Chapter 2

"Eh? He found out? How?" yelled Ashley dancing over to where Shiki sat looking at his laptop screen. "Ya know, if you let me do that it would be done in no time."

"Ya, I know," Shiki replied glancing up at the blond gymnast who also happened to be a vampire.

"Are you going to answer?" she asked cocking her head to the side.

"He found out because my idiot of a friend dragged me to his club," Shiki replied now glaring at the screen. "Ah! I give up. You do it," he said getting up and heading to the kitchen.

"I told you so!" sang Ashley moving to sit in front of the screen. "Can you bring me some hot chocolate?"

"Okay," he replied, his voice muffled by the wall. He had no idea why he tolerated the talkative hyper-active blond…

"Hehe, he's so childish sometimes," the blond, Ashley, giggled looking at the laptop screen seeing why Shiki had asked for her help.

"I heard that," Shiki said walking back into the living room with a cup of coffee in one hand and hot chocolate in the other.

"And I don't see how you can drink that stuff. It's so bitter," replied Ashley acting like he hadn't said anything. "Thanks and you really need to ask for help before you screw things up."

"Yeah I know. You've told me that…" stated Shiki watching Ashley as she hacked into a remote computer server that was currently being used by Shiki's father and his fellow vampires.

"You know…Why don't you just ask your dad about this stuff?" inquired Ashley briefly looking up from the laptop screen to see Shiki's face before going back to going through his father's computer server.

"It's not that…simple," Shiki muttered. "I haven't talked to him in years and I won't exactly be welcomed back with open arms…"

"Hmm? Is that so? How come?" asked Ashley while typing away at the laptop.

"It's a long story…"

~172 Years Ago~

"Matthew, where are you going?" asked Faith, brows drawing together in slight confusion. It was two day after she had given birth to their identical twins, Hiro and Shiki. But Matthew had been acting odd every since she had told him that she was pregnant.

"Out" was his court reply before he grabbed a black duffel bag and coat and leaving Faith alone in their house with two infant sons.

"Matthew?" she asked tears beginning to form in her eyes before she hung her head and went up the stairs to check on her two sons. She should have known that this was going to happen. When he had told her about his world he had mentioned that although it wasn't forbidden to mate with a human it was very much frowned upon if the human mate or vampire mate became pregnant. And with Matthew being of the most powerful and influential vampire of his world, this was bound to happen.

"Oh, what am I going to do? Hiro, Shiki?" said Faith as she watched her baby boys sleep. That's when she noticed that something was horribly wrong. Neither of her babies where moving. Just lying there, as if dead. She gave a chocked sob as she realized Matthew must have taken them with him.

"heh…What do we have here?" said a voice suddenly from behind her, causing Faith to whip around. Her eyes widened in fright as she realized just who had come after her. She also realized that Matthew had saved their children from certain death. She gave a small smile as she waited for what she knew would come. Death. The only thing the Trace brought.

"Thank…you…" were Faith Narita's last words as she lay dying.

"I'm sorry," murmured Matthew as he disappeared into the night upon smelling his wife's blood. "I could not save you all…"

~Present~

"That's…" Ashley murmurs when Shiki had finished telling his story. She was at a loss as to what to say. She hadn't known that Shiki's father had abandoned their mother in order to save the two of them, even if one of them died anyways.

"Are you almost done?" asked Shiki finally having enough of the silence that had descended upon them when he had finished telling his story.

"What? Oh, yeah...I'll be done in a minute..." replied Ashley, re-gluing her eyes the computer screen.

"Thanks."

"Hmmpf. You don't have to thank me," snorted Ashley.

"I know, I know," chuckled Shiki. "But I'm going to anyways."

"Anyways I'm done so here," said Ashley handing Shiki back his laptop that was now displaying all the information he had been trying to get to.

"Thanks," stated Shiki smiling at the blond before sitting down in a chair and going over the information that she had accessed for him. It was going to be a long day.

"Ichigo. Who's Hiro?" asked Tatsuki from where she was standing overlooking the restocking of the supplies for the club.

"...He's an old friend of mine. He disappeared 5 years ago..." replied Ichigo absent-mindedly as if not really paying attention to what he was supposed to be doing. "I didn't know his brother was still alive..."

"Who was he to you?" Tatsuki asked pausing in her work to glance at him to see his reaction.

"Who...?" said Ichigo before sighing. "He was my best friend."

"Best friend?" questioned Tatsuki. "But wasn't he a human?"

"No," Ichigo replied. "If you want more information talk to his brother, it's his secret to tell. Not mine."

"Secret?"

"Ah, a secret. One that has to be kept at all costs," said Ichigo returning to his work.

"How did you meet them?" she asked after a few minutes of tense silence.

~50 years Ago~

"Welcome! Table for one?" asked the hostess. I glanced in her direction before nodding. I followed her over to a booth overlooking the river. "Here's the menu, your waiter will be along shortly." She smiled as she left to go attend to a small family that had just walked in. I glanced at the menu before setting it down and looking out the window. I was in New York for work. My father had insisted on me going instead of him since he has adamantly expressed his feelings for staying with my new twin sisters and my mother since she was "still recovering from child birth". Child birth my ass, I thought, he just didn't want to go to New York. I was brought out of my musings when I heard a slight cough to my right. I looked over to see a man slightly taller than myself. He had unruly black hair that reached his shoulders in the back and green eyes, though wire frame glasses covered them.

"Good afternoon, my name is Miki and I will be your server this evening. Can I get you something to drink?" he – Miki asked.

"Just coffee," I replied.

"I'll bring it right out," stated Miki before disappearing back to the kitchen. As soon as he left I turned my attention back to the river. The sun had moved to where it was sitting atop the river, casting the small restaurant in golden light reminding me of my home town in Japan. But it also reminded me that I had to go to a conference in the morning in my father's place. I scowled and decided that as soon as I got back I would start my own business.

"Your coffee, sir," said Miki placing the cup in front of me. "Can I get you anything to eat?" he asked pulling out a small notepad and pen.

"A grilled cheese?" I asked, sparing another glance at Miki.

"Okay, anything else?"

"Fruit."

"Okay, it'll be ready in about, 20 minutes," replied Miki before he left again.

20 minutes later he came back with my grilled cheese and fruit. As I sat there picking at my food and mentally going over what would happen at the conference Miki would occasionally stop by to ask if I needed anything. Once I finished my meal I asked for the bill before leaving the money on the table and heading back to my hotel. The next day the conference went on longer than planned and had to be finished at a later date, namely a week later. So the next day again found me at the same restaurant. It was the same hostess as the previous day so I ended up in the same booth too (not that I minded) and with the same waiter.

"What can I get for you?" he asked with a hint of humor in his voice. I scowled before replying.

"Coffee."

"And a grilled cheese with fruit?" he retorted I glanced at him before nodding, scowl still in place. "20 minutes." I gave a curt nod before glancing at my briefcase before sighing and pulling out the papers I would need to look over before the next meeting. I was almost finished with the first paper when Miki brought my coffee over.

"Damn, you're with Kurosaki industries?" he asked in disbelief when he spotted the logo at the top of the papers on the table.

"Yes," I sighed glancing at him only to stop when I noticed the look of concentration on his face. I didn't say anything, instead waiting to hear what he had to say.

"What if you tried moving the plot to a less populated part of the city but not to far as to be a bother to get to?" he finally said a minute or two later.

"Really?" I asked eyebrows pulling together as I glanced at the small map he had been looking at. "That…that could work. Thanks," I said giving him a flitting smile which was returning.

"No problem. So how long are you here for business?" he said making small talk.

"At least another week," I muttered glaring at the small print on the paper. I'd been looking at it all day and it was catching up to me in the form of migraine.

"Tough luck," he commented before leaving to attend to another table. I sighed again for what felt like the tenth time in 5 minutes.

The rest of the week I would stop by for dinner and everyday Miki would have something new to add to my work. I eventually started asking his opinion on some of the more important things. At the meeting everything went smoothly and Kurosaki Industries would soon have a branch in America. Once the meeting ended I headed out to eat where I had been eating all week.

"Back again," said the hostess smiling, "the same table?" I nodded in response as she led me to the booth that I had occupied at the same time for a week now. "Miki will be here shortly, you'll be his last customer before he gets off today."

"Thank you," I muttered as I sat down, sighing at the comfort the constant brought me. I closed my eyes as I leaned into the back of the seat. Not two minutes later I heard soft footsteps coming closer. I cracked open an eye to see Miki approaching with my coffee in one hand and a grill cheese with fruit in the other. I smiled again as he set them down in front of me before sitting in the opposite booth. I took a sip of the coffee before picking up a piece of fruit and eating it. "Why are you off early today?" I asked honestly curious.

"Today's my last day, my brother and I have decided to move back to our home country," he replied smiling while leaning his check on his hand.

"Oh?"

"Yeah…He's paranoid but it's paid off quite a few times so, I don't have any complaints," he answered. Plucking a piece of fruit of my plate and eating it.

"What country are you from?" I asked picking up half the grilled cheese to munch on.

"Japan."

"J-Japan?" I choked out.

"uh…Yeah," he answered, "why?"

"That's where I'm from," I managed to get out as I quickly recovered from the shock.

"Hm, I never did ask your name…" he muttered glancing out the window before looking back at me. I sighed before answering

"Ichigo Kurosaki."

"Nice to meet ya Ichigo," Miki stated. "So, how'd your meeting go?"

"Good, everything's settled so I'm leaving tomorrow for Japan," I answered glad for the sort of change of subject.

"Huh. So are we," Miki said.

"Small world," I replied smiling again.

~Present~

"And we just got closer and closer," Ichigo finished.

"And his brother?" asked Tatsuki.

"He disappeared not long after we arrived back in Japan."