A/N: Sixth chapter! Finally, I'm nearing the freaking "meat of the matter." I feel like it took forever...

Special Thanks: To all you reviewers, to all you people who give long reviews (I love you!), and of course, my beta Asami-chan! You're the best because you can stand my weird writing style. XP

Warnings: Vampires, BL

Pairings: Thrill, Golden, Imperial, Endurance/InuKai, smaller but unimportant others.

Chapter 6

"Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay."

-Robert Frost's "Nothing Gold Can Stay"

Rinko smiled at Ryoma, her eyes watchful as he downed his last bottle of milk. A benign smile was on her face but he knew that she was inwardly calculating; she was likely wondering if she, as his mother, should interfere in his personal matters. She had been quietly upset that he had skipped school yesterday, but tolerant.

Unlike her husband, Echizen Rinko was a quiet, thoughtful woman. She may not share such a close bond to her only child as Nanjirou did, but she was his mother and no other person could claim that title. She could tell, even from her son's indifferent stance, what really ran underneath that cool exterior. However, when she decided to interfere, she did so with a subtlety that left as much impression as a phantom.

"Momoshirou-kun and Fuji-kun are here," Nanako announced, having just looked out the kitchen window. She smiled at Ryoma as he stood up with a hurried thanks, moving over to the genkan and pulling on his shoes. Rinko's eyes followed him as his hand reached for the door.

"Ryoma," Rinko called and the boy paused mid-motion. "Have a nice day at school, sweetheart."

A moment ticked by, and then Ryoma nodded.

Opening the door and calling out his goodbye, he walked past his front steps. The sun glared out from a partly-cloudy sky and Ryoma was aware the weather would be perfect for practice today: not too hot, not too cold.

Momo and Fuji stared at him.

Ryoma stared back.

"Morning," Ryoma greeted after a pregnant silence.

"M-Morning," Momo stuttered back, looking shocked at the familiar greeting.

Fuji inclined his head, once-opened blue eyes sliding closed but the face was left unsmiling.

Ryoma took his place between the two - there was a noticeable gap - and started walking forward. The other two followed him and they continued on in an awkward silence that Ryoma might have been enjoying a bit too much. Why should he have to explain his sudden mood to them? They should be able to figure it out for themselves. His senpai really did just make a big deal out of everything.

"Er...Echizen?" Momo caved, unable to bear it any longer. He was dying to know on where this - this what? Sudden acceptance? - came from. It's not like being told your friends are vampires is an everyday occurrence!

Then again, Echizen Ryoma was a bit of an unsocial brat...maybe he thought it was normal...?

"Hm?"

"Anou...well... are you...okay?"

"It was just a 24-hour flu, Momo-senpai."

Again, Fuji and Momo stared at him.

Did he really think that they would believe he was absent because he was sick? Then again, there was that familiar smirk on the freshman's face...

Yes, enjoying it a bit too much.

With a frown, Momo scratched the back of his neck. Really, sometimes, the kid was just impossible. It almost made him long for the days when he was as easy to read as an open book. Then again, that didn't turn out well in the end so it was probably better this way.

"Kachirou-kun took notes for you and Horio-kun has your homework. They were going to drop them by your house later today, if you didn't return," Fuji started, voice as calm and soothing as a lullaby. Daringly, he slipped one hand into the freshman's warmer, smaller ones.

A genuine smile bloomed on his face when the grip was returned.

As Ryoma grumbled something about "another loud-mouthed idiot" knowing where he lived, Fuji's smile grew. Blue eyes slid open only to glance over Ryoma's head, pinning Momo with a dark look, before being replaced by smiling eyes.

Momo glanced away, forcing a smile onto his face.

Kaoru isn't going to like this.

The rest of the regulars weren't sure how to act around the suddenly returning, seemingly-normal freshman. His blatant disregard for their - kind - wasn't a reaction they were used to; it wasn't that he was awkward about it, it was just almost like he didn't even care.

Kikumaru had floundered around a bit, looking confused, likely wondering if he could glomp the freshman now. Inui had muttered something while writing in his notebook, a disturbingly smug glint to his glasses as he took notes. Kaidoh hung near the data player, hissing under his breath, his face closed off from expression, dark eyes refusing to land on the young prodigy. Kawamura's and Oishi's reactions were similar: shy and reserved but they couldn't hide the little smiles that erupted on their lips every now and then. Tezuka remained stoic but Fuji insisted that he was pleased.

As soon as the Regulars were assigned to Court A, away from the otherwise ignorant mass of the rest of the tennis club, Kikumaru was on Ryoma like a cat on sashimi.

"See, I knew Ochibi wouldn't care, he was just a little shocked, unyaa! Isn't that right, Ochibi? You were cute before but now I think you're even cuter, 'cause you don't care what we are! That's because we're friends, ne, Ochibi? And friends don't judge!" He continued on in this semi-praising, mostly run-on manner as he strangled the other boy in a hug. Ryoma looked downcast; he had probably enjoyed his moment of freedom from the death-glomps.

Oishi was so obviously happy everyone was getting along again that he forgot to reprimand his partner, though Momo took sympathy and persuaded the redhead to release the freshman. Fuji smiled (of course), sidling up to Ryoma's side like he hadn't just abandoned him in his moment of need.

Tezuka wasn't going to miss out on the reunion as well: "Regulars, 20 laps!"

And life returned to normal at Seigaku.

"Eiji! That was mine!"

"You were too slow, Momo! Nyahaha!"

Ryoma wondered why he always subjected himself to this. He must be some kind of masochist; not only was he dating a sadist, but he seemed to always hang around with the two loudest members of the club. Masking his dejection behind indifference, he plucked a tamago sushi from the tray.

Next to him with a tray full of special wasabi sushi, Fuji smiled harmlessly as he watched the spectacle across the table. At the table next to their's sat Oishi, Inui, Kaidoh, and Tezuka; it was noticeably quieter there, though Oishi did look ready to jump from his seat to intervene in the little spat.

Using Ryoma's (questionable) acceptance as an excuse, a mini-party for the involved parties was underway. In other words, Kikumaru and Momo ganged up on Kawamura for free sushi, dragging along all the Regulars (Ryoma, by absolute force) for company. While Ryoma was not one to turn down free food, he was a little unnerved by all the sudden first name usage, even if he would never admit it.

"Ne, ne, Ochibi!" Kikumaru started, practically vibrating in his seat as if he would explode if he didn't move. "I have a great idea! Since you know, that means we're really close now!"

Ryoma didn't like where this was going.

"So-So-So you can call me Eiji-niisan!"

Momo was quick to jump in with a wide grin, "And you can call me Momo-niisan!"

Ryoma stared at them, his gaze completely dead.

"You can call me darling," Fuji added, smile widening as Oishi appeared to have a seizure.

Ryoma ignored him, gifting the other two Regulars with a look bordering on petulant.

"Yadda."

"Aww, but Ochibi!"

"We'd make better brothers than that guy we met on that cruise!"

Ryoma ignored them, turning to his boyfriend, this time looking definitely annoyed. He could tell the tensai was enjoying the banter and vowed to get him back for it later...somehow. He'd have to be careful, though, or the fair-haired boy would find a way to strike back, probably ten years from now when Ryoma didn't even remember this conversation. Damn grudging bastard.

Come to think of it, weren't a lot of the so-called 'tensai' this way? Oshitari was as manipulative as Fuji, just more obvious; he couldn't perfect the guiltless smile of Seigaku's prodigy. Much like Yukimura, the evil little bastard; he probably recovered from his illness with the help of the devil himself.

Coming to a sudden recollection, Ryoma turned to his captain with a bland look.

"You made the Monkey King a vampire." The accusatory tone in his voice was obvious.

Tezuka looked startled - meaning he had tilted back by half a centimeter and the light glared off his glasses in a blinding fashion - and he set his chopsticks down. The rest of the Regulars fell quiet, staring at Ryoma with various startled expressions.

"How did you know that-"

"Did Atobe do something-"

"Oh no, Atobe raped Ochibi!"

"Eiji!"

Ignoring the pandemonium his sudden statement brought, Ryoma ate another piece of sushi, as Tezuka didn't look ready to reply soon. Fuji was still smiling but Ryoma knew him well enough to tell the smile was frozen there.

"Did Atobe say something to you, Ryoma?" Fuji asked, his words cutting through and quieting the upheaval.

Ryoma shrugged, uncaring. "He was just being annoying," Ryoma dismissed. He still couldn't believe Tezuka would make something as annoying as the Monkey King immortal. His image of his buchou was beginning to crumble into tiny little pieces...

Settled by the dismissal, the others shared looks before resuming eating. Kikumaru clicked his tongue, looking over at Inui with an inquisitive expression. "Ne, who else are vampires these days? I know Atobe is one, as well as that hack Mukahi..."

Inui opened his notebook and Ryoma was beginning to wonder if the action was just for show. There was too much irrelevant information stored on the paper if Inui actually was recording it there at that point.

"Of the Hyoutei tennis club members, the only known vampires are as follows: Atobe Keigo, Turned by Kunimitsu; Kabaji Munehiro, Turned by Atobe; Mukahi Gakuto, Turned by Atobe; Oshitari Yuushi, Turned by Mukahi; Ohtori Choutarou, unknown Turner; Hiyoshi Wakashi, turned by Mukahi. I suspect, within the next three years, both Shishido Ryou and Akutagawa Jiroh will also be Turned."

Momo grinned at Ryoma, stealing a piece that the freshman was clearly reaching for. "Bet you didn't know there were so many vampires playing tennis, did you?"

Ryoma snorted, swiping the sushi piece back. "I can still beat them in tennis."

"Is tennis all you think about?"

"Of Rikkaidai, the known vampires are as follow," Inui interrupted smoothly, "Yukimura Seiichi, Turned by Sanada; Sanada Genichirou, unknown Turner; Marui Bunta, Jackal Kuwahara, and Niou Masaharu, unknown Turners; Yagyuu Hiroshi, Turned by Niou; Kirihara Akaya, turned by Sanada; Yanagi Renji, Turned by myself."

"Data tennis sprouts data tennis," Ryoma muttered, eliciting stifled laughter from the two across the table.

Inui shifted, pushing up his glasses with a vaguely affronted air. "Of Fudoumine, Kamio Akira is the only noted vampire. Of St. Rudolph, Mizuki Hajime is one, and he is responsible for Turning Fuji Yuuta. In Yamabuki, Sengoku Kiyosumi and Akutsu Jin are vampires as well-" Here, Inui tilted his head in indication, "-Akutsu was turned by Taka-san."

Kikumaru smirked cattily, eyes piercing the flustered sushi chef-in-training. "Taka-san turned him because he thought Akutsu was funny."

Ryoma didn't understand how such an adjective could be placed on the rather frightening former tennis player. By the looks of the others, it seemed Kawamura's humor was regarded as strange, even by the likes of them.

"You'd think he was funny, too, if you could have seen the way he beat up those judou kids," Kawamura said, immediately defensive.

Momo leveled a look at the senior. "This is why you are an 'only child'."

Ryoma glanced at Fuji, frowning only slightly. "How exactly does that work out?" he asked. Unless they were all part of vampire families... which would mean there are a lot of vampires in Tokyo...

Fuji set his cup of tea down, a thoughtful look on his face. "Sort of like a host family would, I suppose. Over the centuries, we've managed to accumulate quite a bit of wealth; we pick a family that is pretty down on their luck and desperate enough to, ah, 'make a deal with the devil'."

"Hey, we're not evil," Momo piped up.

Ignoring him, Fuji continued on. "We make sure to pick the ones that would keep quiet about our 'condition' and in return for a background, we supply them with the means to being successful." Here, he smiled brightly. "Any legal documentation we take care of personally; government is naturally corrupt, so it's easy enough."

Crime, Ryoma's mind helpfully translated.

"Now that I think about it," Oishi mused aloud, "Tennis has become a popular sport for vampires this decade. I don't think quite so many of us have congregated to a single thing like this before."

Kikumaru bounced over to him, practically throwing himself onto the fukubuchou's lap. "I bet we started the fad, ne, Oishi? 'Cause we're so cool!"

Momo hummed quietly to himself. "Eiji's really taken to Syuuichirou's family name this time, hasn't he?" he commented.

Fuji chuckled, nodding lightly in agreement. "It's easy for him to draw out," he proposed. Ryoma kept quiet, choosing to not acknowledge the discomfort of the rampant first name usage.

With Kikumaru's and Oishi's impromptu love-fest, the mini-party quickly descended into a state of chaos; an occurrence quite common with the Seigaku regulars.

Ryoma never noticed that his bandana-wearing senpai had never made a sound.

"Real blood doesn't spurt that way."

Ryoma refused to acknowledge the offhand remark while also making a silent vow to not watch old samurai movies with Fuji. The tensai was entirely too open with his centuries-old knowledge - "Do you want to know what we really did to spies during the Bakumatsu period?" - and didn't hesitate in sharing with the freshman.

Cuddled - meaning Ryoma was slouched back onto the couch and Fuji was on him like a leech - in the living room of the Echizen household, the couple was supposedly engrossed in an old black-and-white samurai movie.

Nanjirou sat on an adjacent chair, putting up the pretense of movie-watching but was actually keeping a vigilant eye on the tensai to make sure his son was not somehow deflowered. In fact, he had practically dragged the two down to watch the movie, vehemently refusing to let them lock themselves in Ryoma's bedroom.

As a shinsengumi swordsman was ruthlessly cut down by a rebel samurai, Nanako entered through the front door, partly obscured by a large bouquet of flowers. There was happy sort of flush on her face and even the unromantic Ryoma could tell the girly glee emitting from his cousin was a result from some sort of male adoration.

"Tadaima!" she called out cheerfully, setting her bouquet down on the kitchen counter gently. There was a low chorus of "Okaeri," from the male populace, and they weren't even bothering to hide their curiosity as they stared from her to the flowers.

"Ah," she said, pulling out an ornamental vase from the cupboards. "Eisuke-kun was kind enough to give them to me today." There was clear adoration in her words and it made Ryoma queasy. There was love-love feelings radiating from her; as if it wasn't bad enough he was subjected to the Golden Pair almost daily, now he had to deal with her at home.

His attention was pulled to the flowers and his eyes trained on one that was eerily familiar. The petals were a soft white, delicately curved and numerous, encircling a sprouted center that looked to have been splashed by the sun. The gold weaved out from the center, sprinkling some of the innermost petals in a random manner.

Ryoma stood up - miraculously freeing himself from Fuji's hold - moving over to where Nanako was placing the flowers in the vase. The flower that had caught his attention was amidst a hoard of others but for some reason, he could not draw his eyes away from it. It tugged at something, some memory buried underneath his consciousness.

"What flower is this?" he asked his cousin, indicating to the one in question. Nanako paused, turning to look at the flora that had entranced the boy, a thoughtful look on her face.

"It's a yellow camellia."

Ryoma blinked, looking back at Fuji who had stood and followed the smaller boy to the counter. The tensai smiled at him, one arm casually resting across his shoulders. "They're actually native to Japan but are quite rare. They're only found in the Shimane Prefecture.

"It is a flower said to mean 'perfection'."

Nanjirou muttered something that suspiciously sounded like "So he's a flower boy," but went otherwise ignored. Nanako exclaimed surprise at Fuji's wealth of knowledge but Ryoma had turned his attention back to the harmless flower.

Tsubaki.

Kaidoh's steps were light, practically soundless, and beat a steady, ominous rhythm on the street. The streetlights lit the neighborhood roads but he didn't pay any particular attention to it as he naturally slid through the shadowed areas. His mind was in turmoil and it shone clearly in his eyes.

This was the problem with children, Kaidoh knew; sometimes, they were just too damn naive.

His mind flickered through his memories, at the easy acceptance gained by the boy known as Echizen Ryoma. Even after drinking blood, even after knowing that such a secret had been kept from him for years - by his closest friends - he had accepted it all so easily.

As if they weren't monsters.

That was because Ryoma was ignorant, Kaidoh knew. And as his good and dutiful senpai, Kaidoh would have to educate him; show him the truth that lay behind the facade. He had been so relieved when Ryoma had run, believing that the boy was gone for good; then he had returned, like everything was alright.

Well, it wasn't alright, and Kaidoh would have to show him that.

The Echizen house was large, and luckily for Kaidoh, easy enough to infiltrate. He may not have been as flexible as Eiji but he could still pull off impressive enough heights, if only because he was so darn tall. The distance from the fence to the large sill of Ryoma's window was nothing to his reflexes, already sharpened by centuries and vampiric traits. He was silent as he latched on to the side and was both relieved and dismayed to find the window unlocked.

Sliding it open quietly, he stepped into his kouhai's room. Karupin perked up from where she lay atop Ryoma's bed, where the freshman lay curled in what looked to be a restless sleep. With the grace only a feline could pull off, she pounced from the bed, mewled at Kaidoh with large eyes, and then graciously padded out of the room. Kaidoh knew cats were rather smart creatures but he was beginning to think Karupin was a genius.

His eyes moved to the small figure on the bed.

Kaidoh stared; Ryoma was completely defenseless. How could such a-a child understand just how vulnerable he was? How easy it would be for Kaidoh to hurt him, to kill him? How easy it would be to crush the pale throat beneath his large hands, to pierce the smooth skin and suck his blood dry?

"Echizen."

There was a momentary stir, as if the teenager really would wake up, but still he remained in slumber. Kaidoh was not surprised; Ryoma is infamous for his lethargy in the mornings. The boy was a deep sleeper indeed and it would take more than the voice of someone familiar to rouse him.

Kaidoh bent over the freshman, studying the face that shone in the moonlight. There was a vague sense of sadness that hung around him but Kaidoh may have been mistaking it for his own perception. Everything about Ryoma was a painful reminder, especially those damning eyes of his.

"Echizen," Kaidoh called again, brushing the damp locks of hair away from the boy's face. He sat on the side of the bed, resting one hand on the other side of Ryoma's head as golden eyes fluttered open. With dull senses slowly gaining power, Kaidoh patiently waited for the freshman's head to clear the fogginess of sleep away. Human reflexes were so slow; Kaidoh sometimes marveled at the fact that he had survived as one for as long as he had.

Echizen stared at him, wide awake now. Golden eyes glanced around the room with a sort of curious look before concluding that they were, in fact, alone. Gaze back on the older boy, Ryoma merely stared at him, as if waiting for an explanation for the appearance.

Kaidoh's gaze was even but he did let out a low hiss. Normal people would have startled at the sight of a person - friend or not - coming into their room unannounced, not to mention a vampire friend. Was Ryoma just completely dense?

"Is there something you wanted, Kaidoh-senpai?"

The calm, neutral tone of voice gave nothing away, but it did break the Viper out of his ruminations. Slowly, he let the natural flow of the change take over: his eyes dilated, the gold rim around the iris spreading to fill it with the color. His teeth lengthened and sharpened, and even with his mouth closed, his appearance still gave off the impression of something non-human.

Ryoma continued to stare at him.

"Echizen," Kaidoh spoke, one hand moving to pin both of Ryoma's wrists above his head. He used his other hand to tilt the boy's head so the side of his neck was laid bare. Still, Ryoma's gaze did not waver, nor did he make any motion to break free.

Prey instinctively knew to fear the predator. So why wasn't Ryoma reacting?

"Humans are very weak, Echizen," Kaidoh murmured, sounding almost diplomatic as he spoke. "Our strength alone is enough to crush your bones to dust. Vampires are, by nature, far stronger than humans." Here, he used one finger to trace along the exposed neckline. "Prey will naturally succumb to predator."

Kaidoh leaned down, face barely a foot from Ryoma's, and he made sure his mouth was open just enough for a bit of fang to show. "I can kill you very easily; once I've sucked you dry, I'll merely take your body and burn it to ashes to spread in the wind. It's so very easy."

Those golden eyes slid closed.

"But Kaidoh-senpai," Ryoma countered, monotone voice coupled with an underlying sense of lethargy, "I don't think you will."

The bland statement, so forwardly delivered, was enough to rock Kaidoh back. His one hand let go of the boy's chin, though his other remained holding him in place. Ryoma opened his eyes once again, peering up at his senpai with eyes that pierced right into him. Kaidoh stared at him and for a moment, pure agony flashed across the vampire's face with startling clarity.

"Why are you like this?" Kaidoh hissed, fists clenched but not hard enough to hurt the boy pinned beneath him. "Aren't you scared, even just a little?"

Ryoma tilted his head, eyes boring straight into him. "No. Kaidoh-senpai is Kaidoh-senpai."

The statement was enough clarification, in and of itself. Ryoma knew the bandanna-wearing boy was kind and gentle; over the years, he had come to find out Kaidoh had a soft spot for animals and the like. Kaidoh Kaoru was a gentle soul, regardless of his sometimes fiery temper. He was never cruel or mean-spirited, even to his kouhai; he did things with the intention of helping others. Courtesy and respect were part of his nature and he could never turn down someone in need.

Kaidoh-senpai is Kaidoh-senpai. And Kaidoh-senpai would never hurt me.

Kaidoh knew he had lost.

"Why are you like this?" he repeated, but it was more to himself than a question directed to Ryoma. He couldn't understand why such a difference in personality had cropped up; at first, he believed the thorny shell was a defense measure and had even entertained the hope it would put the others off. But it didn't, and now- now it worked against the boy!

"No matter what-! Why are you like this, Kin?"

For a breathtaking moment, time stood still.

Ryoma stared at him, only this time, emotions flitted across his face in a confusing myriad.

"What did you-"

Kaidoh jumped off the bed and too fast to catch - he was gone.

"-call me...?"

Ryoma stared out his open window, the sound of his senpai's voice spreading through his mind like poison.

Kin...

Kaidoh stalked down the street, eyes on nothing as his mind went in furious arcs. He couldn't believe he had allowed such a slip of tongue-! The expression on Ryoma's face, it was of confusion - and something else, but what? - and he had failed!

He had failed to protect him!

What else could he do? Time was running out now, he could tell; he felt the noose tightening as if it were around his own neck. Syuusuke was moving and he was moving so quickly, so expertly... Kaidoh couldn't even stop him. Kaidoh couldn't do anything!

"Damnit!" he cursed under his breath. Why wasn't he strong enough? Why hadn't he planned for this sort of thing?

Of course Kin would be reincarnated! He had been such a sweet person, of course he would get to have another chance at living! But still, Kaidoh had been unprepared. After Momoshirou had come up to them, squealing about some child who bore the uncanny resemblance to that village boy, it was only a matter of time before he would be drawn back into their web.

If only Ryoma had never came to Seigaku! Was fate so cruel as to keep repeating itself?

Kaidoh glared at the ground, memories slipping into a stream and playing like a movie before his eyes. The sweet village boy that had done nothing wrong- that had trusted all of them, with everything he had-

The heat was unbearable. The flames licked at the sky as if they had burst straight out from hell itself. The structure from which it burned was near to ashes now and nothing could have survived the hellish blaze.

It had rained that night. The water had poured down on the flames, putting them out, for whatever good it did. Kaidoh had returned twenty years later to that spot, the only one brave enough to face what had happened. The floor had been carpeted with yellow camellias.

"Kaoru."

Kaidoh froze and his eyes rose to meet horrible, horrible sapphire.

"Syuusuke," Kaidoh breathed.

END...Chapter 6.

A/N: I went over this chapter at least three times, trying to make the Kaidoh-Ryoma moment adequate. Kaidoh's character is so hard to portray! There was such a struggle, but eventually I was happy with this. Kaidoh strikes me as the type set out to do something with a ferocious exterior but actually is just a total softie. That's probably why he's one of my favorite characters!

And as for all the named vampires, well, the breakdown in my mind was simple: vampires would be rich enough to go to Hyoutei and Atobe likes a loyal following. On the Rikkaidai team, if one is a vampire, then they're all going to be vampires, because Rikkaidai players are just...like that. They're all close-knit and...and close.

I'll be honestly surprised if no one saw Akutsu being a vampire coming, and Mizuki had to be a vampire - how else could he stand up to Fuji to get Yuuta? In the original draft of the story, I was going to have Ryoma run into Tachibana to discuss vampires with, hence Kamio was one. That's not happening anymore, because Ryoma just won't talk to Tachibana, the little introverted brat. Sengoku is one for my own sick, twisted amusement.