nopain1                                         
by seat 4.6.1999

    "Congratulations to the new couple!!!!" Cheers rang loud in a hotel
reception room packed with good-spirited guests.
    "Say something Ino!!" 
    "Yeah yeah!! The bridegroom should make a speech!!" 
    "We want to hear you two's love history!!! Hahaha!!!" 
    A dark-haired young man stood up from his table holding a wine glass in
his hand and wearing a shy smile on his face. "Ah....thank you all so much
for coming to our wedding. We both have a wonderful time tonight...and we
hope you are enjoying yourself as well."
    "Hey Ino!! You are still sober!! You haven't drunk enough yet!!"
    "The bride needs more wine too!!!"
    A few excited guests went forward and filled up the new couple's
glasses, and urged them to gulp the liquid down as quick as possible.
    After the whole evening of joy and excitement, the bride had become
exhausted, and the alcohol made her dizzy and drowsy, she said softly to
Ino, "I think...I am retiring to our room first..."
    "Are you alright?" Ino looked at her red face and said worriedly.
    The bridesmaids came forward and took hold of the half-drunk bride.
"Don't worry Ino. We will bring her to your room upstairs to rest."
    Ino uttered his thanks and watched the girls leaving the reception room
for the lift before he was surrounded by friends and relatives again.
    The night dragged on with more cheers and good-hearted wishes and
surely more drinking.
    Amidst all the cheerful faces which were familiar to Ino, something odd
was catching his attention - a pair of light brown eyes were following him
wherever he went. Ino thought at one moment he caught a glimpse of those
eyes from a far corner of the room, but the next moment he had sensed them
fixing on him from nearby. When he tried to look more closely, he would
lose them among the guests, then after he gave up, he would feel the eyes
on him again with such sharp sense of presence that he simply couldn't
ignore. The stinging feeling of being scrutinized disturbed him.
    Ino told himself, "Ah..I must be drunk..." He took pain to excuse
himself from the reception and finally managed to free himself from the
guests who tried hard to make him stay, he headed straight to his hotel
room where his bride was waiting for him. Wondering if she had fallen
asleep already, he opened his room door and walked in.
    "Oh my god...." His heart stopped beating and his face went chalk white
as he stared at the scene in front of him. His bride laid dead on the bed
with her head thrown back and her throat torn opened. Blood soaked red the
white wedding dress that still donned the body. Ino took one breath, then
another. His eyes flickered from his dead bride to the window that was
flung opened. With his mind completely blanked out in horror, he stumbled
towards the sill and looked over. 
    The same pair of light brown eyes were gazing up at him from the
opposite side of the road. 
    Although the streets were still busy with pedestrians, Ino was certain
that the intent look from the lone shadowy figure in black was directing at
him. Ino stepped back from the window in fright. A spasm coursed through
his body and he trembled violently, a scream was caught in his throat and
he stood as insanity began to devour his brain.
    Suddenly he felt a current of air brushed against him and in a split
second the light brown eyes were glistening eerily only inches away from
his face. Ino opened his mouth to scream but a hand came to choke his
throat, and he felt a strong arm tightened around his waist. 
    The following seconds were absolute confusion as he saw the surrounding
rushed past him in staggering speed. Weightlessness roused a nausea which
convulsed his gut, he felt he was riding a roller coaster with only an arm
to suspend his body in the air against falling. The flashes of familiar
street scenes passed swiftly, and suddenly he was engulfed in darkness. 
    He shut his eyes to suppress an urge to vomit, and a chill went through
him when his back was pushed against a cold damp wall. He forced his eyes
to open, and there waited the same pair of haunting eyes which now glowed
like burning amber in the dark. Ino was immediately dazzled by the display
of a whirlpool with gold and brown shifting against each other. 
    He tore away his stare and looked aside, and then he realized that they
were in the middle of a deserted backstreet. The figure tilted his head
sideway playfully to intercept Ino's line of sight with his face, his long
full hair in streaks of crimson and black fell like a waterfall, his white
translucent face now wore a mysterious smile.
    Ino stared in rapture at the intoxicating face, he started upright when
a voice as low as a whisper came from the ghostly figure.
    "Why are you looking away from me?"
    Ino couldn't help from shivering at the uncannily soft and tender tone.
    "I thought your eyes were searching for me in your wedding reception?"
    Ino couldn't speak as the attempt to steady his white lips from shaking
failed miserably.
    The figure tipped up Ino's chin with his fingers and bent down to kiss
the trembling lips. Ino recoiled against the wall but it only made the
figure press forward even more eagerly.
    "You are so beautiful." He ran his fingers through Ino's hair by the
ear lovingly.         "Your dull-looking bride was such a presumptuous fool
to have dared claiming you as her love, she deserved to die a filthy death."
    Ino gasped in horror at the confession from the killer of his bride. He
struggled in the circle of the strong arms, miraculously he felt the
embrace weakened, he mustered all his strength and broke free by one push,
and he ran to one side of the street as fast as his feeble legs could handle.
    Ino had not the courage to look back for any pursuit, he ran and ran
until he came out of the backstreet and headed for the only light source he
saw in the vicinity. How long he had run for he could not tell, but by the
time he reached his target, which turned out to be a lamppost, the
overexertion from the run was ripping his lung apart with pain, he gasped
madly and crumbled to the ground. 
    Fearing for pursuit still, he looked around and found himself in the
middle of a park. Relief dawned on him as he caught glimpses of moving
shadows behind the trees and bushes at different locations. He knew the
city park was a common spot for tramps and vagabonds and prostitutes to
hang out in. Remembering that these people also posed potential danger to
him though not immediate, Ino slowly drew himself up and sought to find the
exit. 
    He stiffened in terror as he saw the figure of his nightmare leaning
against a tree casually and smiling at him in amusement. Before he could
react, the figure had hurled into him in full speed knocking out breaths
from his lung. His feet left the ground and he was lifted up into the tree
branches. Held high up and hidden in tree leaves, Ino lost his volition to
struggle against the firm embrace. 
    "Ah...poor boy, you are drenched in sweat." The figure raked Ino's damp
hair back from his face. 
    "Don't you understand that you were wasting your effort running away
from me? I am afraid you are not going anywhere, my dear." 
    He gently unbuttoned Ino's collar and brought the fair neck to his
lips. He brushed kisses that were soft and seducing at first, then
progressively harder, stronger, and more eager, until they were inflicted
with full passion and desire. The figure raised his head, his gold brown
eyes flashed animal hunger, and he sank down his teeth to Ino's neck. 
    Sharp pain erupted from two spots and Ino gasped at the pointed objects
that dug deeper and deeper into his veins and the mouth that sucked his
blood ravenously. He twitched in agony and gave out a moan. As abruptly as
it'd come, the piercing pain vanished and in replacement a ecstatic
numbness spread through his body. All the senses that told him the
existence of his torso and his limbs faded slowly and were gone without a
trace, and his mind drifted to focus on the heavy pounding of his heart
which seemed to constitute his entire being and was expanding painfully
fast at every heave. Pressure built inside him and he felt bloated and
ready to burst, the only relief was the two small openings through which
the draining of his life took place. 
    Ino almost cried when he felt the outward flow stopped suddenly, he saw
through his hazy eyes that the figure had withdrawn and was now looking far
to a direction with narrowed eyes, his mouth was covered with blood. He
licked his lips and spoke absently to himself, "There he comes." He turned
to Ino and smiled warmly, "You have no idea how regretful I am to let you
go." He bent down and kissed Ino. "Wait for me my love, I will return to
you before long, I promise."
    With the touch of the wet lips still lingered, Ino found himself being
carried down and his body was placed on the grass. The figure was no longer
present when he heard footsteps rushing towards his direction. A tall
figure came into view and towered over him. Ino couldn't see his face
clearly since the lamplight came from behind his back. But a cross hanging
in front of his chest was sparkling brightly in silver. He glared into a
distance in silence and then spoke in a low husky voice solemnly, "Sugi, I
vow with my life and soul that I WILL hunt you down one day!" Then he
kneeled down and gathered Ino into his arms. He examined the teeth marks on
Ino's neck and said with a sigh, "Don't worry, you will be safe with me. I
am Father J." Finally exhaustion got to Ino and he fell into deep
unconsciousness.
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