Bloody Cactus

Obsession

Kiyami: I just realized…I'm calling this fanfic Bloody Cactus yet there has never been a mentioning of cacti. Ah oh well.

Pairings: FujixTezuka, MomoxRyo, MizukixYuuta, and one-side FujixMizuki.

Disclaimer: I do not own Tennis no Oujisama.

"No luck at all. We couldn't find Yuuta anywhere." Momo relaxed onto the couch. Fuji handed him a glass of water.

"I think I can find him." Fuji looked at the three other faces in the room.

"How?" Ryoma was curious to know.

"I have a friend who can help."

"Hello? Ah…Fuji. How are you doing? …Oh. We'll be there as soon as possible." Inui Sadaharu closed the cell phone and glanced at his partner.

"What's it this time?" His partner, Kaidoh Kaoru, kept his eyes on the road as he asked this question.

"It's Fuji. He wants our help."

"Yuuta-kun, what's your view on life." Mizuki asked as he watched the other eat his breakfast.

"I don't care much for it. I live life and that's all there is to it."

"What about immortality? Vampires?"

"Vampires are fictional beings and immortality is just an idea."

"But what if they were real?"

"I guess it'd be nice to live forever, but I think I'd get bored of it sooner or later."

"What if I offered it to you? To live forever." Mizuki smiled at the younger man.

"I am Inui and this is Kaidoh." Inui introduced. "We're paranormal investigators and supernatural hunters."

"This is Tezuka." Fuji nodded to the stoic man. Ryoma and Momo had returned to their own home to rest from the eventful night.

"We need help. I have to find Mizuki."

"Mizuki?" Inui sounded surprised by this.

"There I found him. Recently he bought a house just two miles away from here. There aren't any other houses nearby. It's isolated. Would you like us to accompany you?"

"No thanks, Inui. I think Ten-chan and I should handle this by ourselves. Thank you." Fuji smiled.

"I'm just returning a favor. Kaidoh and I will stay here just in case you need help."

"Thank you again."

Fuji and Tezuka got ready to head over to Mizuki's home to rescue Yuuta. Tezuka rested his weary body to prepare for the long night ahead. Fuji did nothing, but take a shower and change into something comfortable.

When they were both done they got into Tezuka's car and drove off to the house of Mizuki.

A sleek, black car stopped just outside of an old, but elegant home. The house was more like a mansion with the space it took up. A huge garden wrapped around the Victorian home. Tall hedge walls towered above Fuji and Tezuka. No lights were on, but this was the location Inui had written for them.

Tezuka pushed open the rusty metal gate. It creaked loudly as it swung inwardly towards the house. Inside the dried remnants of dead plants gave both Tezuka and Fuji a bad feeling about this place. Stone statues stood frozen in place. Gargoyles leered at them from their spots while angelic beings creepily smile, seeming sad and joyful all at once.

Fuji and Tezuka stopped at an empty fountain in the center of the large garden. On the very top was a graceful figure with arms outstretched towards the sky as if asking something from the Heavens. But the head had been broken off making it seem ominous.

And on the ground right in front of it was a cactus. It was the only living thing in the garden, but it was new. The tag was still attached to the orange pot and the plant was a bold green with life. It stood out in the desolate garden that could have been this mournful in the beginning.

"Do you like it? I heard you liked cacti, Fuji-kun." The voice came from the house's entrance.

"Mizuki." Fuji growled and narrowed his eyes towards the black haired vampire.

"I'm touched by you coming to visit me. I'm sorry my home doesn't seem so welcoming. I've been busy lately." Mizuki leaned against a gargoyle perched by the stairway.

"Where's Yuuta?" Fuji demanded.

"Fuji-kun, you're so demanding lately. I thought your parents taught you better. You're not being the perfect guest at all."

Fuji trembled with rage with his hands curled into a tight fist. He started to move forward to attack Mizuki, but was stopped by Tezuka. Tezuka kept Fuji from going anywhere with the hand on his arm. Their eyes met.

"Stop."

"What is he doing here?" Mizuki stood up straight. He glared at the mortal man. "Didn't I warn you? Get away from my Fuji-kun!"

"I don't belong to you! Now where's Yuuta?" Fuji pulled away from Tezuka and stomped forward.

"There." Mizuki pointed towards a window. White curtains surrounded it, but when they were pushed away Fuji could see the direct descendant of his sister Yumiko.

"Yuuta! Get away from here!" Fuji shouted. He ran towards the window, desperate to get Yuuta as far away from here as possible.

"He won't listen to you." Mizuki calmly stated.

The large door opened. Yuuta stepped out of the mansion, but did nothing after that. Mizuki turned to look at Yuuta who stood only two feet away.

"No! Yuuta come over here!"

"Like I said, he won't listen to you. Look at him closely." Mizuki stared at his nails pretending to be bored of this.

"No! You didn't!" Fuji couldn't sense any life left in Yuuta.

Yuuta looked deadly pale. The color had been drained from his face. Like all vampires Yuuta had an aura of death surrounding him. He no longer smelt like a human, but of something that had lost touch with life. Yuuta was clearly dead, but alive all the same. Yuuta had been turned…into a vampire.

That was it. That was the final straw. Fuji blindly leapt forward at Mizuki. The two tumbled onto the ground and soon it was a fight for who was stronger. They didn't care about the dry plants digging into their bodies. Tezuka took several steps forward. He was hesitant about getting himself involved in their fight. He could do more harm than good if he did.

"Stop it!" Yuuta yelled over the sounds of fighting.

The two vampires on the ground froze. They looked over to Yuuta.

"What is it?" Mizuki shoved Fuji off of him.

"Stop fighting. Just stop."

"But he's trying to take you away from me."

"I know that!" Yuuta snapped.

"He kidnapped you and forced you to become that way!" Fuji defended himself.

"You…You have it all wrong."

"What?" Fuji was confused at this point.

"He asked me and I said yes. I want this Fuji." Yuuta stared at the ground being unable to look his ancestor in the eye.

"But why?"

"I don't know…" Yuuta was just as confused as Fuji.

"Yuuta, come on. Let's go. Mizuki's bad and we came here to save you." If he couldn't save Yuuta from one thing, he could always save Yuuta from another.

"I don't need any saving! I…I like it here!" Yuuta admitted and lifted his head to stare Fuji in the eye.

"But…what…why?"

"Don't you remember, Fuji? Don't you remember why you could never kill me on that day?" Mizuki brushed dirt off his clothes and picked the leaves from his hair.

Fuji fell silent as he remembered. A bond always formed when one was turned. A bond with the new fledgling and the one who made them. That deep bond forced him to direct the blade to the arm instead of Mizuki's heart.

Fuji cursed at himself and his weakness. If only he was strong enough to kill Mizuki then Yuuta wouldn't be this way. Yuuta would go on living normally and Tezuka wouldn't have gotten hurt. He hated his weaknesses.

Tezuka came over to Fuji and kneeled by the defeated vampire. He shook his head while mumbling things. He failed. His last promise to Yumiko, he had failed. And to Fuji failure was unacceptable.

"Syusuke, guess what?"

"What?"

"I'm getting married in two months! Kazuki and I!"

"That's wonderful, Yumiko!"

"Would you promise me something, Syusuke?"

"Sure, what?"

"If I have any children, will you protect them?"

"Of course. I will protect them with my life."

"No!" Fuji got up suddenly and attacked Mizuki again. This time Fuji fought more fiercely than before. He wanted to kill Mizuki, but things were never easy.

One of the men who worked for Mizuki silently crept up to Tezuka. The man slammed an old rusty katana into Tezuka. The fight going on between Mizuki and Fuji had distracted Tezuka.

Tezuka gasped before falling to his knees. The katana sticked out from both sides of Tezuka's body. It immediately drew Fuji's attention away from fight. Mizuki took this chance to punch Fuji hard in the face. He didn't continue on with the fight, but went to Yuuta.

"Come on, we're leaving."

"Are we just going to leave them like that?" Yuuta felt some attachment to the man who called himself his ancestor.

"He's going to die and I don't want to provoke Fuji anymore. I know when to stop." Mizuki wiped blood from his face where Fuji had viciously cut.

Strangely Mizuki felt guilty. He felt guilty for the first time in his life. Maybe it was realization that everything he had done only caused pain in the one he loved. Perhaps it was best to love some things from a distance. Anyway he had Yuuta to think about now.

"Come on…"