring her mouth through his egotistical grin. Still, she cried, harder by the second as she kissed him with a rivalled intensity, and soon, she reclaimed her hands, clawing his face deeper into their union.

She could feel his worry, his desperation to hold on, so she did. For a while, she wondered if he would simply vanish if she let him go, so she didn't. When she felt his shift in possession cause her weak touch to slip past his cheeks, she lunged forward, sinking her fingers into his natural black hair instead. He was so hot. His skin felt like it was burning hers just to be close, but she didn't let go, and neither did he. 'Is this all… just a dream?'

Spinning… Neirah was spinning, and the ringing of their unsteady coin began to warble as if it would fall at any moment. She figured that was what they were trying to prevent. Before it landed one way or the other, they had to be on the same side, but they'd never gotten that far. She still had too many questions that he never answered, and her heart began to ache with a scream she was too weak to announce. 'N-no, please… Don't go.' She didn't know whose thoughts were whose anymore, and despite the ache in her throat, she didn't do more than swallow his taste. But her fingers were failing, sliding through the damp ends of his hair, and as she slowly slipped out of consciousness, she felt that final thread sever.

December 30th 1:24 pm

"Mikoto."

A desperate crease tightened Tatara's brow as he tightly clasped Anna's small hand between his. It had been hours since she'd taken a fever, and there were times when she would thrash wildly in her sleep. Unfortunately, they weren't entirely sure that she was sleeping. She seemed to be locked in a constant state of delirium brought about by her mysterious illness.

"It's getting worse," Tatara quietly explained. "She keeps calling out to King, but there's no answer."

Tsk. Izumo tightened his grip on his mobile until he felt the mechanics crackle beneath his pressure. "That guy… what's he thinking?" he growled lowly. "I was pissed off enough over what happened with Seri, and now this. It'd be nice if he or Yata would answer their damn phones. I get that Yata's still probably bummed about the whole Fushimi thing, but we could sure use him to track down Mikoto right now. Even if he is fighting Kagutsu off, what makes him think we can't help?"

"She keeps repeating the same things," Tatara reported grimly. "There's so much red. Whatever she's seeing is scary. I can feel it when I synchronize with her, but I don't know how long I'll be able to keep her stable. I've never seen one of us get this sick, and she's been feeding properly the entire time."

A look of disdain flashed across Izumo's face. "Do you think it's like Fushimi says? The supplements made her weak?"

Tatara slowly shook his head. "Even if the supplements weren't good enough, she drank fresh blood as often as Yata-chan hunted. He always brought her back something."

"Red…" Anna's eyes were closed, and her face tightly bound as she threw her head from side to side, calmly tossing her sweaty silver bangs as she thrashed. "So much red…"

It was the hundredth time Tatara had heard her make the same statement. "Kusanagi-san?" he whispered timidly. "I'm worried that this has something to do with the red that Anna sees in vampires."

Oh? Izumo redirected his eyes from Anna's subsiding struggle to where Tatara kept in constant contact with her. "What about it?"

"Tsukiyo-san asked me something the other day that I didn't know how to answer," he prompted. "I guess she's like you and can see lifeforce, and she wondered why vampires weren't all red. She thought that was what Anna-chan saw when they first met."

"I can see why she thought that," Izumo calmly theorized. "When a vampire is weak, their light is affected too."

"But Anna-chan only sees the red inside vampires, not other people. So, it can't be lifeforce."

Impatience began to sharpen Izumo's leer as he watched Tatara's expression become grimmer by the second. "Spit it out, Totsuka," he commanded. "We don't have time to-"

"What if the red that Anna sees in us isn't our life presence, but a different presence entirely." Tatara's grip on the child's hand constricted. "What if it's… his."

The uncertainty caused Izumo's face to drain of colour as he tried to deny the theory that he anticipated slipping past Tatara's lips. "You mean, like our flame?"

Finally, Tatara turned his sad eyes towards his friend and silently begged him to disprove the theory with his sharp intellect. "But, we know what our flame is at heart."

"No, Mikoto!" A quiet screech spat up within Anna's chest as she tossed. "Stay away!"

Izumo quickly rushed his fingers through his hair with an anxious hiss. "D-damn it… We're out of time." He didn't know what to do. Everything was spiralling out of control so fast that it made his head spin. Soon, the entire room was tilting, and the ringing in his ears deafened him to the sound of Anna's suffering. He wasn't even sure if killing Mikoto would make it stop, so that was the last responsibility he wanted to face.

"Kusanagi-san!"

When Izumo and Tatara whirled to face the doorway where Shōhei had rushed to alert them, Izumo stepped away from Anna's bedside. "What is it? Did you find Mikoto?"

Regrettably, Shōhei quickly shook his head. "No. I just got a message from Tsukiyo asking me if I've seen San-chan. She says that he was acting weird this morning and now he's disappeared. He left his PDA back at the apartment, so that's probably why I couldn't get a hold of him."

"Son-of-a-bitch," Izumo spat while forcing Shōhei out of his way. He stormed down the steps towards his bar that remained closed ever since Seri had arrived. "Is Fushimi still here?"

"No, Sir," Shōhei rushed out sadly. "He left just a few hours ago."

"That snake…" Izumo growled. "And Chitose? Dewa? Has anyone gotten a hold of them? What about Fujishima?"

"I just talked to Fujishima about ten minutes ago," Rikio confessed solemnly. "But he's out looking for Eric. Says he slipped out sometime last night and thinks he might be looking for Yata-san. I guess he said some weird stuff last night or somethin'."

"Call him back," Izumo commanded. "Get him over here asap, and Tsukiyo too." When he whirled to face Shōhei at his back, he didn't conceal his urgency in the slightest. "I don't want any of you to leave this place. Keep trying to reach the others. Nobody is to be wandering around until we sort this out, got it?"

"But Fushimi-" Rikio was interrupted by the stern warning in Izumo's eyes as the bartender fought to keep his composure in the wake of a disaster.

"Don't worry about Fushimi," he reasoned. "I'm taking care of that right now."

Dismissing the rattled pair, Izumo took the stairs two at a time on his way towards the loft where he kept Seri resting during her recovery. He rejected the very idea of sending her back to that place in her weakened state. Unlike Saruhiko, everyone knew that she was attacked, which made it difficult to save face. Her clan would be aware if she returned, that she would do so as the enemy. He wasn't even comfortable with Saruhiko returning, given the circumstances, but he was already gone. At the very least, they needed his help, the Blue King's help, to figure out what was happening. They needed to find their friends.

When he arrived at Seri's room, he gently rapped his knuckles on the slab to stir her. "Seri-chan, it's just me." He kept his tone low though his hand trembled as it reached for the doorknob separating them. "I'm comin' in, okay?"

He slowly opened the door, expecting to meet her beautiful smile on the other side. Instead, all he got was the immediate need to heave his stomach's contents onto the floor when he realized that she was gone.

"Dozens of missing person reports have been filed throughout the city's various districts in the last twenty-four hours. Numbers are increasing by the minute. All patrol units have been actively recalled," Saruhiko educated evenly. "Confirmed three deaths and over twenty left in critical condition with little to no recollection of the attack. Whatever is doing this is toying with us."

"And you suspect it has something to do with the missing Suoh Mikoto?" Reisi prompted curtly. "Can we confirm this?"

Saruhiko slammed his file of reports onto the large surface of his commander's desk. "Captain, whether he is to blame for the attacks or not, Kagutsu Genji took control of him just last night," Saruhiko reasoned sternly. "To be honest, I'm surprised it's taken him this long to make his move." Reisi stood, and by the abruptness, Saruhiko could tell that he was perturbed. He straightened, watching Reisi absently pace about in circles. "We're out of time," he reminded him sternly. "At this point, the lives attached to Kagutsu are the least of our concerns." Unlike his king, Saruhiko understood why Genji was stalling. He wasn't entirely free, so his return was rushed. He was trying to find a way to cause pandemonium until the seal ran its course and faded. In reality, he was the one who was out of time.

"You say that so casually," Reisi sassed. "But yours is tethered just as surely to the demon's fate. I never knew you were so self-sacrificial."

"I'm impatient," Saruhiko corrected bluntly. "Even if I did die in the process, it wouldn't be without making sure you idiots did it right this time."

The analytical king snapped his gaze towards his replaced second-in-command with a stern warning in his eyes. "Are you absolutely positive that there was nothing to report from your trip to the crater?"

"I already told you everything that happened," Saruhiko grated impatiently. "I saw him again, he tried to take control, and I beat him. That's the only reason I'm able to stand here without your sword activating." Guilt festered within him to consider his tale. "But frankly, I'm worried about the red clansman, Kushina Anna," he admitted quietly. "She took ill right before I left. She seems linked to the demon somehow, whether it's subconsciously or not, I don't know."

"And have any other clansmen begun to follow suit with their king?"

Saruhiko diverted his attention to scan his surroundings. "None that I know of, but they did mention that… HOMRA's Yatagarasu hasn't been seen for three days now."

"Ah, yes, your old acquaintance." Reisi directed his full attention towards Saruhiko's calm composure. "Have you attempted to contact him."

Surprisingly enough, Saruhiko slowly bobbed his head. "I've been ignoring his incessant messages for years, so I thought it would be easy enough to make contact with him." His heart dropped into his churning stomach. "I was wrong." As his thoughts wandered, he spoke his heart in hopes that he could help his king feel more at ease, at the very least. Either way, his decision was finalized. "Tetsuko mentioned that vampires had weak minds, and that was how Kagutsu attacked me. He seems to use a similar method of synchronization as us vampires, but it's broader. I think it might work something like our charms do, which means, if there's a particular emotion he's interested in, he could probably manipulate it."

Saruhiko's tone flattened as he began to strategize with his king. "I can locate and exacerbate anger in a target with relative ease, but most vampires can only trigger one or two emotions at such a heightened level. What I fear with Kagutsu, is that if we have strong enough feelings on the surface, he can take anyone he wants and play it like a marionette." His voice lowered with doubt. "Some of my- Some of the red clansmen have terrible vices. Take Misa- er, Yata and his temper, for example. It would be nothing for someone to trigger it even without charming him."

"So, for Kagutsu to enable a demon of rage within the boy would be child's play."

Saruhiko's fist clenched at his side with ardent enthusiasm. "That's right."

Reisi took this new information into account, actively considering it for a long moment before speaking again. "Fushimi-kun, how close were you with the others?"

"What?" After he comprehended how much disgust emitted in his tone, Saruhiko quickly retracted his callousness. "I… wasn't overly friendly with any of them, but why do you ask?"

"You claim they have notable vices, like this Yatagarasu, correct?"

Saruhiko nodded slowly. "A few come to mind."

"And the vampire who turned Tsukiyo Neirah, what of him?" Reisi turned his stern gaze back on his subordinate, watching Saruhiko's mind at play. "Currently, we have realized that Suoh Mikoto, or rather, Kagutsu Genji, must be stopped, but we have no current leads on his whereabouts. He seems to be drawing our attention elsewhere, and I'm sure he has a reason for the chaos." An almost unnerving smile flashed mildly across Reisi's face for his small triumph. "But currently, in our possession, we have a werewolf who detests vampires and has a foul taste in his mouth for that one in particular. The Fuckboy, if I recall."

Despite the severity of the situation, Saruhiko found something disturbingly cute about his superior cursing like it came naturally. "Bandō Saburōta," he corrected lowly. "Even though he has a temper, he's pretty cowardly. He's more the type of guy who gets angry over nonsense, yells a lot, and then shies away from the idea of acting on his impulses."

"And these impulses," Reisi prompted.

"Mainly things born of jealous rivalries with his so-called friends." Saruhiko snorted intolerantly. "I think he mainly does it for attention."

"Well, that certainly sounds malleable," Reisi sang spiritedly. "So, let us assume that the demon has enabled this Fuckboy."

"Bandō."

"What do you suppose the chances are that this Fuckboy will eventually rendezvous with Kagutsu somewhere in this city?"

Saruhiko puffed out an exasperated sigh. "Considering that Kagutsu seems to be acting rather impulsively, I would say he needs all the help he can get. Especially if destroying the Blue Clan in its entirety is his intent. He had to do it before we find a proper means of stopping him," Saruhiko supported. "I have no doubt that's why he hit as many of our men as he could before we had time to regroup."

"Then it has already begun," Reisi calmly dictated. "Perhaps it is time to release the dogs of war."

"Wait, shouldn't we confirm that Bandō isn't with the remainder of the holdouts at the HOMRA base of operations?"

"I can confirm that."

Saruhiko immediately drew his sword, ready to attack the moment he saw Izumo quietly invite himself through the door to the Blue King's office. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

Izumo ignored the hostility and, instead, took his surroundings into account. "Ah, nice place you got here, Blue King." He closed his eyes, casual in his approach as he puffed another deep inhale on his cigarette. "The layout's real easy to navigate."

A subtle grin returned to Reisi's face as he encouraged Saruhiko to lower his weapon, subliminally assuring his subordinate that Tenrō lay dormant. "Kusanagi Izumo-san, welcome."

Izumo relaxed as he opened his eyes, turning his unconfrontational smile towards the king's hospitality. "I sure hope our boy here's been good to you over the years."

"I am satisfied with his performance," Reisi entertained. "Now, you must forgive me for being blunt upon introductions, but time is of the essence."

"It was always of the essence," Izumo murmured sadly. "And I'm sorry that Fushimi was the only one of us who wasn't too proud to admit that until now." After releasing his hold on his cigarette, Izumo stuffed his hands in his pockets and heaved a disappointed sigh. "As of right now, we can account for about half our boys," he surrendered ruefully. "Besides our king, five have up and vanished without a trace after actin' mighty strange just before disappearing. Now, that might not sound like much, but our boys usually move in bonded pairs, so for us, this is more problematic than it might sound."

"Oh, I believe it is quite troublesome indeed," Reisi reassured him. "We have a theory on the disappearances. Do any of these men share a common trait or vice?"

"Vice?" Izumo outwardly laughed. "Oh boy, d' they pick ya for your sense of humour?" Bad timing, he admitted later. "Right, well, forgive me for laughing, but I'm pretty much the eternal keeper of what defines 'problem child' back home."

"I understand that," Reisi calmly interjected. "But our theory may link these disappearances with Kagutsu's ability to control your fellow clansmen. At this point, we are debating involving a rather tedious individual to aid in the tracing of Suoh Mikoto and possible company."

Izumo shrugged, lowering his eyes towards the floor as he announced their missing roster. "Well… let's see now. Yata's a loose cannon, Eric's an emotional basket case, Chitose's a whore, and Bandō's jealous of his own shadow… when he has one." His heart sank as Reisi and Saruhiko waited in tandem for him to reveal the fifth name of his list. Through his entire infiltration, he didn't once come across any sign of Seri. "And if I had to say anythin' about Seri-chan, well, she's damn proud to be a blue."

When Saruhiko's expression dropped, he felt like it did so on his king's behalf because he was baffled by the fact that Reisi didn't seem affected by the announcement that Seri was also missing.

"I see…" Reisi proclaimed dully. "So, we are potentially facing five reformed demons in addition to Kagutsu… How disturbing."

Saruhiko's teeth milled around his bitter realization. 'My passion was almost my undoing…'

"W-wait just a minute," Izumo rushed out apprehensively. "What do you mean, reformed?"

"There's no time to explain," Reisi commanded. After dismissing Izumo's urgency, Reisi turned towards his newly appointed right-hand man. "Fushimi-kun, we have much to do. Firstly, assure the men that the remaining red clansmen currently taking refuge at bar HOMRA are of no threat to our circumstance. They are not to be pursued. Secondly, inform them of the potential hazard Awashima-kun may pose if she approaches. Note that I will tend to her personally if Kagutsu decides to persist with these games."

"Yes, Sir."

Finally, Reisi returned to their unexpected guest. "I'm deeply sorry that we didn't act quicker," he nearly whispered. "I cannot secure your fate."

"I don't give a damn about mine," he admitted candidly. The topic caused a little more of his edge to peek through as it snuck command into his next retort. "But if there is anything you can do for Seri…"

"If it is within my power, not a single soul will fall outside of the demon who started this centuries ago."

"Arigatō…"

Then, the trio was promptly interrupted when the door opened again, and an alarmed Shōhei popped his head inside. "Kusanagi-san, I've got movement."

"It's fine," Izumo reassured him kindly. "We should be able to take the front door out."

"Awesome!"

From where he was uttering commands to his assembling teams, Saruhiko turned to face his captain with a firm nod. "The Special Forces team is assembled on standby. The minute Tetsuko locates Kagutsu and the missing clansman, we'll deploy."

"Excellent…" Reisi murmured as though he was distracted. Once the room had cleared of all but their presence, Reisi glanced the window with a sad-looking smile. "Fushimi-kun? A moment, if you would."

"After you just said we had none to spare," he derided.

"This is important…" The Blue King closed his eyes, his heart heavy as he posed his question one final time. "I would ask you, no, I would beg of you to tell me once more that your search was fruitless. If even one life hangs in the balance-"

Saruhiko was glad that his king was looking away because he didn't know how much longer he could lie without it showing. "No life of worth," he tactfully dodged. If his life were the cost of Misaki's salvation, he would eagerly pay it for starting their downward spiral in the first place. "Kagutsu will be destroyed by Tenrō. Then all that's left is to hope that the affected clansmen return to their senses afterwards."

"Fushimi-kun…"

It was becoming more difficult for Saruhiko to read his superior when the authority was facing away from him, but he didn't respond.

"You have my deepest gratitude."

Tsk. Saruhiko closed his eyes, grinding his teeth with his doubt. Reisi knew. Somehow, his captain knew that he was up to something insincere. "I-"

"For your unparalleled service since your inauguration. You are a man of great conviction, and I wholeheartedly respect that." Reisi slowly turned to face the vampire at his back with a genuinely appreciative smile. "If it is true, what you say, then I would like to take this moment to offer you genuine employment once this has passed." The hesitation of Saruhiko's skeptical expression warmed his heart. "When you reclaim your mortality, I mean. Even without your abilities as a vampire, you are an exceptional vassal."

"You're assuming I'll survive." When Saruhiko realized that Reisi was acting unusually optimistic, he rushed out a hard sigh. "I'm sorry, but no thanks," he droned indifferently. That was a difficult feat when his stomach was in knots with indecision. "I'm afraid this place would be too boring if I wasn't walking on broken glass desperate for the taste of human blood."

"Oh? What a shame," Reisi casually dismissed. "Perhaps you will change your mind once the war with your kind has come to a close." Reisi returned to his desk, his heart heavy as his tone weakened to the notion. "Dismissed."

"So, does that mean… you're not afraid of… what might happen?"

"I don't think anyone really wants to give up on life, but we aren't always given a choice to fight."

"I know it's scary, but that's what Kusanagi-san wants," Shōhei begged for what seemed like the umpteenth time. "He wants us all here until we can figure out what's going on."

"I'm not leaving," Neirah whispered for her hundredth denial. She sat surrounded by blankets, her naked skin burning beneath a presence that wasn't there to console her anymore. Her grip tightened miserably on her phone, and she listened while Shōhei turned to his sigh away from the mouthpiece. He was so patient, and his dedication brought the tears flooding back to her eyes as he returned to their call.

"Tsukiyo-san…"

"I'll wait here," she reasoned. "If anything else happens, you can just call-"

"We don't want anyone else to go missing," he reasoned desperately. There was concern in the calm boy's voice as he tried his best to convince her to return. He thought that maybe she might listen to him because he'd been there during the first night, the night when Saburōta had made her what she is. It seemed like he was wrong. "What if somebody attacks you when you're all alone?"

The very instant that he even implied that Saburōta might return to her as some kind of monster incensed her beyond containment. Her teeth flashed protracted around her enraged shout despite how her hands trembled. "I don't care! I'm not going anywhere until he comes home!"

Shōhei's heart was in his throat, causing him to choke on his words as he tried desperately to moderate his concerns during her address. "I know you're worried about him, and I am too, but things are getting out of hand-"

"I'm not moving," she whispered positively. "I'm going to stay right here where he left me, and when he gets back, I'm going to blast him for scaring me so badly."

Despite his unease, a calm smile spread on Shōhei's face, and he filled with appreciation. "You love him, don't you?"

Neirah remained silent on the other end of their connection.

"You don't have to answer that," he assured her kindly after the silence grew awkward. "That's your business, so that's why I'm not gonna tell you not to worry. Honestly? I'm freaking out right now," he admitted sheepishly. "San-chan's been my friend since forever, and to know that something bad might happen has me sick to my stomach." He lowered his voice, distressed to hear Neirah sniffling her tears back on the other end of their bleak conversation. "But over these last couple of days, he looked really happy, and that made me happy too." Even as Neirah's emotions surged hysterically from across town, he still offered her a smile. "I want to see him happy more often. I want to see it every day because he's my best friend. So that's why I want him back too."

"It's so cold," Neirah whimpered nervously from the centre of the floor. "It's colder now than when I was in that prison cell, and I just want… I want him to come for me like he did then."

"Me too," Shōhei surrendered sympathetically. "But… I don't know if he can right now. That's why I'm begging you to come here with the rest of us so that when we find him, we can bring him back home where he belongs."

Shōhei raised his eyes to Tatara's desperation. He knew that if he failed in convincing her, Tatara would visit personally and force her to keep her composure, but charming her seemed like the worst idea to Shōhei. It didn't seem right after she'd had so many bad experiences with them. "I want to tell him that it makes me happy when you two are together," he reasoned soundly. "And I'm pretty sure you have something you want to say to him, too, right?"

Neirah stared through wet eyes at the wall and tried to get her body to move in the slightest. Her muscles ached to hold him for just a little bit longer, and her lips burned with words she never said.

"I hate you…"

"I'm sorry… I really do think I loved you."

"Tsukiyo? Didn't you say you wanted to blast him?"

After a lifetime's worth of silence, she finally spoke. "Yes," she whispered feebly.

"So…?"

"I'll do it," she muffled distantly. "I- I'll be there soon, okay?"

"Thank you."

Neirah disconnected her PDA, her naked thighs scouring beneath the blankets they shared that morning. "I won't let you," she whimpered to the empty room around her. She raised his mobile to her chest, clutching it between her breasts and clinging to it as if it could offer her the slightest comfort just by belonging to him. For a moment, she just cried and clutched the lifeline like it was her last hope. "I won't let you take him away from me."