Together through murder (private, Yukio Takamiya)

[Alichino]

Cory walked around in the dark allies of London as he made his way towards his destination. He tried his best not to attract any unnecessary attention to himself. Although he pretty much doubted that the people on the streets was going to notice him since they seemed to be more occupied about their own lives to notice him. Even if it was dark outside, the streets were still buzzing with people. The stores continued to be opened to attract late shoppers who wished to delay their journey home as much as possible. Cory couldn't really say why that was, he could speculate about it or even better read their minds. But right now he was far too busy with his own deal. The shadows consumed him as he hid from praying eyes and the only time he showed himself was when he arrived to the place he had been called to. Cory looked around for a moment, taking in his environment in case something went wrong. The busy street was right in front of him, he watched as the people walked by with quick steps and he could smell the scent from every single one of them from where he was standing. It almost made him hungry, but he tried his best to contain himself for now. He looked up for a moment, observing the roof and then trailed down over the wall and looked at the fire escape which climbed over the entire wall. Looked sturdy enough if he needed to make a swift escape through there. Cory wasn't sure if he needed to escape from this encounter, but... considering who he was meeting, he wanted to make his options as clear as possible. Now the only question in his mind was where would this person come out from? Was he going to come out from the crowd? It could be a possibility, though blending in with humans probably wouldn't work out so good. Not with that scent tickling the nose wherever you went. Getting closer to it was probably not the best idea a vampire could have.

 

Before Cory could consider any other ways for the vampire to appear, something suddenly dropped down behind him. He was on his way to turn around and see what had just fallen from the sky, but it didn't take long before he was thrown to the nearest wall. The person pinned him against it, preventing Cory from moving anywhere and despite his struggles he held on to his grip. Cory turned his head and tried to get a look at who it was behind him and once he saw those eyes, he knew. You could always tell whether you were dealing with a vampire or not because of the unusual color patterns in them. His eyes were mixture of both blue and purple that glistened with the rage inside of him. Cory had a mixture of green and orange.

 

The vampire started talking without so much as loosening his grip around Cory's wrists. Apparently he was being seen as a liability and it wouldn't be right to keep him alive to kill another day. Although, there was a problem in the things he was saying. Vampires don't kill another vampire. It was against their law, their natural order. It was forbidden and the consequences would be dire. He couldn't kill him... So why was he still talking about it? At some point, the vampire turned Cory around to look him into the eyes and at that point, Cory noticed something. There was something else glistening in those purple-blue eyes of his... Curiosity? A quick glance towards Cory's neck told him everything he needed to know and a fear started to spread against him. No, he couldn't... Could he? Cory tried to fend him off, tried to get him to release his grip, but his struggles was met with overpowering strength. Cory hadn't eaten in a while which resulted in him being weaker than usual... the other vampire must have known about that. He had called him to meet him here after assuring himself that Cory would not be at full strength. Even so he wasn't about to just give up. His green and orange eyes started to reflect his annoyance over the situation and he tried his best to throw the vampire off him. No one was coming to his aid. He had to do this himself.

[Yukio Takamiya]

The breeze blew strong that night, sweeping through his long dark hair as he left the Hunter's Association building. Dien tucked his hands into his coat's pockets and started walking briskly towards the dark, hidden areas of the city. Parts of the city where only danger lurked, and that was what he was looking for. In this day and era, the biggest danger wasn't crime, it was the creatures that hid in the shadows, waiting for the right moment to pounce on their prey. Vampires were what Dien knew them to be. Creatures of the night whom he had been trained to kill since a very young age. Monsters whom he hated to the very marrow of his bones. One would say that he was almost rash, never hesitating to draw his blade the moment he saw one. And on the slightest signs of hostility, it was off with their head.

 

His footsteps made no sounds as they moved towards the dark allies, except for the occasional splashes when they hit the puddles. The night was unusually cold, and cold was something that Dien hated very much. They reminded him of those vile creatures and unconsciously, a frown had made way to his delicate features. Dien's violet eyes surveyed his surroundings, for some reason, tonight felt especially ominous and he didn't like not knowing why. Perhaps tonight would be the night he finally died? That seemed possible, but Dien wasn't worried about that. His ears had picked up the sounds of a body being thrown against a wall. It may just be a normal brawl between two people but Dien moved anyway.

 

Swiftly, he made his way towards the scene, just in time to see a man pressed against the wall while another stood over him. White fangs glinted in the moonlight, and in that moment, Dien had reached his target, daggers of pure silver drawn and ready to slash. In the blink of an eye, red filled his vision as his dagger sliced through the neck of the vampire whom had failed to react fast enough. Sizzling noises filled the air as silver burnt against flesh, evaporating the blood that touched it as well. The head fell first the moment Dien's blade had made a clean slice through, followed by the body, crumpling to the ground in a heap. Dien straightened up, wiping the putrid splatters from his pale cheeks. He then turned to the man whom had been previously assaulted, walking towards him to check if he had been bitten.

[Alichino]

Cory did his best to keep the vampire at bay as long as possible. Perhaps there was a way for him to escape through his grasp? Not that he could see one right now, but.. there had to be some way he could slip past him. The vampire was forceful and full of vengeance for the other vampire and he knew full and well that Cory's strength would tire way before his own. The vampire before him bared his teeth and was ready to take his very first bite from another one of his kind when suddenly everything stopped. Cory barely had time to react himself before a sharp silver blade separated the vampire's head from the body with one swift move. He watched as the head rolled from the neck and continued to roll over the ground beneath him. So much for that strength, all that was left now was a body and the blood on Cory's lips. As his attention was fixed on the blood he noticed that it wasn't just his lips that had been stained. As well as the killer who still stood in the ally Cory wiped off the blood that had accidentally splattered over his own neck and face. He glanced at the blood on his hand before he licked it up, feeling that familiar taste on his tongue before he swallowed it.

 

"You didn't give him a chance to defend himself."

 

Cory mumbled more to himself than to the stranger since he figured that he didn't really care what he said. He glanced towards the left overs of the vampire who just recently had tried to kill him, didn't really look at the man who had preformed such a magnificent kill. He didn't need to in order to know what was about to happen.

 

"I guess I should thank you, but I can't help but wonder... Am I going to be next on your list?"

 

Cory asked and it wasn't until now that he finally looked at the other man. He hadn't seen him before, not what he could recall and he think he would've remember such a beauty. His green and orange eyes observed the killer for a moment and tried to figure out who he was, or rather what he was. He couldn't be a vampire, Cory would've sensed his presence if that were the case... also because of the law he doubted he would've drawn that blade without so much as a hesitation. There could only be one person who could've preformed such a kill on a vampire, but this was the first time Cory experienced it first hand. He would lie if he said that he wasn't intrigued by it.

 

"Do I get a last wish? Or are you going to deny me that as well?"

 

He asked and unfortunately couldn't hide his amusement. His long blonde hair which had been shaved on his right side had made it through the murder without any stains on it. The same couldn't be said about his long black coat which did everything to enhance his slim figure. Some spots had also landed on his neck, but none of it seemed to bother Cory. Slowly the spots seemed to disappear. No, not disappear. It was almost as his skin sucked every drop of blood that had been landed on him. Absorbing all of it, Cory could slowly feel his strength returning to him.

[Yukio Takamiya]

"You didn't give him a chance to defend himself."

 

Dien paused in his tracks when he heard that. It was odd hearing this from someone who was just about to be killed by the very same vampire whom he had just killed. He was just about to reply snarkly that vampires didn't deserve chances, but stopped himself when he came close enough to the other man to see the dual colours in his eyes. Orange and green, an odd combination that didn't match, yet it seemed to be an exception for this man. His eyes only made his gaze more entrancing, and also further highlighting his sharp features. Dien watched as the splattered blood of the dead vampire got absorbed into this man's skin, droplets getting smaller into nothingness.

 

The night was silent and the breeze continue to blow as Dien stared at this man. He wasn't focused on how the man looked, no he was staring straight into those entrancing eyes. Eyes that told him that he wasn't human, but the very species that the hunter despised. Dien couldn't hear a word of what the man was saying, his mind was in jumbles as he tried to process what he had just done. Did he just save a vampire? Him, who hated those creatures to very core of his own being, actually saved one? He had thought it to be an ordinary assignment of preventing a human from getting bitten. But no transformation could happen this quickly which only meant that this man had been one for a while, and the other, was a monster preying on his own kind.

 

For the first time in years, Dien cursed, and loudly at that. Cursing himself for not getting the situation right before jumping in to the kill. It only made things more troublesome for himself. He could have let the other vampire kill this one first before moving in to take his life. He wouldn't have more work that way. Without responding to the other man's questions, his dagger was out once again in the blink of a eye as he charged towards the vampire. His hate for vampires was no ordinary hate had it not been for what they had done to him years ago. Rage burned in his eyes as his arm raised up high, dagger poised, glinting sinisterly in the moonlight and ready to strike.

[Alichino]

Cory had actually expected the man to answer him and for a second it looked like he was about to, but he stopped himself once he got close enough to see his eyes. Confusion entered his face and it seemed like he had a hard time processing what he was seeing. Did he not know he was a vampire? He must have. A hunter must be able to sense what their victim was since otherwise there would be all kinds of misunderstandings... Or was there something about Cory that he could sense? As that thought entered his head a bit of worry started to come across in his eyes. What exactly was the killer thinking? What had he figured out from the short moment where their eyes met and... why was he staring at him like that? Was he actually considering to give Cory a last wish before he died? Seconds after that, the dagger was again ready to be used and the man charged towards him with his weapon high in the air.

 

"That's a no."

 

Cory mumbled to himself before he managed to jump out of the way. With cat like moves, the vampire pressed his feet against the wall and jumped high up in the air. He moved right above the silver dagger and then turned his body to face the killer before landing on the rail of the fire escape. He kept his balance perfectly, but was still in a position that made it possible for him to escape again if he needed to and seeing how full of rage this killer was, he imagined that was a high possibility.

 

"Since you won't let us defend ourselves it's not justice you're handing out with that dagger of yours. The humans probably fear you as much as they fear any other vampire."

 

Cory couldn't help but wonder what this man was thinking. Had he been human his mind would've been like an open book for the vampire to read, but he wasn't human. Therefore Cory could only guess what this man had been going through in order to come to such a conclusion that no vampire could be reckoned with. He couldn't do it for the humans, otherwise he wouldn't have killed that vampire without any concern for the one he saved.

 

Cory glanced down at the corpse for a moment, tried to remind himself of his face, but once again he couldn't remember ever seeing him before. Yet that vampire seemed to know who Cory was. Rumours? Death between vampires spread fast so it was a possible... There are always two.

 

"It's not me you should worry about."

 

Cory said, turning his full attention back at the hunter. There was someone else out there. This vampire didn't come alone, they never did and from what Cory could conduct from the situation, this was only an apprentice. The one who made him had felt his death and could be making a new one to handle his dirty work as the two of them were speaking.

[Yukio Takamiya]

It only served to anger the hunter more when the vampire avoided his dagger. The vampire he killed earlier seemed to be weaker than this one, yet had been the one holding him down. If none of that blood had splattered on this guy, perhaps he wouldn't be jumping around like how he was now. This only served as a reminder to Dien how stupid he had been. At that point of time, his only thought had been to kill the vampire and save the human who had, or had not been bitten. Only that the 'human' hadn't been human at all, but a weakened vampire, who regained his strength after absorbing some blood.

 

"Since you won't let us defend ourselves it's not justice you're handing out with that dagger of yours. The humans probably fear you as much as they fear any other vampire."

 

 

"This weapon of mine will only be turned on creatures such as yourself, the humans have nothing to fear as long as they don't get bitten,"Dien replied curtly as he prepared to throw the dagger at the vampire. He stopped himself in time as the vampire uttered his next words. His gaze flitted to the headless apprentice on the ground before he finally understood and looked back at the vampire. "I am aware of vampire laws that say vampires can't kill each other. You must have angered someone rather terribly if they're breaking this law to get rid of you." And if what the vampire said were true, another human might be facing imminent danger as they speak. Still, Dien couldn't let this one escape. It wouldn't be easy to kill him, that much was obvious and he would be wasting precious time by trying to kill him before he searched for the master of the dead apprentice. As much as he hated to admit it, Dien was at a loss of what to do.

 

Finally, Dien reluctantly sheathed his dagger, glaring at the vampire with his deep violet eyes as he did so. "As much as I hate to admit it, you're right. You're next on my list once I'm done with the other. You can try to escape, but I'll find you eventually." After finishing his piece, Dien turned and walked down the alley, leaving the vampire behind him. He could be making a mistake, but there was no doubt a possibility that the master of the dead apprentice could be hunting another human by now. And if the vampire he left alive went ahead and turn a human, he would kill them both, both apprentice and master. But right now, he had to focus on the current task at hand.

 

The master wouldn't have been too far from the apprentice when he died. Vampires often came in pairs, ad they never stayed too far from each other. That was the only clue Dien had to finding the vampire, he only hoped he could find the vampire in time before he turned a human.

[Alichino]

This rage of his, the same rage he used to charge at a vampire who, to his knowledge, had done no wrong. Simply because he wore the letter V in his mouth. Cory couldn't help but to be intrigued at what could have happened to this man that let him feel like this. The vampire could figure that his blood was probably boiling with anger, his muscles were tensing up as the adrenaline helped to pump that fire inside of him. And yet, the smell didn't bother the vampire. Human blood smelled like a toxic waste you couldn't get your hands away from. You followed that smell whether you were hungry or not and in a town like this you couldn't get away from it, yet... this man.. Cory's interest in him wasn't because of his blood. There was so much more to him and it was the first time he felt something like this. However, of course he wasn't going to notify him of anything like that. It could be considered a weakness, so instead Cory let out a snicker once he heard the man's ridiculous reply about humans fearing him.

 

"Do you tell the humans that? Do they know what to fear and not to fear after you've murdered a person in front of them? In all their confusion do you think they can really tell who is the bad and good guy at the end of the day?"

 

Cory barely had any time before the killer took a firmer grip of the dagger. He was getting ready to throw it. Cory saw it and he in turn readied himself for the throw. He could catch it in mid air, he knew it. It might sting for a bit though, but that wasn't something he was worried about. The silver blade didn't scare him as much as the man who held it did... not that Cory was scared mind you... Well, maybe a little.

 

But as Cory readied himself, the man lowered the dagger and seemed to think about something. Surprised by his action, Cory refused to relax his body. He was still on guard in case that dagger was going to come at him either way, or perhaps the man was considering to charge again? That was a wiser move considering that he wouldn't loose his weapon if he did that. But even more surprising, the man did none of those things. Instead he decided to listen to the vampire. What? He mentioned the law and.. was he wondering about the horrible thing Cory had done for his own kind to turn on him? No. This killer couldn't be interested in a vampire, could he? The thought of that made Cory's smile grow wider.

 

"Are you jealous that there might be other people that want me dead besides you?"

 

Cory couldn't help it. This killer amused him way too much and... he didn't think he have had this much fun in a while. No, not in a long while. And all the while he was worried that he was going to get killed any minute now. Any minute now that dagger was going to be thrown towards his throat and a mighty pissed off vampire hunter was going to come after... The killer surprised him again as he put the dagger away and told the vampire that he was right. Was Cory really hearing that right? That really worked? To tell the killer about a more dangerous vampire to get him off his scent? It was true, of course, but he figured this man with so much rage for his kind wouldn't let anyone go, no matter what they said. Didn't he consider Cory as a threat anymore?

 

This killer was getting more and more interesting the more Cory got to know him and... even if his life would be hanging on the line, he couldn't let this person slip through his grip now. Taking a really stupid decision, Cory jumped down from the fire escape and started to follow the killer, keeping his distance and still very much on guard, but he kept himself at least within hearing distance so they could continue their conversation.

 

"Do you even know where you're going? How are you going to find this vampire, who have seen you kill another and knows what you're thinking?"

 

Cory wasn't sure who the master of that vampire was, but he thought he knew. He wasn't sure if he was close or even if he really had seen the death first hand, but what he did know for sure was that he probably was on the hunt for a new victim to turn into a vampire. Another lackey to do whatever he commanded it to do. That was the problem with the bond, it wasn't just to keep you hooked forever to the vampire that made you, but some vampire's abused that power and turned their possible allies into nothing more than personal slaves. Cursed to a life they don't have any control over. It hurt Cory to think about it.

 

"What do you know about vampires?"

 

Before Cory could even think about what it was he was asking, or even what he was offering, the words had floated out of his mouth and was now in the hands of the killer. Cory was just full of stupid choices tonight.

[Yukio Takamiya]

Dien hadn't bothered to reply to the vampire since he started walking, the other was starting to get on his nerves. Not that he hadn't in the beginning, why was he following him anyway? It was sad, but Dien indeed didn't have any guarantee of finding the other vampire, other than the known fact that the vampire would be close. He could use his sense of smell to locate the vermin(since master and apprentice kinda smelled similar most of the time) but that would only work if he got lucky and came within range of the vampire. Vampire hunters had better senses than regular humans even though they were humans themselves. It had been part of their training before they started their first mission and Dien had undergone it as well.

 

Trainees were blindfolded for three months straight and they weren't allowed to take off the blindfold unless they were taking a shower. Living like a blind man for three months was enough for Dien to get used to relying on his other senses to survive. His senses weren't as strong as hunters whom have completed their ritual but it was all he could rely on at this moment since there were no other clues. But just because he didn't reply, it didn't mean that he wasn't listening. The vampire's last question caught him off guard and he paused o turn around, just to check if Cory was seriously offering to give him information about vampires. But said vampire didn't seem to realize what he'd just said. Shaking his head, Dien turned back and started walking down the dark alley again.

 

Dien decided to ignore the vampire behind him until they got out of the maze of allies. At this point, Dien was relying solely on his sense of smell to locate the , walking around the area blindly until he caught a scent. But it didn't seem to be working and some minutes had already passed since he started his search. Dien was getting desperate. He spared the vampire behind him a glance and shook his head at the atrocious thought that he may be able to help. Dien would rather do this alone than rely on one of those vermins for help.

[Alichino]

Cory wasn’t particularly bothered that the killer decided to not reply to all of his comments. He expected as much since Cory was nothing more than vermin to him. Why would he treat him any different than any other vampire he encountered? But then again... why didn’t he kill him either? It was a questioned that intrigued the vampire, enough to follow a vampire hunter, and he really wanted to know the answer of the question. However, he wasn’t going to ask about it. No, what fun was that when you could overlook the other’s responses and guess the answer out of that? Let the games begin, as they said.

 

At the moment he had said it, he didn’t really think much of it. It was only a mere slip of the tongue as he was thinking of his own experiences of the matter and he was genuinely curious of how much the hunter actually knew about them before he went on his killing spree. However, the reaction he got from the other man got him thinking about it in a whole different matter. Judging by that look in his face and that pause in his pursue for a more dangerous animal, Cory could tell there was some things this man wanted to know. The grin growing in the vampire’s face was unmistakeable. He had found a weakness. Something he could use to his advantage. Oh, this was going to be fun.

 

The man returned to his hunt without saying another word about it, pity since he seemed to be so chatty before this. Cory continued to follow him, but there was something he started to notice while the hunter navigated them through the many allies of London. This man had no idea where they were going. The vampire had asked him how he was going to find this other vampire, but with no answer he didn’t think much about it. Now he understood why the man didn’t want to answer that question. However, with that he now looked to be even stupider than before since he wasted several minutes because of some silly pride thing. Yes, it was indeed very stupid. Risking the life of another human just because he couldn’t take help from the enemy. Although, when Cory put it like that, he couldn’t really blame him for not trusting a vampire to help him find another vampire. For all he knew, he must think this was Cory’s master as well... Or did he?

 

The hunter gave him a single glance for a second and it looked like he was debating over something. The desperation in him wasn’t yet visible to the naked eye, but Cory understood that it was stirring. He could pretty much figure out what the man was thinking just by looking at him and thinking logically helped with that too.

 

”You can’t even ask me to help you, can you? Even though you know it will only benefit you. You looked so eager a minute ago when you thought I might reveal every vampire’s deepest secrets.”

 

Cory said and looked at the man in front of him, observed him a bit closer this time and taking in those features that for once wasn’t fuelled by adrenaline or rage. The rage was still there, mind you, but now he really had the time to appreciate the other’s physique. As he looked at him like that, he couldn’t help but to want to tease him. He just looked so... vulnerable... What kind of a vampire would Cory be if he didn’t take advantage of it?

 

With that in mind, Cory managed to get in front of the killer in an attempt to stop him in his track. He looked at the other with such a confident smile it would probably annoy the other more. However, it would be nothing compared to what Cory had in mind for the other. One simple question echoed in the back of the vampire’s mind as he approached the vampire hunter. How far could he go before the vampire hunter went after him again?

 

“Well.. there is at least one secret I can tell you.”

 

Cory said in an attempt to distract the hunter from what he was doing. He wasn’t really counting on sweeping him off his feet with his mouth, but he figured it was worth a try anyway and he had got the killers attention with his words earlier. If the hunter thought Cory might reveal a great weakness for vampires, then would he allow him to do what he wanted? Hardly, but just how far was he willing to go just for the slightest bit of information? It was worth it to test him on that question.

 

Cory wanted to force the man against the wall, he figured that if he took one step, the man would back away and the vampire would get what he wanted, but if the man stood his ground, then Cory would still remain pretty close to him. And that was all that mattered for him to reveal this tiny detail about vampires.

 

“We’re incredibly lonely. Everything we do... is for the hope of another’s company.”

 

Cory said and even though his smile revealed confidence, his eyes told of a very sad story which helped to prove that what he said, wasn't just a line. Although it didn't take long for those eyes to wander off and focus their gaze on something else that could be lethal for the vampire. The silver dagger that just recently had tasted the same blood that now ran through Cory's veins.

[Yukio Takamiya]

Dien didn't bother to pay anymore attention to the vampire behind him. Completely unaware of the other's thoughts, he continued, relying completely on his nose to sniff out the target. Dien knew very well that he was wasting a great deal of time doing this without the slightest clue of where the master could be. But he had a justified cause that prevented him from seeking help from the vermin behind him. These creatures were cunning and despicable, he experienced them first hand.

 

He was growing more frustrated as time passed, partially also because of the presence of the vampire behind him. Why was he still following him? Dien couldn't help but think, annoyed.

 

”You can’t even ask me to help you, can you? Even though you know it will only benefit you. You looked so eager a minute ago when you thought I might reveal every vampire’s deepest secrets.”

 

His fists clenched. Was the vampire even hearing himself right now? He wouldn't believe a word he said if the information was revealed intentionally, wasn't that much obvious?! Dien didn't understand why he was getting so worked up over a vermin's words. Stilling his emotions, he fought back a retort, very much intent on continuing to give the other the silent treatment. He would not be distracted from his goal!

 

“Well.. there is at least one secret I can tell you.”

 

"I do not have the time to waste listening to your bullshit." Dien was quickly losing his temper. He didn't like how this vampire was able to rile him up so easily. Dien was used to ignoring the words of vampires, more accurately, he never gave them time to speak. But he was taught that vampires loved tempting humans for their gains, something that he hadn't yet experienced for himself, and he wasn't going to let that happen now either.

 

“We’re incredibly lonely. Everything we do... is for the hope of another’s company.”

 

By now, Dien knew what the vampire was doing. If he didn't want to waste anymore time, he had to get rid of this one before looking for the other. Not allowing himself to hear anymore, Dien made up his mind to kill. His eyes followed the vampire's gaze and quickly, his hand covered the hilt of his dagger, grabbing and unsheathing it. His gaze was once again filled with rage and his intent was obvious.