The time spent at the beach ended up being a good time for all six guys. Though at the start Saru and Zexion stayed back while the rest of them built sandcastles and played around in the water. Zexion kept to his book while Saruhiko passed out for a small snooze, but eventually the two of them were dragged from their shady spot under the umbrella and into the water with the rest of them.

Before long, the sun was starting to set and the air around the beach had grown chill. Everyone was making their way off the beach for the night, and slowly the group of six did as well.

"Demyx and I still have some plans tonight," Zexion said as they walked across the parking lot. "We were going to head to a small bistro for an early dinner."

"Oh, is it the bistro near the skatepark?" Sora asked. "Cause we were all heading that way! We could still all walk together until you guys head off."

"Yeah! Give me a little more time to get to know all of you guys! Including Zexy's little bros!" Demyx replied as he slung his arms around Saru and Rku.

"No thanks," Saru spoke, shrugging off Demyx's arm.

"Aw, come on Saru!" Demyx pouted. "I've been dying to meet you, Riku, and Zack for a year! Finally getting to meet two out of three is pretty exciting!"

"I'm not in a social mood."

Riku slowly moved out from Demyx's arm. "Best not to try and push it with Saru when he's tired. Maybe you can try again later."

Yata smirked. "Someone a little cranky after their nap?"

"Someone a bit snarky after getting dunked on in a splash fight?"

"H-hey! That isn't my fault! You probably used magic and cheated!"

"I don't know any water based magic, so you did poorly."

Yata glared. "Y-you… just shut up! I'll get you next time!"

"If you say so Misaki."

Eventually, the group made it to where the skatepark was. Demyx and Zexion said their goodbyes before leaving the four there as they headed onward to the bistro down the block.

No one else was at the skatepark at this hour, but the lights were on so Yata and Sora put their boards down and started to skate around the perimeter. Yata did a quick flip on his board before he circled back around and grinned at Saru.

"Well Saruhiko, you may have bested me there, but now I'll show you the skills I really have!"

"And I can show off too!" Sora added. "Though, I'm not as highly skilled as Yata."

Riku smiled warmly. "I'm sure you're great."

Saru silently walked to the nearest bench, sat down, and pulled out his phone.

"Ugh, can't you at least try and watch?" Yata groaned as he skated over.

"How is watching you doing stupid stunts any way entertaining?"

"You'll see! I'll show them to you and you'll be impressed!"

Sora nudged Riku's arm. "Maybe we should give them space. Come on, I can show you the tricks I know on the other side of the park."

"You sure?" Riku asked. "Remember last time we left them alone?"

"We'll be across the park, I doubt they can get into much trouble," Sora laughed.

Yata started doing a few more flips on his board while he watched Sora continue to scroll his phone. He sighed heavily before skating over to some of the railings. "Come on Saruhiko! Watch this!"

He performed a trick and jumped himself up to the railing, skidding along it until he reached the end. In a smooth translation, he landed back on the ground and continued to skate around without any trip ups or stops in the entire act.

Saru only glanced up at his phone near the end, giving a slight shrug. Yata let out a huff of air as he started to move over to one of the quarter pipe ramps. He removed another maneuver, but Saru didn't say anything, still only giving occasional glances.

"Alright that's it! You better pay attention Saruhiko! I'm really going to kick it to the next level!"

He went back towards the railings, this time as he rode along the rail, he kicked off half way through to try and land on the next railing.

But when he tried landing, his balance wasn't quiet where he wanted to be. As he neared the end of the railing, he couldn't get the jump right. He landed sloppily, finding himself even more unbalanced as he tumbled off the skateboard.

He put his hands forward, trying to soften the fall, though he still ended up tumbling to the ground before coming to a stop.

"Shit," he cursed as he laid on the ground, gritting his teeth in pain.

"Did you hurt yourself, Misaki?" Saru asked as he got up from the bench and walked over.

Pushing himself up slightly, Yata fell onto his butt. "Ah, don't think too bad. A little scraped, but not bad,," he said as he looked down at the palms of his hands which were looking a little red.

"Let me see." Saru spoke, crouching down next to Yata.

Yata held his palms out, stretching his fingers a little, giving a slight flinch of pain as he did so. Small droplets of blood started to trickle from the wounds. "It's not a big deal… it's only a little blood…"

Saru took one of Yata's hands, proceeding to examine it closer. After a moment Saru decided to lick the bleeding scrape.

Yata froze, staring completely dumbfounded at Saru. His cheeks reddened as he attempted to pull his wrist away "H-hey Saruhiko… what the hell do you think you're doing!?"

"Vampire saliva has antiseptic properties." Saru commented before taking Yata's other hand and licking the other scrape clean.

"Uh… t-that's kind of gross," Yata muttered, still blushing deeply. "But… thanks, I g-guess?"

"You're welcome." Saru replied automatically, releasing Yata's hand and taking a step back.

Saru stood up, giving a slight lick to his lips. It wasn't very likely that any blood had gotten on his lips, but part of him hoped so, wanting to taste Yata's blood again.

He, like any vampire, enjoyed the aroma and taste of blood. It was natural to find it savory and satisfying, but for some reason Yata's blood felt even more potent. For once in Saruhiko's life, he had the slight temptation of craving specific blood. It made him start to wonder what it would be like to properly drink from Yata… his mind starting to imagine what it would be like.

"Uh, Saru? Saruhiko?" Yata asked as he stood up. "You good there?"

Saru hummed in acknowledgement before focusing back on Yata. "You taste good."

Yata's blush returned to his cheeks while he attempted to scowl. "What the heck! You can't lick my hands and then say something like that! That's weird!"

"Would you rather I lick somewhere else?" Saru asked with a smirk.

Yata stumbled for his words, mumbling until he looked Saru right in the eyes. "N-no! So quit being weird, monkey!"

As Saru let out a long sigh, there was a loud rustling in the treetops above them. In the corner of his eye, he saw a glimpse of silver, and out of instinct he pulled a knife out, throwing it towards the top of the trees.

As the knife vanished into the leaves, something moved again, this time breaking out of the treetop, landing down a few feet away from Yata and Saru.

Something in Saru's chest tightened as he stared at the person now standing near them. Whomever he was, he dressed himself in a black leather outfit. However in contrast, he had long silver hair that ran past his shoulders, and eyes green and vibrant that almost looked like they glowed in the night.

"You're rather quick," he said in a soft voice. "But not quick enough."

Pulling out a pair of knives, Saru dropped into a defensive stance, heart racing.

"Saru? Do you know him?" Yata asked.

"Saru!" Riku shouted as he ran over with Sora right behind him.

"Ah… and there's the other one," the mysterious man replied softly.

"Who's he?" Sora asked.

Riku hand thunder magic spark across his finger tips. "Don't know, but you and Yata better get out of here. He's trouble."

"What? No way! I can't leave you!"

"I can't let you get hurt!" Riku replied.

The man laughed, his tone still soft and slightly aloof. "Best to listen. You don't want to get in the way. I'll give you a chance."

"Yata. Sora. Just go!" Riku shouted urgently. "We'll be fine!"

Sora slowly started backing up. "F-fine, but you better be okay after this!"

Sora ran off, but Yata remained. He stood right next to Saru, straightening himself up as he balled his hands into fists. "Well, I'm not going anywhere. If you need help, then I'm here to back you up."

"Three against one? Now is that fair?" the man sighed.

"Maybe you explain what you think you're doing, spying on us!" Yata demanded.

"Merely observation. I watch how vampires prey on humans so casually nowadays, and then determine how I can fix it."

Riku let out a sharp exhale. "So you're a hunter."

The man smiled as he swayed side to side slowly. "Yes, that would be correct."

"We're not bothering anyone, so leave us alone," Riku replied. He gave a side glance to his brother, seeing how tense he still was.

"Yeah! Get the hell out or we'll make you!" Yata added.

The man hummed. "Stubborn… Guess I'll need to fight." Matierzing a gun from thin air, he pointed it first at Saru. "How about we start with you?"

"Hunters are hypocrites." Saru spoke for the first time since the hunter showed up.

"And you are a vampire, one who does more harm than good."

"At least we're not racist serial killers! Hunters will cut down anyone to commit genocide! Even the humans they claim to protect!" Saru shouted

"Those who set their alliance with supernaturals, especially vampires will be treated the same."

Riku gritted his teeth. "You're wrong! There's peace now, don't try and stir conflict."

"And I only follow the ideals of my family. We will have our way… no matter how long it takes."

Before Riku could reply, a new familiar voice shouted from behind. "You'll leave my brothers alone!"

Turning around, Riku saw Zexion running towards them with Sora and Demyx in tow.

"Six against one… I'd rather not," the man sighed before he vanished into whips of darkness.

"Where the hell did he go?!" Yata asked.

"That was some dark teleportation magic," Zexion commented. "He could've gone anywhere. But we're going to move out of here, now."

Sora went over to Riku's side. "You okay?"

"I'm fine. But…" Riku looked back at Saru, who still seemed to be frozen in place.

"Not again… I won't let it happen again…" Saru muttered out, before finally relaxing his stance, but not putting his knives away.

Zexion was the first to move towards Saru. "Saru, are you with us?"

"Yeah…"

Zexion sighed. "He had silver hair didn't he?"

Saru nodded, visibly shaking now.

Riku now stepped up to Saru, hesitating slightly as he lifted his arms. "Do you… you know, need…?"

Saru shook his head. "Not here."

Riku stepped back, nodding. "Yeah, sure thing. You wanna go home now?"

"If you wish, we can head back if you feel it would be best for you," Zexion added.

"I'll be fine." Saru answered softly, his voice wavering slightly at the end.

Zexion turned around to face Yata, Sora, Demyx. "I think it would be best if we headed home for the night. Demyx, could you make sure that these two make it home safely?"

Demyx nodded. "You got it, I'll keep a good eye on them, Zexion."

Yata huffed as he went to pick up his skateboard. "We're not children you know, we can walk home ourselves."

"After this encounter, I'm sure it would ease all of us if we did it this way," Zexion replied. "It would be for the best if Riku and I can get Saru home now. I hope that you can understand."

"I understand," Sora replied. "Come on, Yata, we can always text and call them later."

"Yeah yeah. It's more about being escorted home, but whatever."

Demyx chuckled. "Aw it won't be that bad! I'm sure we can have a fun chat on the way to wherever it is you live!"

Riku looked at Sora. "I'll text when we're home, okay?"

"Me too," Sora replied.

After that, Demyx, Yata, and Sora headed out of the skatepark, towards one of their houses. With the three vampire brothers left, Zexion took the lead as they walked in the direction of their home.

"I know this may be hard, Saru, but just so you know, I am going to keep investigating this," Zexion stated.

"That's fine."

"With what I last researched about this neo hunter group… that man is definitely a part of it. There's no doubt about it."

"But how did he find us?" Riku asked.

"I can't say for sure, but hunters are well-trained to track vampires unfortunately…" Zexion sighed. "But with what I have researched before, it shouldn't be too hard to dig up more, even if they do cover their tracks quite well."

Saru hummed some form of a response, staring down at the ground as they kept walking.

"I also will say, if I find myself too deep with my research, I would prefer it if you two stay out," Zexion stated after a few moments.

"You can't be serious, Zexion," Riku replied. "There's no way we would let you throw yourself into dangerous places like that."

Zexion sighed softly. "But I don't wish for either of you to get hurt. As your older brother, I have to at least try to look out for you two."

"You still aren't the oldest. Zack is. We need to talk about this to Zack," Riku retorted. "I'm sure he wouldn't let you do anything reckless."

Zexion sighed in defeat. "I suppose you're right. We'll talk to Zack when we get back, sounds good?"

Riku gave a nod. "Yeah, sounds good to me."

"Then we might as well pick up speed, best to not linger in case we're still being watched," Zexion replied.

The other two nodded before all three of them picked up speed, running deeper into the forest in the hopes that they would lose track of the mysterious hunter. Even if it was a brief encounter, the moment was still fresh and lingering in all of their minds.

There was at least one hunter in the area, and he knew that they were vampires.

They were now targeted.