Chapter Text
It was very late the night Yoshiki was attacked.
Warm, summer air carrying the scent of fried street food, the buzzing sounds of humanity in his ears, and the brightly lit, bustling streets of Tokyo faded as Yoshiki Tsujinaka took a wrong turn. He stayed long after his last class had ended, choosing to study for his bio-chem exam in the library until it closed. He was distracted and exhausted, his back aching from the two textbooks he had stuffed in his backpack, and his favorite band's new album (Maki would have called them emo, but Yoshiki thought they were more nuanced than that) was blasting in his headphones. It was only after looking up from his phone that Yoshiki realized he had no idea where he was.
"Shit," he cursed under his breath. He took out his earbuds and stuffed them into his pocket, quickly pulling up the navigation app on his phone. Damn it, have ya learned nothin'? Yer askin' for trouble.
He set the map to guide him back to his tiny apartment, which was not far from campus. He turned away from the alley, towards a single streetlight along the bigger street he had accidentally strayed from—a beacon, flickering once.
Yoshiki…
He froze. A whispered voice, barely there at all. A trick of the mind, given life by his overactive imagination and chronic anxiety. There was nothing in this alley, and certainly nothing that knew his name. He should ignore it, like he usually did when he heard voices calling to him. He took a step forward, toward the light, and it flickered again, as if blinking at him.
Yoshiki…
He whirled around, gasping sharply. Yoshiki shined his phone light in front of him, and, as expected, there was no one there.
He laughed, a shaky breath of air escaping his lips. An' what if there had been someone behind ya with a knife? What wouldja have done, huh?
The alley was the kind of dark so dark that it was easy to start seeing shapes within, uncanny forms that could not be human. Yoshiki had never liked the dark. His imagination had too much power in the dark, and he was no good at fighting it.
Something moved off to his right. Something fast.
A crackle, like the spark of fireworks. There and gone in an instant.
Yoshiki cried out, stumbling back. When he blinked, he saw nothing but empty darkness. The light behind him flickered again, and for the split second it went out, he was in a void of nothingness. His heart was pounding, his breaths heavy.
Why am I still here? Why ain't I runnin' this time?
It was like the idiot character in horror movies, going exactly where you don't want them to go and never running away when they should.
Yoshiki… Yoshiki… Yoshiki!
Yoshiki cried out again, the whispered sound of his name seeming to come from all directions, whipping around his head like a buzzing swarm of bees. Close, impossibly close. He stumbled backwards into a trash bin, catching himself on it and wielding the light from his phone like a shield. Still, he saw nothing.
"Who— Who's there?" Just like in the damn movies, Yoshiki thought, cursing himself.
A rush of sudden wind barreled down the alley. It was a gust so violent it seemed to rip right through Yoshiki, and though it was summer in Tokyo, it was unnaturally and agonizingly cold.
"Gah—!" Yoshiki's cry caught in his throat as his entire body went rigid. The wind seemed to pass through him, pushing into his chest and out his back, slow and arduous as if his body were molasses. Every aching second it seemed to be inside him, his veins turned to ice. His phone clattered to the ground and he stumbled backwards again, sending the trashbin clattering loudly to the pavement. Yoshiki wrapped his arms around himself, his heart hammering in his chest, as he doubled over and gasped for air.
A sharp cry—like the piercing wail of a small animal—sounded over to his right, the same place he had seen the strange, crackling movement in the shadows. Yoshiki tried to move his legs, but he was so damn cold, his muscles were too stiff and aching to listen. There was a flash of light where the cry came from, like the blue of scorching fire, and then another from off to the left, followed by the same ear-splitting cry. The wind rushed again, blowing something into Yoshiki's eyes that made them sting. He coughed, blinking rapidly.
And suddenly everything was quiet.
Everything was still.
I needa get outta here. I got class in the mornin' and it's gettin' late and stayin' here is askin' fer trouble…
Why the hell ain't I runnin'?
At the other end of the alley, the darkness took on a shape. It was his eyes playing tricks again. But something about it…
… made him take a step towards it.
A burst of fire erupted in Yoshiki's face, twisting and taking shape. Yoshiki screamed, but he was not fast enough to move. The thing, a floating, shadowy visage of a small, wolf-like creature opened its maw in Yoshiki's direction. Within its rows of sharp teeth, blue flames lit to life and shot out in a fiery stream—right at Yoshiki.
He cried out again, raising his arms helplessly to shield himself, right as something heavy and solid collided into him so hard that he was thrown to the ground, his back slamming into hard concrete.
"Haah," Yoshiki gasped as the wind was knocked out of him by something—no, someone—hovering their body over his, pressing their weight into his chest. "Who the hell—? Look out!"
The wolf-like creature opened its flame-lit jaws and rushed its teeth into the neck of the person pinning Yoshiki to the ground. They grunted, as if more pissed off than hurt, and pried the creature off of them with one hand. The other, Yoshiki noticed belatedly, was digging into his shoulder, holding him in place.
The wolf-thing screeched, and the person tightened their grip.
In a flash of blue light, the creature exploded, bursting into ash that fell like snow on Yoshiki and the figure on top of him. Yoshiki stared at the hand flecked with white ash, as white as the skin it fell upon, and the figure gasped, shifting suddenly.
Yoshiki jumped as both of the person's hands slammed to the ground beside Yoshiki's head, trapping him between them. In a sudden burst of movement, their eyes—wide, and bright red—were level with his. And their face, suddenly so close, was impossibly familiar.
"Yoshiki!" cried Hikaru Indou. "You can see 'em, can't ya? That ain't good. Ain't good at all."
And then Hikaru Indou collapsed, unconscious, on Yoshiki's chest.
Yoshiki had seen a lot of strange things since coming to Tokyo.
His mother had tried to warn him that it would be different. She had even used the term "culture shock." But Yoshiki had been so adamant about going to university that he had brushed off her concerns. Had been too excited to see the big city. There was nothing he wanted more than to leave Kubitachi.
After Hikaru left, there had been nothing there for him anymore.
But Tokyo had not been nearly as exciting as it had been terrifying. The public transit system had nearly given him a panic attack on his first day, and if it had not been for the extremely sweet admissions girl that led him to all of his classes, he might never have found them. He had seen all sorts of people doing all sorts of strange things in the year he had been here—and strange, to Yoshiki, could mean anything.
It was not always a bad thing. In fact, when he saw young people wearing outfits he could never have fathomed before seeing them, or singing and dancing in public and not caring that others were watching, he considered that to be strange. But only because it was foreign to him, not because it was unwelcome. Yoshiki found himself smiling to himself on his commute to class nearly every day.
But there were also strange things he tried not to think about.
Those had only started recently, in the last two months or so. A random cold chill, like walking through the freezer section of the grocery store on the middle of a sunny, summer afternoon. A whisper on the wind, like a howl, far away but close at the same time. A feeling like a tugging in his chest, like someone was pulling on it.
Yet none of those strange occurances compared to tonight.
Yoshiki cradled Hikaru's head in his lap, doubled over and pressing his hand into the gaping wound on his neck. His hand was soaked in blood.
"H-Hikaru?" Yoshiki whispered, and his voice shook as much as his hands did. Hikaru's eyes were closed and he was not moving. When he felt at Hikaru's face, his skin, Yoshiki's panic intermingled with horror. "No… That's impossible…"
Hikaru's skin was as cold as ice.
Hikaru gasped suddenly, his eyes shooting open as his hand, too fast, caught Yoshiki's wrist. Yoshiki cried out, and Hikaru's red eyes—why the hell weren't they green?—softened on Yoshiki.
"Yoshiki," Hikaru said with a smile, as if his neck was not gushing blood. "Ah. Ya look all panicked. It's gotta be bad, huh?"
"Yer—yer bleedin' out," Yoshiki choked out, pressing his hand harder into Hikaru's neck. "I—I tried to stop the bleedin' but— We gotta call the police or somethin'."
"Nah, they can't help me. Plus, this ain't blood."
Yoshiki blinked. "Wh—what? The hell are you talkin' about?"
"Look at it," Hikaru laughed. "Yer seein' what ya wanna see."
Yoshiki stammered in panicked exhasperation, but found his eyes drawn to Hikaru's neck before he could form a real reply. The ichor coating Yoshiki's hands was darker than night itself, as black as pitch. It was thicker than blood, almost syrupy in texture. Growing more horrified the longer he stared at it, Yoshiki instinctually flung his hand in the air, as if to shake the stuff off of him.
It splattered on both his and Hikaru's face, and Yoshiki cried out. "The hell is comin' outta you?"
Hikaru laughed.
Even in his horror, something about the sound of it made Yoshiki's chest ache.
Catching his breath, Yoshiki leveled his gaze on the red eyes looking up at him. "Hikaru. Yer… here. That's really you."
He shrugged. "Think so. It's all a bit fuzzy."
"What do ya mean? How—how are ya here? Where'd ya come from and how didja find me and how did ya—that thing! And—!"
Hikaru grabbed his wrist again, and the shock of his cold fingers stilled Yoshiki instantly. "Calm yerself, ya big baby. Ain't ya happy to see me?"
Yoshiki stared at him. Then, he laughed, and his eyes suddenly stung. "Yeah."
"Come on. I know ya got me all cozy 'n yer lap but we gotta move 'fore more of 'em come," Hikaru said, pushing himself up. When Hikaru turned to look at him, Yoshiki realized with a painful heat in his cheeks how close their faces were. "But I'm glad to see ya, too."
Yoshiki looked away, blinking rapidly. "Ya… said more of 'em? Just what exactly were them things?"
Hikaru stood, and for a guy with blood—or whatever that stuff was—pouring out of his neck, he didn't seem too bothered by it. He held his hand out to Yoshiki. "Oh, them? They ain't nothing. Just some low-level hell hounds."
Yoshiki took Hikaru's hand. "What? Yer not makin' any—"
Yoshiki's remark was cut off by Hikaru pulling him to his feet in one, swift motion. It was as if Yoshiki weighed nothing to him, too fast and too easy. Yoshiki stumbled, the weight of his body not making sense to him, and Hikaru caught his arm.
"Whoa. Hey, ya can't be the one fallin' over when I'm the one bleedin' out," he said. Then, he grinned in a way that Yoshiki knew very well—it was the grin that meant Hikaru was about to dig into him. "Already hadta save yer ass once tonight 'n look where it got me. Least ya could do is stand up straight."
Yoshiki laughed, balling his shaking hands and looking down at his feet. None of this made any sense. He was drenched in sweat, covered in blood, his back stung from his impact with the rough pavement, he had almost died a few minutes ago, and something was really, really wrong with Hikaru.
An' yet here I am, laughin' with him. Like nothin'.
"Come on," Hikaru said, waving. "Follow me."
Yoshiki looked around and spotted his phone, still lit up, a few feet away. He pocketed it and jogged to catch up with Hikaru. "You know where yer goin'?"
"Nah."
Yoshiki sighed. "I got 'n apartment. We'll go there, but—" Yoshiki stilled, looking at the wound on Hikaru's neck and the strange, inky substance leaking out of him. Yoshiki imagined the lady in the lobby of his apartment seeing them walk in like this and cringed. He took off his backpack and dropped it to the ground. He pulled off his black hoodie—it was always cold in his classes, even in the summer—and handed it to Hikaru. "I dunno what the hell's goin' on but ya can't walk around lookin' like that. Put this on and pull the hood up."
Hikaru grinned, taking the sweatshirt from him. He pulled it on over his head as Yoshiki put his backpack back on. Hikaru pulled the hood up, hiding his wound, and pulled the drawstrings tight enough to cover his eyes.
Yoshiki sighed. "Stop goofin' around, wouldja?"
Hikaru pulled the hood back, revealing his red eyes and the tips of his white hair. His smile fell suddenly, his brows furrowing. He raised the neck of Yoshiki's hoodie to his nose, breathing in deeply, and his eyes softened. "Oh. That's… familiar."
Yoshiki scrunched up his nose, looking away. His cheeks grew warm as he scowled. "Don't—smell it like that."
In an instant, Hikaru's smile returned, lopsided. "Why? Smells like you."
"I— uh…"
"Come on! For real, we're 'n big trouble if we don't get a move on. Which wayta yer place?"
Yoshiki blinked rapidly, shaking his head as if to clear it. He did a full 360 degree turn, trying to get his bearings. "This way, I think."
"Whoa," Hikaru breathed, as they found the main streets bustling with life. So different than the darkened alley, which was still heavy on Yoshiki's mind. "The city's so beautiful. I wonder how it looks on the other side."
Yoshiki shook his head. "Nothin' you've said tonight has made any sense. When are ya gonna explain what the hell's…?" He stopped.
Hikaru glanced at him. "Yoshiki?"
"Shh." Yoshiki froze, his heartbeat racing. "I hear somethin'."
Hikaru's face hardened, following the direction of Yoshiki's eyes. "Gotta be more of them hell hounds."
"No, it sounds different," he whispered. "They're not… sayin' my name the same way."
Yoshiki… Yooooshiki…
"Hey."
It was not until Hikaru stepped into his path that Yoshiki realized he had stepped in the direction of the voice. Hikaru's red eyes, trained on Yoshiki, hardened.
"Don't go chasin' voices that call yer name."
Yoshiki looked down, laughing through the trembling of his body. "Might notta found you if I hadn't."
Hikaru narrowed his eyes, cocking his head. "That wasn't me callin' yer name. I was followin' ya and saw ya get yerself 'n trouble. Come on."
Yoshiki…
"Uh, right. Let's get outta here."
After a few minutes, Yoshiki felt confident he knew where they were. He guided them towards the direction of his apartment, and the streets quieted. They were only a block away when Hikaru froze and stuck out his arm. Yoshiki ran into it.
"Wha—?"
"Shh," Hikaru whispered. "I think…"
A body dropped from a balcony above them, and Yoshiki cried out. The man landed on his feet like someone from a manga and slowly rose, all without making a single sound. He had pale, porcelain skin, and long black hair that fell over his face. He cocked his head, and his eyes—bright, unnatural red—settled on Yoshiki.
"Yoshiki… that is your name, isn't it?"
Without turning around or lowering his arm, Hikaru murmured, "Don't answer."
"Hikaru," Yoshiki breathed, "what is that?"
"I'm a friend," the man said. His voice was smooth and buttery, warm and welcoming. "You can see me, can't you, Yoshiki? Oh, it's been so long since a human could see me. Come here, so I can get a better look at you."
Hikaru laughed. "That ain't happenin'."
The man whipped his head towards Hikaru, as if only just noticing him. "Oh. How disappointing. I would really hate to have to kill one of my own." He took a step forward, his red eyes running up and down Hikaru's body before widening. "But you aren't, are you? You're… not finished."
"Yoshiki," Hikaru said under his breath. "Stay behind me."
"Wait, what?" Yoshiki said, his voice pitching high with panic. "What are ya gonna—?"
"I would really hate for things to get ugly with you, strange little demon," the man said. "Perhaps an arrangement could be found. Perhaps you would be willing to share your human?"
Hikaru laughed again, pulling his hood down. "Nah. This one's mine."
And then Hikaru moved.
He was a blur so fast that Yoshiki's brain could not process what he had seen until Hikaru was on top of the man. In an instant, they collided, Hikaru swiping his hand across the man's face.
The man cried out. Then he laughed and burst into motion.
Their blows were too fast for Yoshiki to keep up with. One moment, Hikaru was at the man's back, then at his front, then on the ground, then in the air. He could not even tell what they were fighting with, wether it was fists or claws or something else. Yoshiki stood helplessly frozen, unable to even process Hikaru's movements, much less help him.
It was not until he heard Hikaru's cry that he felt his legs move.
And suddenly he was running.
"Hikaru!" Yoshiki screamed. The man had Hikaru pinned to the ground, his knee digging into his chest. His hand was on Hikaru's throat, right where he was already wounded. "Hey! Hey!"
Both heads whipped in his direction. The man's face contorted into a smile, while Hikaru's eyes widened in horror.
"Yoshiki…" he choked out. "Don't!"
"Get offa him, you freak," Yoshiki cried, barreling into the man with black hair. They both fell to the ground, rolling, and the man laughed again. Yoshiki groaned from the impact, his head spinning, and then the man's black hair was swinging into his face, tickling his skin.
He jolted, and the man's weight settled over him. His hands, unnaturally strong, pinned Yoshiki's arms to the ground. The man laughed, bringing his face close to Yoshiki's. As his smile broadened, Yoshiki realized something that filled him with fear.
His teeth were very, very sharp.
"Oh, Yoshiki," the man cooed as Yoshiki squirmed beneath him. "You must be new here, if you haven't been devoured yet. Oh, but now that you've connected with the other side, you won't last long at all. But don't worry, I'll go ahead and take you now, before the others even get the chance to hunt you. I cannot say it will be painless, Yoshiki, but once it's over, it's over forever. Do not fret, Yoshiki…"
The man dug his nails into Yoshiki's arms, so deep he knew the man had drawn blood. Yoshiki screamed, and the man's eyes lit up with excitement. He took a deep breath, his eyes rolling back in his head.
"Oh, Yoshiki—"
Hands suddenly wrapped around the man's neck, ripping him backwards and off of Yoshiki.
Hikaru stood over him, gripping the man by his neck. He looked down into the man's red eyes, his voice nothing more than a murmur. "Get offa him, you freak."
Hikaru's red eyes began to glow. And then he pulled the man towards him, and bit into his neck.
Yoshiki cried out as the man screamed, his arms clawing at Hikaru's face. But Hikaru did not stop, only sunk his teeth deeper into the man's neck.
Hikaru pulled away, and his mouth was covered in black ichor that dripped down his chin and onto his neck.
"Ugh," he spat, making a face. "Nasty."
The man screamed again as Hikaru bit into the other side of his neck, his limps twitching helplessly. Yoshiki covered his mouth with his hand as bile stung the back of his throat.
Hikaru gasped coming off of the man, his open, bloody mouth inhaling deeply. The man was limp in his arms, and Hikaru dropped him to the ground. His hands, covered in black blood, were frozen before him, as if he was trying to figure something out.
Hikaru inhaled again, a hand going suddenly to the black hoodie he still wore. He gripped it, pulling it up to his nose. He inhaled deeply, his face going blank.
Then he turned his glowing eyes on Yoshiki.
"Hikaru…" Yoshiki choked out. "Wha—what are you doin'?"
Hikaru was a blur of motion before he was upon Yoshiki, pushing him onto his back and climbing over him. Yoshiki cried out, trying to shove Hikaru off of him but finding no purchase on a body that felt like a wall of stone. Hikaru, his face a blank mask of emotionlessness, stared at Yoshiki, breathing heavily.
"H-Hikaru! Hey…" Yoshiki shoved his chest but Hikaru did not budge. "Hey! It's—it's me."
Hikaru's head cocked, like an animal trying to understand. He seemed completely unphased by Yoshiki pushing and shoving him, as if he felt nothing.
"Hikaru!" Yoshiki cried. "Are ya even listenin'? It's me!"
Hikaru's face twitched, his eyes blinking once. His lips parted and he dropped his head so his forehead met Yoshiki's. His red eyes were all Yoshiki could see, his nose cold against Yoshiki's, his breath hot on his face. Hikaru's hand, with its unnatural strength, reached up and grasped Yoshiki's jaw, pinning his head to the ground.
"Yoshiki…" he whispered.
"H-Hikaru!" Yoshiki shouted. "Lemme go!"
Hikaru gently pushed into Yoshiki's jaw, turning his head. He shifted his gaze to Yoshiki's neck, and Yoshiki panicked as he realized what was about to happen.
He's gonna kill me. Oh god, he's gonna kill me.
"Yoshiki…" Hikaru whispered again.
Yoshiki strained against him, but he could not move his head. He twisted and writhed, shoving and beating his fists into Hikaru's chest but he was as unmoveable as the earth itself. Finally, unable to suppress his animalistic need for survival, he screamed a bloodcurdling scream.
"Hikaru! Stop!"
Hikaru's red eyes blinked.
And then he was gone.
Yoshiki could see the night sky overhead. He inhaled sharply, palming at his neck. He was uninjured. His whole body was trembling. His cheeks were wet with tears.
He bolted upright. "Hikaru?"
About fifty feet away, Hikaru was on the ground, hugging his knees to his chest. His face was buried in his arms.
After a few moments, Yoshiki got his legs to move. He stood shakily, then slowly walked towards Hikaru, who did not look up.
Some part of Yoshiki told him he should run. That he should be afraid.
He knelt down in front of Hikaru. "Hey."
Hikaru's head shot up, his eyes wide and wet with tears. "Yoshiki?"
No way, Yoshiki thought. He's cryin'?
Nothing about him was the same as a few moments ago. The emotionless, trancelike expression was gone, his eyes no longer glowing. Tears streamed down his cheeks, his lower lip trembling like a little kid's.
"Yoshiki, I'm so sorry," Hikaru choked out. "I… would never do that. Not to you. Please… please don't hate me."
Yoshiki had never seen him cry before.
"I don't hate ya," he murmured. "I… couldn't hate ya."
Hikaru sniffled, blinking as fresh tears fell. "But I… I almost…"
"But ya didn't," Yoshiki said quickly, his brain overstimulated. "Hey, I wanna get the hell outta here. And then ya got some explainin' to do. Yeah?"
Hikaru sniffled, his eyes wide. He nodded, wiping his cheek with the back of his hand.
"'Nough of that," Yoshiki said softly. He brought his hand to the top of Hikaru's white head, and dug into his hair, ruffling it.
"Hey!" Hikaru whined, laughing. But he did not dodge Yoshiki's hand like Yoshiki had expected. He just stayed there, and Yoshiki's hand stilled in his hair.
"Uh…" Yoshiki pulled his hand away, his cheeks warming. "Pull yer hood back up. Apartment's just up the way."
Hikaru nodded, staring hard at Yoshiki with an expression he could not place.
Yoshiki had to look away, and found his eyes drifting towards the dead body a few paces away. Every muscle in his body seemed to tighten as he walked towards it, his hands trembling. The man's neck was a mess of black ichor, but even through the strange substance coating his skin, Yoshiki could see the bite marks left in his flesh. His long, black hair covered his eyes but not so much that Yoshiki could not tell they were still open, frozen in a tableau of horror. His lips were parted in a scream.
Yoshiki felt paralyzed there, unable to look away.
"You… killed a person," he whispered.
Just as he spoke, the tips of the dead man's fingers began to turn black. Yoshiki gasped as the blackness crawled up the man's hand, his arm, his chest. His blackened fingers cracked and dissolved, turning to ash before Yoshiki's eyes. The dust blew away in the wind, and in mere moments, the man had completely disintegrated.
"That wasn't a person, Yoshiki," Hikaru said, suddenly standing beside him. Yoshiki turned, and Hikaru gave him a grin, his cheeks still wet from his tears.
Yoshiki's apartment was small; it was all he could afford with his scholarship. There was only one bedroom and one bathroom attached to the main living area. There was a tiny kitchen with a stove and a minifridge, but no dishwasher and no laundry. He still did not have a couch or a TV like the other students in his classes, but he did not really mind. He was only ever here to sleep and eat takeout; the rest of his time was filled with classes and work and studying on campus.
His room was sparse. No posters or pictures hung on his walls, save for a mirror above his dresser. His desk was stacked high with his textbooks and notebooks, but he rarely used it. There was a pile of clothes on the floor from yesterday. On his unmade bed sat Hikaru Indou, who watched him closely.
Yoshiki approached with a wet towel. He sat next to Hikaru, whose eyes followed his movements, and Yoshiki gestured to his neck. "Turn yer head."
Hikaru blinked, then obeyed. His eyes had a lost puppy dog look to them. Yoshiki had never seen them look that way before. "Yer… not mad?"
Yoshiki brought the towel to the black ichor on Hikaru's neck, gently wiping it away. "I dunno what I am. But yer gettin' my hoodie all bloody."
Hikaru side-eyed him, smiling warily. "Heh. Sorry. It's… a really good hoodie, too."
Yoshiki folded the towel over to find a spot that had yet to be soaked through. Without looking up, he said, "It's all over yer mouth."
He reached out with the towel, and Hikaru's eyes widened. Yoshiki tried to ignore them as he brought the towel gently to Hikaru's mouth, wiping away the black ichor still dripping from his lips.
His hand stilled as he stared at Hikaru's mouth. He thought about how sharp the black haired man's teeth had been and wondered if Hikaru's—
Hikaru's lips turned upward in a smirk. "Whatchu starin' so hard at my mouth for?"
"Ugh, I—wasn't," Yoshiki said, horrified and blushing fiercely. He scowled into the towel in his hands. "If you'd stop talkin' and movin' I could finish this quicker."
Hikaru laughed half-heartedly, his smile falling away. He nodded and stilled.
Yoshiki sighed, bringing the towel back to his neck. After a few moments of tense silence, Hikaru cleared his throat, fidgeting again.
"Suppose yer all kinds a curious."
"Mm."
"Yoshiki, come on," Hikaru said, turning his head and gently stilling Yoshiki's hand. "Yer… yer makin' me nervous."
Yoshiki breathed a laugh. "I'm makin' you nervous?"
Hikaru's lost puppy eyes blinked helplessly at him, and he bowed his head.
Yoshiki sighed. He put the towel down next to him and stared into his hands. "Yer different."
"Yeah."
"Yer… not human."
"Not anymore."
"Are ya… dead?"
Hikaru looked up, and so did Yoshiki. Their eyes met. "Technically, they're callin' it undead, I think."
Yoshiki breathed another laugh, shaking his head. "Ya gotta be kiddin' me." He ran a hand through his hair, laughing again. When he looked up at Hikaru, Hikaru was watching him with big, wary eyes. Yoshiki dropped his hand, his mirthless smile falling. "Show me yer teeth."
Hikaru opened his mouth.
They were as he had expected.
Yoshiki laughed again, doubling over and burying his head in his hands. "Ya gotta be fuckin' with me."
"I ain't," came Hikaru's soft voice.
"Yer a fuckin' vampire."
"Think so, yeah."
Yoshiki peeled his head up from his hands. "And… and that other guy?"
"Also a vampire."
"And… he was gonna…"
"Suck yer blood, yeah."
Yoshiki froze, his eyes fixed on his bedsheets. His voice, barely a whisper, trembled. "And you were gonna…"
"No," Hikaru said forcefully, leaning into Yoshiki's face. His eyes somehow got even bigger. "I would never."
Yoshiki blinked, his cheeks warming at Hikaru's sudden closeness. He shook his head and got up from the bed, moving across the room. He laughed again, his hand covering his mouth.
"Yoshiki?"
Yoshiki laughed. Then, he bolted into his bathroom, doubled over the toilet, and threw up.
It was three in the morning when Yoshiki's takeout arrived.
He had taken a shower, cleaned the cuts on his arms, and ordered food from one of the local college spots that stayed open all night. He sat on his kitchen counter, digging into the paper box with his chopsticks, and staring at Hikaru, who sat on the counter across from him.
"Can ya eat?"
"Yeah, I can eat. Doesn't really do much fer me though."
"Can ya sleep?"
"Same answer fer that."
Yoshiki hesitated. "Can ya die?"
Hikaru blinked. "Yeah. I can die."
"Again, you mean," Yoshiki grumbled, picking at his food. He sighed. His hands still had not stopped trembling, but at least he had some food in his system. "Why the hell are ya here?"
"I told ya I'd come bother ya in Tokyo if ya ever went to college," Hikaru said with a grin. "Told ya I'd always be hangin' around yer place so you could never bring girls home. Didn't I say that?"
Yoshiki blushed, like he always did when Hikaru brought up girls. He scowled into his food, suddenly not hungry anymore. He could not hide the irritation in his voice when he said, "Ya never did though."
Hikaru's smile fell. "Huh?"
"Ya never came like ya said ya would," Yoshiki muttered. "Been here a whole year and ya never came. Then, when ya finally do, ya show up dead."
"Undead," Hikaru corrected meekly. When Yoshiki did not laugh, Hikaru cleared his throat, awkwardly tugging at the strings of Yoshiki's hoodie. "Look Yoshiki, all I know is I've been tryin' to find ya since I got like this. I know that ain't enough but it's the truth."
Yoshiki looked at him. His face was so open, so sincere in its vulnerability. Yoshiki scowled again, looking away. "So how'd ya get like this, then?"
"Uh, I don't exactly remember. But I been rememberin' bits 'n pieces the more I exist like this. I dunno, maybe it takes time?" Hikaru shifted uncomfortably, and he looked nothing like the monster Yoshiki had seen not an hour ago. Neither version of Hikaru he had seen tonight felt like the one he knew. "But I can answer yer other questions. I'll tell ya anythin' ya wanna know, Yoshiki. Anythin'."
Yoshiki sighed. "So there're vampires in Tokyo. And that's somethin' I just gotta accept as real."
"Yeah, pretty much," Hikaru said cheerily. "They've always been there but you only just started noticin' 'em. And it ain't just vampires, it's all sorts of demons."
"Why? How?"
"'Cause Tokyo overlaps with the underworld."
Yoshiki choked. He set down his takeout box on the counter next to him, coughing. "Yer messin' with me."
"I ain't," Hikaru said. "The entrance to hell is here in Tokyo. Apparently, there's a whole alternate version of this city on their side, fulla demons and ghosts and ghouls. That's why there's so many more here than anywhere else."
"Hell," Yoshiki echoed. "Yer sayin' hell is real."
"Think so, yeah! I haven't seen it yet but I think I'm supposed to be there. Ya know, bein' a demon 'n all." He scratched at his hair, as if pondering something as trivial as the weather. "I dunno why but I feel called to it. Like there's somethin' there fer me."
"So that's why ya came, then," Yoshiki muttered, looking away. "Ya came to go to hell."
"Nah, that's just a lucky bonus. I came here fer you."
Yoshiki's head shot up. "Fer… me?"
"Uh, yeah," Hikaru said, fidgeting again and rubbing awkwardly at his neck. "I mean, not to kill ya. Just to see ya. But, heh, now I probably gone 'n scared ya away."
Yoshiki stared at him for a long moment. "Why'd ya attack me, Hikaru?"
"Yer blood," he whispered.
"My… blood?"
Hikaru looked down at his hands, and Yoshiki wondered if he was going to cry again. "Yeah."
Yoshiki nodded, his heart suddenly hammering. "Well, whatever. I ain't scared."
Hikaru looked up, stilling. "Ya ain't?"
"No. Not of you."
Hikaru's eyes widened, his lips parted like he was going to say something.
"What?" Yoshiki prodded.
Hikaru shook his head. "Yoshiki, it ain't good that you can see me."
"The hell does that mean?"
"Humans can't see us. Demons, I mean. The humans that can, well, they're special, I think. Usually they got some sorta power or somethin' most humans don't. And usually…" Hikaru looked away, running a hand through his hair. "Well, I haven't met any other special humans but you got a real pretty soul, Yoshiki. 'N I think demons are drawn to that. I think that's why they attacked ya."
Yoshiki blinked, his cheeks warming. He stared at his hands. "Wha— What do ya mean? You can see my soul?"
"Sure, all demons can see souls. We all got different ways of consumin' 'em, but that's what we want. Human souls. Fer me, I…"
"You drink blood," Yoshiki breathed, his heart pounding. "Ya… killed people fer their blood before?"
Hikaru looked embarassed, then his eyes grew wide. "I won't do it ever again if ya don't want me to, Yoshiki. I'll do anythin' ya say."
Yoshiki shook his head, dumbfounded. "I…"
Hikaru jumped off the counter and closed the distance between them, standing right between Yoshiki's legs. Yoshiki tried to stop his face from warming, but the sudden proximity felt far too intimate.
"Yoshiki, there's gonna be more of 'em is what I'm sayin'." Hikaru looked up at him, his face full of concern. "Ya ain't safe now that you can see 'em."
Yoshiki's panic returned. "But—"
"But if ya let me hang around with ya," said Hikaru, his eyes hardening, "I'll protect ya. I won't let anythin' hurt ya. I promise."
"H-Hikaru…"
His eyes suddenly filled with tears. "And I know I gone and scared ya, I know it. But I ain't ever gonna hurt you, Yoshiki, I swear it." He hung his head, pressing it into Yoshiki's chest. "Please, I ain't ready to go to hell. I wanna be here with you."
Yoshiki's heart, pressed against Hikaru's head, pounded mercilessly. It somehow had nothing to do with the threat of demons consuming his soul, and everything to do with those words, still echoing in his ears.
"I already told ya I ain't scared." As if moving in slow motion, he lifted his hand and placed it gently on the back of Hikaru's head. At his touch, Hikaru's cries ceased. "Yer different," Yoshiki whispered. "Yer not the same as… when you were alive."
"I'm not?"
"Ya don't know?"
"No," Hikaru sniffled into Yoshiki's chest. "The truth is I don't remember bein' alive at all. I don't know how I died, and I don't know how I lived. I woke up like this and couldn't remember nothin' about my past save for one thing."
Yoshiki's heart skipped a beat. "What?"
Hikaru picked his head up, and their faces were so close that Yoshiki's breath hitched. He inched away, but Hikaru seemed unphased by their proximity. He studied every inch of Yoshiki's face before finally looking in his eyes. His voice was a whisper. "You. All I can remember is you."