Disclaimer: Blah blah blah

Authoress Note: Now we've reached the good part!!

There was nothing but pain. Pain and the endless whistling of the wind in her ears. Kitani seemed to fall forever. She was on the thin line between being and not being. Her anger had diminished. She should have been scared, but she wasn't. Her mind was blannk as she fell, lost in the depth of her memories. Memories she only saw in her nightmares.

There was something disturbing the whistle of her wake. Her eyes burned with the cold wind so she was unable to see what was coming at her. A pair of strong arms wrapped around her. In that instant she felt safe. But she was cold, and the sunrise was coming. There was the barest touch of blonde waves and the familiar scent of lavendar and roses. She willed her body and clung to the figure's broad shoulders. Then came the water and there was no more.

Hex broke through the crowd, followed closely by his elder brother, just in time to watch his Master's cloak drop out of sight.

"Master!" He ran for the edge and the crowd of police backed away, stunned. He slammed into the side and peered down. There was a splash and the white froth of the water consuming the black of his Master's cloak. And then all traces of him vanished into the dark emptiness of the river.

He gasped and dropped to his knees, his forehead pressed against the concrete railing. There was a burning behind his eyes as tears threatened to flow. Sakashima scanned the crowd for the man. He was unmistakeable but the vampire was unable to find him. He had vanished as if he were a ghost. But he had been real enough to pull the trigger and send her careening over the edge and into the icy water.

He went to comfort his brother when a hand caught his shoulder. He turned to see a short, stout policman.

"Um . . . sir?Do you know that man, the one who just took a leap of faith?" he asked tentively. Sakashima's face was a mask, expressing no emotion, blank and perfect and lovely.

"Yes I know him." he replied simply.

"Sir, why did he dive after that monster? Do you know her too?" Sakashima glared venom at the man who seemed to pale slightly. But it was not from the weight of Sakashima's eyes.

The vampire turmed to see Hex standing, facing the crowd, hunched over, his arms tense with restraint. His lips drew back to expose his fangs. They glittered a perfect white against the darkness.

"She is not a monster!" he growled, the color fading from his skin until he was as white as polished alabaster. The ture identity of a vampire. The policeman back away, his eyes wide. He drew his gun and leveled it at Hex.

"Wha-what are you?" the man stammered. His hands were shaking in his two handed death grip on his gun.

Sakashima stood between his brother and the frightened human. He raised his hands to express that he would cause no harm.

"Sir, put the gun down. Hex is upset but he's merely bluffing. He relatively harmless." His voice was steady, calm, and matter-of-fact. He took a step forward, the man retreated.

"Relatively?? What is he?" His eyes were wide and showing too much white. For an officer, he didn't seem like a cop or maybe an ameteur cop at most. Sakashima felt a tug at hjis sleeve. Hex had come to stand behind him.

"Brother, we have to find them." Hex looked at the officer, the gun, the sky, then back at his kin. "please, they haven't surfaced yet. We have to find them." Sakashim turned, putting his back to his enemy. "Don't worry we will find them." A shot rang out and the crowd gasped. The sheriff yelled profanity at the officer.

There was a hole in Sakashima's shoulder, just below the blade. Blood began spreading from the wound but he remained standing. Slowly, he reached behind his back, probing his pale fingers into the wound. There were sickening sound as he wrenched the bullet from where it was wedged. He yanked it free from the shattered bone and pulled it out of the hole, coated with rich red. He held the bullet in front of him, turning around.

The police and watchers were stunned. His eyes had converted to their vampiric state, his golden pupils shimmering in the pretwilight. He held the bullet out before him, at arm's length. He dropped the dripping thing and before it hit the ground, the two of them had vanished.

Another authoress note: Mmmm bloody Saka.