A/N: This one is actually an important chapter but, it's 10:35pm and I have work in the morning but I intend to post it tonight… So, I'll probably be tired with a shit chapter that I hate… Ugh, waiting for laundry sucks.

At the sound of the car door closing, Kain exhaled in relief. For at least a couple of hours, he wouldn't hear Lee's whiny voice… though, he'd miss the blood. He swallowed audibly as Kiryuu slammed the door behind him, his eyebrow raising. "You good?"

"More than." He assured. With a nod, Kiryuu started the vehicle.

"Where we going?" A new voice interrupted, covering a yawn. Kain almost jumped as Kaito blinked, his head between the two seats.

"Munachen."

"Again?" Kaito fell back into the seats, covering his eyes with his forearm. "Why do E's like that place?"

"It's the retirement place for Level E's." Kain answered. Both Hunters stared at him.

"They have those?" Kaito asked.

"Then… What's their honeymoon place?" Kiryuu questioned.

"… I was kidding…"

"Never kid about Level E's." Kiryuu warned.

"Why?"

"As a vampire, any information given is considered word of God." Both vampires flinched.

"But… You guys hunt them for a living." Kain stated.

"Hunt, yes. We can recognize patterns but, you might have a deeper understanding as to why." Kiryuu explained.

"Fine… I'll be surly and sarcastic."

"… You'll be Bobby."

"I'm Dean!" Kaito called. Kiryuu glared at him from the corner of his eye.

"Sam was the cooler Winchester, anyway." Kain muttered, just loud enough for Kiryuu to hear.

"Aren't you supposed to be sleeping?" Kiryuu questioned his partner, pulling onto the highway.

"Nah, sleeping's for wimps." Kaito grinned at Kain, unsettling the aristocrat. "Did you hear?"

"Hear… What?"

"Why…" Kiryuu sighed. Kain wasn't sure what that meant until Kaito shoved his phone in Kain's face.

"I have a girlfriend." The enthusiasm reminded Kain of Touya's excitement, literally rocking onto the balls of her feet to show Kain her newest obsession. Kain smiled politely, taking the phone from Kaito. "That's us at the pier."

"She looks like she hates the photos." He commented.

"She does but, she agreed to these." Kaito grinned again as Kain handed the phone back to him.

"Do you have any of the two of you together?"

His smile fell. "No… No one wants to take any."

"Does she have one of you?"

"Yeah, she has a few."

"Sometimes, that's all you need." Again, Kaito grinned, falling to his side as he held his phone in his arms, snoring almost instantaneously.

"You dealt with that well." Kiryuu assessed.

"Ever deal with Touya and Wakaba?" Kain shook his head. "Much more energy."

"Just dealing with one or the other is exhausting." Kiryuu covered a yawn. Silence ensued, disrupted by Kaito's snoring.

"Thank you for keeping your promise and bringing me along." Kain said.

"You'd just keep nagging until I did." Kiryuu watched him from his peripheral vision. "I guess we need some ground rules."

"I won't interrupt the rescue and –"

"Actually… It might be better if you do assist with the hostages." Kain raised an eyebrow, waiting for Kiryuu to expand. "I'm trying a theory."

"… Can I know what the theory is?"

He mulled the question over then shrugged. "Rima told me that I could use compulsion on people of a lower level than me. So, I'm thinking –"

"We use the compulsion on the hostages…" Kain nodded to himself. "Might work. Might not. It depends on what the bond is with the Level E. If it's a blood bond, it might be dangerous… Unless…"

His eyes lit up, much like Aidou's when he was on the verge of a breakthrough, nodding. "That might work… Course, Hana would be able to do the tests…"

"Care to share with the class?"

"Huh?" Kain blinked away the thoughts, meeting Kiryuu's eye. "Uh… Let's just say, working theory."

"Just share it." Kiryuu insisted.

"Well… If we can study the nature of the bond, we can break it easier."

"Yuuki's blood seems to be doing well. They seem…" Kain studied Kiryuu as he tensed slightly. "…like war torn people."

"Not exactly a vote of confidence." Kiryuu remained silent. Kain sighed. "So, how long until we're there?"

"If we hit traffic, not until tomorrow afternoon."

"And, if we don't?"

"Tomorrow morning."

"Are we driving all night or…"

Kiryuu snickered. "It's dumb to start hunting a hostage in the dark. Tell signs are easier spotted in the daylight – dazed, paranoid… Constantly readjusting clothing… The shakes if they've been fed on for a while."

"Okay… So, do we just pull over and nap?"

"No, no. We use the same motel every time." Kain wrinkled his nose at that. "What/"

"Doesn't it bother you?"

"What?"

"Sleeping on a bed that has other people's… stains."

"Your aristocrat is showing."

"So, it doesn't bother you?"

"It's fine." He sighed. "I don't really sleep."

"Are we all going to share a room?"

"No. Kaito gets his own room, I get my own room…"

"And, I get my own?" Kiryuu shrugged.

"They don't have three rooms. Just the two." Kaito announced, the bruise on his cheek darkening. Kain shifted uncomfortably.

"Waitress?" Kiryuu asked.

"Yeah." He rubbed the fresh bruise, turning towards the staircase. He raised his arms over his head. "Didn't get enough sleep."

"Uh-huh." Kiryuu stopped following Kaito, his eyes following the open hand and trailing to Kain's face. With eyebrow raised, he tilted his head. "What?"

"Key." The aristocrat stated. Kaito turned towards the pair, his expression quizzical.

Kiryuu's eyebrows furrowed. "Huh?"

"Key." He jerked his head towards the van.

Understanding dawned on Kaito before Kiryuu. "Because they didn't have a third room?"

Kain nodded. Kiryuu rolled his eyes. "Stop acting like a princess. I can sleep on the floor."

"Certainly not."

"You can have the floor if it makes you feel better." Kiryuu and Kaito started up the stairs, Kain following them.

"Really? You want to sleep on –"

"They change the sheets." Kiryuu assured.

"It may not be a thousand thread count like you're familiar with but, it's comfortable." Kaito added.

"It's not that." Kiryuu jerked his head towards their companion. "He's afraid of the stains."

"Wimp."

"Right?"

"I can hear you two." Kain muttered, landing on the top step.

"That's why we're saying it." Kiryuu answered.

"He's sleeping with you, right?" Oblivious to the statement, Kaito held out his phone. "I've got a call to make."

"Yeah, yeah. We'll give you privacy."

"Mm." Kaito closed the door on Kiryuu's face as the other made his way to the next room. Kain eyed it critically, the small bathroom and bed linen a dark color. Kiryuu collapsed on the bed, resting his arms behind is head.

He sighed, one eye peering at the taller. "Either get in or get out but, close the damn door."

"…Fine." Kain did as instructed, throwing something at Kiryuu. Kiryuu lifted the object, revealing a coat.

"Why?"

"If you insist on sleeping on… That, at least make sure you have a cover over top." He scrunched his nose in distaste, settling his luggage at the foot of the bed and collapsing on top of it. "Honestly… It doesn't matter how much Febreeze they use, it stinks."

Kiryuu scoffed. "Sorry we don't stay in four-star hotels."

"At least a little cleaner would be nice."

"It's cheap, close and people here are friendly enough."

"Considering the mark on Kaito –"

"He earned that. Slept with the waitress and scared her out of her mind about him never coming back."

"… Regardless…" Kain sighed. "If you're going to be hunting, shouldn't your quarters be… decent?"

"Take it up with management." Kiryuu jerked his thumb towards Kaito's room.

"And be a Karen and a princess?" Kain shook his head throwing his duffel on the floor. "No thank you."

Kiryuu snickered. "You're fine with being a princess but not a Karen?"

"Deal with enough Karen's, you become one… Or, you die."

"Okay, Batman." Kiryuu shook his head. Through the silence, they could hear Kaito's conversation. "Ugh, lovey dovey crap."

"Let him enjoy the relationship."

"He can enjoy it all he wants but, I don't need a recap."

"He's shared that information?" Kain asked, setting himself on the bed..

"No, no. Like what she said, what she wore… Trying to find deeper meanings…" Kiryuu shook his head.

"Exhausting?"

"Very."

"More exhausting than the three meetings?"

Kiryuu snorted. "That was a different type of tiring."

"How?"

"You dealt with Rima when she was dealing with her crushes."

"Yeah. But, I never felt it was tiring."

"That's cause you're a good person."

Silence. Kain broke it. "What do you do while you're waiting?"

"Contemplate past sins."

"Really?"

Kiryuu shook his head, sitting up. "It's your first hunt, Kain. Get some sleep."

"What should I expect?"

The Hunter shrugged. "It differs every time. Most times, it's just a few hostages. Sometimes, it's a Level E."

"Have you ever tried kidnapping the Level E?"

"Why would I do that?"

"Theory… What if the hostages follow you because you have their E?"

"You'd be willing to take the risk?"

"If it helps do a clear out within minutes…"

"… We have weapons to kill them."

"I'm not saying don't kill them. I'm saying use them."

"You're pretty ruthless." Kiryuu smirked at Kain's blank expression. "Between you and dad, I'm curious as to how many theories you two came up with."

"Too many. Most of them about his experiments."

"He never gave you credit?"

"I don't need credit for opening my mouth and offering suggestions."

"Still…" Silence. Kiryuu spoke again. "But, you still need sleep."

"I don't need sleep."

"Your first mission. You need sleep."

Kain sighed. The hint to shut up hurt.

Kain hissed, his fangs elongating and shrinking back into his upper jaw. He tried his best to cover the sign of withdrawal, gripping the carpet underneath. By now, Lee would have forced him to drink. He tried not to make any sound, the violent shaking and twitching more irritating than painful. Normally, he'd have bitten his wrist but, the smell of blood would alert Zero.

At the reminder of the silver head, his fangs elongated yet again, slowly tearing through the gums. He felt the burning urgency bubbling to the surface. If he wasn't careful, he'd start a fire. He tried to calm himself, squeezing his eyes shut. When he reopened them, he was hovering over the Hunter, the deep sleep uncharacteristic for him. Kain's hand rested on his neck, the pulse consistent. He knew his eyes flashed red, his focus blurring his reality. His hand slid off Kiryuu's neck, the other whining softly.

Kain was glad for the noise, his eyes resting on the bruise at the top of his spine. Kain lifted Kiryuu's shirt, the bruises and cuts at least a week old. Still, the Hunter whined, unconsciously. Kain exhaled slowly, stepping outside of the motel room. The first wave of withdrawal faded, a dull ache still in every nerve. Ichijou's face passed his retina, his usual friendly smile…

Kain hated burning himself. He raised his wrist to his mouth, calming down the moment the blood flooded into his mouth. He'd be angry later. Right now, Kiryuu needed him collected.

A/N: Not sure if that was good or not – it's almost two am here. Sweet dreams, my darlings.