"The one, the only, the Red Rose Mage, Himiko Yumeno, is finally here!" She crashed through the agency double doors, uncaring that she might have interrupted something. In this case, though, there was no one there but Shuuichi, who was exactly the person she wanted at the time. "Shuuichi, forget about that—I need your help!"
"Can't it wait?" Shuuichi was behind the counter, messing around with some things before looking up from his task with an unamused look on his face. If he wasn't trying to hide the fact that he had an unconscious vampire hunter in the back room of the agency, Himiko would've swore he was hiding something.
"Please, I need your help now." She walked towards the counter, and stood on her tiptoes so she could be seen more easily. Her rose-like eyes wilted at once. "I know how busy you are, Shuuichi, so I wouldn't just come here for something random. Normally, I'm so powerful, and my magic can do everything, but I admit that there's some things outside of my realm of expertise…"
His eyes glanced towards the hallway. Just behind that door laid a hunter in waiting. Or was he waiting? He hadn't stirred for the last few hours, and there was no telling when he'd finally wake up. Knowing this, Shuuichi sighed to himself, and faced Himiko head on. "Okay...what is it?"
"It's Tenko," she said defeatedly. "I can't find her anywhere."
"Anywhere?" Shuuichi blinked once, twice, then said, "Did you try texting her? Wait a second, don't tell me she's—"
"None of my usual spells are working on her. She hasn't answered her phone at all, and I have no idea where she is." Himiko's face fell flat, and Shuuichi tried not to writhe at her discomfort. "Please, please help me."
"Of course I'll help you," he muttered. He moved from out and around the counter, where he took Himiko in his arms. From the moment she opened her mouth, her entire being was doused in a sort of anxiety, and he felt it crash in waves when he held her. "She's probably fine. Don't worry. I'll do what I can, okay?"
She squeezed tightly at the back of his neck, eyes squeezed shut against his chest. "Okay," she murmured. "Thank you so much. I didn't know who else to talk to—you're my last hope."
They both knew the extent of a vampire's abilities varied, depending on the vampire, and someone like Himiko specialized in "spells," or powers that allowed her to do so-called "magical" feats. Flying, teleporting, restoring mana...not to mention a sort of "tracking spell" that allowed her to follow humans and vampires alike. Himiko always kept tabs on everything, so for her to say she couldn't find her girlfriend, of all people?
More than worrying. More than words can say.
But underneath his logical exterior, Saihara was a hopeful person, himself. He was sure that someone like Tenko wouldn't go down in a fight if it came down to it, and with the addition of Himiko in her life, she wasn't the type of person to just give everything up and willingly disappeared. This was a misunderstanding on everyone's part, and so they just needed to pool their resources together and find her.
If only it were that easy. "Don't worry, she's probably resting somewhere. Let's get going now, and see if we can't find her before lunchtime."
Himiko nodded, and wiped at the tiny tears that budded in the corners of her eyes. "After we find her, I'll cast a good spell on you. One that brings you good luck and fortune for the rest of your life."
He smiled. They both knew something as incredible as that was outside of her range of possibilities, but he humored her, anyway. "Thanks. There's no need for that, though. I think if we find Tenko and go back to normal, I'll be happy enough."
She nodded, then glanced at him a second time. "By the way, when'd you lose the hat?"
Shuuichi reached for his head, in the space where a hat normally occupied. He thought back to earlier, and how easily Kokichi had disarmed him—knives riding the breeze like birds in flight. Even if he had a spare hat in the room Kokichi was sleeping in, he didn't feel entirely compelled to wear it.
He shrugged. "I guess it was just...uh, getting in the way."
"Oh, well that's good to hear. Kaede will be happy for you—if she doesn't scold you first, since she's been convincing you for years to take the damned thing off…" Himiko giggled, twirling the ribbon in her hair around her index finger in clumsy spirals.
In all honesty, Shuuichi's thoughts were fixated on Kokichi, but he couldn't let her know that. Instead, he simply nodded. "I'll apologize to her the next time I see her. Promise."
"Okay," Himiko said at last, clinging onto Shuuichi's arm with finality. "It's a promise."
.
.
Vampires were parasitic in nature, but they also had cooperative qualities. For example, a vampire could lend power to another, and improve their own abilities for a limited time. Depending on how much power was transferred, vampires could become really strong, or near God-like if they wanted to. But for locating Chabashira, they didn't need to do anything so desperate.
Shuuichi dragged his left fang across his own wrist, forming a thin red line over the skin and letting out a few drops of blood. Himiko carefully reached for his wrist, and brought the exposed flesh to her lips, where she ingested the faint line of lifeblood that leaked from his body. She closed her eyes against his skin, and inhaled deeply.
Energy pulsed between the two of them, resulting in the nearby winds collecting around them, lifting them into the air as if weightless. Shuuichi watched as Himiko's short curtain of deep-red hair undulated behind her—clothes flowing fluidly, skin glowing with the faint hum of power. Shuuichi looked the same, but he remained unmoving as the energy transferred into Himiko, and she gasped quietly at its realization within her.
"I know where she is." Himiko spoke with a clarity that almost felt ethereal, enough to send shivers up Shuuichi's spine. "Let's go."
They floated back down to the ground, the power bond between them slowly dissipating. Shuuichi felt the buzz fading, like the end of a sugar high, or the inevitable hangover that follows a night of reckless drinking. He tried to hold onto the last remnants of motivation as he nodded, submitting his will to her needs.
"After you."
.
.
Of all the places to find Tenko Chabashira, an aikido dojo was the first—and also the last—place they expected. When they opened the doors, they strangely found all the students loitering around the tatami mats, still dressed in their training robes. Most of them were scrolling aimlessly through their phones or otherwise paying the two strangers no mind, but a few of them glanced at Himiko and Shuuichi with discerning eyes.
The instructor noticed them immediately. "You're here for Chabashira, aren't you?"
"Tenko!" Himiko cried out, ignoring the instructor as she ran for the bench situated across the far end of the room. Tenko laid across it with her eyes screwed shut, almost painfully, as a white washcloth sat on her forehead. Even still, her skin was flushed, as if she just finished fighting a few rounds, herself.
"Did she faint while practicing?" Shuuichi asked. He kept a careful eye on Himiko, who was hurriedly shaking Tenko awake. "It's not like her to be so reckless, though."
"You're right about the fainting," the instructor agreed. "It was strange: during one of the practice rounds, Chabashira suddenly keeled over. We had her emergency information on hand, of course, so we were about to call an ambulance. But then you two showed up—I'm sure I can trust you to take care of her from this point on?"
Shuuichi hummed. "Yeah, leave it to us."
When the instructor left him, he joined Himiko at Tenko's side. It took several moments for Tenko to stir, but when she did, he noticed her eyes were different. They were still the same shade of green they'd always been, but the brightness was off. It was less like spring and more like summer: vibrancy dulled down, liveliness subdued. She was still quite dizzy, too, and wobbled slightly as she tried to sit up straight. "What...oh, I can't believe I passed out…"
"Tenko!" Himiko cried out as she dove into her arms, ignoring Shuuichi's concerned protests and Tenko's surprised noises. "You're okay, you're okay! What happened to you? Did you get sick? Are you tired? Did someone curse you?!"
Tenko laughed chastely, and pat Himiko's hand as a signal for her to let go. Slowly, Himiko obeyed, and stared up at her girlfriend with a curious (but still concerned) look. "I felt a wave of dizziness in the middle of training," Tenko explained. "It's weird, I'm not usually sick like that. But seeing you here makes me feel better already! I'm sure it's thanks to your powerful magic, Himiko!"
Shuuichi and Himiko glanced at each other for a few seconds, and it was all they needed to understand the situation completely. Himiko looked back to Tenko with a sheepish look on her face. "Let's explain this somewhere else. Is it okay if we go home now?"
Tenko frowned—probably disappointed in having her daily regimen cut short—but ultimately agreed. "Okay, sure. Let me tell the instructor first."
After Tenko settled everything at her dojo, she followed Himiko and Shuuichi outside. She stumbled over an uneven ledge in the sidewalk, and would've fallen straight on her face if the two vampires hadn't been there to catch her. Her cheeks burned red at the mistake, and she muttered a reluctant "thank you" to Shuuichi when he straightened her out.
"You two shouldn't have come so far for me," she said. "Even if it's you, Saihara, I guess this time...I'm in your debt." Her stare was no less accusatory, however, and Shuuichi felt nervous looking directly into her eyes.
"There's no need for that. I just helped Himiko a little bit, since she—"
"Wait, that's right!" Tenko glanced to her right. "Himiko, why'd you need his help? You're stronger than Saihara could ever hope to be."
"That's true—" Wow, really, Himiko? Couldn't at least try to spare my feelings? — "but this time it was different. I really couldn't have done it without him."
"Hmph. Well, I guess if it's anyone's fault, it's mine." Tenko deflated somewhat, and the haze in her eyes reappeared once again. "I should've trained harder."
"Actually, Tenko—"
"It's got nothing to do with that," Himiko insisted. "The reason you fainted is related to your relationship with me—a vampire's relationship to a bonded human."
There was no denying the new sense of thirst in Himiko now, especially when she found herself staring at Tenko's neck, instead of her face. She quickly turned away, and murmured under her breath: "When a human bonds with a vampire, the human shares their long lifespan. But in return…"
"...The human needs to maintain a mutual bloodsharing." Tenko didn't seem disgusted at this fact, as so many humans were when they found out about the conditions of loving a vampire the way she loved Himiko. "I've made peace with your true nature a long time ago. That doesn't change how I feel about you."
"I know," Himiko said. "It's just that I've been a bit neglectful—I've been drinking from you, but you also need to drink from me. When was the last time you did that?"
Tenko's face scrunched up into a harsh expression as she thought it over. "Two...weeks ago? Maybe three."
"It has to be at least once a week. Other people make it a daily habit, others don't. But for you, I guess it has to be more often so you don't faint."
"Oh." Tenko buried her face in her hands. "Wow, that's so embarrassing. And Saihara just had to be here to witness it, too? Even better."
"It's okay," he promised. "I won't tell anyone about this. And besides, it's a perfectly normal problem." There's a reason a relationship between a human and a vampire could never really work out. "You guys just have to work hard to make it work. Does that make sense?"
"It does. What doesn't make sense is the fact that Himiko's blood doesn't taste like blood." Tenko licked her lips once, and made another thoughtful expression. "The first time I drank it, it was more like...my favorite breakfast smoothie? The best slushie in the world?"
"That's just how it is when you're bonded to someone." Himiko tried her hardest to sound professional—like she was the utmost paragon of vampirism—but there was no denying the reddened cheeks or the awkward tone in her voice.
Shuuichi remembered he existed, and realized he might be the reason for such awkwardness. He rubbed at the back of his head before saying, "You know, not to be weird or anything, but none of this would've happened if—"
"I let her turn me into a vampire?" Tenko finished, scoffing. "Yeah, I don't think so. It'd be too easy to do something like that. Our relationship is just additional proof of our love and our bond, but it's not like I expected an idiot boy to understand how a maiden's heart works."
"I-It's complicated, Shuuichi," Himiko offered a kinder explanation to him, although she was just as judgemental in nature. "Himiko loves Tenko and Tenko loves Himiko. Regardless of vampirism, magic, or whatever, we don't need to both be the same thing just to prove we're together." Her hands tightened around Tenko's, and in their kind embrace they could do nothing but smile.
He smiled back at them with as much fake jubilee as he could muster. He unwillingly drowned out the static in his mind; the kind of static that garbled negative noise and white madness into his head. The kind that told him he would never find someone the way that Himiko and Tenko found each other—the kind that reminded him that he was a monster in most ways, and that there were less people willing to understand him, let alone love him.
He drowned out that noise. He just kept smiling and nodding his head along like he fully understood their sentiments, even when it was so obvious that he didn't.
"Fair enough," he said. "I think I've taken up more of your time than is necessary. Himiko, you don't mind that I go back to the agency now, right?"
"Oh, right! I totally forgot I dragged you out here in the first place." She laughed before clinging onto Tenko's arm—not too unlike the way she held Shuuichi's arm a mere hour ago. "Don't forget about the good luck spell, because I'm serious about that. Just let me know when you need me to cast it, since it's the least I can do for your awesome apprenticeship."
"Apprentice?" Shuuichi balked. "That's—"
"Just accept her gratitude and leave," Tenko deadpanned. "I'm thankful for you too, Shuuichi, but don't push it."
"No need to tell me twice."
Shuuichi waved at them, and separated from their loving stride by disappearing into the side street. He blinked, and in the nanoseconds that passed from one closed eye to the other, tendrils of darkness manifested from the thin air, coiling into shadowy limbs that embraced him like a lover lost. He did this in the safety of darkness, where no other interloper had the chance of intervening.
He closed his eyes, and at once, Shuuichi completely faded from view, leaving nothing behind but the lasting remnants of his hesitant figure in their minds.
.
.
Kokichi Ouma was gone.
Of course he was.
Shuuichi had been too hopeful in thinking the hunter remained unconscious in his bed. Much to his surprise, however, the agency was intact, and there wasn't anything stolen or tampered with. Everything had been left in the same exact position and place as before, and if it weren't for the abandoned smartphone in the back room, there'd be no evidence that Kokichi was there at all.
The smartphone matched its owner in a multitude of ways. The black-and-white phone case was reminiscent of the strange monochromatic outfit Kokichi had worn, and the screen protector reflected the user's caution and preparedness—or an innate lackthereof, a reckless nature that needed a coat of protection in order to exist peacefully.
Shuuichi noticed a few things once he pressed the home button. Kokichi's notifications, for one, were blown to hell, as multiple people seemed to text and call him at once. Even as he stared at the phone, someone was calling him, though the caller ID read UNKNOWN. Shuuichi didn't expect Kokichi to be the type of person to reveal himself through phone contacts, but some part of him hoped to see something like MOM, DAD, or even BEST FRIEND. Instead, dozens of UNKNOWN numbers popped up one after another, and it was enough to make Kokichi's head spin.
Secondly was the lock screen background. Because of the nonstop notifications, the background couldn't be seen in full, but what was visible still stood out. It was an obvious logo of dice, but Shuuichi hadn't seen it before. He was sure that it couldn't be something as simple as a gambling ring, but if Kokichi found amusement in betting large amounts of money in smoke-filled buildings, Shuuichi wouldn't be the least bit surprised.
Thirdly was the date listed on the phone itself. According to the atomic clock, nearly a whole day had passed since their chase on the rooftop: hunter vs. vampire, killer vs. escapee, innocent vs. guilty. Or could those labels be used so liberally, knowing that there were indescrepencies in Kokichi's memories and Shuuichi's past? It was hard to say, and it was the source of the struggle between them to begin with. Shuuichi was sure that if he solved that mystery, he could solve the others just as easily.
When Shuuichi spotted his hat carelessly left on the nightstand, he understood how Kokichi had gotten away so soon. Seeing the hat without its owner must have shattered the illusion, and caused him to leave the building in a panic, worried that the vampire would come back and retaliate in full. Shuuichi wondered what would've happened if he hadn't gone out with Himiko, and had chosen to stay with Kokichi, instead. Would he still be able to stand there and make conjecture, or would he find a silver dagger lodged in his skull for good?
Regardless, he wasn't lying to Himiko when he told her he didn't need the hat any more. It was an obstruction to Kokichi as much as it was a hindrance to his sight, so moving forward, he'd ditch the hat and keep his head up high. With this resolve in mind, Shuuichi shoved the hat in a spare drawer, and audibly sighed as he shut it closed.
Kokichi was gone, but if he was as thorough of a person as he seemed to be, then he'd eventually come back for his phone, or for Shuuichi. Maybe both.
And once he comes back, I'll try to talk to him normally. Maybe I don't need to use underhanded methods this time. Maybe he can calm down long enough to actually listen to me. Maybe.
If only he didn't get involved in the chase to begin with, because then he wouldn't have gotten involved with Ouma, and then he wouldn't be in this situation if that were the. If he hadn't cared so much about justice and the law enforcement getting things right, he could've stayed indoors, and avoided an entire chase sequence that all but sucked the motivation out of him. If only he had pushed Kokichi off the buildings when he got the chance! I̻͓͜f̙̫ o͚̻͉n̡̺̼l̫̫͇y͕̺ h͓̺̺e͙͎̺ l͙̻͜e̢͓͖t̝͎̺ h̢͚͇i̡͍͍m̪͕͚ c̟̟r̢͔̠a͓͔͖c̙͇͎k͉͇͚ h͖͚̪i̡͓̠s̝̺͜ h̟̝͜e̠͚͔a̺͕͖d̢͓ l̫͖̝i͖͉̼k̫͉͜e̼̙̟ a͙͙n̻͚ e̢͉̠g͚̠̫g͚̦͙ o͙̼̼n̢̪͚ t͇͔h̪̟͉e̡͕͕ s̟̪̺i̡̘͔d͚̝͜e͓̼͜w͉̼̟a̫̟l͇̠͎k̻̟,̫̟͜ t͓̙̪h̦̘͇e̻̟̠n̘̻̙ n͕͚o͚͉n͇̦̟e͎͕͜ o͉͎f̼͚͜ t̢͚̻h̺̺͇i̢͔͎s̟͉͖ w͍̦͇o̝͍͙u̢͚͍l̡̢͇d̺̦̺ h̺̞̝a̢͎͜v̢͖̼e̠͙̝ h̡̻͖a͉̫͍p̟̟p̡̘͙e̟̦̘n͕͇e̘͕̝d͕̼̦!̠̟͎
"Stop it," he told himself. "You're better than that. Don't think like that. Just...just find Ouma next time and work it out. Don't think things like that, Shuuichi…"
Normally, he wasn't so keen on talking to himself, let alone pumping himself up. But he needed it now, because even though he was so normally sedate and mild-mannered, there were times where the innate bloodlust inside of him took over. There were times where even he, the most pacifistic vampire yet, fell into the despair that was typical of his very being. Thoughts that were so unabashedly violent and callous tended to swamp his brain, and it took a great deal of self-cleansing to keep the animosity at bay.
It couldn't be helped, not when such monstrosities existed so closely to the fabrics of his existence. It couldn't be helped, since he always had to balance out his vampiric traits with his own personality. It couldn't be helped, when he was like paper fluttering to the constant edge of fire, smoldering and burning but never bursting into flames.
It couldn't be helped.
Although he desperately wished it could.
.
.
"Maki? Kaito? What are you guys doing here so late?"
The two of them glanced at each other before looking back at Shuuichi, exasperated. Had they been waiting long? And for what? Shuuichi nearly felt guilty, but luckily they picked up on his nerves, and spoke first. "We ran into some guy named Kokichi Ouma," Maki told him. "He seemed dangerous, and if I'd known that, I wouldn't have sent him your way in the first place."
Maki sent him to me? Why did she—
"He was crashing Kaede's party. Rumor has it that he's a cultist, or something, asking people to join his organization. When we saw him come outta this building, we had a bad feeling." Kaito ran a hand through his hair, messing up his complicated (and idiotic) hairstyle with one nervous stroke. "He's a hunter, ain't he? And he came to you, so that could only mean—"
"Let's talk inside," Shuuichi insisted. The doors to the agency weren't locked, so he could only imagine the scary image of his two strong best friends standing guard, sending nasty looks to anyone who so much as breathed wrong. It was reassuring as much as it was worrying. "And I'll explain as much as I can...to be honest, I still don't know everything myself."
The three of them filed inside, walked past the lobby, and ended up in a private drawing room in the back of the building. There were two luxury leather couches facing each other, with an elegant glass coffee table in between them. Shuuichi took up space on one couch, and motioned for Maki and Kaito to take the other couch. They obeyed at once, and stared at him for a much-needed explanation.
He sighed. "He's a hunter, alright. The other day he almost—almost got me."
Maki stood to her feet, and Kaito had to stop her from doing something impulsive, only to shout out: "What the fuck, man? That guy's a creep, I knew it!"
"He tried to hurt you. He tried to kill you. He swore he wouldn't, he swore—"
"Please calm down," Shuuichi said. He tried to speak as calmly as possible, even though his own heart beat fearfully at the mere memory of the encounter. "Obviously he failed because I'm sitting across from you talking, aren't I? I'm not in danger right now, so please sit back down."
"You're not in danger now," Maki hissed. "What about tomorrow? Or the day after? What business does he have going after you, when you're the least vampire-like vampire I've ever met in my life?"
"If he goes after you, what about the others? Like—"
"I was confused, too. I swore I hadn't met him before, so I just chalked it up as a random encounter. But he chased me, and he wouldn't stop. And as we kept going, I realized it wasn't a random hunt on his end." Shuuichi made an expression between anger and confusion. "It was personal."
Maki sat back down slowly, followed by Kaito. They both wore looks of incredulity. "That's—how can it be personal? The guy barely knows you."
"Apparently, I'm the one who killed Kokichi's parents over a decade ago, when he was just a kid."
"What?"
"I know, I know. It doesn't make sense to me, either, and I'm the one that's a killer at large, apparently. So even though Kokichi's an enemy—and even though he could easily be lying—I proved for a fact that he was being honest. I used, uh, one of my more powerful tricks and I got more than I bargained for. The story is crazy, and I still can hardly believe it myself, but even so." Shuuichi shrugged. "I can't ignore the evidence or the truth. I have to figure it out one way or the other."
"So you let him live," Maki reasoned aloud. "You let him live, and you...left him in the agency? Or did he come here on his own?"
"I can't believe you let a vampire hunter in here," Kaito scolded. "This place is fucked. You won't be able to go here at all, you realize that? How do you plan on getting out of this?"
Seeing the unrest in his friends' faces and hearing disbelief coat their words, Shuuichi knew he had to start from the beginning in order to clarify the events for them. He cleared his throat, inwardly apologized to himself and Kokichi, and began to speak. "Well, let's start over, from Ouma's point of view, and see if that doesn't clear things up. Imagine Kokichi Ouma as a six-year-old, except it's late at night and all his homework is finished…"
