Oikakeru Yume

Author’s Note: Okay, you asked for it, you got it. This is for all of you who actually EMAILED me your lemon requests! You guys have no idea how much I crack up laughing every time I get one of your letters. But, don’t stop… I LOVE getting them so much, I actually SAVE them! Since this chapter is entitled “February” what better way to illustrate it than with Valentine’s Day. You know what THAT means. And, trust me; the lemon in this one is WILD! A little bit of plot snuck in at the end of this chapter, just to be sure the actual story keeps moving forward. It’s all good. Have fun! (You KNOW my boys will!)


February


There hadn’t been any more trouble with the vampires since Hide had been attacked at Chieko’s house, so, though they kept a wary eye out, Hide and Taki allowed themselves to relax a bit.
Spring filled the air and Hide was able to return his nishikigoi to their outdoor pond, after keeping them indoors during the frozen winter months. He and Taki were also able to spend more and more time in the gardens as the snow melted and the air warmed. Days floated past as in a dream.

One morning Hide surprised Taki as he arrived in the dining room for breakfast. Taki knew what day it was from the constant yammering of all the girls at work, but he hadn’t thought any more about it… until now.

“Happy Valentine’s Day,” said Hide, shyly.

Looking down at the small box perched in the middle of his plate, Taki was stunned. He hadn’t expected anything… at all. Sure, he knew Hide was sentimental and all, but as far as he was concerned Valentine’s Day was something only high school girls got giddy over.

“Open it,” Hide whispered.

Picking the box up, Taki slid the ribbon to one side and lifted the cover. There was a smaller box inside, this one resembling the type you got from a jeweler’s. Turning it over, he let the second box slide into the palm of his hand. Up righting this second container, Taki cautiously snapped back the top, peering inside. Reaching in, he removed the piece of cotton and gasped.

Gold glinted out at him, shining brightly in the early morning light. Pulling his gift out he discovered that there was a chain attached to the charm. Hide had gotten him a pendant with “Taki” written in kanji, along with a thick gold chain to wear it on.

“Hide…” Taki murmured, searching for the appropriate words. “It’s beautiful.”

“You like it?”

Pulling the vampire toward him, Taki sealed his lips over Hide’s, letting his actions tell the other man what his words never could.

Work seemed eternal that day as all Taki could think of was Hide and the necklace clasped securely around his neck. The gift still awed him and the fact that Hide had thought to get it for him on THIS particular occasion boggled his mind. Valentine’s Day.

He remembered the girls in school getting all giggly and silly on that day as they presented their hand-made chocolate to the boys they liked. The perpetual loner, he’d never been one of those boys and he figured he never would be. In a million years he would never have imagined finally receiving a gift for Valentine’s Day and from someone like Hide, no less. His insides actually fluttered at the thought. Oh yeah… he had it bad.

Racing home after work, he could hardly wait to be with Hide again. Delicious aromas wafted out of the kitchen as Taki bounded through the door. “Honey, I’m home,” he shouted, laughing hysterically at the absurdity of the exclamation. Hide’s head peered out from the dining room.

“You’re early,” the vampire complained.

Wrapping his arms around Hide’s waist he pulled the scowling man toward him. “I couldn’t wait to see you,” Taki explained, bending the lanky body backwards while closing his lips over the vampire’s with a kiss that took the other man’s breath away.

Breaking away, dizzily, Hide muttered, “You’re forgiven,” as he staggered to the wall, leaning heavily against it just to keep himself upright.

“So dude, what’s for dinner?”

“Oh, no, you don’t,” Hide answered, pushing Taki out of the room. “You get cleaned up while I finish in here.”

Stealing another kiss, Taki dashed away before Hide’s swat could reach him.

Dinner was amazing. Hide was quite the gourmand, though preparing gourmet dishes for Taki was pretty much unnecessary. Sure, Taki thought the food was delicious, but he lacked the discerning palate required to really appreciate the various flavors and tastes. Hide didn’t care, though. He was happy just to have Taki there to cook for.

Once the meal was over and the dishes had been cleared away, Taki headed for the living room when Hide stopped him. “Hmm?” he questioned, as Hide fingers threaded through his own. Taking the hint, he allowed the vampire to lead him up the hall to their bedroom. Tugging him inside, Hide guided him to their bed.

There were candles of all shapes and sizes sitting in dishes circling the room. With a smile, Hide dimmed the lights and waved his hand as small flames flickered from the collection of wicks.

Taki’s eyes widened in shock.

“Surprise,” Hide murmured, pressing his lips to Taki’s.

“When did you…” Taki asked through the kiss.

Hide shrugged. “No idea… just happened.” With both palms on Taki’s chest, Hide pushed him backwards, sending the younger man tripping onto the bed.

Righting himself at the edge of the bed, Taki looked up at Hide expectantly.

The vampire watched him, unsure of what his next move should be. Slowly, he took each of Taki’s buttons and slid it open, exposing more of Taki’s chest with every move. Leaning down, he placed light kisses in Taki’s shoulder, his collarbone, his neck. Running his hand beneath the fabric, he pushed Taki’s shirt off.

Taki’s hands wound around his waist, pulling him closer for Taki to lick and kiss his stomach. Hide’s back arched, leaning backwards out of Taki’s hands. Taki’s tongue dipped into his belly button, making him shudder. Gripping Taki’s arms tightly, he pulled himself upright.

Dropping to his knees, he unbuckled Taki’s belt, pulling it out of the loops and letting it drop to the floor behind him. The snap and zipper were next, as he reached in and drew Taki’s already swelling shaft out. One hand surrounding the base as Taki had done to him countless times; he took a tentative swipe at the tip, brushing over it with the point of his tongue.

Taki’s hips surged forward with an, “Ungh.”

Encouraged, Hide circled his tongue around the slick head, tasting Taki’s juices. Taki’s fingers threaded through his hair, yanking the hair tie out with a single jerk, urging him onward. Opening wider, he proceeded to take the entire length down his throat, sucking on it as he pulled away. It seemed to get even bigger in his mouth and his eyes widened in surprise as he jumped away.

Seeing Hide’s reaction, Taki laughed. “You didn’t think you could do that to me and not have me respond, did you?” he chuckled. Grabbing Hide by the belt loops, Taki pulled him back, straining upward until their lips touched. Adjusting his position until he was kneeling on the bed, Taki pulled Hide with him so they both knelt, facing each other.

Hide’s shirt was gone in a matter of seconds, followed by his pants and boxers. Taki’s hands traveled over his body and Hide shivered in anticipation. Cupping Hide’s buttocks, Taki pulled the vampire forward, sealing Hide’s body against his own. Two straining lengths dueled against one another creating delicious sensations within both men.

“Taki…” Hide moaned, sliding down the younger man’s chest to once again fondle the shaft standing achingly between his legs. His mouth closed over it again. The vampire wished he could use his teeth the same way Taki did when the younger man did this to him, but in this instance it would mean permanent damage to Taki. So he contented himself with rolling his tongue over and around it as he took it as deeply down his throat as he could manage, enjoying the little sounds of rapture he was eliciting from his young lover.

The sensation of Hide’s hair brushing over his skin was arousing him nearly as much as the mouth surrounding his shaft; the feathery-softness drifting around him like a cloud of red.

Suddenly, Taki stopped him with a hand tightening in Hide’s hair. “My turn.”

Hide shook his head. “This is for you.”

“Uh-uh.” Taki disagreed, shifting them around so that they faced in opposite directions, with Hide lying on his back. The look Hide gave him was one of confusion. “Compromise,” was all Taki would say. Straddled over Hide this way, he would be able to give the vampire the same pleasure the other man’s mouth was giving him.

Hide’s tongue came up and flicked over the hypersensitive head of Taki’s shaft, making his eyes roll back into his head. Sinking down, he took the vampire’s straining erection down his throat, humming to increase the stimulation. Hide hips bucked wildly into him as he smiled. Then the vampire’s mouth closed over his shaft. They lay like that, each man testing the other’s resolve, that is, until Taki wriggled a finger under Hide, tickling his quivering little pucker and the vampire erupted with a shout. Taki made to move away, but Hide’s hands clenched his hips, pulling him further down the vampire’s throat. Taki moaned, appreciatively. Emboldened, Hide ran a hand over Taki’s rear, sliding his fingertips over Taki’s sacs before closing a hand around them, giving them a squeeze. Taki came instantly, rivers of white coursing out both sides of Hide’s mouth.

Rolling off the vampire, Taki swung around, contouring his body to Hide’s, his panting breath hot against the skin of Hide’s neck. “You can spit that out, if you want,” he whispered, to which Hide forced a swallow, then replied, “Spit WHAT out?”

Shaking his head, Taki kissed him, tasting his own essence on Hide’s lips. “Nut…”

“I told you… this is for you.”

“Hide… I don’t care what you said. You’re not making me happy if you’re doing something you don’t want to. Get it?”

Hide nodded.

“I know I come up with some pretty off-the-wall ideas sometimes, so if I want to do something you don’t, you have to tell me. Don’t just agree. Okay?”

“Yes, Taki,” Hide agreed, not entirely paying attention.

“Good. Now wait here.” Taki rolled off the bed, crouching to open the bottom drawer of the tansu. Digging around for a while, he finally found what he was looking for. He slid the drawer shut and crawled back onto the bed.

“I’ve been saving this for a special occasion. Since this is supposed to be ‘my’ day, I’d really like to give it a try.” In his hand he held a strange cylindrical object, about twenty centimeters long, with a small protrusion curving out from what Hide assumed to be the bottom. He’d seen items like this before, but never quite this close up. Apprehensive, Hide still nodded, since he HAD said that today was for Taki’s pleasure, completely forgetting Taki’s little “don’t agree just because I want to do something” speech of a few minutes ago.

“Cool. First things first, though.” Placing the object behind the pillows, Taki grabbed up the nearly empty bottle of lube. Holding it up to the light, Taki muttered, “Boy, remind me to get some more the next time we’re in Shinjuku, huh? I like this smell, but maybe we’ll try something flavored next time.”

Hide could almost feel his face flame as Taki laughed.

Then a slick finger found his opening and he gasped. After all the times he and Taki had made love, this part always made him feel new, like he’d never done this before. Some times he felt ashamed, wishing he could be a better partner for Taki, but then he would look into those deep brown eyes, and all of his doubts would wash away. He wondered how Taki could look at him like that, no matter how awkward, how inexperienced Hide was. The look was always the same, hunger, passion… in spite of how ill at ease Hide may have felt, Taki WANTED him. The thought drove the uncertainty from his body and Taki’s finger slid in. A second finger followed immediately, scissoring to open Hide to him. The tremors began, starting in Hide’s legs and working their way throughout every centimeter of his body. The third finger slipped in as Taki turned and curled them, cupping his hand. The brush against his prostate brought Hide out of his trance, as it always did.

“Taki!” he shouted, his hips lifting off the bed.

Taki continued to move his hand, twisting the fingers in Hide’s body, striking the bundle of nerves over and over again. The vampire’s body convulsed frenziedly. In the midst of his quaking, Hide tried frantically to grab Taki’s hand and stop the torture. “S…t…o…p…T…a...k...i…! S…t…o…p…!” he begged. White fluid arced from him, coating his stomach and chest.

Running a finger through the sticky mess covering Hide’s body, Taki painted pictures on the other man as the vampire shook and shuddered. White cream was swirled around Hide’s hypersensitive nipples, causing his upper body to wrench under Taki’s hands. Then it was trailed around Hide’s belly button, dipping into the small crater as Hide’s hips kept up their frantic jerking. Taki chuckled as he drew his hands away from Hide’s body. Hide moaned loudly as his rear entry gaped; red, swollen and glistening; begging to be filled once again.

Grinning, Taki murmured, “Oh yeah. You’re ready.” Pouring the last of the lube across the rubber toy, he spread it around, coating the entire surface, as Hide watched, wide-eyed. Seeing his look of distress, Taki assured him, “Don’t worry, it’s not much bigger than I am. You’ll be okay.” Touching Hide’s knee, he commanded, “Open.”

Hide’s legs fell to either side, leaving him exposed to Taki’s ravenous gaze. Positioning the huge invader at Hide’s opening, Taki pushed it in, slowly, as Hide whimpered, the feeling overwhelming. It WAS bigger than Taki, moving inside him, stretching him more than he’d ever been opened before. He tensed, his legs trembling violently. Taki stopped moving. “Relax, Hide. It’s okay. Just a little more. You can do this.” Hide forced himself to comply, willing his clenching channel to loosen just a bit more. Instinctively, Taki pushed the intruder in as far as it could go. Hide’s legs began to tremble again, but Taki was there, soothing him. “It’s done, Hide; it’s in. Just try to relax. You’re gonna love this.”

The pain of his backside being stretched so far made Hide skeptical of Taki’s words. How could anything that hurt this bad ever feel good? But, Taki’s hands on his body were already making the ache subside. The younger man slid the toy back and forth within Hide’s channel, just small little movements, turning it until it rested at the proper angle within the vampire. Then he kept up the little strokes, waiting for Hide’s body to accustom itself to being filled so completely, while his other hand busied itself by wrapping around Hide’s shaft, caressing the limp flesh back to life.

A tiny moan forced itself from Hide’s throat, as the thing in him scraped against the walls of his channel, sending delicious shivers up his spine. His backside clenched, pulling it further inside. A few more strokes and all discomfort had melted away, replaced by the delicious haze that usually accompanied his impending climax.

Once he saw that Hide had adjusted to the large interloper, Taki turned the knob in the base and the shaft began to throb. “Aah,” Hide shouted, arching off the bed, hips pumping in time with the vibrator’s pulses. Taki smiled, taking Hide’s now engorged shaft into his mouth as the small protrusion on the toy tickled Hide’s scrotum.

It was incredible; the feeling of being filled to capacity, coupled with the insistent pulsing. Taki had a difficult time trying to keep Hide’s hips still enough for him to deep throat the vampire. The bed swayed and rocked like a boat on stormy seas as Hide’s body jerked and whipped about. Backing away, Taki studied Hide as he continued to move the rubberized shaft in a corkscrew motion within the vampire’s body.

“Taki!” Hide cried, thrashing about on the bed. The younger man just smiled as he kept watching the vampire, moving the infuriating toy around within Hide’s body. Suddenly, Hide found himself on his hands and knees, Taki pushing the pulsating intruder even further into his body. He pitched forward with a scream. Saving Hide from smacking his head into the wall, Taki placed the vampire’s hands against the frame of the headboard. “Just hold on to this,” Taki whispered into Hide’s ear, as he kicked the vibrator up another notch, sending Hide into violent shrieking spasms.

“Hang on, Hide,” Taki urged, while Hide’s body bucked across the bed. As if the vampire had any choice. Hang on was all he COULD do, since he’d lost all ability to control any other actions he might have. His rear channel clutched at the invader encased within him, pulling it as deeply into his body as it would go, sucking it right against his prostate. The rhythmic throbbing on the small nerve bundle threw him well over the edge, his body hammering against the headboard, clinging to it as though his very existence depended upon it.

Increasing the toy’s vibrations up to its maximum output, Taki watched as Hide’s orgasm overtook him, highly amused. Hide wouldn’t realize until much later that he hadn’t had to bite Taki in order to achieve his climax this time. He was getting more and more human every day. Pulling Hide’s clutching hands from the headboard, Taki wrapped them around his middle, drawing Hide to him as the vampire continued to shudder ferociously in the throes of his climax. “Calm, Hide… calm,” he urged, as the vampire’s embrace threatened to crush the life out of him. Falling to the bed, Taki held the twitching vampire closely, stroking his hair and whispering words of endearment into his ear.

Reaching behind Hide, Taki caught the bottom of the vibrator and turned the knob, switching the pulsing torture device off. Once the mechanism stopped moving, Hide let out a huge sob, collapsing heavily against Taki’s chest. Taki sputtered, as a mass of Hide’s hair filled his mouth. Using one arm to pull it aside, Taki raised Hide off him slightly.

“Are you okay?”

A small nod was his only response. Well, better that than nothing at all, as Hide’s body continued to convulse, though not as severely as before. He was still sensitive to Taki’s touch, so his body jerked with each move the younger man made.

“Breathe, Hide,” Taki instructed, when he noticed that the vampire was wheezing. Rolling slightly, he placed Hide on his side. Grasping the end of the vibrator, he slowly withdrew it from Hide’s still clutching body. The vampire’s whimpers increased with each centimeter removed. “Shh,” Taki reassured him. “It’s over. Just relax.” Another little tug and the toy slid free from its confines as Hide bolted upright with a shout, “Aah!”

Tossing the heated shaft to the end of the bed, Taki gathered Hide into his embrace once again. “Shh. Shh. It’s okay,” he said, rocking the other man in his arms, comfortingly. Hide slid down Taki’s body, curling into a trembling ball on the young man’s lap, just like a child. Looking down on him, Taki smiled. Gentle hands stroked the vampire’s hair until his tremors abated. Leaning down, he placed a light kiss in Hide’s river of red. “Aishiteru,” he whispered. Glazed teal eyes opened, as the head lolled back to look at him.

“You sure you’re okay?” Taki asked again.

“Yeah,” Hide answered, a minor aftershock still blazing its way through his body. Turning slightly, he winced. “I don’t think I’m going to be able to sit for a while, though.”

Taki didn’t know whether to laugh or apologize. “I’m sorry, Hide,” he chuckled, compromising.

Hide looked at him pitifully and said, “It’s not funny, Taki.”

The laughter was coming in gales now. “I’m sorry, Hide,’ he repeated, “I can’t help it.”

The vampire pouted, “You’re mean… you know that?”

“And you love me for it.”

Hide didn’t respond; he didn’t have to. They both knew the truth.

Gazing down on the man cradled in his lap, Taki wanted to shower him with kisses, but opted for just one, lightly placed in the middle of the vampire’s forehead. Leaning back, something sharp jabbed him painfully between the shoulders. “Oh shit,” Taki exclaimed, as he spun to look behind him.

Hide’s eyes opened again, following the line of Taki’s sight and he cringed when he saw what the younger man was looking at.

There was a huge dent in the bedroom wall and the frame of the headboard was twisted like a pretzel.

Assessing the damage, Hide laid his head back down on Taki’s lap with a contented sigh, and then suddenly realized what it was he was resting on. Jerking back, he stared at Taki’s lap.

“But you…”

Taki shook his head, gathering the vampire back into his arms. “Later. What I really wanted to do was watch YOU. I already know what I’m like when we’re together; I know how you affect me, how you make me feel. What I really wanted was to see your reactions. When we’re making love I’m concentrating on making it good for BOTH of us. I didn’t want to have to think about that; I wanted to watch you.” Taki took a deep breath before running the tip of his fingers over Hide’s lips. “Gods, you’re beautiful.”

Hide looked at him, mystified.

Taki’s hand stroked his hair, letting the strands filter through his fingers like threads of fine red silk. “You’re amazing when you come, did you know that?”

“Taki…”

“Shh. Go to sleep, Hide.”

Hide looked up at Taki, reaching his hands out. Taki leaned into them, allowing Hide to pull him down for a kiss. “Thank you for my gift, Hide. I love it.” He leaned into another kiss. “Aishiteru.”

Tears slid from Hide’s eyes. He still might not be able to say the words, but he knew what he felt. He DID love Taki. With all his heart.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yukishiro was standing in his kitchen, trying to figure out what he wanted for dinner when he thought he heard a noise. He spun around, too late. A meaty fist caught him on the side of the head, sending him sailing out of the kitchen and into the living room wall. Stunned, he sank to the floor, unconscious.

The smell of cigarettes brought him out of it. Two men he’d never seen before were sitting in his living room, rifling through his personal belongings. “What the…” he struggled to stand, only to discover that he was tied to a chair.

“Ah, the little one wakes,” the one man with dreadlocks said to the other.

The other man turned and smiled, displaying two extra-long glistening fangs and Yukishiro suddenly realized what this attack was about. Hide.

The dreadlocked vampire ran a clawed hand under Yukishiro’s chin, closing on it tightly, making Yukishiro wince. Leaning in so close that Yukishiro could smell its putrid breath, the vampire hissed, “Give us the heir.”

“Huh?” This was new. He thought they’d come for Hide. Who was this “heir”?

“The young one, you worthless human. Give us the young one. He is the heir and we WILL bring him back to the master,” growled Fang.

“Yes… Menumorout told us you were a key to the heir. Where is he?”

The young man was confused. Maybe they WERE talking about Hide. Yukishiro remained silent, contemplating his options. They weren’t all that encouraging. Refuse to give them Hide and risk having them kill him or, give them Hide and risk having them kill him anyway. Well, if he was going to die either way, might as well make them work for it. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he spat, angrily.

Dreadlocks grabbed him by the collar and hauled him to his feet, no easy task since he was still tied to the chair. “You WILL tell us where to find him or we will kill every one you’ve ever known.”

Now THAT sucked. Yukishiro hadn’t considered THAT option. But still, he couldn’t give them Hide. His brother loved the guy and well… he kinda liked the vampire too. Not to mention his family had practically adopted Hide. He was like another brother. Yukishiro wouldn’t even CONSIDER giving them Taki… how could he consider giving them Hide. Nope… his mind was made up. His family was pretty tough. For everything the vampire had done for them, they would fight until their last breath to protect Hide. Shrugging, he gave Dreadlocks a vacant stare.

Roaring in anger, Dreadlocks swung Yukishiro to Fang. The fanged one caught him, eyes glowing with malice. “I want him,” he told Dreadlocks, seeking approval.

Dreadlocks glanced his way in disgust. “Do what you want. We’ll find the heir with or without him.”

All of a sudden there was a crash and two more bodies came hurtling in through the kitchen. “Looking for ME?” Hide shouted, catching the dreadlocked vampire by surprise, grabbing him by the head and snapping his neck before he even realized what had just happened.

Taki leapt on the fanged vampire’s back, yanking it off his younger brother. Once the vampire no longer held Yukishiro in front of his chest, Taki plunged the stick he carried through its heart. With a shriek it burst into a cloud of dust and was gone. Tossing the stick to Hide, his friend did the same to the other vampire.

It was a good thing Yukishiro was already tied to a chair or he would have fallen to the floor. He stared at his brother and Hide in disbelief. “What the hell just happened here?” he demanded.

“We just saved your sorry ass, baby brother,” Taki teased.

Hide untied him, helping him stand. “I’m sorry you’ve become involved in this. It’s my fault.”

Turning to look at Hide, Yukishiro had two questions immediately come to mind. “Who’s Menumorout… and who’s the heir?”

Hide’s eyes widened. “Where did you hear that?” he asked.

Gesturing toward the two piles of dust on his living room floor, Yukishiro replied, “Them. They were looking for the heir. They said they would bring him back to the master. I’m assuming that would be the Menumorout character they mentioned. What were they talking about?”

Now it was Hide’s turn to be stunned. Walking over to the sofa, he sank down in it taking a deep breath. “I’m the heir,” he began.

Taki’s jaw dropped as he stared, wide-eyed at his lover.

“It’s true. The one who turned me; the one I trusted and the one who betrayed me; he was the master vampire, Menumorout.”

Taki made a choking sound, to which Yukishiro rushed to him and clapped him on the back. “Breathe, Taki, breathe,” he urged.

“I had no intention of ever becoming his acolyte, much less his successor. That’s why I hid.” Shaking his head, he looked at the brothers forlornly. “All these years… I managed to stay out of their reach.”

“Until you met me,” Taki realized, aloud. “We… I dragged you into our family matters, splashing you all over the national news. Ah, crap. They found you because of ME.”

“Which is why they came HERE looking for you. They still don’t know where YOU live so they’re trying to find you through US,” said Yukishiro catching on moments later.

Hide shook his head. “It’s not your fault. I should have known better. This is another reason I never allowed myself to become attached to anyone. I knew anyone I involved myself with would be in danger. I knew what they did to the doctor who helped me and I still pursued a relationship with you,” he lamented, gazing sadly at Taki.

The young man snorted, “Dude, it’s a two-way street. I knew what I was getting into when I agreed to live in your house, although…” he thought about it, “I didn’t realize just how deep I would get.”

“I should leave.”

Two heads snapped around to stare at the vampire. “What!”

“You would be safe if I were gone. I could lead them away and they would have no reason to bother you anymore.”

“Screw you, dude… I am not running,” Taki snapped, angrily.

Hide looked at him, forlorn. “I didn’t say WE.”

This statement made Taki even more furious. “You would leave me? Just like that!” Stalking across the room he drew his arm up and backhanded Hide so hard that the vampire flew to the other end of the sofa, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth.

“Taki!” Yukishiro shouted, horrified.

Hide fought to control the tears. “I don’t want anything to happen to you. It would kill me if anything happened to you,” he pleaded.

Taki shook his head, disgusted, “And you think I want to see something happen to you? You think I would be okay if anything ever happened to YOU? BAKA!”

“Taki…”

“Shut up, Hide. You’re not going anywhere without me and I say we’re not going anywhere… PERIOD!”

Hide tried to stand, but the blow from Taki had left his head spinning. He stumbled and fell forward against the table. Yukishiro tried to go to him, but his brother’s arm blocked his path. Looking up at Taki, he decided that leaving the room might be a better course of action. Taki was pissed and wouldn’t take lightly to his younger brother’s interference. Wisely, Yukishiro backed away.

Advancing on Hide, Taki grabbed him by the forearms and tossed him handily to the floor. The vampire cringed, anticipating more blows. Taki pounced on him, straddling his waist and pinning his arms over his head. Tears spilled from the teal eyes as Hide looked at Taki’s livid face.

Hide struggled, halfheartedly. “Taki, I…”

“I said, shut up!”

Blue-green eyes rolled in Yukishiro’s direction. “But Yukishiro…”

“Was just leaving,” Taki hissed, menacingly.

“Taki…”

A powerful hand grabbed his hair and banged his head against the wooden floor, painfully. “What part of ‘SHUT UP’ don’t you understand, damn it?”

Hide trembled, silently, remembering the last time he’d seen Taki this angry. He didn’t want a repeat of that performance… at least not here, on Yukishiro’s living room floor.

“Are you ready to listen to me now?” Taki growled.

Hide lay, unresponsive, which only seemed to increase Taki’s ire. Once again the vampire’s head was smacked against the floor with a loud thump, prompting more tears.

“Damn it, Hide, what do I have to do to get through to you? Are you listening?”

Hide nodded.

“You are doing NOTHING without me, damn you. We are NOT running from this asshole. This is our HOME and I’ll be damned if I’m going to give it up just because some jerk-off, so-called “Master Vampire” decides he wants to use us as his playthings.”

Taki released Hide’s hands and the vampire drew them down to cover his face. Tears flowed in rivulets through his fingers. “I’m afraid, Taki,” Hide whimpered. “I’m afraid that something will happen to you because of me. I could never live with that.”

Moving to kneel beside the crying vampire, Taki leaned forward, gently pushing the hands away and taking the trembling chin in his hand. Tilting Hide’s face toward him, Taki touched his lips to Hide’s softly. Hide’s arms reached up, wrapping themselves around Taki’s neck, pulling him upright when Taki sat back up. Taki pulled Hide into his lap as the vampire tucked his face into the crook of Taki’s neck.

“Whatever happens, we’ll deal with it. Until then, we’re not going anywhere but home, you got that?”

Hide nodded against Taki’s shoulder, sniffling.

“Good.”

Yukishiro watched the exchange from the relative safety of his kitchen. Well, at least now he was certain who wore the pants in THIS relationship. He chuckled, heading to his utility closet to get a broom and dust pan. Once Taki made his mind up, there was no arguing with him. You just said, “Yes, Taki,” and did as you were told. He worried for them… hell, he worried for himself. But, with the three of them as a team, maybe they could come up with some kind of plan.

He hoped.


~End of Chapter Seven~