Thank you to all of those who reviewed. I'm back now from India and quite happy because of it. Let me tell you one thing; Goa is a lovely place to visit and you should go to the Taj Exotica if you have the money to. It's got it's own private beach and everything.

Despite this though, nothing beats coming back home and finding everything exactly where you placed it. Though I am quite worried for the safety of my biology file as I can't remember whether I left it at school or whether it's been stolen at home. Not that anything else has gone missing.

I also got some nice new CDs as well and am trying to find themes for some of my OCs. Just because I have nothing better to do with my time and because I am nuts. (shrugs)

            Gah…chapter…chapter…right here it is! Chapter 14! Now remember, reviews keep an authoress alive. ^_^ My life is depending on you! Don't you feel spay-cial?

            This Chapter is dedicated to Iesha. Why? Simply because she's given me a lot of support while writing this story. I got a few e mails again that I deleted demanding why Reiko is the way he is. Iesha gave me a lot of support saying they were idiots. Don't worry, none of the emails were from any of you who actually do review. Much thanks.

            Chapter 14

            The fog had returned blanketing the small city in white. The sun had fallen again and Reiko had arisen and was outside on the porch looking shaken. He had sat down and was watching the street alertly, thinking back on past events. His eyes were filled with the red sheen of tears as visions played themselves over and over in his mind. He tensed and took a sharp breath as he heard the door suddenly open behind him. Dante sat down quietly beside him. Reiko looked at him once before he looked back down at the dark ground.

            'It hurts…doesn't it?' No answer from the vampire. 'It won't stop hurting for a while.'

            'You don't understand.'

            'Trust me. I think I do.' Reiko slowly stood up and sighed. Dante watched him and also stood up.

            'I want to be by myself for a bit.' Dante nodded once and stood about awkwardly as Reiko started to limp away.

            'Hey uh…Reiko.' The vampire stopped and turned around but said nothing, settling only on watching Dante steadily. 'If you need someone to talk to…' Reiko blinked but then nodded.

            'Thanks.' Dante noted at once the fact that Reiko's voice was choked. He had the feeling that it would be a lot better for him to stay with people but yet he knew it would be hard to get him to stay.

'I'm sorry about what happened earlier. We didn't want to take any chances.'

            'I know…' he said softly. He paused 'You don't have nightmares every night, do you? Since it happened I mean?'

            'No. But I wasn't there to see.' Reiko turned fully to look at Dante. He shivered and swallowed hard. 'I think you should go back inside.' Reiko said nothing but then he slowly nodded.

            'You're right. The last time I went out for a walk, I ended up crashing into Mostro, and then this all happened.'

            'We have to keep focused, Reiko. We have to remember our true goal.' Reiko nodded again, swallowed hard. Dante watched impassively and then opened the front door, hanging back until Reiko had silently walked in.

            'I'm…going to go upstairs.'

            'All right.' Reiko went without another word. Dante watched as Trish came from the kitchen.

            'I've cleaned up the last of the mess. Everything's relatively back to normal.' Dante nodded. 'Is he going to be okay?' Dante shrugged.

            'I don't know. I really don't know.'

            Reiko curled up on bed and looked around the room. The Christmas decorations had been taken down some time ago and the room was back into it's cold, blank emotionless self. It seemed fitting somehow. It reminded him of a jail cell. And he wasn't really much more than a prisoner, was he? He was trapped in eternity, unable to die like normal humans. He reached out towards a glass and gulped it down slowly without wondering what was in it. It looked like water but whether it was or not was lost upon him. After all, the only thing he could taste was blood…but maybe the drink could help him somehow…

            He swallowed hard again, choking back his tears and then shut his eyes tightly, waiting for sleep to come upon him. His mind started whirling, and it was mental exhaustion that led him into the realms of sleep.

            'I knew sooner or later you'd grow tired of waiting,' said a low voice. Reiko crouched down into a fighter's stance, every muscle tensed in readiness to pounce forward like a spring.

            'You're a fool for staying in one place. I shall kill you.' His answer came out as a low growl, the hazel eyes mere slits in his face. Mostro was nowhere to be seen but Reiko was no fool. Either he was using his invisibility form or he was using he fog as cover. For a full five minutes there was nothing. Not a breath, not a footstep, not even the wind. He felt as though he could drown in the silence. He closed his eyes but suddenly felt his body flinching. He quickly moved to one side, opening his eyes again, every sense fully awakened to the vampire blood that pounded through his veins.

He saw the next blow too late and only had time to do one thing. Instinctively, he sank his teeth into Mostro's fist as it flew at him from the fog, his eyes burning red as the vampire inside him took over completely. Now he could feel the hatred, the delight that Mostro felt when he witnessed the suffering he inflicted on innocent people. That's when he realised that Mostro's blood was flowing down his throat as he fed from him. Reiko's eyes widened and he retreated, shaking. Mostro simply hissed in pain as the fangs left his flesh and backed off. Soon Reiko was left entirely alone.

            Sudden fear caused the vampire's eyes to widen even more. Did drinking evil's blood cause him to be evil? His hands went to his stomach and he felt himself becoming choked up at the thought. If it did, he had to find some way to stop it. Reiko punched himself hard in the stomach. A low gasp escaped his lips before he retched and was violently sick.

Reiko woke up with a start and looked around wildly, sitting bolt upright, as though struck by lightning. Trish was sitting by his side and got him to lie back down, stroking his hair back gently. Reiko felt sleep claim his senses again. Trish waited until she was sure he was asleep and then left his room. Dante took over watching over him, checking his legs and arms before sitting down quietly on a sturdy looking box.

            A figure bent down next to him and helped him to stand up. Reiko's legs shuddered under his weight and he was panting. He clung to Remy like a little child.

            'Reiko, what happened?' The older vampire said nothing but only stared at him glassy-eyed. 'Please tell me what happened. I might be able to help.' Reiko looked at him slowly.

            'Mostro…' Remy's face blanched slightly. 'Tell me…what happens if you drink the blood of an evil man's?' Reiko's eyes lowered.

            'I don't know…'

            'So…there might be a chance that I'm going to…become like him?' Remy's eyes widened.

            'You drank his blood?' Reiko looked up at him, a red sheen in his eyes. Tears. Remy was filled with nothing but pity for him.

            'It was an accident!' he said brokenly. 'I didn't mean for this! I tried to correct it by making myself sick! I'm sure you saw that.' Remy nodded and Reiko saw a slight shudder.

            'I did…' Reiko took a shaky breath and cradled his head in his hands before starting to rock and forth as he sat back down on the ground, helpless with sorrow.

            'If it didn't work, then I'm doomed to be no better than him…People would want my head. They'd want revenge. I would have caused them the same suffering I'm going through now. What if it takes me over? What if it takes over my consciousness? What then?'

            'It might not even happen.'

            'But there's still the chance it might.' A single drop of blood fell onto the ground. Remy knelt down in front of him and pulled him into a hug. This seemed to do no good as Reiko started giving vent to something akin to whimpers.

            'If the worst comes to worst, I'll find some way to help you,' he whispered. 'I'll find some way to reawaken you…you have a friend you'll never lose.' Reiko's weeping grew soft and then died away. Reiko took a few deep breaths, trying to calm himself and then pulled away.

            'Remy…listen…I'm glad you've found me. I need to ask a favour of you.' Remy listened carefully and then nodded, extending a hand.

            'I'll be sure to keep it safe.' Reiko dug about in his pockets as he looked for the pendant but then groaned.

            'I must have left it back at Devil May Cry…' his eyes widened with sudden realization but before he could say anything else, the sun had started it slow but deadly ascent. 

            'Oh shit!' His eyes snapped open and he tossed his head, panting unsteadily. Dante got up off the box and walked over to him as Reiko started to whimper.

            'What is it?' Reiko felt sleep come over him again as he clung onto Dante.

            'I-I'm…reliving it…' His words were slurred. He couldn't talk properly. His mouth felt strange, he couldn't feel anything, his tongue seemed to be getting in the way, making everything he said sound like babble. Dante watched on impassively as Reiko's hand grew limp and then fell away, back on the bed. He sighed, checking on Reiko's limbs again and then sat back down on the box, sleeping the way he always slept. With one eye open.

            Reiko opened his eyes to see that it was now night. He could move again without fear of being burnt. He started off at a run, his vampirical powers lending him speed. He soon came within sight of Devil May Cry and began to run faster, his stomach churning with dread as he slammed into the door, knocking it off its hinges.

            He stood in the doorway, his eyes wide. Blood was everywhere on the floor. In the centre of the office, Dante and Trish lay, Trish with one arm over Dante's chest as she lay on her side. Dante lay flat on his back. A quick inspection proved that both of them were alive but in some kind of deep sleep. Blue blood had dried near Dante, who's sword seemed to be painted blue also. Gashes leaked blood from several areas on the Hunter's body but Trish was unharmed. Reiko licked at dry lips as he moved to the next room. His breath caught in his throat as his eyes settled on Steph.

Blood was oozing slowly but steadily out of her body through several different wounds. He could tell even now that she did not have much time left. He moved closer to her, and the girl's eyes flickered open and rested on Reiko without recognition. She smiled faintly as a light dawned in her eyes.

'Reiko…' she said wanly. She tried to raise an arm but it wavered and fell back. She was too weak. 

'Save your strength…'

            'N-no…I want you to stay with me…until…' her voice petered out but she didn't have to say anymore. Reiko settled himself beside her, holding her close, ignoring the blood, listening to Steph's unsteady breathing as it gradually slowed. Her shivering grew more violent but then she turned totally limp. Her breath hitched in her chest and then all was silent. Reiko slowly sat up and turned to look at her face one last time, not realising what the sight would do to him. A loud anguished cry reverberated through the building.

            'Death is all the same isn't it?' Trish turned to look at Reiko. He was laying on the bed, staring up at the ceiling again, glassy-eyed. 'You can die in so many ways but at the end it's still the same thing. You're dead, you can't come back and the ones who are left behind suffer the most. And yet…if there is life, there is death.

'If you are living, then it's obvious you shall die. It's inevitable and even though we react to the situation as though we are shocked, it is the most normal thing in the world to die…strange…isn't it? We never think it's going to happen to us…but yet it does and it will. Eventually. Death came to me.' Trish looked to him.

            'You're still here though.'

            'Am I? Do you really call this an existence? I actually welcomed death when it came but then he saw that I was not afraid. He forced me to drink his blood. All in order to watch me cry.' He paused and recollected his thoughts. 'I saw my mother's eyes in her eyes. I saw her face. Exactly the way I last saw it. Dead…bloodied…'

            'You fainted. Most likely with disgust and revulsion. You musn't blame yourself for what happened. None of us were to know.' Reiko looked up at her and saw the concern in her eyes and slowly sat up. He could trust her he knew. He started to tell her of what happened earlier, and of how he had drank the blood of the tyrant. A minute later, she had backed away from him, calling for Dante. Within seconds, Dante was pulling out a shotgun. Reiko blinked without understanding. He understood the blast of pain as Dante pulled the trigger. His face was impassive as Reiko writhed on the ground gasping with pain. Another three shots, and he was wounded in both arms and both legs. Reiko stared up at Dante and Trish.

            'I…I thought…I could…trust you…'

            'You can. Just rest. We did this because we need to drain you of his blood. We can't take any chances.' Fog seemed to come over his vision but he could see Dante and Trish talking in low voices. He did not know how long the fog was there but soon it cleared. The wounds had stopped bleeding and he was insanely hungry. He slowly rose to his feet and staggered out, casting a glance at Dante, who looked concerned. Trish tried to stop him, saying something loudly, but the vampire couldn't, wouldn't listen.

            Reiko opened his eyes again and stared around, his eyes focusing on Dante, who was leaning over him, his silver hair hanging into his eyes. He at last smiled as Reiko slowly sat up.

            'Finally it's worn off…'

            'Wha-?' Reiko blinked tiredly.

            'The sleeping draught. You drank it by mistake.' Reiko blinked but said nothing, shivering. Instead, he curled up into himself. Dante sighed as he heard Reiko sobbing quietly to himself. It appeared as though reliving it had made it worse.

            'Reiko…' The vampire didn't answer, but Dante saw the blood beginning to spread on the white bed sheet. Dante saw that the wounds were completely healed. Apparently, Reiko's feast had helped to speed the process. He switched off the lights after a few more minutes, during which Reiko continued to cry. Trish blinked and looked at him, but then went upstairs to Reiko. The silver haired demon hunter flopped down into a couch with a sigh and thought deeply. The pendant had been taken. Mostro had it. Though Reiko was grieving not for Stephanie, but for the death of his parents, they had to get moving. Now it was a real race to the finish.