Blood Tears,

Chapter Ten:

Flight

Disclaimer: I don't own Shaman King, but I do own Nekros. Nyah.

Note: I have no idea exactly what I should be calling the place where Yoh and the others are staying… Please correct me if I'm wrong… (Is 'Totally Lost'.)

To solve the window problem, Ryu found an old can of black paint and painted over the panes until the room was only filled with a light glow, as of moonlight. And by the time he got back, Faust was sound asleep. He would have liked to pause in the doorway and watch the steady rise and fall of Faust's chest but alas, there was none, and besides that, he had work to do.

"Faust. Hey, Faust." With a little shake Ryu tried to rouse his friend from his slumber.

"Was? What is it Ryu?"

"I have some good news and some bad news."

"Yes?"

"The good news is, our place is still there. The bad news is, my bike broke down…We'll have to walk."

And walk they did, taking Ryu's well known path along streets and alleyways, and Faust thought all the while.

'I don't understand… Ryu is taking this so well. I'd be horrified at myself by now. I'm a vampire! What am I going to do? I can't go on 'living' like this…'

All of a sudden there was the sound of gravel crunching underneath someone's feet. Although it was quiet, it was enough to break Faust from his reverie and make him turn around. What he saw was no surprise, however. Five men, all with a varying array of weapons stood behind them, matching menacing looks in their eyes. They said nothing, but their appearance spoke volumes. Faust spoke not a word either, staying absolutely still, not breathing, with his eyes closed, trying to calm the rush of instinct that flowed through him. All of a sudden It burst out of him in a rage of hell-fury. He darted towards the nearest gang member, immediately latched onto his throat and drained him dry, all in a matter of seconds. Ryu was frozen in shock and rooted to the spot, unable to move- though, did he want to? Faust had just killed the leader of the only rival gang for miles! But what was he thinking? Ryu shook his head to physically clear his thoughts. By that time, Faust had dispatched another of the five, dropping his hold with a quick gasp and a turn to the next, who was frozen like a frightened rabbit. They were all forced to watch as one by one, their comrades fell as lifeless, bloodless husks to the ground. It was the most horrid thing any of them had ever witnessed, this methodical murder in cold blood.

The last man actually had the good sense to run, but it was too late. In a blur Faust caught up to him, savagely breaking his neck to gain better access. He finished the man's blood with a sated sigh; whoever said that a vampire's hunger was never satiated was wrong. He felt full, pleasantly so. It was unfortunate that he had to do more than merely incapacitate them. But time was of the essence.

Ryu was struck dumb. Faust was usually always so kind, so soft-spoken, almost to a fault.

Faust was walking towards him, stumbling slightly.

"I guess I drank too much…" He then laughed at his own bad pun.

It seemed surreal, all of it. He felt himself go lightheaded. Faust turned, concerned, as if he had already forgotten what had happened. And the next thing he knew his vision went black and he was falling, falling…

When Ryu regained his senses, he blinked into a brightness that had nothing to do with the sun.

"Angel…"

"Oh Ryu! You're alright!" Ryu was suddenly enveloped in a hug, which he instantly returned. They remained that way for a few seconds, until Faust suddenly thought of something, twisting around so he could take off one of his gloves. Faust gasped in joy and amazement at what he saw.

"What is it?" Ryu asked, confused now.

"It's normal! No blue, no veins… just… normal… I must be at least ten years younger! Ryu, look at my eyes!" Ryu did as asked and it was his turn to make a surprised sound. Faust's eyes, once underlined with dark circles, now looked awake and alert for once. Too add to that, Faust's eye color had gone from a dull silvery turquoise to an unnerving electric blue. They stared into each others' eyes with an unbreakable intensity, drawing imperceptibly closer before Ryu's eyes caught sight of that brightness he'd seen upon awakening.

"Your hair… No wonder I mistook you for an angel!" Faust blinked at him, feeling minutely disappointed for a moment, before grabbing some of his hair and bringing it before his face so he could see it. His hair was a shimmering pale blond, not like an albino, but more unearthly; it was breathtakingly beautiful now.

Unbeknownst to them, the sun had started to peek over the treetops. It soon became clear, despite their admiring Faust's new appearance, that something was up.

"What's wrong? Is- Oh gods! The sun!" And it was obvious that Faust was in pain from the sunlight, he gritted his teeth to keep from crying out as they resumed running once more. The pain became unbearable for Faust once they cleared the slightly darker alley, and he was unable to hold sound in any longer.

The harsh sunlight had burnt off large patches of his skin, exposing a flash of white bone before that too was charred within moments. Faust was making short, yet loud shrieks of pain, enough to draw curiously concerned looks from all passersby in earshot.

They were almost there; Ryu could see their safe haven only a dozen or so yards away. Faust was beginning to stop making those shrieks, and to start quietly whimpering. This didn't bode well; it meant Faust's power to stay coherent was dwindling. Faust would die for good for certain if he didn't do something. Faust was starting to lag behind, so Ryu picked him up quickly, and therefore sped up their pace by quite a bit; it was enough to get them to safety in time.

The old building's doors and windows were boarded up, so once they went through the secret entrance they were in relative pitch blackness. Ryu quickly turned on a lamp so he could assess the damage to his friend. He was no doctor, but he knew it must be bad enough to cause excruciating pain. Faust had lost consciousness, that wasn't a good sign, but it might mean he was conserving his energy to heal.

As the hours passed, Faust's burns healed slowly before his eyes. Ryu was much relieved, not willing to admit defeat quite so soon. But as the hours passed, so did the sun move through the sky, heading towards the horizon. Faust eventually woke, sitting up on the makeshift bed that Ryu had put together. His expression let Ryu know just how scared he really was, a look that was reflected in his own eyes, he was sure.

It was almost sunset. It was almost the end of days. Despite whatever 'love' that Nekros felt for Faust, both of them knew that the other vampire would soon be after them, filled with pent up rage.

"Ryu." Ryu looked up, expression filled with hopelessness. "If I could only ask you one thing, would you do it?" Ryu knew better than to agree without hearing the rest, having a sinking feeling he knew where this was going. "I need you to stake me… end this pitiful excuse for a 'life'." Ryu closed his eyes and clenched his hands.

"I love you! I can't!"

"You can, it's easy. If you do love me… then you'll kill me. Please Ryu…" The look on Faust's face was heartbreaking. He sat next to Ryu, clutching the other's shirt in his hands while resting against his leg. Ryu shook his head vehemently, standing firm on his decision.

"Wouldn't that mean giving in to death? That thing you hate more than anything in our world? Do you remember the years you toiled to bring others back? Or hove you forgotten all that was dear to you?"

Faust's mouth opened and closed a few times, but no words came out. His eyes welled up with those tears of blood, and he managed to choke out,

"No. I haven't… I haven't forgotten. How could I ask you this?" The tears came then, and Ryu held him in a tight embrace.

"It's okay, I understand."

"What are we going to do? I can feel him getting strengthened by the night just as I!"

"I have an idea… There's a basement in here, with only one way in. I'll bar the door as best I can, alright?"

Ryu leaned against the barrier he had set up in front of the door, testing it for any weaknesses. Finding none, as he had done this several times before, he turned to Faust with a small smile.

"This should be more effective than a simple window, don't you think?" Faust had his arms wrapped around himself as though he were cold.

"I certainly hope so, for both of our sakes…"

There were no windows in the small room, so they couldn't see if the sun had set by now. But Faust could sense it. Ryu looked at him at length, and he nodded. This was it.

"He's getting closer… I can feel it."

"How do we have?" Ryu's face was grim. Faust paused, thinking.

"Three minutes at most."

"Fuck. Why is he so set on you? You didn't even do anything but resist from the very beginning!" The doctor-turned-vampire's face abruptly shot around to stare at the door.

"He's here." he whispered.

"Oh my, it seems I've got kitty cornered!" Nekros' voice rang out, with a happy tone due to his little pun. There was a great force upon the door, but the barrier held. They could hear the frown in Nekros' next words. "What's this?" Then there was an uneasy silence. A few seconds later, Faust backed up quickly to the far wall, pressing himself into it like he hoped he'd disappear. Ryu was about to ask why, when he saw it too. A blurriness had emerged around the edges of the door, and then a black mist slowly crept in.

It gathered into a hazy, hovering shape in the air- It was Nekros, using a newly acquired power to get inside.

"No!" Ryu picked up a loose pipe from off the floor and swung it at the rapidly solidifying shape. But it was too late. Nekros, now whole, easily blocked the blow with his upraised arm. His eyes, however, were on the still-cowering Faust.

"Poor thing… You don't have to fear, I haven't come for revenge on you." Nekros briefly flickered his gaze to Ryu's enraged eyes. Ryu knew better than to challenge him now; it could very well cost him his life. Nekros stalked over to where Faust stood, staring at him with wide fearful eyes, despite the older vampire's assurance.

Nekros grabbed the doctor by the wrist and pulled him tightly to his chest. Faust struggled, but it was in vain; his grip was that of steel. Before Ryu could do or say anything, they started to fade into that black mist, which began to flow through the cracks in the doorframe. Faust looked at Ryu the whole time with desperate eyes. As they finally vanished, Ryu let out an inarticulate cry of rage and loss, as he tore apart the clutter that blocked the door.

But by the time he could open it, he was only able to catch the barest glimpse of large wings framed by the moon. Ryu fell to his knees in grief. He had been defeated yet again.

End Notes: I swear I wrote this without intending for an Underworld type eye thing… ("D'oh face".)