Sorry, long time no write. School, mod projects, etc is occupying my time.

---

Soma leaned back in the plush seat; half-lidded eyes glanced silently at the soft glow of the dashboard, and then to the equally quiet driver of the Lexus. Too quiet, it was maddening, the Albino sighed without sound – though this silence was inane, there was a slight trepidation, an unspoken fear to shatter the soundless air. Yes... Arikado has always been the quiet one, but – something is eating away at him, he could sense it, but what? What had happened under the moonlight that caused Arikado to break his aloofness, to catch him when he fell?

"... Do you trust the Yenaldlooshi?" the Ravenette uncharacteristically was the one who dared to pierce the quiet. His honeyed eyes for a glance veered from the road to the pale crystalline orbs.

"The Ye—what? Who are you talking about, Arikado?" Soma blinked as he glanced through the tinted window, pointedly avoiding the Dhampire's gaze. He unconsciously rubbed his bare arm, even though the interior of the sports car was quite comfortably warm. The young man felt... guilty about leaving his friends without warning, and could only hope that the precinct did not arrest the two redheads for hiding him.

"Yenaldlooshi." Arikado slowly pronounced it once again, as much for his benefit as for Soma's – the language of the word's origin was not a common one, especially in this era. A second glance showed the complete ignorance on Soma Cruz' face. The Dhampire hesitated for a split-moment; did he really need to set the young man's already frazzled nerves on edge so soon? No, Alucard told himself silently -- a lie though one of the worst of sins according to Alighieri -- was perhaps the kindest of them all. "A Shaman of native powers."

"You mean Benji? I already told you he gave me no reason to suspect him – he helped me, and well, he's... too big-mouthed to be any good as a backstabber." Soma rolled his eyes as his pale fingertips ran through his hair. "If you meant Shaman, you could've said it in the first place, not some nobody-has-ever-heard-of-word." The piercing blue eyes again looked beyond the darkened windows. "I already know he does that kind of stuff, he told me."

The older man thought it was best he did not bring up Graham Jones. The impossibly deft hands flicked on the radio, and clicked upon a pre-programmed station. "About your sleepwalking...?" The alabaster-faced man questioned as he stopped at a red light.

"What about it?" Soma growled faintly as his eyes followed a young couple with a toddler strolling down the street, unaware of being watched. Lucky kid... the albino murmured to himself, as he pushed down a rather unwanted memory.

"What happens when you do sleep walk?" The soft voice carried over the muffled sound of news reporters squawking about the latest celebrity annulment.

"All kinds of things..." The albino shrugged. "During the week of Exam Hell, Keamon and Jomei claimed that I was climbing up to the roof, and nearly jumping off the balcony. My parents had me go to a doctor, but nothing helps. And before I went to Japan, Uncle Fran said that I was trying to ride Blanco during the middle of the night." He closed his eyes, showing clear annoyance.

"Keamon and Jomei?" The gold-eyed male prodded lightly, making a note to himself to make sure Soma is never sleeping any place above the first floor.

"My 'host' siblings, they're twins, one of them is in Medical school, the other had dropped out to be a musician." He added without thinking. "They talked Mom and Dad into helping me register for a permanent resident license, telling them how miserable I'll be if I return to Barcelona. Though I do miss Uncle Fran and his horses, I think it's better this way."

Alucard quietly noted this small fact away. "Anything else? Such as any dreams –this could be important."

"I don't remember much of them." Soma shook his head. "Though I do know most of it has been more like nightmares." Then he snapped his finger. "Wait... I do remember last night's, most of it, it was really dark... and I was drinking some sort of red concot—"The words froze in his throat as his mind was finally aware of the significance. "Christ... Arikado! It was blood... I was dreaming that I was drinking blood!"

SCRRRRRReeeeeaaaah!

The screech of brakes ruptured their eardrums as Arikado nearly ran the next red light.

"Where did you learn to drive?!" Soma swore violently in three languages, his hand instinctively slammed the window as he flung forward – only to be yanked back by the double-thick seatbelt; effectively bruising his shoulder.

"... Sorry." The Dhampire responded with a hollow voice. "Are you sure it was blood?"

"Yes... There was a man as well... I didn't see his face." Soma whispered hoarsely. "He was powerful, that's all I could remember." Again the cab of the Lexus became silent, save for the droning of the radio. Soma turned away, his breath oddly short, as he wished he had completely forgotten his dream.

"This is just in. Not more then ten minutes ago, Camui Gackt used to have nothing else to worry about then rumors of cosmetic surgery, but now it seems like someone has a vendetta against the Solo artist and the former Malice Mizer Lead as stage lights nearly landed on him and his current band during a performance today. Security and Police at the scene had already ruled out equipment malfunction and now suspects' foul play. Details at Six." The far too cheerful Osaka-accented anchorman hurriedly ran through the report.

Soma nearly cringed at the mention of Gackt – gods! He can't count how many times girls had accosted him, believing he was the singer's bastard child.

"Akira, do you think there is a serial lunatic that's causing the accidents? I mean, this is the sixth freak accident in three days!" A teeny-voiced woman questioned, a faint hint of panic laid under her normally professional tone.

"Well it can't be a coincidence that's for sure, Yuri." At this, Dhampire and Human glanced to each other simultaneously.

"They got that right." Soma Cruz shrugged half-heartedly as he muttered. "This is officially weird."

"I doubt they confused him for you." Arikado deadpanned as he turned to the left. "Though the series of 'freak accidents' is anything but that."

"Who died and made you Bob Hope? And what does it have to do with me?" the glacier-eyed man mumbled.

"Probably nothing at all, or perhaps part of someone's elaborate scheme. We can't just ignore it, but neither we should get involved." Alucard/Arikado gazed into the rearview mirror. "We're being followed."

"By who?" Soma exclaimed as his eyes darted to the rearview mirror. A silver Kawasaki weaved through the traffic almost haphazardly, the woman – he was pretty sure it was a woman, anyways – seemed to be almost single-minded in her motion. "Can we lose her?"

Without a word, the Dhampire made a sharp turn as the light turned green. The motorcyclist mimicked him, determined not to loose its quarry.