The first warning sign that something was wrong was Eiji's attitude.

Ever since Ash died Eiji had been subdued. He had rushed back to America and had not left afterward. For a while he was in denial, then one day he finally just broke down. Sing was by his side during this time. It had been a challenging two years for both of them but Eiji was in a better place now. He had started doing activities outside of his work and smiling more. He made new friends and even went on a couple of dates, though none of them lead to anything. The beginning of this month was the first time Sing heard Eiji laugh in a while. It brought endless joy to Sing's heart. Eiji was different now, in both attitude and appearance. His hair was long, and he wore glasses. He was quieter now than in his youth, seeming older and wiser. During the time of mourning, Eiji had grown from a teen to an adult.

Then suddenly he changed. Eiji became energetic and lively. He talked with more confidence, smiled often, and even whistling while he cooked meals. His previous happiness, which was usually soft and gentle, now became loud and wild. An old spark shone in his eyes and nothing seemed to be able to extinguish it.

Sing knew he should be happy, Eiji was finally healed, but instead, all he could feel was concerned. It was too quick. Eiji didn't slowly adjust, he just snapped back to his old self as if someone had rewinder him. Sing wanted to know what happened but this new Eiji was also secretive. Whenever Sing questioned him he just shrugged and said,

"I'm happy, there's nothing wrong with that."

Sing didn't know how to answer. There wasn't anything wrong with being happy. He had spent many days hoping that Eiji would eventually heal. The problem was that he didn't trust this new happy Eiji and couldn't help but worry that drugs were involved. To make sure Eiji wasn't on something bad, Sing even broke into Eiji's room. There weren't any illegal substances there and it left Sing feeling guilty. In the end, he decided to just accept that Eiji was now better. He supposed there were worse things that could happen. Truthfully Sing would happy Eiji over the depressed Eiji who tried to kill himself. Shoving his worries back he chooses to ignore Eiji's strange behavior.

The second warning sign came from his and Alex's gangs.

Gang members were superstitious in their own ways. When you lived off the streets you eventually saw something that you couldn't explain. Drugs were usually the culprit and Sing always choose to ignore the strange rumors that cropped up. He couldn't ignore these, however, since they involved Ash.

"I heard that Ash Lynx is back." His men whispered among each other.

That got Sing's attention. Ash's name was rarely brought up these days. Other than a symbol of power no one really talked about him. For Cain's gang, it was because they didn't know what to make of Ash's death. For Sing's gang, it was because of Lao's part in all of it. For Alex's gang, it was because they respected their old boss. Ash's name was only brought up if they were about old times. There was always an air of respect to it. He wasn't someone you brought up casually.

"But didn't he die?" another gang member asked skeptically.

"That's what I thought but then I saw him at the pub last night and I'm not the only one, one of Cain's guys saw him ride a motorcycle down the street two days ago."

Sing didn't know what to make of these rumors. If it was only a few men then they were probably on something but if the rumors came from all three gangs that changed things. There had to be something legitimate that was happening. Of course, Sing didn't believe Ash was really back, after all, he had seen his body for himself.

On the day Eiji had left, Ash had disappeared. Someone had found him dying in the library and rushed him to the hospital. He fell into a deep coma and wasted away over the next two weeks. By the time he died, he was so thin and pale that it was hard to look at him. Sing remembered gazing down at his peaceful face during the funeral. He lay their pail and beautiful. Sing never understood why Ash didn't seek help; it wasn't like the wound was fatal. Ash had made the conscious choice of dying in the library.

These old memories revived the feelings that Sing had been trying to suppress. Disappointment, sadness, and frustration bubbled to the top. Ash was someone he had looked up to, especially near the end. Him dying was like a slap to the face. The feeling that was the strongest however was anger. When Ash died a part of Eiji died with him. It hurt Sing to see Eiji wither away and become a shell of his old self. It was hard not to blame Ash for abandoning the man he loved. Sing was left to pick up the pieces and try desperately to help Eiji back to life again.

In the end, Sing chose to ignore the rumors in the hopes that they would go away. He didn't want to continue dwelling on Ash.

The third warning sign was when the rumors, instead of fading over the next two weeks got more abundant.

"It's true boss!" one of Sing's men said late one evening. "It was him. He was riding his motorcycle down our street. Ash Lynx is back from the dead.!" Sing rubbed his forehead. It had been an exhausting day and he didn't have time for this.

"Do you think it's his ghost?" one of the guys muttered.

"Nah he probably just faked his death somehow."

"But he only comes out at night. Maybe he's a vampire or something."

"Enough." Sing snapped and his men fell quiet. "I'll look into this." He needed to end these rumors fast. The only way to do it was to meet this person who looked like Ash.

The fourth warming was a conversation Sing had with Eiji in the morning.

Sing was sitting at the table planning his day. He would research supernatural things in the library until nightfall. then try to find this person who looked like Ash. As stupid as the who 'ghost' thing was he felt the need to show his men that it couldn't be something supernatural. Sing was just finishing eating breakfast when Eiji came downstairs.

"You slept in late." Sing said lightly glancing at the clock. He hadn't realized how late it was. "Is everything alright?" He tried to keep his concern out of his voice. The last time Eiji slept this late was during the worst of his depression. It was during that time Sing had moved in to keep an eye on him.

"Yeah everything's fine," Eiji yawned. "I was up late last night." Sing stared at him. Was it his imagination or was Eiji paler than usual? He was definitely acting sluggish, dragging his feet on the carpet as he staggered into a chair.

"Are you sure you're feeling alright?"

Eiji looked up from his meal. "I'm fine, why do you ask?"

"You look…pale." Sing watched Eiji closely. Eiji bit his lip and turned away.

"Like I said I'm fine." He muttered, not meeting Sing's eyes "You don't need to worry about me." He was hiding something, that much was clear. Sing suddenly wondered if he heard the rumors about Ash. Although Sing had forbidden his men from seeing Eiji he knew Alex and his gang still visited regularly. Of course, Eiji might still not know about the rumors, and bringing it up could hurt him. After a few minutes of debate, Sing decided to take a chance.

"Have you heard the rumors? Some of the men are saying that they've seen Ash alive again." Sing waited for Eiji's answer. If he hadn't heard about it he would either get false hope that Ash survived or get angry that people were spreading such lies. If he had heard it probably meant he was already searching for Ash. To Sing's dismay, Eiji tensed and his eyes darted around the room as if he was looking for a way to escape.

. "Oh yeah?" his voice was too high.

"But that's impossible." Sing said slowly. "Ash is dead after all." He winced at his own words. They were too crass and cruel. He needed to be gentler about this. It was horrible to take out his frustrations on Eiji. He wasn't the one spreading the rumors after all. Sing was about to apologize when Eiji suddenly relaxed.

"Of course, it's impossible." Eiji nodded quickly.

That was not what Sing was expecting to hear. Eiji would never casually say such a thing. Eiji would have tried to look into it, claiming that Ash might have faked his death. The fact that he jumped right on the story with a sense of relief meant that there was something else going on. Sing started to worry that, as crazy as the rumors were, that Ash had truly returned.

At the library, Sing did some research on supernatural happenings. There were many different types of creatures that return from the dead. A lot of them didn't fit the rumors. Ash was still in human form and he was clearly corporal or else he wouldn't be driving a motorcycle. The one that fit him the best was vampires. It felt ridiculous to believe it yet there were some connections. No one saw Ash during the day, and he looked exactly how he did in death. Sing shook his head. He wouldn't believe it, not yet. He needed more proof.

Sing's final warning came the next day.

It started normally enough. Sing got up and made breakfast while he planned the rest of his day. He didn't find the Ash impersonator last night and was hoping to find him that evening. Once he did he could clear up this whole vampire thing. As the morning dragged on Sing realized that Eiji wasn't up yet. By lunch, Sing was very concerned. He had just decided to check on him when Eiji finally appeared. He looked awful. His skin was as white as a sheet and he had dark circles under his eyes. He was thinner and took the steps one at a time as if each movement exhausted him. Sing watched him enter the room his stomach-turning. For some reason, it reminded him of how Ash looked like right before he died.

"Eiji are you ok?"

"Yeah," Eiji said weakly, "Why?" Sing squinted at him. Despite his appearance, Eiji's voice still retained its unnatural happiness.

"You don't look good."

"Really?" Eiji said lightly glanced at himself in the mirror. "I guess I don't." A strange look passed over his face before it cleared. "I'm sure it's just because I've been staying up late."

"But you've been going to sleep so early." Sing protested. Eiji sighed wearily.

"Even so I've been having trouble sleeping." Sing felt that there was more to it but decided to drop it anyways. Eiji's health came first. When Eiji was depressed Sing always went at his pace. Eiji talked when he was ready and not a moment sooner. In the meantime, Sing would make sure Eiji ate enough.

Without knowing it Sing had hit the point of no return.

"We got it boss!" one of Sing's men yelled triumphantly the next day. He waved a photo around as he jogged towards Sing. "We took a picture of Ash!" He proudly held it out. Sing took it. In the picture, there was a motorcycle standing alone at the corner of the street. There was no one else in the picture.

"Where?"

The man glanced back at the picture his smile fading. "But he was there! I know I got him." He shook his head. "He just disappeared!" Sing closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Of everyone in his gang, this guy was the least likely to lie to him. He was one of the most honest people Sing knew. If he said he took a picture of Ash then he did. If Ash didn't appear in it….

Sing hated to admit it, but Ash might be back as a vampire.

"What's that?"

Sing looked up to see Eiji entering the room. Sing tried to keep his face neutral as Eiji staggered the table and flopped down in a chair as if his legs had just given way. He looked worse than yesterday. Instead of commenting Sing bit back his concern and looked where Eiji was pointing. It was the picture of the motorcycle.

"It's a picture." Sing muttered. Eiji picked it up.

"Did you take it?" he glanced at Sing smiling brightly. "Are you planning on buying this motorcycle?"

"No that's not it." Sing sighed. "It…never mind." He couldn't bring himself to tell Eiji his theory, even though a part of him feared Eiji already knew. Getting up Sing went to the pantry. "What do you want of breakfast?" Eiji didn't answer. Instead, there was a muffled thump followed by the sound of a chair tipping over. Sing spun around.

"Eiji?"

Eiji lay on the ground, passed out. His chest heaved with an effort to keep breathing and a cold sweat had broken over his brow. His face had lost any remaining color and was cold to the touch. Sing leaned over him and tried to shake him awake.

"Eiji, Eiji can you hear me?"

Eiji didn't answer, but he shivered violently on the floor. Sings cradle his head as he tried to wake him again.

"Eiji please wake up." Eiji gave a small gasp and opened his eyes weakly.

"Sing." He mouthed then forced a smile. "Can you help me back to bed?" Sing nodded and gathered him in his arms. He was alarmingly light. As he lifted Eiji off the ground Eiji's shirt pulled away from his neck. Below the collar, there were two little red marks.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Eiji glanced up from where he lay in bed. After a glass of water and some soup, Eiji was looking a little better.

"Tell you what?" Eiji asked weakly. Sing tapped the side of his neck. Eiji's eyes widened, and he covered it.

"That's from Ash right?" Sing hoped that he was wrong. Hoped that Eiji would come up with any excuse for the mark. Instead, he lowered his hand and asked quietly.

"Is it wrong that I want to be with him? He has my soul."

Sing gulped as he fought to keep himself from being sick. He knew what Eiji doing. He was giving up his life to be with Ash.

"He's going to kill you." Sing croaked.

"I'll come back, Ash promised he was going to do it in a way that will make me return."

"You're throwing everything away."

"I know." Eiji closed his eyes. "I'm sorry."

"You won't be able to live a normal life. You won't be able to see anyone here anymore."

Eiji opened his eyes and Sing saw regret in them. "I'm sorry."

That wasn't what Sing wanted to hear. He wanted Eiji to tell him he'd fight. He wanted Eiji to get better, to grow and expand his horizons. Instead, Eiji was just giving up. Sing couldn't take it anymore. He couldn't take looking down at Eiji's dying face and know that Ash was behind it. Without another word, he stormed away.

"What's all this?" Eiji asked as Sing returned to his room, his arms full of items.

"Garlic, crosses, holy water, and other holy relics of different religions." Sing threw them down in the middle of the room. "I'm going to protect you."

Eiji didn't say anything as he set up the room. When he finished there wasn't an inch of wall that wasn't covered. Sing looked around the room satisfied. If the legends were true Ash wouldn't be able to get through all of this. As he turned to leave Eiji muttered softly.

"You should move out."

Sing froze at the doorway. "What?"

"I'm causing you pain. You need to move away. Take all the money and go. I won't be needed it." Eiji peered at him through his pile of blankets. "I don't want to hurt you Sing. You're special to me. That's why you need to let me go."

"Don't be stupid. I won't let this happen. You won't die." Sing snapped before closing the door.

The next morning all the items had been removed by Eiji. They sat discarded in the middle of the hall. In Eiji's room, the window was left wide open.

Sing took a long drag from his cigarette and sighed. The sun had set, and he was in the yard trying to clear his mind. He couldn't be inside anymore. He couldn't stand dealing with Eiji at this moment. A bush shook nearby and Sing tensed. It could be a wild animal but somehow he knew that it wasn't.

"Is that you Ash?"

The bush didn't answer but it stopped shaking as if the creature inside it had frozen and was listening.

"Let Eiji go." Sing flicked the bud away and stared up at the sky. "Please. He was healing. He had gotten better. He wasn't your Eiji anymore. He was…was my Eiji. He's no longer that nineteen-year-old boy you knew. Let him go."

It was quiet for a moment and Sing thought that maybe Ash had left. As he turned to go inside he heard a soft voice whisper.

"Sorry."

Sing spun around but the yard was silent again. Ash had fled.

Eiji was dead. Sing looked down on his peaceful face, as pale as Ash's. Eiji was gone, and whatever was going to rise was not going to be Eiji, or at least not his Eiji. His Eiji was gone the second Ash returned. All those years of growth and self-reflection had been destroyed. It wasn't that Sing wanted to see Eiji suffer but he didn't want to lose him completely. As Sing tucked the blanket around Eiji and left the room tears pricked at his eyes but he refused to let them fall. He allowed the numbness to take over as he tried to ignore the truth. He didn't want to think about the fact that he would never see Eiji's soft smiles or watch the sunrise with him ever again. The Eiji who loved taking pictures and went out with his friends were gone.

Eiji had been dead for a week now. Despite how long it had been Eiji did not smell like a corpse. Instead, he lay there, frozen in time. Sing made calls and convinced everyone that Eiji was sick. In the meantime, he refused to leave the house. He wanted to be there when Eiji rose. Finally, one night someone tapped at the door. It was too late for visitors and Sing knew it could only be one person.

Ash had arrived.

Despite knowing it was Ash it was still a shock to see him standing there, pale and beautiful. His eyes were a deeper green than before and his nails were longer, sharper. When he saw Sing he smiled, showing two pointy fangs.

"Can I come in?" he asked in a low voice. Sing didn't answer but stepped aside. Ash entered and looked around. Sing knew he saw signs that Eiji and Sing lived here together. Everything from the photos on the walls to the shared dishes showed their two years of growth. A shadow crossed Ash's face.

"You two got close while I was gone." He muttered.

"Well yeah, you were dead."

To Sing's surprise, Ash smiled at him. "Thank you. You took care of Eiji and for that I'm grateful." Sing clenched his fists in anger trying to hold his temper. He didn't take care of Eiji just so Ash could kill him.

"Why did you decided to knock. I assumed you'd just hop in through Eiji's window." Sing tied to keep his voice neutral, but he knew Ash heard the bitterness in it.

"I'm a vampire. I need permission to enter a living space." Ash shrugged nonchalantly. He seemed too causal, to calm. He had just ruined Eiji's life. He had sucked all the blood from the person he supposedly cared about. Sing fought down his rising resentment.

"I'm guessing since you're here, Eiji's going to wake soon."

"Not for a couple more days."

Sing couldn't hold it any longer. "How could you do this to him?" That got Ash's full attention.

"He asked to be with me after I explained everything to him." He looked sadly at Sing. "Do you think I would take his life without asking permission first?"

"You shouldn't have given him that choice." Sing said his voice rising. "Don't you feel at all bad for doing this?"

"No." Ash sounded surprised. "I actually don't" he paused, thinking over his next words. "When I became a vampire, I lost some of my humanity." He shrugged. "As long as I get permission from Eiji I don't care who I'm taking him from."

"But you still need permission."

"I said some of my humanity not all. I wouldn't hurt Eiji."

Sing gave a sharp laugh. "Yet you just killed him."

"He'll be back." Ash turned and started up the stairs "I'm just here to retrieve him." Sing jumped up and followed Ash. When they arrived at Eiji's room Sing grabbed his arm to stop him from entering. Ash looked back at him mildly surprised.

"Let him stay here." Sing growled. "I want to be there when he wakes."

"You can't. He'll be too thirsty and might bite you." Ash said. "If he hurts you it'll haunt him for life." He pried off Sing's hand. "We need to leave." Sing felt like crying as he watched Ash approach Eiji. He stood over him and his face softened. Gently he brushed the hair out of Eiji's face. Sing wanted to knock his hand away. Instead, he watched helplessly Ash scoop up Eiji and carry him away.

Sing hadn't left the house for two days. He hadn't explained what happened to anyone else and didn't know if he would ever. His world had fallen apart; everywhere he looked there were signs of Eiji. Eiji's camera still sat on the table. Eiji's bowl and chopsticks were still in the cupboards. Every room had bits of Eiji and with it, memories. Sing found himself trapped. His mind couldn't comprehend what happened. A part of him still expecting Eiji to come down for breakfast. He knew it wasn't healthy to lock himself inside, but he wanted to be there in cased Eiji decided to come back.

A knock on the door brought Sing out of his thoughts. He debated whether or not he should get it. There was a good chance it was someone from his gang and he didn't want to deal with them right now. On the other hand, it was after dark so it could be Eiji. Making up his mind he opened the door and peered into the darkness. It took him a few moments to notice the letter lying on the doormat.

Dear Sing.

Thank you for everything. You helped me when I was at my lowest and I will never forget that. My heart will always belong to Ash but you are still important to me. I hope we can meet again someday.

Until them,

Eiji

Sing sunk to the ground as the emotions he kept bottled up since Eiji's death crashing over him. Eiji was not going to come home. His Eiji was truly gone. Holding the letter to his chest he cried. When Ash died he took a bit of Eiji's soul with him and now that Eiji was gone, Sing's soul was missing a piece. Through tear-stained eyes, he called out to the darkness.

"Come back anytime you want Eiji. I'll always wait for you."