Disclaimer: Look to previous chapters.

Warnings: Look to previous chapters.

Note: ….It's almost been a full year since I've updated this fic. o.o; So sorry about that. Let's hope I can pick this story back up and eventually wrap it up. Forgive me if anything's really awkward…It had been a year since I've typed up the last chapter, and it's been even longer since I've last read the manga.

Chapter 4: Bargains

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Ryo awoke suddenly to the slamming of a door as Bikky came rushing in. The boy froze for a moment and turned to the dazed cop, "Ryo? Aren't you usually still at work? Did something happen?" worry tainted the boy's voice slightly.

"Mhm? Oh, Bikky, school's out already? …When did I…?"

"N-nevermind, Ryo. Why don't you go back to sleep for a while? I'll—" the boy was interrupted by the telephone sounding off. He turned and headed for the machine as Ryo let his head flop back down onto the couch.

"Hello?…Yeah, I remember, but I can't go. Something's up with Ryo…No…No…He was just sleeping…But…Eh? Carol? Carol!..Grr…" Bikky grumbled as he hung up the phone.

"Something wrong…?" Ryo mumbled into the couch, barely loud enough for Bikky to hear. He shook his head, "No. Carol says she's going to make me go to the concert I told you about last month…"

"Make…? But you begged me to let you go before." Ryo had lifted his head to look over at the boy.

"But…you're not feeling well, I can't just leave you—"

"I'm fine," Ryo smiled, "I'm just tired. I was stressed before I went to work, so I ended up having to leave early for the sake of my sanity."

"But…" Bikky eyed the man, his gut telling him that something was still amiss.

"Go with Carol. I helped you get that ticket, and I'm not about to allow you to put that money to waste." A soft smile met with the boy's suspicious glare, which soon melted away into a smile too, "Thanks, Ryo." A knock on the door a few minutes later signaled Carol's arrival, and Bikky left quickly, but quietly as Ryo had fallen back asleep on the couch.

Just as the two kids met up with a few of their friends that had been waiting outside, Dee shimmered into view right beside where Ryo slept.

"Still on the couch? You'll end up sore if you sleep like that for much longer…" he said softly to deaf ears, as Ryo would not be woken up that easily. Dee bent down and gently scooped up the sleeping man before carrying him to his bed. Once he was tucked in, the vampire placed a soft kiss upon his forehead before heading to lie on the couch for a while.

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Ryo's body stirred before his mind was ready for it to, and let out a low groan as he slid a little deeper into his covers. After a few moments of comfort, his brain finally threw a flag up and he quickly sat up, 'When did I get into my bed?' Quite awake, but still slightly groggy, he got up and headed for the kitchen. On his way back out, glass of water in hand, he noticed Dee fast asleep on his couch. 'Did he move me? …And I never noticed?' Ryo felt his face flush slightly at that thought. If he didn't notice himself being lifted and moved from one place to another, how many other actions could be unnoticed while he slept? Dee stirred on the couch before sitting up as a large yawn came forth. He then caught Ryo out of the corner of his eye and turned to smile, "Have a nice nap?"

"Y-yeah, I guess so…" Dee moved over to give Ryo plenty of room to sit down as he spoke, "Okay…What's bothering you then?" Ryo sighed as he sat down, fiddling with the cup in his hands while he mulled through all the thoughts weighing down on his mind. The vampire waited patiently, staring that the man sitting beside him with solemn eyes.

"Well…First of all, what am I supposed to tell my superiors about these cases? You are the cause of them all, but I'm quite sure you wouldn't just let me turn you in." Dee blinked, "True…I wouldn't. If the deaths were to stop, wouldn't you be able to label them as "unsolved" and move on?" Ryo looked over at him eyebrow quirked and suspicion within his eyes, "The deaths won't stop so long as you're around. But even if they did stop, someone would need to be found to place the blame on." Dee gave him a small pout, "Well, that's no fun…Hm…What if I find you a culprit?" Ryo almost dropped his glass, "Wh-what? You can't just pin the blame on anybody and, you're not dead. You'll still need to eat."

"Who says it has to be humans that I feed off of? Certain animals carry fewer diseases than some of the humans living within your cities…Anyway, that is not my point. I have ways that I can work around it, if you'll be able to move on when the 'strange' deaths stop occurring." Ryo shook his head slightly.

"They wouldn't be happy without—"

"Without someone to blame, yeah, yeah…I told you, I can take care of that too, if you'll let me and…" he looked down at his feet, as unsure whether or not to vocalize his next thought. Ryo looked at him quizzically,

"And…?"

"Nothing. Will you let me try to cover up my tracks first? If it works, I'll only have one more request for you." Ryo frowned and stayed silent for a few moments.

"…Very well. It can't be worse than the mess that you've caused up until now anyway."

"Really? Great!" he wrapped his arm around Ryo's shoulder and gave a slight squeeze before whispering in his ear, "Thanks." He placed a kiss on Ryo's cheek before shimmering out of sight, leaving the flustered cop muttering under his breath.

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Dee appeared in a dim alleyway and placed on his sunglasses before walking further down it. He jumped a fence with ease and knocked on a dingy gray door. After about a minute, the rusted hinges squeaked open to reveal a man that only came up to Dee's chest. His hair was still brown, but many gray flecks were trying to become the dominant color. He brushed his longer bangs behind his ears (the shorter ones falling back onto his face) as he smiled grimly, "'Ello, Dee. It's never good news that you bring me…" he sighed, shifting his small glasses as he closed his golden eyes. When he opened them again, he stepped back and motioned for the vampire to come in.

"So. What brings one of your stature to my humble shop? I've not done anything to cause you trouble again, 'ave I?" The man fidgeted slightly as Dee's head turned towards him.

"No. I've actually come for your services, of sorts."

"'Of sorts?' Now that don' sound too pleasant either." Dee gave him a grim smile.

"It won't be easy, but I will see to it that you are well compensated for the trouble if you can pull off my job smoothly. And no tricks."

"Eh? Why is it that I should trust you?"

"How about this then; you complete my job quickly and efficiently, and I won't be handing you off to a werewolf as a new chew toy!" his voice had filled with anger by the time he finished his sentence, making the other man cringe in fear.

"W-well, w-whe-when you put it that way…What's the job you n-need done, sir?" Dee smiled and leaned forward as he began, "You will start by…"

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