Oikakeru Yume

Author’s Note: For those of you who said once just wasn’t enough… I couldn’t agree more. Hide’s birthday celebration in the last chapter was just the tip of the iceberg. This chapter also has more than a hint of lemon flavoring. Of course, I DID promise to have a plot to this story, so we get back to that in this chapter as well. Looks like my boys are going to be in for a rough month. Let’s hope they persevere!


November


The picture on the television screen bore an uncanny resemblance to Taki’s father. Hide turned up the volume, in time to hear the grisly details. Taki’s mother was in the hospital again, her husband having beaten her to within a single blood transfusion of death. Now she lay in a coma. But apparently this time, HE was finally made to atone for his crimes. Alex Hendricks was dead from several crushing blows to the head. Hide was running up the hall, yelling for Taki in a matter of seconds.

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It started out like any other day… a beautiful late November day, with a chill in the air and ice on the ground. Winter had come early to Kanagawa and they were predicting snow.

It started out like any other day; sitting down to breakfast with Taki before the younger man left for work, then a day spent constantly checking the progress of the police investigation, while waiting eagerly for Taki to come home, so they could visit Taki’s mother in the hospital before having a late dinner out.

It STARTED OUT like any other day…

Hide was sitting stiffly on a living room sofa, his concentration focused on the large television screen hanging from one wall. The news program he was watching was running a report about Taki’s mother and father. His mind had been wandering until he heard the word “suspect”; when his ears pricked up and he turned give the news show his full attention.

Just then his phone rang and he jumped, startled. “Hai, moshi mosh…”

“Hide! I need your help.”

“Where are you, Taki? Are you watching the news?”

The voice on the other end of the line was strained. “That’s why I’m calling. Right now, I AM the news.”

“What do you mean? Where are you?”

“I’m at the police station.”

“What are you doing there? What’s going on?”

“They came and got me at work today. They picked me up for my father’s murder, Hide. They brought me in for questioning because they seem to think I did it.”

Hide couldn’t believe what he was hearing as his attention flickered back and forth between the television screen and the phone call.

The reporter on the screen was standing outside Chieko’s house, the yellow police tape surrounding the entrance billowing like streamers in the brisk wind. The man was talking about how Chieko had been brutally beaten in the assault and still lay in a coma at the local hospital. Then he went on to detail how Alex Hendricks had sustained two blows to the skull, killing him. Murder was not a common crime in Japan, so this particular case was receiving extremely unheard-of media attention. Although they had not scheduled a formal press conference on the matter, “reliable sources” had informed the reporter that the police had recently brought in a suspect in the case.

And now Taki was in jail, apparently the reporter’s unnamed “prime suspect”. Sure, he, of everyone, had the most reason to want the bastard dead, but did he really follow through on his previous threat? Hide couldn’t even bring himself to ask the question, but he wouldn’t have to. “I didn’t do it, Hide. I wanted to… I REALLY wanted to. But, I couldn’t. The asshole was my FATHER. As much as I wanted him dead, there was no way… I just couldn’t do it.”

“Taki…”

“I don’t know what to do, Hide. They have all those people from the hospital last time, the ones that heard me threaten to kill him. They want to charge me with his murder. What do I do? I couldn’t think of anyone else to call but you. I’m scared, Hide.”

His friend needed him, desperately. A strange new feeling washed over him as he stood, gripping the phone tightly to his ear. “It’ll be okay, Taki. First, we’ll get you out of there. Then we’ll find out what really happened.”

“How, Hide?”

“I don’t know, but we’ll think of something, right?”

There was an uncomfortable silence from the other end of the line, then the nervous sound of Taki’s voice murmured, “Yeah, sure.”

“Okay, you keep it together while I figure out how to get you out of there. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“Hide…”

“Yes, Taki.”

“Thanks…”

Hide smiled slightly, though his concerned mind was already formulating a plan on how to secure Taki’s release from the police station. “No problem, Taki. What are friends for?”

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Once they suspected someone in a case, the police had forty-eight hours to petition a judge for an arrest warrant. The case of Alexander Hendricks appeared to be a murder and murders just didn’t occur in their jurisdiction. Because of that, they went after this particular incident with rabid zealousness.

Upon their first examination of the crime scene, they found no evidence of forced entry, so they began to compile information on family and friends; anyone who might have had access to the house. Their immediate concerns were the sons, Takahashi Keitaro and Takahashi Yukishiro. Then there were the woman’s brothers Takahashi Mamoru and Takahashi Takeo. Friends were put on a separate list. From their computer database the police investigators found that Takahashi Keitaro had left home six years ago and had been living on the streets until recently, when he moved into a home in Kanagawa with a “friend”. Takahashi Yukishiro was listed as living in Hokkaido with his mother’s family, but when they investigated further they found his current whereabouts shown as Izu, where he had taken a job as apprentice to a fisherman. Takahashi Mamoru and Takahashi Takeo were both shown as still living in Hokkaido.

According to numerous other statements from family and friends, Alexander Hendricks had been a violent man, prone to drinking binges that would leave him in a foul temper. Hospital reports showed that both Takahashi Chieko AND Takahashi Keitaro had been admitted on numerous occasions for various injuries, ranging from cuts and bruises, to broken bones. Takahashi Keitaro’s records ended the same time he moved out of the family home. Takahashi Chieko’s records continued, but with less frequency.

The Yokohama police were baffled. Other than statements from people who’d heard Taki threaten his father during his mother’s previous hospitalization, there was just no hard evidence to support his being guilty of the alleged murder. First and foremost, there was no weapon. Then, there was the roommate, Tadanori Hideyasu. In his statement he’d claimed that Takahashi Keitaro had been at their home in Kanagawa at the time the alleged crime had been perpetrated. They’d grilled both men for hours, but with no variation in their stories. Takahashi Keitaro had gone to work that morning, then had gone straight home afterward. Interviews with Takahashi’s employers confirmed that he’d been at work that day until about six o’clock that night. A taxi receipt led them to the driver who’d driven Takahashi home and he’d confirmed taking Takahashi to Kanagawa.

They tried to find something they could present to the public prosecutor, but things were looking grim. They could only keep Taki in their holding cell for forty-eight hours before they had to turn him and whatever evidence they had over and they KNEW they didn’t have a case. Either Takahashi was very good, or he really was innocent of the alleged crime.

At a loss, they turned Taki over with only the statements from the people who’d been at the hospital saying they’d heard him threaten Alex Hendricks. The public prosecutor knew he only had twenty-four hours to request a detention order from the judge, but, as he shuffled through the mountain of paperwork on his desk, he came to the realization that there was no real evidence he could use to charge Taki with. There was really no choice in the matter; he had to turn Taki loose.

Their only hope lay in the fact that the medical examiner hadn’t finished his investigation yet, though he had put the time of death at roughly between nine and ten p.m. The police also hoped that Chieko could tell them something useful when she woke, if she awoke.

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At the end of the third afternoon, Taki was released due to lack of evidence.

Hide and Taki left the police station under a barrage of television cameras. A media-circus of reporters shoved microphones at their faces and they were forced to make a mad dash for the taxi Hide had hired for them. In the midst of the hysteria, Hide couldn’t seem to shake the unnerving feeling that something else was out there, watching them. Just as he was about to step into the taxi, he stopped, looking around, as though searching for something.

“What is it?” Taki asked, once they’d closed themselves within the relative safety of the vehicle.

Shaking his head, Hide replied, “I don’t know. It feels like we’re being watched.”

An icy chill ran up Taki’s spine. “You felt it, too, huh?”

Their eyes met, both echoing the same unease.

At the same time, in a hall in Tokyo, heavy curtains glided back to reveal the afternoon sky through heavily tinted glass and a group of people sat, their eyes glued to the bank of television monitors that dominated one wall. “It’s HIM!” one murmured, eagerly.

Another agreed. “It is.”

“Finally,” replied an elegantly dressed man. “Now we have him.”

“We must inform the master,” cried another in excitement.

“Yes, Menumorout will be pleased to know of this. He has searched for so long,” agreed yet another.

The group hissed in unison, elated with the fact that their prey had finally reappeared, after all these years. Tadanori no Hideyasu; the arrogant young vampire their master held in such high esteem. Eyes glowed silver and fangs flashed as their attention fell back to the ragged young girls huddled in the middle of the floor, trembling in fright. In maniacal glee, they fell upon the girls, terrified screams drowned out in the orgy of blood lust.

The clutch of vampires who’d been hunting Hide for years now knew that he was somewhere in the area and he was connected to the human, Takahashi Keiichi, from Yokohama. It was a fortuitous day.

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Knowing that Taki had been exonerated made both men feel better, but there was still the matter of who HAD killed Alex. Taki said he didn’t care; that his only concern was his mother, but Hide knew he was lying. Bastard or not, the man WAS his father, Taki had said so himself. So, while the younger man was away at work, Hide decided to do a little investigating of his own. He figured he’d start at the same place the police had, the scene of the crime.

The police barricade was still in place, as he side-stepped it, heading for the back door. Suddenly, he got a strange sense of déjà vu. Someone else was already there, watching him. “Stop,” a voice called out.

Hide melted into the shadows, scanning the surrounding area.

“Who’re you?” the voice demanded.

Turning in the direction of the voice, Hide paused. His enhanced vision allowed him to see in the dark, an ability that came in very handy at this moment. There, in the shadows was a young man who looked a lot like Taki and Hide knew the instant he spotted the owner of the voice, just who he was. “You’re Yukishiro, aren’t you?”

The young man jerked back, apprehensive, and then took a cautious step forward. Hide followed his lead, stepping out into the midmorning sunlight. As the warm glow flowed over them, Yukishiro’s face took on a look of recognition. “I know you. You’re that guy… the one that’s always with Taki.”

Now it was Hide’s turn to be shocked. “You’ve seen us? When?”

Yukishiro shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. What are you doing here?” he demanded.

“I could ask you the same thing.”

“I asked first.”

Hide looked at the young man, cautiously. “I’m trying to find something that will prove that Taki didn’t kill your father.”

Yukishiro’s head popped up, wide eyed, “How do you know he didn’t do it?”

“Because he said he didn’t.”

“And you trust him?”

“Implicitly.”

The younger man seemed startled.

Hide continued, “Taki said you were in Hokkaido. What are you doing here?”

The other man shook his head. “Not here. I have some questions for you, too, but not here.”

“My home…” Hide began, but Yukishiro shook his head vigorously.

“No… someplace public. With a lot of people.”

“Okay, there’s an arcade just down the road. We could probably find a restaurant or something.”

“Fine,” came the curt reply.

Once in the light, Hide marveled at just how much like his older brother Yukishiro looked. Well, except he lacked the shoulder-length two-toned hair, the nose ring and the rather obvious tattoo. Taki probably had about a couple of centimeters on his younger brother, and maybe a few kilograms, but, otherwise, you could tell that they were definitely brothers.

“Who are you, anyway?” Yukishiro demanded, as soon as they had settled at a table in the nearest arcade.

“My name is Hide.”

“I’ve seen you with my brother. Just what are you to him?”

Hide searched for the right answer. “I’m… we’re… friends.”

“How do you know him?”

“We met earlier this year, in Shibuya.” Before Yukishiro could fire off another question, Hide threw out one of his own. “You’re obviously not in Hokkaido anymore. What are you doing here?”

“I graduated a few months ago. The family really wanted me to go to college, but I want to be a fisherman. I moved to Izu to get work aboard a fishing boat.”

“So, you live in Izu now? Does your family know?”

“Mom does, but I told her not to tell anyone else.”

“Why?” Hide asked, curiously.

“Because I didn’t want anyone trying to stop me. It’s my life and this is what I want to do with it.”

“That’s rather selfish, don’t you think? After all your family has done for you.”

Yukishiro colored. “Who the hell are you to tell me what to do with my life? My mother’s okay with it and HER opinion is the only one that matters to me.”

Hide smiled, slightly. The younger Takahashi sounded so much like his older brother. “You sound like Taki,” he mused, getting a wide-eyed stare as a response. “You were at the police station, weren’t you? You were the one watching us, right?” Hide finally remembered.

Yukishiro looked at him, shocked. “How did you know that? How could you have seen me?”

“I didn’t see you, but I felt something… like someone was watching us. Taki felt it too.”

“I just wanted to be sure he was alright. Ever since he’s been on the street, the only way I can keep track of him is through our mother.”

“You could have asked HER, then,” Hide murmured, taking a sip of his drink.

“Asked her WHAT?”

“Where he’s been living.”

Yukishiro looked at Hide skeptically. “Why? Where is he?”

“He lives with me.”

This tidbit of information stunned the younger Takahashi. “Taki? Taki lives with you?” The older brother he knew was fiercely independent. Surely, this guy had to be forcing him to do something against his will. “What do you have on him?” he demanded.

A small smile played at the corners of Hide’s mouth. “It’s not like that. He’s got a job in Tokyo now, but he’s still very much his own person. He was staying in Shinjuku when we first became friends. I told him that I had more than enough room to share and we both decided that it would be mutually advantageous if he just moved into my place. So he did. It was his decision.”

Yukishiro was stunned. Taki? His big brother? “Why? What made him change after all this time?”

“Actually,” as Hide glanced at his watch, “He should be getting home from work in a little while. If you want, you can ask him yourself.”

Shaking his head vigorously, Yukishiro declined. “I can’t talk to him.”

“Why not? He’s your brother. He’d want to know you’re okay. He talks about you, you know.”

“He does?”

Hide nodded. “He told me that you kept in contact with your Mom, but he was sad that you never contacted him.”

Yukishiro hung his head, staring intently at the straw in his drink as though trying to get it to move with just the power of his mind. “I was only seven-year’s-old, when Mom sent me to Hokkaido to live with her family, so I had only vague memories of my mother and brother. Pretty much everything I knew about them was from stories my grandparents and my Mom’s two older brothers told me. My uncles in particular hid absolutely nothing from me. They made sure I was fully aware of the abuse that had been going on in my family.”

“When did you find out about that?” Hide asked.

“Well, I hated my mother for a long time. I blamed her for separating me from her and my father and my brother… my whole family, but when I happened to mention that in front of my uncles one day, it was all they could do to keep from beating the crap out of me. I was about ten at the time. They sat me down and told me the truth… all of it. If she’d had a choice she would never have sent me away. It was my mother’s concern for my well-being that made her send me to Hokkaido, since my father had recently taken to beating on my older brother... Taki. When that happened she knew it was only a matter of time before he started in on me as well.”

“I often wondered about them after that, but my uncles said it would be safer if I kept my contact with them to a minimum. That way my father wouldn’t come looking for me. It was bad enough that he put my mother in the hospital after she sent me away,” he continued. “For some reason, he never liked Taki. I don’t know why, but when my mother sent me to Hokkaido, my uncles told me that my father really snapped. I guess I was supposed to be his heir, though what I was supposed to be “heir” of is beyond me.” Yukishiro paused. “He nearly killed Taki that time.”

Hide looked at the younger man in shock. “Taki never told me about that.”

“My uncles came down to see them in the hospital. They said it was really bad. Taki should have a scar running down the back left side of his head from where he hit the living room table after our father hit him. When the emergency workers first started working on him, they thought he was dead. My uncles said the doctors thought he would be brain-damaged from it, but Taki’s too stubborn, I guess.”

“He didn’t tell me,” Hide thought, wondering what other deep, dark secrets his best friend was keeping from him.

“As I got older, my uncles had to come down here more and more often. Everyone in our family was getting angrier and angrier about what my father was doing… and getting away with. He put Taki in the hospital almost as often as he did our mother, if not more so. I know he hurt Taki worse.”

Hide’s chest tightened at the thought of his friend having to live through all those years of physical abuse. He was starting realize that Taki was right when he’d said that Alex being dead would be the best for everyone. The man DESERVED to be dead. But, that still didn’t tell him who’d killed the bastard. It still didn’t let Taki off the hook.

“I worried about my mother… and Taki. I wanted to see them, when I was old enough to take care of myself, but then he moved out and there was no way I could contact him,” Yukishiro added.

“He really missed you, he STILL misses you. You’re his brother.”

A mist of tears formed in Yukishiro’s eyes, which he brushed away as discreetly as possible. “I miss him, too. After my uncles started telling me about my mother and Taki, I started to remember some things. I remembered our mother used to take us out during the summer and Taki and I would compete to see which of us could catch the biggest beetle. If we both caught one, we’d compete to see whose was bigger, or stronger. We’d always want to bring them home, but our mother would convince us to let them go saying that the beetles deserved their freedom as much as we did and if we didn’t want to live our lives in a jar, why would the beetles.”

Hide smiled, thinking that it sounded a lot like something Chieko would have said.

“I also remembered that we used to talk… a lot. It was just kid stuff, but it meant a lot. He was always good at sports and he loved watching it on television. He would tell me everything about this team and that. Or everything you’d always wanted to know about certain athletes. He had a great memory for those kinds of things.”

“Which is probably how he got that job,” Hide mused, aloud.

“Huh?” Yukishiro questioned, drawn from his memories by the sound of Hide’s voice.

“Oh, he’s an intern for Nippon Sportsman. It’s a new magazine that’s being published in Tokyo. Right now they have him following the writers around to help out with the stories, checking facts and stuff like that.”

Yukishiro smiled. “Sounds like the perfect job for him. Good. I’m glad he found something he likes. Life has been so unfair to Taki. It’s about time something good came his way.”

Reaching across the little café table, Hide put his hand lightly on the young man’s shoulder. “He’d love to see you, you know.”

Drawing back, Yukishiro said, “I can’t see him. Not right now.”

“Well, is there somehow we can get in contact with you.”

“I’ll find you if I have to,” came Yukishiro’s cryptic reply.

“Can I at least tell him that I saw you? Can I tell him you’re okay?”

Yukishiro shook his head. “Today never happened. Taki can never know about this.”

“But, why?”

“I have my reasons,” was all the younger man would divulge, before standing up and sprinting away. Hide made to follow him, but then thought the better of it. As much as he didn’t want to keep things from Taki, it would be easier to deal with Taki’s disappointment than to make Yukishiro distrust him any more than he already did.

After Yukishiro left him, Hide weighed his options. Since Taki had told Hide that morning that he would be working a little later than usual, Hide knew he still had about an hour before the younger man got home. He could probably do a quick run through of Chieko’s house, since the encounter with Yukishiro had prevented him from doing so earlier. Making up his mind, he returned to the scene of the crime.

The sun was dipping toward the horizon by then; forcing Hide to rely more upon his vampire instincts to get around, since turning the lights on wasn’t an option… unless he WANTED to get caught breaking and entering. He’d only made it as far as the kitchen when the smell of fresh human blood assaulted his senses. Whipping around he caught a brief glimpse of the body hurtling toward him just moments before they collided. Another movement flashed in the corner of his eye. Spinning the first creature in that direction he managed to head off his second attacker using the first as a shield. Just then, something heavy connected with the back of his skull and his vision blanked out momentarily. He’d missed the third attacker, only fortunate that the guy had bad aim. All three fell on him as he tried to clear his head. Hide knew what they were in an instant. The glowing eyes and flashing teeth were all the hints he needed. They were young and looked a lot like Taki had when they’d first met. Bosozoku, Taki had called them, young bike-gang members usually recruited by the yakuza. Young, disenfranchised, violent and now… vampires; how was that for a lethal combination?

Luckily, Hide had about 100 years of experience on each of them. Well, that plus he knew the layout of this house like the back of his hand.

Breaking their hold on him he raced out of the kitchen, weaving through room after room until he reached Chieko’s bedroom, ducking behind her large tansu to wait. He could hear the vamps searching the rest of the house for him. Geez, they were noisy. He could hear them talking… a violent chill running through his body when he heard them mention the name Menumorout. It was then that he realized what had prompted this sudden attack.

Finally, one of the vamps made its way into the bedroom. From his vantage point, Hide could see the glowing silver eyes scanning the room for him. Leaping out from his hiding place, he’d snapped the creature’s neck before it found the opportunity to alert its companions. You see, where Hide adhered to a strict “no killing” rule where humans and animals were concerned, he had no such aversion regarding vampires; particularly ones who were intent on killing HIM.

“One down, two to go,” he thought, shoving the body into a corner before returning to his secreted corner. The second vamp to stumble in on him was no brighter than the first and it met the same fate as its compatriot. Once he’d dropped the body to the floor Hide paused, standing stock-still, listening. All was silent. No breathing, no footfall. The third vampire was good, better than the first two at least. He’d probably been the first turned.

It was a stand-off. As long as neither of them was willing to make a move, there was a possibility of them staying that way all night. But, Taki would be home soon and Hide seriously didn’t want to have to explain to him where he’d been or what he’d been doing. Cautiously, he stepped out of the room, all the while scanning for the third vampire. When he couldn’t sense it, he worked his way back to the kitchen. The sound of scraping metal reached him a split second before he twisted around, barely avoiding the blade that grazed his cheek. He should have anticipated the weapon, but he hadn’t… a stupid move on his part. The blade whistled past his ear this time as he jumped back to avoid it. The other vampire had planned on Hide’s reaction, spinning to kick Hide’s legs out from under him. Off balance Hide crashed into the countertop, his forehead hitting it squarely, sending a river of blood cascading across his vision.

Blinded, Hide crumpled to the floor, as the other vampire stalked over. In a desperate move, Hide crawled toward the dining room, using his acute hearing to tell him where the other vampire was. He bumped into a chair and got a frantic, last-ditch idea. Picking the chair up by one leg, he swung it in the direction the other vampire approached from, shattering the wood against the other creature’s shoulder. It howled in pain, grasping its left arm. In a rage, the creature launched itself at him, fangs bared, snarling. Rolling onto his back, Hide thrust out the item he clutched in his right hand; a single broken-off leg from the wooden chair. Unable to break its momentum, the other vampire impaled itself squarely on the chair leg. With a blood-curdling scream, it grabbed at its chest before bursting into a cloud of dust with a surprised snarl on its face.

Wiping the blood from his eyes, Hide walked back up the hall to Chieko’s bedroom, staking the two vamps he’d left there. He’d already bled all over the place and broken a chair in the crime scene… leaving two bodies behind wouldn’t improve the situation any. Mopping up any fresh blood he could find, he called a taxi on his cell phone then ran three streets away to wait for it. He couldn’t very well have it pick him up in front of Chieko’s house, now could he?

He had mixed feelings about the outcome of the day. His goal had been to find some evidence of who might have off’ed Taki’s father, but in that respect, today had been a complete bust. First Yukishiro, then the Bosozoku vamps. It was getting late and he knew he wasn’t going to get anything more done at Chieko’s so he might as well just go home.

“Great, Taki’s home,” he moaned as the taxi turned into his drive to find all of the lights in the house on. He stumbled through his front door, still a bit woozy from the blows to the head and the loss of blood, thinking that Taki had a point about the vampire thing being an advantage. He would have sustained NO injuries had he been fully vampire.

“Where were you?” Taki asked, walking through the living room.

Hide stopped, bracing himself against the entryway.

“Hide… you okay?”

Walking very slowly, Hide made his way over to the sofas, his head finally beginning to clear.

“Where’d you go? I called before I came home, but you didn’t answer. I tried your cell, but all I got was voice mail. Don’t you ever check your messages?” Finally noticing the cut on Hide’s forehead, Taki rushed over. “You’re BLEEDING!”

Hide replied, “Yeah, apparently I do that now. The timing sure sucks though.”

Taki wasn’t amused.

“What happened to you? Where did you get this?”

Hide touched his head, the abraded skin already starting to close. “It’s nothing.”

“What do you mean, ‘it’s nothing’? You’re hurt. What happened? Where were you?” Taki demanded.

Deciding that part of the truth would be better than a complete lie, Taki told him about going to Chieko’s house, recounting his attack by the Bosozoku but leaving out his encounter with Yukishiro.

“What were you doing there anyway?”

“Trying to find something the police might have missed.”

Taki was worried. “Hide, now that we know the vamps who made you know that you’ve turned up again, I don’t want you going anywhere at night. Apparently they don’t know about this house, since they haven’t appeared on our doorstep yet. But it’s not safe for you.”

Hide shook his head. “Taki…”

“I’m serious, Hide. Listen to me. I don’t want you leaving this house after dark. They can’t move around during the day, so I guess that’s okay; though I wouldn’t put it past them to pick up some humans for wet work.”

“Taki…”

“Damn it, Hide. Shut up. I will NOT let you get killed just for trying to help me. Do you understand?” He’d grabbed the vampire by the forearms, gripping him tightly.

Anxious teal eyes met his.

“DO YOU UNDERSTAND, HIDE?”

Contritely, Hide nodded. “Yes, Taki; I understand.”

“Good,” Taki murmured, breathing a sigh of relief. Brushing Hide’s hair aside, he found that the cut had already healed. “Whoa,” he breathed, impressed.

“Regenerative powers,” Hide commented.

Taki whistled. “Pretty cool. I still don’t want you testing them out anymore, though.” He touched his lips to the spot where the cut had been and Hide shuddered, a small sigh escaping his throat. Wrapping a hand around the vampire’s waist, Taki spun him around, tripping him to land lengthwise on the sofa. Hide looked up in surprise as Taki grinned wolfishly. “Been waiting for you,” he growled, crouching on the floor beside the sofa. Leaning forward Taki took Hide’s buttons between his teeth, one by one, snapping them off like pieces of candy and spitting them across the room. “Taki,” Hide gasped, eyes widening. Opening the front of Hide’s shirt, Taki ran the tip of his tongue all the way from Hide’s throat to his navel, pausing to swirl around the little indentation and making Hide’s hips push off the seat. Hide sat up to shrug the shirt off, but Taki stopped him. Turning Hide away from him, Taki drew the fabric of Hide’s shirt down his arms, but instead of discarding it, he wrapped the long sleeves around Hide’s wrists, weaving them in and out and tying them into a knot; effectively binding Hide’s hands behind his back.

“Taki,” Hide gasped worriedly.

“It’s okay. Just relax.” Taki replied, leaning Hide against the back of the sofa as he removed the older man’s pants.

“I’m not sure about this,” Hide admitted, as Taki pushed his knees apart.

Taki touched a finger to the glistening tip of Hide’s growing erection and smiled. “Your brain might not be, but other parts of you sure are.” With no further pretense, Taki’s mouth closed over Hide’s shaft, sucking it all the way to the back of his throat. Hide’s hips canted off the sofa, a protracted moan drawn from deep within him. Taki’s tongue worked its magic, swirling around Hide’s length and delving into the tiny slit in the head. Sliding his hands under Hide’s rear, he pulled the vampire forward until he was balanced at the edge of his seat. His hips jerked in time with Taki’s bobbing motions, his climax fast approaching. He struggled against his bonds, wanting to bury his fingers in Taki’s hair, wishing he could get Taki to increase the pace. Taki just smiled, reading Hide’s mind through the pained expression on the vampire’s face. He wrapped a hand around the base of Hide’s shaft and pumped… once, twice, three times as Hide came with a shout, spurting in the younger man’s mouth. “Taki!”

Taki swallowed, savoring the musky flavor of Hide’s essence. Then he pulled the vampire to him to kiss him deeply. Hide’s eyes glowed at him, first in confusion, then in recognition as he realized that it was his own taste he found on Taki’s tongue.

“Not bad, huh?” Taki teased.

“Was that…”

“Yeah, that’s what you taste like.”

Hide ducked his head, embarrassed.

“Oh no, you don’t,” Taki chided, raising Hide’s head to kiss him again.

Hide heard a pop, somewhere in the distance, but was too preoccupied to think about it. Taki slid from Hide’s lips, down his chest, over his still quivering shaft, to the hidden treasure he sought just beneath. Hide’s shaft gave another jump as Taki’s tongue wormed its way into his puckered entry. Hide wanted to push him away, but could only struggle against the fabric that rendered his arms useless. “Taki, don’t,” he begged, his pleas ignored as Taki’s tongue pushed further inside. Hide tried to pull himself back, but Taki’s hands on his hips prevented him from slipping away.

Suddenly, the tongue was gone. Hide was in the middle of a relieved sigh when he felt a cold finger slip into his body in place of the talented tongue. It was so quick that he jerked back, stunned. “Relax, Hide,” came Taki’s quiet command. “Put your feet up on the sofa.”

The vampire did as he was told, pulling his legs up to balance his feet on the edge of the seat. This opened him wider to Taki’s explorations. Taki grabbed a cushion from the corner of the sofa, sliding it behind Hide’s back, making it easier for the vampire to sit up. A second finger pressed inside, as Taki watched his progress, occasionally laying a small kiss to a milky white inner thigh. Hide looked down, inquisitive and their eyes met. “See, Hide. You’re already getting loose. How does it feel?” Taki asked.

Hide couldn’t answer. He just kept staring, watching raptly as Taki’s fingers slid in and out of his body. Chuckling, Taki cupped his hand and Hide saw stars. “And that’s how it’s done.”

His hips bounced off the sofa in rapid jerks, as Taki added a third finger. “Aah,” Hide moaned loudly, his head falling back as his upper body whipped from side to side.

“Oh yeah, you’re ready.” Taki mused, pulling the slick fingers out of Hide’s clenching channel. Helping the trembling vampire to stand, he whispered, “Come here.” He pulled Hide behind the sofa, bending him over the overstuffed back. Grasping a quivering rounded globe in each hand he drew them apart, revealing Hide’s slick opening. Running his fingertips up Hide’s engorged shaft and across the twitching opening Taki smiled as Hide let out a pained groan. The younger man grasped his own length, positioning the head at Hide’s opening before pressing in, completely sheathing himself in Hide’s velvet clutches. The answering whimper from Hide only served to increase Taki’s ardor.

One hand pressed down on Hide’s back, pushing him as far into the sofa cushions as his body would allow and raising his backside as high as it would go. The arms tied behind the vampire’s back were beginning to go numb, but his brain was otherwise occupied.

Taki began to move, in and out, the hands on Hide’s hips pulling and pushing him in time with the younger man’s thrusts. The soft feel of leather brushed against his swollen shaft and Hide startled at the stimulation. Taki’s strokes were forcing the vampire into the back of the sofa. With as much conscious thought as he could manage, Hide moved with Taki, brushing himself against the back of the leather seat every time Taki pushed into him; drawing back when Taki did. His eyes rolled back with the pleasure. Then, Taki hit that spot and Hide’s world became a bright and shining place.

With wobbly legs, Hide fought to keep stationary. Taki could sense his struggles and ceased his thrusting. Picking the vampire up, Taki swung him over the top of the sofa, to land in a sweaty, quivering heap on the other side. Walking over to join him, Taki sat and patted his lap. Hide slid across it, straddling Taki’s legs with his own. Perching at the edge of the seat, Taki looked up at Hide and raised an eyebrow. The vampire looked down at him, questioningly.

Taki chuckled. “You want it… YOU do it.”

Hide stared at him, confused for a moment then he sheepishly looked between his legs at Taki’s furiously throbbing length. Taki reached down to hold himself still while Hide sank down on his lap with a satisfied groan. Finding their positions awkward, Taki slid back on the sofa, prompting Hide to kneel astride him. They sat that way, neither man moving until Hide’s hips gave a tentative grind. Taki fought to hide his smile, amused far beyond his expectations. Apparently liking what he felt, Hide’s hips moved again, this time pulling Taki in a little deeper. Hide moaned, moving his hips until he found a rhythm that had him shuddering in pleasure. He began to sway, the heat of their coupling leaving him faint. Taki’s hands settled around his hips, holding him firmly, helping him move.

“Steady, Hide. Let it build,” Taki directed, as Hide drew him all the way into his body. The head of Taki’s erection smacked against Hide’s prostate and the vampire howled, nearly flying off of the sofa. Taki laughed, snagging Hide before he could hurt himself. “Easy, dude. This is supposed to feel good, not cause permanent damage.” Swinging his hips upward, Taki began thrusting into Hide again, his pace increasing as all of the blood in his body rushed toward his distended member. “Hide,” he groaned, his fingers digging into the vampire’s buttocks as he pulled the other man in to forcefully meet his thrusts.

Hide twisted on Taki’s lap, fighting to get out of his bonds. Recognizing the vampire’s exertions, Taki yanked the knotted shirt off Hide’s wrists in one quick jerk, allowing the vampire to wrap himself around the younger man’s body, plunging madly.

“Hide.”

There was no response, just a series of frantic thrusts.

“Hide.”

Still no response.

Taki clutched him tightly, stilling the vampire’s desperate motions. Raising Hide’s hips and lowering them again, Taki set a more leisurely pace. “Slow down, Hide.”

Hide’s head snapped up with a growl; eyes glowing as he glared at Taki.

“I know. I know. But, it’s better this way.” Taki reminded the other man. “Now, come on.” Sweeping his hair to one side, Taki lifted the exposed shoulder to Hide as the vampire sucked in a breath. “It’s okay, Hide.”

The vampire continued to move astride Taki’s lap, refusing to take the younger man up on his oh, so tempting offer. His eyes slid shut as the sensations messed with his logical thoughts, his brain turning into a puddle of mush. Suddenly, he thought he felt nerve endings he never even knew existed. “Impossible,” he mused, aloud.

Taki knew what he was thinking. “Oh no, dude, it’s VERY possible. You’re starting to feel things, aren’t you? Things you didn’t think you could.”

Hide nodded, looking back down at Taki’s smiling face.

“Well, if this feels good, why not go all the way? Why feel good when you can feel great? Come on, Hide.” The glistening shoulder beckoned temptingly.

Before his brain could protest, Hide’s fangs had already pierced the skin, sinking in as far as they would go. At the first taste of Taki’s blood, he jerked back, ripping himself out of Taki’s flesh, abruptly. He felt Taki wince beneath him, but the regret was lost in the flood of ecstasy that washed over the two men. Hide cried out at his climax, the timbre of his voice rising until it was a shriek, his limbs going numb as he fell draped over Taki, sticky white threads strewn across his chest, his body twitching in spasm. The bite, immediately followed by the tightening of Hide’s rear muscles around his shaft was all it took to send Taki over the edge. “Hide,” Taki gasped, the force of his thrusts lifting his hips off the sofa as he poured himself into the vampire.

“Taki,” Hide panted, burying his face in the wild raven disarray of Taki’s hair, his chest heaving under the strain of his breathing.

Fighting to get his breathing under control, Taki groaned, “Dude…” Shaking his head, he continued, in amazement, “It just keeps getting better.” Gathering up the sweaty, sticky, messy body still quivering in his lap, he stood, drawing himself out in the process. Then, he trudged their soiled, naked bodies up the hall to their bathroom, stepping into the shower and turning it on, finding it impossible to maneuver with Hide still dangling limply from his arms. The cold blast was invigorating, but he turned the knob, warming the water until it was at a temperature he liked. Then he held Hide under the spray, washing away all visible traces of their lovemaking. Well, all except for the slightly zoned-out look on Hide’s face.

“You gotta stand, dude. I can’t wash up with you all limp like this,” he begged, setting Hide’s feet down on the tile floor. But the vampire’s knees buckled and Taki had to grab him quickly before he crashed through the glass door. “Ah, crap.” Finally, Taki had to resort to washing himself with one hand as the other held Hide firmly against the back of the shower stall. Turning off the water, he pushed the door open with his foot, climbing out before turning and scooping up Hide’s still uncooperative body. Shaking his head, Taki chuckled. “Boy, I hate to think what will happen if our sex gets REALLY mind-blowing. We could give you permanent brain damage.”

Still Hide was unresponsive. Taki laughed, pulling a towel from the rack and drying both of them off. Then he picked Hide up again and carried him into the bedroom. Sinking into the soft double bed, he sighed, as Hide snuggled into his chest, already half asleep. Reaching for the lamp switch, he chuckled again as sleep reached out to claim him as well.

Turning to place a kiss on the still smiling lips, Taki stretched out, murmuring, “It’s at times like these that I’m really thankful you don’t sleep in a coffin.”


~End of Chapter Four~