Makoto rolled her eyes at the vampire wannabe leaning against the brick wall just outside of a nightclub where Minako had insisted Makoto meet her. They were set to meet across the street from the club, and shook her head. "Do they even think?"

Seeing who Makoto was pointing to, she shrugged, "I'm sure it's not like he thinks about it that seriously. And his main goal is probably met. He looks like the type that does it to find a woman who likes rough sex."

"But we're dead, wedon't breathe. How does he think we could smoke like that?"

They watched as he dropped his cigarette, stomped it out with his shoe, and walked over to a goth woman who had come out of the club. With their amazing hearing, they heard him say, "Are you sure you're willing to take the risk with me?" Makoto slapped her hand over her mouth to stop her laughter as he next said, "I need you to be one hundred percent sure."

"Yes," the woman whispered back. They could hear her heartbeat in excitement.

Both girls watched as he trailed one hand down over the woman's bare arm and then said, "You have to be all in me on this. Because once you leave this place with me, I won't be able to let you go. You have entranced me —I haven't felt like this about a woman in all my two hundred years of life."

"I promise, I'm sure. I want to be with you. I want to be your lover." They heard the worry in her voice when she added, "But I'm not that special."

He cupped her cheek, looked her in the eye, and replied, "You're special to me." He then kissed her passionately as he grabbed her rear and pressed her body to his.

As he reached up and gripped the woman's breast, Minako whispered, "See? Who's he hurting? He definitely got her consent."

Makoto frowned and hissed, "He got her consent by lying to her!"

Minako exaggeratedly rolled her eyes at Makoto. "She's excited by it all. She wants it to be true, so she buys his stupid story."

"He's tricking her into bed with him."

"You weren't fooled. You didn't sleep with that asshole." Minako knew Makoto's issues with this all stemmed from her own past.

"Correct," Makoto agreed. "But it left me vulnerable to the vampire who preyed on me."

"It's not the same."

Minako shook her head when she realized that Makoto was already gone and across the street, standing in front of the man. She listened as Makoto said, "Prove it. Show me you're a vampire."

She watched as he pulled the woman he was with against him and wrapped one arm around her. "I'm not interested in you. I found my Mate."

"Mate's are for werewolves!" Makoto spat out. "You don't even know what you're talking about!" She growled in frustration, a habit she got from Nephrite.

The man shrugged, "Says a jealous woman who won't listen to the word no. I don't want to sleep with you."

Minako actually groaned, and she watched Makoto's face transform to show she was a vampire. She couldn't believe her friend was being so reckless. It got her instantly texting Luna to scrub all the surrounding CCTV cameras as everything played out.

Makoto added, "You're not a vampire! Stop lying to her!"

With the woman still pressed to him, he said, "You're right." His racing heartbeat was unmistakable. He was scared. "I lied. I'm sorry."

"Tell her!" Makoto pressed.

He looked at the woman and said, "I took one look at you in the club and knew I didn't stand a chance with you. I'm sorry. I lied about being a vampire. But I only did it to get your attention. I meant it when I told you you were special to me."

"Better," Makoto said, turned her back, and started to walk back to Minako.

Minako watched, amused, as she watched the woman cling to the man and looked up at him. "You didn't flinch. She's a real-life vampire, and you were so brave."

"I-I." He paused. It was evident to Minako that he was trying to figure out how she couldn't tell he had been terrified. After all, he had given up the lie so fast that he had to have been. He continued, "I was scared, but you're here, and I couldn't let you get hurt. It's why I kept her attention on me and off of you."

"I knew you were lying about being a vampire," Minako heard the woman confess as Makoto reached her side. She shot her friend a significant look as the woman continued, "You always stood a chance with me." She then pressed the guy up against the brick wall he had been smoking against earlier.

"I did?"

"You did. And watching you stand up to a Vampire, that was so hot!" As she said it was hot, she reached down his pants and grabbed his cock. "Please fuck me against this wall right here. I want it so bad!"

Makoto whispered, "We should go."

"You don't want to witness the result of your interference?" Minako teased. "It could be fun. Free show."

"I'm not into watching others have sex," Makoto hissed out.

Minako shrugged, "That makes one of us." She then watched as the man pressed the woman against the wall and pulled up her skit. "It's not like they have the expectation of privacy here."

"Weren't we going clubbing?" Makoto verbally nudged her, trying to get Minako's mind back on task. "We should head in."

Eyeing her friend, Minako said, "Let me guess. Nephrite approved the outfit."

Makoto smirked, "He did. Don't fuss. It's endearing that he's so jealous."

Minako turned and walked away from the club. "Well, it's more appropriate for what we're really doing. Follow me."

"You said we were clubbing."

"No. I said, meet me across from the club. You just assumed we were clubbing."

Makoto caught up to Minako as she walked down the alleyway. "Then what are we doing?"

Minako stopped abruptly, grabbed a loose door knob, and swung open a door. "I got a lead on something, and I need your help if there is a fight."

"Kunzite couldn't come?"

"Admittance is girls only," Minako replied. "He might have long hair, but with his body, he can't pass for a woman," she teased.

They both walked down a long, dimly lit hallway. Makoto noticed how cracked and peeling the walls were with her eyesight. "This place is creepy." At the end of the hall, Minako entered through a battered doorway, and she followed. "Are you sure-"

Makoto was stunned into silence when she walked through the next door and saw five female vampires gathered around, sitting on sofas and divans. They all looked very casual to her, even though a man was strapped to the wall naked and bleeding.

"Blood type?" Minako asked casually."

"O-neg," one of the women replied. "Compensation first, though."

"I know the rules," Minako replied casually.

"Information or cash?" a different woman asked.

Minako smirked and said, "Cash."

"Fool," the woman replied. "The price is steep. Information gets you his blood for free."

Walking over to him, Minako stroked his chest. "How much?"

"Three thousand."

She scoffed. "That high!?"

The first woman said, "He has yokai blood in him."

Makoto was able to tell how much that had phased Minako. She was a trained policewoman and knew how to hide her emotions, but to her friends, she still had tells. Minako's right foot shifted just enough for Makoto to tell that she was grounding herself physically and emotionally.

"Your friend doesn't know what that means," the woman said, referring to Makoto.

Minako said, "It's the only way we can get high." She then sniffed the man and looked over at the main woman. "How far back?"

"As recent as six generations."

Cryptically, Minako said, "Now you see why I brought you?"

Makoto smiled. All she knew was that it meant she got to fight. As to anything else in her friend's plan, she was clueless. "You know I'm here for it," she replied.

Minako then surged forward and ripped out the main vampire's heart, and dropped it on the floor. She was glad to see Makoto had already sprung into action. In quick succession, all five women were dead.

"Thanks," Minako said over her shoulder to her friend as she walked to the man. As she got there, he glared at her and spat out, "Now I'm yours to torture and bleed!?"

"Good, they didn't break you," she said as she ripped apart his chains. "Time to head out."

"I'm not going with you!" He then grabbed his chains and, using the jagged broken end, tried to slit his throat.

Minako stopped him and tossed the chain. "I don't want your blood." She looked around, "Where are your clothes?"

"Those were thrown away months ago," he replied.

Makoto squinted at him and asked, "Why do you look familiar?"

He didn't answer but glared at Minako, "Stupid whore bitch!"

Minako rolled her eyes, "You're not going to anger me and push me into killing you." She then pouted. "I'm going to need to call Kunzite for clothes. Damn, he's not gonna love this."

Makoto didn't offer to call Nephrite instead. She really didn't want him to show up with a naked man in the room with her. She just listened as Minako tried to explain what was happening to Kunzite. She heard her friend say, "I rescued a man with Makoto, and his clothes are… er… damaged. Can you bring a T-shirt and a pair of sweatpants?"

The man eyed everything wearily but was curious why no one seemed intent on keeping him from running away. Once Minako hung up, he said, "My name is Joe."

Minako smiled, "You like to hang out at the Crown Arcade. That's where we know you from."

"I like to play the crane games there, yeah." He scuffed his foot. "What's your plan with me?"

"You have something I want," Minako replied quickly.

"My blood," he said brokenly.

Minako shook her head, "Nope. That has zero interest for me. How long have you been captive?"

Not understanding the jump in subjects, he answered anyway. "Three months."

"Exactly," she said, smiling. "That's three months of information being bartered for your blood. Please tell me you were paying attention."

"What?"

"I want the information you overheard while you were held here. We have an enemy that works in circles that include the supernatural. I'm hoping you have a lead for us."

Minako had been right, and Kunzite was not pleased when he arrived to discover Minako speaking intently with a naked man.