"Shit." The word made its way out of his lips without his express consent. Another corpse, another taunt against him. He hated it.

"Problem?" the rough voice of Detective Kazuma Kuwabara spoke up behind him. He wasn't the most attractive officer around, but he was fierce and loyal and didn't question the experts, or at least not Hiei Jaganshi, vampire hunter. They'd been working together too long for that. Kuwabara towered over Hiei, something the detective had initially teased the dark haired necromancer about, until Hiei saved his life. Since then, short jokes had been in…short supply.

"No, everything's just fine, Kuwabara. Just a happy night, out for a stroll." Hiei's mood was not helped by the fact that he'd been the one to find the body and had to call in the cops. But, there were procedures that had to be followed. He didn't have to like them, though.

"Can it, Jaganshi. You're a witness and an expert. You know we can't let you go until we get your statement."

"Then get it already so I can go do my job!"

"Without a warrant?" Vampires had rights. Killing them, even hunting them, without a warrant or court order was against the law. But, then, so was murder.

Hiei glared at the detective. "Get me a warrant, then."

Kuwabara shifted uneasily under the burning glare. "As soon as we can, Jaganshi."

"The longer we stall, the more people that will be killed. Do you want that on your head?" His voice was a growl, a challenge.

Kuwabara shifted again, his eyes dropping to the ground, "You told me everything."

"Yes," the answer still a growl.

"I don't want to see you leave," he mumbled as he turned around to face the crime scene, putting Hiei behind his back.

"You won't," Hiei countered, slipping into the shadows cast by the park's trees. Hiei had been out for a run, a little later than normal for him, but when your job was keeping vampires in line, you tended to sleep during the daylight hours. So, it was about an hour after dark when he finally started. Finding a fresh corpse was just the icing on the cake of a bad week. What he hadn't told the cops, what they didn't need to know, was there had been a note on the stiff's chest. A note addressed to him, inviting him for a chat with the head vampire of the city. Something he'd been avoiding. Something he didn't have a choice about avoiding anymore. There would be more deaths, and they would be his fault, if he did not attend this meeting.

"Lying to the cops?" a soft alto voice spoke from the shadows. The voice could have belonged to a girl, it was pitched in that neutral area between genders. But, Hiei knew who it was.

"Spying, Kurama?" he snapped at the beautiful shadow that separated itself from the trees. How the lanky redhead managed to hide in shadows was anyone's guess. His hair glowed silvery red in the light of the just past full moon, his skin pale, lit with an inner light, his eyes a green that, in daylight, would have been the color of the leaves. He was simply stunning, even without magic. His magic, the vampiric ability to enter minds, made him irresistible. To most, that is. Hiei was mostly immune to that magic. Tonight, the redhead wore what looked like a green silk shirt and tan linen pants in the silvery light, both managing to cover his body completely yet somehow be obscenely indecent.

"Not at all," Kurama purred as he slinked across the small clearing with a grace that would have shamed a cat. "I was told to lead you to my master."

"I know where he stays." Hiei didn't like that the redhead obviously found him desirable. If it were just for a snack, he could understand, but Kurama seemed to want more. As did his master. But, you didn't give more to monsters. You didn't give anything to monsters. They never knew when to stop taking.

Kurama circled him, just far enough away not to touch him, but close enough that Hiei knew the redhead had fed recently. His body was warm, soft, inviting. Hiei bit his inner lip, trying to reign in his thoughts. "He is not there tonight," Kurama murmured, bent over so his breath ghosted past Hiei's ear. "I have to lead you to him," the redheaded vamp reached down to take Hiei's hand.

Hiei stepped away from the redhead, "I can walk on my own, thank you." He was pissed. He was armed with just a small knife and his cross. Not really enough protection to visit the master vampire. He'd hoped to be able to stop by his apartment and change into something more comfortable. A shoulder holstered Browning .45 with silver coated bullets sounded very comfortable.

The redhead's expression was one of wounded innocence. "I'm not going to hurt you, Hiei."

"I can still walk on my own." His eyes were hard, a light brown that in most lights appeared reddish. Unusual eyes. He'd been teased about them a lot. Between them and his height, he'd been tormented through school. But, it'd served to toughen him. His eyes also marked him for what he was. A necromancer, a worker of magic over the dead. That was why he could meet a vampire's gaze with impunity.

Kurama sighed heavily. "I am just doing what I was told to do." His eyes went from seductive to pleading, "You wouldn't want me to be punished because I couldn't follow orders, would you?"

Hiei's glare took on a new tone. Playing the guilt card was distinctly unfair, and the redhead knew it. Guilt was Hiei's biggest motivator. It's what made him a vampire hunter. Guilt that he had the ability to meet a vampire's gaze, to resist their magic, for the most part. If he didn't do the job, who else could? But, he wasn't stupid, either. "What were your orders?" he asked

"To guide you by the hand to where the master waits," Kurama intoned, almost sing-song.

That is a command the master would give. 'Shit,' he thought, managing not to voice the word. Touch made a vampire's magic that much more potent, making it difficult for him to resist the thrall. He wished for gloves, but it was too warm a night for them. He wished for weapons, but it was too late for them, as well. He hated walking in to what he knew would be a trap unarmed. Stiffly, he raised his arm, "Fine, let's go." His hand was fisted.

Kurama pouted a little, but took the proffered hand. He gave up trying to slip his fingers into the clenched fist after a moment of effort and Hiei's growled warning. With a sigh, he led the reluctant slayer after him. "It wouldn't hurt you to relax a little, you know."

Hiei glared at the redhead's back, "Yes, it would."

"I'm not going to hurt you." Hiei snorted and Kurama continued, "I'm not. I have my orders."

"And you're just such a good boy that you'd never disobey?" Hiei's voice was scathing.

"I have no reason to disobey," Kurama stated blandly, ignoring the tone.

Hiei snorted, "I'm sure."

"My master keeps me well satisfied. Why would I disobey?" Kurama's voice was one of infinite reason and patience. When you were dead, you had all the time in the world.

Hiei didn't have that time. He was running late. Tonight was just not his night. He still had to get to what amounted to his day job. "Fine," he growled, "You won't disobey." He continued to refuse to open his hand, though. Never trust anyone. No one. That was a rule. Almost his only rule, and he didn't break rules…at least not his own rules. Other's rules…those were up for debate. His own, however, were inflexible, unbreakable, absolute.

Kurama led the reluctant man through the park and to an old Victorian style house that'd been converted into a café. Hiei had to roll his eyes at the name of the establishment, though. Dracula's Lair. If it wasn't a vampire's café, he'd bite his own neck. It was also across the street from the master's normal hang out, Hell's Arcade. For a quarter, risk your very soul. Hiei hated the arcade. He hated the café on principle though it actually looked pleasant. "I could have found this place myself," he pointed out, his voice sharp.

"I'm just doing as I was told," Kurama reassured him. It would have been a lot more reassuring if the vampire's voice didn't sound like something out of a bedroom scene of an expensive porn film. Obscene and rich. Touchable. Desirable.

"Stop with the games, already."

"I would never presume," the smooth answer.

Kurama led Hiei deeper into the mostly doorless house, through the only door still left, down into a basement. There were people enjoying lattés and espressos and vampires enjoying people. No one was bleeding, but the vampires enjoyed playing mind games with the susceptible, promising things they could deliver to entice willing snacks to their coffins. Hiei fought a shiver that wanted to crawl up his spine at the feel of so much magic flowing over his skin. They weren't doing anything illegal, technically, but he still didn't like it.

Kurama was still holding Hiei's wrist and Hiei was feeling more than silly, but he refused to let the redhead hold his hand. He knew he looked like a child that was being dragged along reluctantly. He was being dragged reluctantly and he couldn't help his height. His glare should make up for that.

The stairs were well lit. The whole place didn't look like a "vampire's den" of the old movies. Vampires were "mainstream" and put up a very good front. But, they did sleep in coffins, they did need to suck blood, they were monsters. They were just "socially acceptable" now. Made his job harder. Made a lot of things more difficult. He couldn't kill Kurama for touching him. He couldn't kill the master of the city for summoning him. The note had stated that the master did not do it, but would find out and deliver the culprit to Hiei if he attended this meeting. Fucking blackmailing bastard.

There was an open door at the bottom of the stairs. It was darker in the room, the light of the stairs spilling into the room. That would put Hiei at a disadvantage, having to adjust to the lower light, but the master liked having him at a disadvantage. He set him at a disadvantage with every encounter. Or at least tried to. As they entered the room, Kurama announced happily, "I have brought him, Master."

"Not by the hand," rose from the shadows.

"I wouldn't let him," Hiei defended the redhead, though he didn't know why he did it. "He tried." He peered into the inky darkness, trying to see anything. A candle flared to life and his eyes hurt as they tried to adjust to the sudden light.

The master of the city stood before him, slightly behind the flickering candle. His dark hair slicked back, his chocolate eyes holding something more than human eyes could, his chiseled features completely masculine. His body was a work of art, something to put da Vinci's David to shame. Hiei had a girlfriend, but every time he saw the master, he could feel desire burn through his body. He felt almost the same kick with the redhead, but he could dismiss that because he looked feminine. The master, however, was completely male, dripping with testosterone. No one would mistake him for a girl. Especially as he was dressed tonight. His white shirt hung open, revealing his chest, a finely sculpted masterpiece, over leather pants that did little to hide anything, seeming to emphasize every line of his legs and groin.

Kurama slid across the room, nuzzling into the master's chest, "I did try, Master." The master glared at the redhead.

"Yusuke, don't punish him for something I did," Hiei reiterated, getting the Master's attention with the use of his name.

Yusuke's eyes flicked to the slayer, his expression unreadable before he looked back down at the redhead nuzzling into his chest. He wrapped his arm around the delicate waist and Hiei held his breath, unsure what would come next. He could see Yusuke's eyes flick to him again as he bent to the redhead, claiming his lips in a kiss that pushed the boundaries of profane and pornographic. Hiei couldn't tear his eyes away, though. He stared, fascinated as Kurama melted into his master, his hands wandering into the black hair, moans rising from his throat. Yusuke's free hand came around and supported the fox's ass, massaging it. Hiei's mouth was dry and he was wishing for more clothing as his body reacted to the erotic images before him. He could feel the sweat building on his forehead and was about to yell when the two broke apart. A thin line of blood ran down Kurama's chin as he stepped aside, an expression of contentment, bordering on sexual fulfillment, on his face, "My Master is too kind."

Hiei shifted uneasily, "If you don't mind, I do have things to do tonight."

Yusuke's eyes traveled the petite form of the necromancer, taking in everything, the flush on his cheeks, the sweat on his face, the quick rising and falling of his chest, the beginnings of arousal not well hidden in his running shorts. He moved across the chamber with a grace that put Kurama to shame, circling Hiei before stopping in front of him, "Yes, I'm sure you do." He sighed, his hand coming up to touch Hiei's cheek, stopping just short when he felt the touch of a silver blade to his ribs, over his heart. The knife wouldn't do anything to him, but he still stopped.

"Give me the name. I don't have time for your games."

"Of course, omoimono, of course you don't have time for games." Yusuke stepped back slightly, enough to remove the knife from his skin, but not enough to be out of reach. He sighed, "Why must it always be difficult?"

"You're a monster. I kill monsters."

"And yet, you don't kill me."

"Not yet."

Yusuke laughed, "But you'd like to, wouldn't you, omoimono?"

"Don't call me that, and as soon as I have the slightest reason, yes." Since they'd met, almost three years previously, Yusuke had insisted on calling Hiei omoimono, sweetheart. Hiei hated it. He wasn't this monster's sweetheart. He wasn't even his girlfriend's sweetheart.

"Why don't you act on your other desire for me?" Yusuke asked, his eyes nearly black as he glanced down Hiei's body.

Hiei stepped back, "If I'm here just for you to taunt, I'm leaving now."

"I do have information for you, omoimono," Yusuke stepped back as well, a smirk on his lips for making the slayer so uncomfortable. "I also have a job for you."

"What job?" Hiei found himself asking, despite himself. He mentally kicked himself for even asking. Yusuke would never let him go if he started. He'd given something to a monster. Shit.

A look of triumph flitted through Yusuke's eyes. "I need to present myself to the Council with a human servant."

"Hell no." Hiei's answer began before Yusuke even finished the sentence. They'd been over this before. Yusuke wanted Hiei to willingly be at his side, his human eyes and ears in the world, able to go about when he could not. Hiei refused, flat out.

"If I don't have a human servant, then you will have to deal with a new master, omoimono."

"And that will be a bad thing?"

"Not all masters feel as I do."

"So I'll get a break from being summoned every time you're bored," Hiei shot out, his voice sharp as his blade.

"You may end up with more work than you can handle," Yusuke's voice was dark with warnings.

"My Master keeps us on a short leash. We all know that if we step out of line, we will be hunted down, if not by our own kind then by you. Not all masters will hunt down our offenders," Kurama's voice managed to cover the spectrum from practical to sinful in that statement.

"There are laws…" Hiei's voice trailed off.

"And not all masters respect those laws," Kurama answered, stepping closer to Yusuke. He tipped his head to the side, "Which is better, Hiei, the monsters you know or those you don't?" his voice positively dripped with carnality.

"Sometimes I wonder," Hiei shot back. He wasn't happy with the situation at all.

Yusuke snorted, "It's not like I asked you to sleep with me, omoimono."

"Tonight, so far," Hiei countered.

Yusuke sighed, gliding across the room to a desk, flicking on the desktop light as he sat. "Will you accompany me?" his voice was all business as he picked up a pen.

"What all is entailed? When? I need information."

"Have a seat," Yusuke gestured at the chair across from him.

"I'll stand," Hiei growled, his assertation aided when his pager went off. He pulled it off his waistband and looked at it. "It's my boss. Make it quick. I'm late for work.

Kurama walked over to the desk and Yusuke handed him a packet in a manila envelope. As Kurama crossed to Hiei, Yusuke explained, "The information is in there, omoimono. When you have finished your work for tonight, return and we will discuss it." He then turned to the papers still on his desk, ignoring the other two in the room.

"Are we really that bad, Hiei?" Kurama asked softly.

Grudgingly, Hiei answered, "As far as monsters go, no, but…"

"But, we're still 'monsters,'" Kurama finished when Hiei trailed off.

Hiei couldn't stop himself. He met the redhead's eyes and found them remarkably human, slightly pained. Guilt flared in his mind and he turned away, holding out his hand for the envelope. Kurama handed it to him, "Did you know, Hiei, that there are many among us who consider you a monster?"

Hiei's eyes again met the green ones, now looking vampiric, hiding secrets and older than possible, "I am a human."

"And you kill us," Kurama countered as if that argument had more weight. "And you raise the dead. You are a necromancer, Hiei."

Snatching the packet, Hiei turned to the door. He didn't have an answer. He hated that he didn't have an answer, hated being out classed in an argument by a walking corpse.

A/N As always I don't own 'em, which this time refers to the Anita Blake books I'm homaging as well as the YYH characters. I was asked to write a vampire story and here it is. It's still got a ways to go, though. I hope the ride is pleasant ;)