Oikakeru Yume

Author’s Note: Well, since we gave Hide priority for Valentine’s Day in the last chapter (depending on your point-of-view), I thought it would be only fair to allow Taki his chance at the festivities this time around. (I know… that’s a bit screwy since Taki basically gets to have his fun EVERY time, but… bear with me, okay?) So here we are… it’s now March and White Day is coming up! The plot thickens in this chapter, mainly because the next chapter is HUGE. Enjoy!


March


Hide and Taki made it a mission to drop in on Yukishiro frequently, concerned that he would be a target again. “Guys,” he’d complain after finding them at his door, yet again. “How can I have a life if you won’t leave me alone?”

“We’re only trying to making sure you’re safe,” Hide would explain as Taki just laughed like a hyena. He relished the thought of being a thorn in his younger brother’s side. Must be a big brother thing.

“Well, since no one’s tried anything in a while, maybe we could cut back the visits to say… once a week,” Hide suggested.

“No!” Taki objected, enjoying his brother’s discomfort far too much.

Yukishiro breathed a sigh of relief. “Once a week I can handle. Thanks, Hide.” Oh yeah. Once a week was a heck of a lot better than every other night, which was just how often they were coming around now.

“Aww,” Taki moaned, jabbing Hide in the ribs with his elbow, “Spoil-sport.”

Hide just grinned. “You’ll get over it.”

“Enough! I’m starving. What say we get a pizza?” Yukishiro volunteered.

“Pizza! Again?” Taki complained. “We had pizza LAST time.”

“Hey,” his younger brother countered. “You wanna eat something different then next time YOU bring the food!”

Taki swung around, looking to Hide for support. Unfortunately for him the vampire knew better. He wasn’t about to get in the middle of a dispute between the brothers. He’d done that once and it proved to be one time too many. They’d nearly bitten his head off. He learned.

Their visits were scaled back to once a week from then on, which suited Yukishiro just fine. Of course, Hide wasn’t complaining either because less time spent at Yukishiro’s meant more time at home, with Taki. And… there was another “special occasion” coming up.

A special breakfast awaited Taki one morning, which he didn’t think much about until he’d gotten to work.

“Oh hell,” Taki thought, looking at the calendar, “it’s White Day.” No wonder Hide had been acting strange that morning. And Taki had forgotten all about it. Actually, he’d never really paid much attention to the day before. Since he’d never had a girlfriend give him anything for Valentine’s Day, he’d never had to return the favor on White Day. This was definitely new.

Touching his fingers to his throat, he felt Hide’s pendant through the material of his shirt and smiled. Damn, he loved that guy. He’d look for a gift on his lunch hour, feeling guilt settle around him at the fact that he hadn’t thought about it earlier. Unfortunately, one hour just wasn’t enough to find something he really wanted to give Hide, either.

Not knowing what else to get, Taki arrived home with a bouquet of red roses and the biggest box of chocolates he could find. Sugar rush, indeed. This would have to do until he could think of a better gift.

Hide’s eyes filled with tears as Taki strolled through the front door toward him, smiling. “Happy White Day, Hide.” Handing over the two dozen roses and box of candy, he kissed the vampire soundly. As with all other special days they’d celebrated together, Hide had prepared a sumptuous dinner, after which Taki disappeared briefly, before returning to help.

The clean-up went swiftly. As Hide put the last of the dishes away, Taki leaned against the counter, watching him. “Nani?” Hide asked, suddenly self-conscious.

Taking Hide by the hand, he led the vampire into their bedroom.

Hide was surprised to find a large mirror propped up against the wall facing their bed. Turning to Taki curiously, the other man smiled. “I want you to see this,” he explained. A look of confusion crossed Hide’s features, so Taki continued. “I want you to see exactly what you do to me… what we do to each other.”

“Taki…” Hide murmured, not entirely sure about this.

Wrapping strong arms around Hide’s waist, Taki pulled the other man’s body tightly against his own. Hide’s fingers threaded through Taki’s hair as he melted into Taki’s embrace. Two sets of lips pressed hotly against each other, tongues exploring. Hide moaned, already losing himself in the exhilaration that was Taki and Taki knew he’d won, as he’d expected.

Placing Hide between himself and the mirror, he slowly spun the older man around to face the glass. Then he proceeded to undress Hide, undoing his shirt button by button, all the while laying fervent kisses on the pale flesh. “You’re not watching,” he admonished, whispering in Hide’s ear just before swirling his tongue around the outside of it. Hide’s eyes slid open, hesitantly, slowly focusing on the mirror in front of him. “Good boy,” Taki praised his immediate response.

Taki undid the last button, tugging the ends of Hide’s shirt from his pants, as Hide watched them in the mirror. Sliding Hide’s shirt off, Taki ran his hands over the cool flesh of Hide’s chest, the skin warming to his touch. One hand lifted the thick veil of Hide’s hair as his mouth closed over the soft, sensitive skin beneath Hide’s ear; Taki’s other hand brushing over a pink nipple, causing it to stiffen. Hide’s eyes threatened to shut until Taki’s voice in his ear said, “Uh-uh. No sleeping on the job.” The glazed blue-green eyes opened again, locking with Taki’s laughing ones in the mirror. “That’s better.”

Letting the waterfall of red fall from his grip, Taki’s fingers slid southward, unbuckling Hide’s belt and delving into the gap between his stomach and his pants. “Ungh,” Hide groaned, as a warm hand brushed over his straining shaft, his knees bowing out and his head falling back onto Taki’s shoulder. The hand was removed instantly. “Too soon,” came Taki’s voice through his beleaguered consciousness.

Focusing on the mirror again, Hide watched as Taki finished removing his pants, sliding them down his hips and letting them drop to the floor. He colored as he realized that he was now staring at himself, naked. Taki’s hands glided down the outside of his thighs and back up the inside, stopping at the juncture of his legs, careful not to touch anything else. Hide whimpered, wanting those hands to touch him, caress him, to stroke him.

Taki sat back at the edge of the bed, one arm around Hide’s waist tugging him back as well, the vampire falling into Taki’s lap, his legs straddling the younger man’s. Widening his stance, Taki opened Hide even more. “You’re beautiful, you know that?” Taki whispered, causing Hide to color even more. Both of Taki’s hands were in Hide’s lap now, one cupping his scrotum while the other stroked his shaft. Hide’s hips rotated in time to Taki’s motions, his eyes glued to reflection of Taki’s hands in the mirror.

The combination of Taki’s touch and the illicit thrill of watching everything in the mirror brought Hide off much quicker than he would normally have taken, his white hot fluids arcing across the wooden floor with a shout. He sagged in Taki’s arms as he turned to press his lips to the younger man’s again. Picking Hide up, Taki placed him on the bed as the shed his own clothing. Sitting back down, he pulled Hide back into his lap in the exact same position as they had been in previously.

The click of a plastic cap brought Hide back to the present. Taki was just spreading the lube across his fingers when Hide looked down. Glancing back at the mirror, he found Taki grinning at him with a wink. Running his left arm under Hide’s legs, Taki pulled them up, exposing more of Hide’s backside. The vampire whimpered when he felt the slick coldness of Taki’s fingers slide over his hidden entry. “Shh,” Taki whispered, hugging Hide close. “Watch,” he commanded, and the vampire obeyed, his eyes flickering over the reflection in the mirror.

The tip of Taki’s middle finger teased Hide’s opening as the little pucker quivered in anticipation. “Look how much it wants this,” Taki murmured as he pushed the finger inside just a little while Hide’s tight channel did the rest, sucking the digit in to the knuckle. Hide moaned, arching out of Taki’s lap. Taki worked the finger in and out of Hide’s body as the vampire rocked in time. Red hair filled Taki’s line of vision as Hide’s head bobbled like a kokeshi doll’s. The second finger was added when Taki felt Hide’s natural resistance ebb. With Hide’s legs still pressed to his chest, Taki reached deep within the vampire’s body, seeking out that special nerve cluster. Hide watched every move in the mirror, mortified, yet fascinated. Turning the fingers, slowly, Taki felt only smoothness until… Hide stiffened in his arms with a shout.

Ah, hah! He’d felt the little bump with the tips of fingers before Hide shot away. No sooner had Hide’s body settled back down, then Taki added a third finger and stroked the bump once more, brushing over it again and again, like petting a kitten, as Hide writhed and flailed against him. “Taki! Stop! Stop!” he begged, tears streaming from the corners of his eyes and his breath coming in short gasps. Relinquishing his grip around Hide’s waist, Taki prepared himself, lubing his shaft with one hand (quite a feat in itself) while continuing to slide the three fingers of his other hand into Hide’s body. When he was ready, he carefully pulled the fingers out.

Lifting Hide by the hips, Taki placed the vampire directly over his own straining member and lowered him straight down, impaling the older man. Hide’s head fell back, jaw slack as Taki began to move within him. With one arm around Hide’s waist, Taki’s other hand wound through his hair, turning his head to face the mirror again. “No,” Hide sobbed.

“Watch,” Taki growled.

Tear-filled eyes rolled forward to watch the debauchery going on in the reflective surface. Taki’s shaft looked so big and menacing, sliding in and out of his rear channel. Somehow, watching it made him feel it more intensely; bulging veins scraping against the walls of his chute, the mushroom-shaped head making his tight little pucker expand and contract every time it moved in or out. The tremors started almost instantaneously. Now that Taki knew exactly where Hide’s prostate was hiding, there was no escape. Every time the head of Taki’s shaft slid into Hide’s body, it was shoved into direct contact with the nerve bundle, sending Hide pitching off Taki’s lap, only to be stopped short by the muscular arm wrapped around his waist. “Taki!” he cried, limbs boneless and convulsing.

Taki kept him in motion, raising and lowering the shivering body as he continued to move within it. It was still too soon. Wanting to prolong their pleasure, he changed their angle, only touching over Hide’s prostate occasionally. Hide’s violent trembling decreased as his body calmed somewhat. One lanky white arm reached back to wrap around Taki’s neck, his Hide’s back pressed flush against Taki’s heaving chest, as his head cradled on Taki’s shoulder. His other hand curled under Taki’s thigh. Hide’s jaw fell open, little cries escaping him with every downward motion. Then Taki’s fingers wrapped around his shaft, caressing it in time with the plunging of his body.

“Mirror,” Taki’s voice in his ear reminded. The vampire’s head raised, slowly, the teal eyes taking in the newest reflected scene. Catching Taki’s eyes, the younger man’s bored into his as lips closed over the juncture between Hide’s neck and shoulder, teeth nipping at the sensitive flesh. Hide’s shaft gave a jump at the stimulation and Taki smiled. Hide’s buttocks clenched, sending shudders up Taki’s spine. The arm around his waist tightened, grinding him heavily into the hips undulating beneath him. The shaft buried within his body filled him to capacity, stretching him further than he could ever imagine, still sending little twinges of pain through him every now and then. “Taki,” he groaned, in a shuddering breath, as the tingling began anew and his toes curled.

Sensing his own completion nearing, Taki lifted Hide off his lap earning a small whine of pain from the vampire. “Sorry” he mumbled as he tossed Hide to the bed, diving between the pale trembling legs and driving himself back into the madly quaking body. Hide’s legs wrapped themselves around his hips, pulling him in deeper as the vampire cried out. Taki’s hips plunged, smacking wetly against Hide’s thighs. The sounds coming from the vampire increased, in volume and frequency.

It was finally time.

“Hide…” Taki moaned. Their eyes met and Hide knew what Taki was thinking without it being said.

Long white arms circled Taki’s back, drawing Hide up until his lips were against Taki’s shoulder. The bite was quick, fangs sinking in and pulling back out in a second. A second was all it took for the stars to explode in Hide’s head, his orgasm wringing all awareness out of him. His body, wracked with spasms, clenched around Taki’s setting off the younger man’s climax. Threads of white arced between them, as more of the same type of fluid filled Hide’s clutching channel. Taki continued moving within Hide, slowing, until every last vestige of his seed had been wrung from his body.

Then he fell forward, collapsing over Hide’s body possessively, his face buried in the flow of long titian hair. “Aishiteru,” he whispered, as Hide’s arms and legs finally loosened and fell from his body. Reaching up to brush waves of damp red hair from Hide’s face, Taki’s lips touched his. “Aishiteru,” the young man repeated.

Blue-green eyes hesitantly opened, to look directly into passionate dark brown ones. “Taki,” Hide breathed.

The younger man smiled, claiming another kiss from his vampire lover, breathing deep the scent of roses from the vase sitting atop the tansu. “So… what did you think of your first White Day?” he teased. Taki snorted when the vampire snuggled against his chest and replied, “When’s our NEXT holiday?”

Looked like Taki was going to have to start taking vitamins.

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

It had been a little over a month since their last run-in with the vampires at Yukishiro’s. Adversely, for some reason, this fact had both Hide and Taki well on edge. It was too quiet. They KNEW the vampires would never give up so easily, so they waited apprehensively for the creatures’ next move.

It came less than three days later.

Taki had gone to work like he did every weekday. It was an average day… nothing out of the ordinary. It was only when he was leaving for the evening that a sense of dread hit him. Something wasn’t right. He felt a strange prickling sensation all along his skin. Fortunately, his taxi pulled up right at that moment. Once he was safely ensconced within the car, he was about to tell the driver where to take him when the feeling came back with even more force. He reached for the door handle, to escape, but there wasn’t one.

“Going somewhere?” the driver asked, turning to look at him, the creature’s fangs glistening in the light of the street lamps.

“I was going home, but YOU can go to hell,” he spat.

“Ooo, a tough guy,” the vampire chuckled. “We’ll see how long that lasts once the master gets a hold of you.”

“Ah, shit,” Taki thought. What the hell was he going to do now? His only hope was that the vamps would keep him alive long enough for Hide to find him, because he could take on one or possibly two of the creatures, but a whole group PLUS the master. He was crazy, but not stupid. There was absolutely no way he could take that many.

Taki went insane in the back seat of the car, pounding and yelling, trying to kick out the windows. The vampire’s only reaction was to laugh. “You won’t escape, insipid human,” he hissed. That didn’t stop Taki from trying.

He was still trying when the car came to a stop. Rough hands grabbed him, hauling him from the vehicle as his struggles renewed. A palm cuffed his head and he saw stars. The blow disoriented the young man enough for his captor to drag him into the building with only minimal resistance.

He was flung into a room, the door slamming shut and locking behind him. Picking himself off the floor, Taki began pounding on the metal obstacle, yelling. It swung open moments later and three people filed in, two men and a woman. Taki tried to make a break for it, but the men grabbed him and tossed him back to the floor. The woman knelt beside him, brushing the hair from his eyes. He flinched from her touch and she smiled, revealing two gleaming fangs. “It’d go a lot easier on you, honey, if you’d just cooperate.”

“Screw you,” he spat.

The fingers in his hair drifted down to grip his chin, tightly; very tightly; tight enough that when the female vamp stood she lifted him as well. Her arm continued its upward motion until Taki was dangling off the floor. Her eyes were glowing dangerously at him now. “Do NOT toy with me, boy!” she hissed, as the two male vampires who’d accompanied her snickered evilly. “You WILL tell us where the vampire Tadanori is.”

Taki snorted, still suspended from the female vamp’s fingers. “Who?”

She shook him like a rag doll. “Do you think this is a game?” she hissed, angrily. Razor sharp nails dug into his flesh, drawing blood.

Three sets of eyes shone maliciously as they watched the crimson drops trickle down his neck. Drawing him to her, the female vamp ran her tongue up one of the red trails, tasting Taki’s blood. Choking, she made a face and spat it out with a disgusted sound. “What ARE you?” she asked, eyeing Taki suspiciously. He looked at her blankly, not knowing what she was talking about. With a furious scream, she flung him to the floor.

“What is it, Magda?” one of the male vampires asked her. She turned and headed toward the door. As her hand grasped the handle, she paused. “Find out where Tadanori is.” The other male opened his mouth as if to speak, but she cut him off. “Use any means necessary. BUT,” she added, quickly, pointing one long finger at Taki, “Do not taste this one’s blood.” She hesitated. “There’s something about it. It’s dangerous… no sampling unless you wish death.” The male vamps nodded, turning their attention back to Taki as she left the room. Halting in the doorway, she added one more command. “Don’t kill him, whatever you do. If we can’t get Tadanori’s location out of him, perhaps we can use him as bait to lure Tadanori to us.”

The sound of the door clicking shut echoed through Taki’s head as the two males advanced on him.

It would be a very long night as Taki continually feigned ignorance while the vampires beat him into unconsciousness. It was a vicious cycle; as soon as he was alert enough to respond they would ask him about Hide; then he would play dumb and they would beat on him until he’d pass out, again and again. There wasn’t a centimeter on his body that didn’t scream out in agony, but he wouldn’t give them Hide. He would NEVER give them Hide.

“Where is Tadanori?” they demanded.

Taki shook his head.

Two punches to the solar plexus were his reward and he fell forward against his assailant, grunting and spitting blood. Remembering Magda’s warning, the vampire jerked back before the blood could touch him.

“Tadanori! Give us Tadanori, you ass!” the vampire yelled, shoving Taki angrily toward the second vampire.

Taki shrugged, painfully. “Don’t know who you’re talking about.”

More blows rained onto his mid-section and there was a loud crack. Excruciating pain shot through his brain and he lapsed into unconsciousness again. When the two male vamps figured out that they couldn’t rouse him this time, they gave up, leaving him on the floor covered in his own blood.

When their dinner hour came and went and there was still no sign of Taki, Hide began to worry in earnest. Had something happened? He was certain someone would have called him if there had been an accident. It couldn’t be that. Taki wouldn’t have gone out without telling him first, so he was certain it wasn’t that. The nagging sensation that had been playing in the back of his mind finally forced its way to the forefront. Taki had been taken.

Frantic, Hide called Taki’s workplace. Was he still there? No, he left hours ago. Did anyone see where he went? Well, one of the security guards saw him get into a taxi. What kind? The guard came back with a description of the taxi. No license number, but the description should help. Hide thanked them for their help and fired up his computer, fiercely determined to locate Taki, whatever the cost.

It was a simple matter for him to find the taxi company on the Internet. Unfortunately, their daily logs were sealed and he didn’t have authority to be looking at them. He was stumped. Then he remembered something.

Grabbing his cell phone from the kitchen counter he studied it. What had Taki told him this thing could do? There was some kind of tracking device. What the hell was it called? GPS. That’s what Taki said. This thing came with GPS. Rushing to find the instruction manual, he fiddled with the device until a small map appeared on the screen. Holding his breath, he punched in the information he required. Seconds later a dot appeared. TAKI! If Taki still had his cell phone with him, then the dot told Hide that he was still somewhere in Tokyo. Glancing out the window, Hide noticed the first golden rays of daylight just starting to appear on the horizon. Sunrise. Perfect timing.

Hurrying to gather a few items he thought he would need, he tossed them into a bag and called a taxi, making the driver follow the tracking signal until they arrived at the location his phone told him Taki was being held. It was an office building, several stories high, right in the middle of West Shinjuku. He skirted the front entrance, prying open a window facing an alleyway, hoping that they’d been lax about security. He was lucky… almost. His little break-in didn’t set off any alarms, but he did manage to climb in right in front of two burly security guards.

“Hold it,” one of the guards yelled, pulling his gun out of its holster.

Hide couldn’t stop. Taki was in danger. He continued to move toward the front of the building.

“You deaf?” the second guard demanded, also drawing his weapon and training it on Hide.

In the blink of an eye, the guards discovered their weapons had disappeared from their hands, only to reappear lying harmlessly on the ground behind Hide.

“What the…” they shouted, rushing toward Hide in their confusion.

“I don’t have time for this,” the vampire hissed, grabbing both men as they charged him, utilizing their momentum to swing them into one another. They each looked at the other guard in surprise, just before they fell to the floor, unconscious. Human guards, no matter how scary they thought themselves, were just no match for one very pissed off vampire.

Making his way to the guard’s station, Hide brought up the map of the building on their computer monitor. He’d have to thank Taki for all of those nights spent surfing the ‘Net. The computer knowledge he’d gained was proving to be invaluable. Of course, if he managed to get Taki out of this alive, the younger man would have to thank HIM for remembering it all. Finally, he found what he’d been searching for; a small unmarked room, somewhere on the bottom floor of the building. Taki was there, he could just feel it.

Racing down the stairs, he soon found himself in the sub-basement. Off to his right was the room he’d seen on the guard’s computer. Turning the knob, he found the door locked. Turning it a little more, he broke the handle off entirely, flinging the door back in his rush to get inside. “Taki!” he exclaimed, seeing his friend lying on the floor, a blood-spattered mess. Crouching next to Taki’s body, he cradled it to his chest, anxiously.

Taki’s eyes struggled open, taking a few moments to focus on Hide’s worried face and he smiled. “They got shit out of me,” the injured man gurgled, chuckling.

“Did they…”

Taki anticipated this question, shaking his head. “Get serious. They don’t want me, dude. If they think YOU’RE trouble, they wouldn’t know what the hell to do with me.”

Bracing an arm around his friend’s back, Hide helped him stand.

“Aaa... the ribs. Watch the ribs,” Taki complained, clutching an arm around his mid-section.

“What did they DO to you?” Hide murmured.

Leaning against the vampire’s shoulder for support, Taki replied, “Nothing I couldn’t handle.”

“And Menumorout?”

Taki shook his head. “He’s not here, dude. They brought me here hoping to get some kind of favor from him. But as far as I know, he never showed.”

Hide nodded. Oh well, then he’d just have to make do with whatever WAS here. He helped Taki back up to the reception area, making him sit by the guard’s station while he gathered some items from the bag he’d brought with him.

“What’s that?” Taki asked.

“Nothing.” Hide replied; his back to Taki. He fidgeted with the items for a moment; then tossed them down the stairwell they’d just climbed.

“Doesn’t look like nothing.”

Hide ignored him; turning his attention to the two guards he’d knocked out. “I’m going to take these guys outside first. Then I’ll come back for you. Just sit here and wait for me, okay?”

“I can barely stand, dude. You think I’m going to run away?”

Taki was making jokes. It was a good sign. That meant even though he looked like he’d been run through a meat grinder, he was in good spirits. Hide sighed, relieved, then grabbed the guards, one under each arm and hauled them out into the sunshine. Climbing back into the building, he retrieved Taki. He chuckled when he discovered the younger man propped up against the water cooler, shirt off, washing himself. “So glad I can be of amusement. Now, quit your laughing and get me the hell out of here,” Taki groused at him.

They were several blocks up the street, just climbing into the taxi Hide had called for them when the building’s fire alarms went off. Hide slid into the car and shut the door behind him. Taki looked at him, questioningly, but the vampire just smiled and directed the driver to take them to the nearest hospital.

Three broken and two cracked ribs, as well as seventy-two stitches and an entire assortment of bandages later, Taki was on his way home with his doting best friend. They’d lied and said he’d been in a bar fight the previous night, claiming that all he really needed was to sleep it off. Because of the broken ribs, the doctor had wanted him to stay in the hospital, at least overnight, but Taki flat-out refused. In reality, Taki knew Hide was the best medicine for him right now and he’d been kept away from the vampire long enough.

That evening there was a report on the news about a building in Shinjuku burning to the ground in the early morning hours. Investigators stated that the origins of the fire appeared suspicious, but as hard as they searched, they couldn’t find any evidence to suggest foul play. There were no witnesses. Only two people had been in the building at the time the fire allegedly started, the building’s security guards, but both had escaped without injury. They’d both been questioned by the police, but apparently neither man remembered seeing anything suspicious. In fact, neither man remembered seeing anything at all.

Curious, Taki glanced down at Hide, the vampire lying across the sofa with his head in Taki’s lap taking care to stay a safe distance from the bandaged ribs. “Ahem,” Taki said.

Hide smiled up at him.

“Explain,” Taki demanded.

Reaching up, Hide toyed with a strand of jet black hair, twirling it around in his fingers as he replied, simply, “Power of suggestion.”

Pressing Hide’s hand to his cheek to stop the vampire’s disconcerting and seriously arousing fidgeting, Taki asked, “Power of what?”

“Suggestion.”

“Really? And just when did THIS ability suddenly manifest itself?”

“You know, I have no idea,” Hide replied, thoughtfully. “I was so worried about you and so pissed off that someone would DARE do anything to you, I just wasn’t thinking. Once I got the guards out of the building, something inside me changed… kind of like a switch being thrown, you know? Anyway, when I got the guards outside, I was worried that they would remember us or, at least, me. So I thought, ‘You will forget.’ How was I to know it would actually work?”

Taki was looking down on him, amused.

“Pretty cool though… huh?”

Running his fingers through Hide’s flowing red tresses, Taki chuckled. “Cool… is an understatement, dude. You are pretty freakin’ amazing.” Bending down with a pained groan, he pressed his lips to Hide’s. “Have I thanked you lately for rescuing me?”

“Not in the last,” Hide glanced at the clock, “twenty minutes.”

Raising Hide’s head, Taki closed his mouth over the vampire’s, kissing him deeply. Hide’s arm wrapped around Taki’s neck as the vampire shifted in his embrace.

“Taki,” Hide whispered.

Reaching over the reclining vampire, Taki grabbed the remote, clicking the television off.

“Your ribs,” Hide worried.

“Like I care…” Taki replied, flippantly.

With an arm under Hide’s legs and another behind his back, Taki picked the vampire up, ignoring the sharp pain coursing through his damaged ribs; carrying him up the hall to their bedroom. Sinking into their bed, Taki murmured, “Thank you,” as he switched off the light and Hide sighed happily.

It was good to have Taki home.


~End of Chapter Eight~