AN: This is dedicated to my friend Courtney and her obsession with Gackt. The song in this story is called Sayonara from the Rebirth album by Gackt. Moon Child does not belong to me. Enjoy!

Chapter 1: Endless Possibilities to the End

Sho paused for a second, searching for the right words for the melody echoing through his mind as a picture of Kei grew clearer in his mind. It was the collage of all their moments together; good and bad. It was a combination of that final night of friendship, when the two, with all of their friends had been together and the revulsion that he saw in Kei's eyes in that inhumane prison. It was the picture of the final moment of Kei's vampire's friend's last morning on the earth before he disappeared into smoke and the long endless future Kei had in front of him. Sho found himself weeping a bit, at the thought that Kei would live, forever, without him. He loved Kei more than his wife, but in a different kind of way. It was the eternal love that singers sing about, that poets wish to capture in their poems, that artists want to paint the aura of. It would live long after Sho died. His only consolation was that it would live on in the secret depths of Kei's heart.

He couldn't imagine life without Kei, yet he had not seen Kei for several years ever since he had visited him in the prison.

Sayonara...aishita taisetsu na hito

Koboreta namida ga yuki ni kawaru

Sho smiled at the sadness of the song that was beginning to form. He wanted to share it with the world, so that the world would cry with him.

"Boss," a gruff voice knocked at the door. "Someone here to see you."

He sighed, hastily stuffing the loose sheet of papers into a hidden drawer where he kept all the things that represented all that was intimate to him: that certain picture, a lock of Hana's hair from her first haircut, a wedding ring, and some bits and pieces that were captured moments from his hectic, dangerous life. He took a key from his pocket and locked the drawer, the click of the lock a sound of finality. His personal life hid most of the time; he couldn't have other gangs finding out his weaknesses.

"Boss," the voice called again.

Sho lifted his trenchcoat from the back of his chair and tossed it on, making sure that certain items were in there that were necessary for his protection, and checked his belt to secure his gun more tightly. He didn't want it to go off accidentally. It might kill someone. But yet again, he had to hide his uneasiness at people being killed, except that this was something he'd had to hide ever since he met Kei.

::Flashback::

"No," the boy's mind whispered to him. "This is wrong."

His older companion sensed his discomfort. "Sho..."

"Kei! I don't want to do this! I—"Sho whispered, abruptly cut off at a signal from Kei.

A man was rounding the corner of the building. He held a flashlight and had an assortment of weapons at his belt. He yawned, pausing in his walk to urinate on the side of the building.

The man finished much faster than Sho thought. But by the time the watchman had reached their hiding place, Kei was already on the guy, had sliced his neck, and was now slurping the blood up. It was a sound that was grotesque and reminded Sho of why slurping soup was considered bad manners. It was reassuring, sometimes, to hear, for hearing it made Sho be able to pretend that Kei was just an animal, and was killing through his instincts. But then Kei would finish, smiling up at Sho, the blood dripping like raindrops onto the ground from his mouth...then Kei became a murderer, someone from a horror flick, but scarily human in his witty personality.

Sho stepped back from Kei and hurled. He fell onto the ground with a thud, trying to clean himself up.

"Sho..." Kei whispered again. "Hayaku."

Sho shook his head frantically, barely choking up the word. "No."

Kei glanced down at him, with no expression on his face, then turned to enter the building. Sho thought he heard Kei murmur, "Coward."

The word angered him. He felt adrenaline surge into his brain, and before he knew it, he was back on his feet, running as softly as he could after Kei.

::Later::

Kei spit out blood, his hand staunching the flow at his waist as Sho looked on, horrified.

"Kei!" Sho cried, unable to move from shock. He had only just met the vampire a week ago, and had started to grow fond of him and see him as a mentor, and now he was losing him.

No, Sho thought. Kei is evil, but I can't lose him. He's...this isn't right! He can't die! Sho, wake up, do something!

Unable to do anything else, Sho charged at the person that had shot Kei. "ARRRGH!" he screamed, as the bad man cackled evilly, holding a knife at his waist, ready to stab it into Sho's heart.

"Sho! You airhead!" Kei said as he used his unnatural speed to reach the villain and managed to make the man drop his knife as Sho revealed his own hidden knife and stabbed the man's abdomen repeatedly.

Die, die, die, Sho thought. Die, die, die.

"Sho, you're going to make him lose all his blood," Kei said, pulling the knife out of Sho's grip. "Then where would I be? No blood to drink...hey, kid, I'm okay," he said, seeing Sho's iron face staring into the villain's back. "I can't die...unless...you know."

"...I'm not a coward," Sho muttered. "Not a coward."

Kei looked up suddenly from the body, examining the boy's face. After a long quiet, he burst out laughing. "And who said you were a coward?"

"I—"Sho said as he felt Kei's finger on his lips.

"You were great," Kei said, ruffling his hair. "Let's go."

"Not a coward," Sho whispered happily to himself.

::Present::

"Never a coward," Sho whispered, as he opened the door.

"What, sir?" the burly guard said.

"Pardon..." Sho said.

The guard rolled his eyes, then said obligingly, "Pardon, sir."

"Nothing. Who's here?"

He sighed. Sometimes the boss could be annoyingly condescending. Not that he was, the guard thought, as he felt Sho's eyes bore into his back.

"Some...blondie, sir. Says he's a friend of yours."

Sho shuddered at the prospect of Kei being there, then reminded himself that it was a lost hope.

"Sir."

"I'll see him," Sho said.

"Yes, sir."

Hayaku: Roughly translated, it means "hurry up."

AN: Like? No like? Please review!