nopain6                                         
by dolieskewpie 7.11.99

    It was midnight; the full moon shimmered with an eerie glow of silver
light upon the quiet night.  Two men had been running around the dark
street.
    “Father, I…couldn’t keep up” Ino was exhausted and slowing down his
pace.
    “!!!” J immediately held Ino in his arm.  “Are you all right?”
    “I’m so sorry Father…I’m so useless….”  Ino tried to catch his breath.

    They’ve been looking around for Ryu for hours.  J sent Ryu to the
pharmacy in the town this afternoon and he was gone ever since.  “Ryu knows
his responsibilities well and will never ever take off like this…. unless,
someone has done something to him….” J tightened his grips.   His instincts
told him that the damned creature must be involved in Ryu’s disappearance.
He shouldn’t have let Ryu went out alone on his own.  How could J ignore the
fact that Sugi assaulted Ryu as well?   J had been focusing all his concerns
and attention to Ino all these days, J never expected that his own student,
a dear innocent kind-hearted orphan boy who wants nothing but learning the
priesthood, would have become the target of the dark side.

    “Ryu!!!  Please answers me!!!!”  J yelled loudly, despite the town had
asleep already.

    Ino had never seen J being so panic before.  His short blonde hair was
soaked wet.  Ino could feel J’s arm around his shoulder was trembling.
Throughout the times they’ve spent together, Ino always thought J would be
the most calm and reliable person he had ever met.  J’s low demanding voice,
built tall body, strong caring arms, and reassuring words that made sure he
was on the right track.  The guiding light was dimmed now, Ino felt insecure
and an urge to reach out for J.

    Ino put his hand upon J’s, “I’m sure Ryu will be fine. Maybe he went
back to the house already…??”
     “……” J stopped his pace suddenly.
     “….J….Father….are you all right?”
     “Something else was bothering me besides Ryu’s disappearing……” J
uttered his words.  An uneasy, total lost and defeated feeling rose in J, a
dejavu that an object under his projection had fallen into Sugi's hands.

     They came upon a bridge.  The lake was shinning brightly from the
reflection of the silver moon.  The other end would lead to the woods.  J
wondered if they should go on further into the woods, since already they’ve
search through every street corner and building of the town.  The fogged
dark forest would be far too dangerous for a normal person to explore at
night; if Ino weren’t presence, J would have go on without hesitation.

     Suddenly a figure emerged from the mist surrounding the forest
entrance.   Ino tightened his grips on J’s arm and hid behind J like a
frightened kitten.  J remained calm; his eyes were glowed with strange light
of joy and fear.  The figure moved forward elegantly, as if he’s floating in
the air.   His cold piercing eyes fixed on the two figures across the
bridge.  A black hair boy lay in his arms unconsciously.

     “!!!” Ino cried, “Ryu-chan was really in HIS hand…..but why……?”
     J could hear his own heart beat pounding; they grew louder and louder.
The devil was only a few steps away from him.  His bloody red hair highly
appeared especially intense against the misty blue backdrops.  The silver
moonlight shined on his pale white skin and gorgeous face.  His dark red
lips smiled seductively.  J lowered his voice and tried to calm himself
down.

     “What a surprise, not hiding from me tonight?”  J said.
     “Oh, hello my dear little Priest….,” Sugi said with sympathetic tone,
“why do you sound so bitter?”
     “….whatever, every time it is you coward who chickened out from our
confrontation,” J said.
     “hmm…that’s true,” Sugi giggled, “I guess I wasn’t ready to face you
again, J?”
     “….acting dumb with me huh?? How would a vampire not ready for
anything??”
    “Well, time seems so abstract, so vague, so obscure, so hard to
understand for me these days,” Sugi sighed, “it’s almost a blink of an eye
that you were still a little boy.”

    Ino looked at J in surprised and realized, J was only a child when his
last confront with the enemy goal of his life….
    Sugi smiled ambiguously, “who’d expect that clueless little boy turns
out so tall, strong and fine…”
    “……..” J remained silent.
    “You’re now a strong healthy fine young man ~~ haha..time passed so fast
doesn’t it?” Sugi winked,

    “.........”

     “I’d have to ask you a favor,” Sugi said courteously, “It takes both
parties to play this hunting game.  Playing the role of the ‘prey’ for me is
such an extraordinary experience, I’m not ready to end it yet.  I’d like to
enjoy my role as a prey for some more time…would you mind?”

     “A coward is a coward, always gives these pathetic excuses,” J grinned,
“I’m in no part of your one-sided ‘game’.  Are you asking me to compromise
something to spare your undead life longer? You think I’d give a damn about
your perverted pleasure?   I want my apprentice back right now, then I’d put
you to your eternal sleep once and for all.”

     “Oh dear,” Sugi seem not moved nor threatened at all, “we’ve both
played our roles really well so far, no need to ruin it so soon, right?  J,
I’d very much like to ‘give myself to you’, as I’ve promised.  But now I
have unfinished business to do,” Sugi stole a glance at Ino.

     “Oh! I’m so heartbroken!” J gave a mocking laugh, “I didn’t know it was
only me who lived up to those promises, ha!  Well, a damned creature like
you must have too damn many evil acts to carry out, too damn many people to
cheat and kill, and just have too much freaking time to spend …….what was I
thinking?? ”

     “ah~~you’re so mean….” Sugi said in a mocking tone as well, “you sound
as if I neglected you, poor thing…… I didn’t know you’d feel this way.  Aren
’t we always around each other?  Maybe I should have interacted with you
more if I knew that you missed me so terribly ~~~”

     “Don’t raise your status, Sugi” J chuckled, “You’re nothing but a
creature which I’ve swore to kill.”

    “Dear J, I have to tell you again that I’m impressed by your
unbelievably strong determination,” Sugi said in a naughty voice, “I’m
honored to be the object of your obsession.”

    “I’m least honored that you did remember me….” J starred at his
beautiful enemy in the eye.  His mind was driven by mix emotions.  Ever
since he last encountered with Sugi when he was only a helpless child, he
had been fantasizing what their next, and hopefully last, confrontation
scenario would be like.  There were millions of possible scenarios he had
thought of; he was well prepared for any kind of confrontation, from combat
and to the actual killing.  But none of them prepared for what was happening
now.  It was the moment that he’s been dreaming of, yearning for and
building his whole life upon on…….but right now all he concerned were ---
what was going on Sugi’s mind?

    J tried to clear his mind and concentrate…why would I care so much as in
what went on inside this devil’s head, and more important why would I care
to know what this damned creature think of me?  Is he being sympathetic?
Did he really think it’s merely a hunting game all along?  How much does he
know how I truly feel and if he would care at all…..

     “J…focus….you’re losing your mind ….focus..” J thought.

     Ino noticed the strange atmosphere; the world seem to be focusing on
this place, and this moment for these 2 men who fixed each other’s gaze upon
each other silently.  No outsider can intrude their sanctuary.

     Suddenly Sugi broke the silence, “J~~ I have to apologize for
disappointing you again tonight, it’s not the time to *give myself to you*
yet,” Sugi smiled, “I’m here to bring you back your little lost apprentice,
don’t worry, he just lost his consciousness.”

    Sugi looked at Ino and said, “….and to see my beloved one.”
     Ino felt Sugi’s gaze upon him; he shyly looked down with his mind in
turmoil.

     “You think I’d let you go?”

     “I wish I could stay too, my priest.” Sugi put Ryu down on the ground,
“what a tasty naughty little cute boy he is….J you take care of him well!”

     Suddenly J took out a handgun from his inside pocket from trench coat,
he fired it right at Sugi immediately.  The sudden loud noise shocked Ino.
The bullet hits air, Sugi moved out of the way at once.

    “My tricky little priest!!  I was going to catch the bullet but then I
realized it would actually harm me…” Sugi smiled, “don’t waste your bullets
on me, farewell!”   Sugi disappeared in the dark.

    “Shit…”  J put back his gun and started walking toward Ryu.

    “Father…” Ino finally recovered from the shocked and run toward Ryu as
well.

    “Ryu should wake up soon.  How about you? Are you alright?”  J asked Ino
as he lifted Ryu up.

    “…I…I’m alright.  Father, I don’t understand, how could a bullet harm a
vampire?”

    “The bullets were blessed and marked with cross mark.  They were
expensive to customize made too….Oh well, let’s go back.”


* * * * *

     J and Ino gather around the bed where Ryu just woke up.

     “Oh! J….J…thank god you’re here!  I was sooo scared” Ryu burst into
tears.

    “You’re very safe with me now” J pat Ryu’s head and asked in concerned,
“are you all right?  Were you hurt?”

    “I was bitten here…” Ryu point to his bit wound, “but thank god I’m
fine!!!  Sorry Father, I was so useless…I was…just too scare all the way…”

    J sighed and said, “would you mind telling us what happened?”

     “I was just walking on the street trying to go to the pharmacy as
usual…then suddenly that..that vampire Sugi…appeared in front of me and
grabbed me!  And I fainted somehow….when I woke up, I was in his night club
already.”

     “Night club?”

    “Yes...it seems to be a night club for vampires!  There were so many of
them!!  Oh~~  I was totally terrific…” Ryu sniffed, Ino looked at Ryu in
horror; he couldn’t believe how someone could have gone through such
horrific helpless situation.

     “A vampire hang out place…” J thought in concerned.

     “Father, there’re that many vampires out there?” Ino trembled.

     “I never realize they have a unified gathering place…” J said.

    “*sniff sniff* you guys have no idea how horrible it is,” Ryu cried like
a poor scared little kitten, “Sugi said he is a the club owner ~~”

     “That damned bastard…even built his own vampire kingdom ….”

     “Yes, it was like a totally well organized army!!  All the vampires
were starring at me….with their hungry eyes…I was so helpless.  Sugi had his
arms around me all the time, he even forced me to……” Ryu covered his face
with his hands.  Ino looked at the troubled Ryu with sympathy.

     “I’m so sorry Ryu,” Ino trembled, “if weren’t because of me…you wouldn’
t have to face such horror….”

     “don’t blame yourself Ino, you’re no part in blame at all,” J said, “it
is me who exposed Ryu to danger.  Ryu, don’t cry, I would never let you out
of my sight ever again.”

     Ryu fell into J’s arm and cried, J put his hand on Ryu’s should to
comfort.  Ino looked at the two of them silently on the side; “I….I wish
there is something I can do in comfort too,” Ino thought, he stood and
watched.  So Sugi really kidnapped Ryu and attacked him…and force him
to..???  Ino felt a bit disturbed.  He was confused why he felt so…..

     After a long time, Ryu had recovered his sense.  He finally said in a
clear voice, “I think I’m in danger!”

    J nodded, and asked, “Did Sugi said what he wants from you?  Did he
force you to make any deal with him? “  Ryu shake his head in denied.

    “hmm…I’m trying to pick up pieces from what you said and from what I’ve
observed….it seems so far all along Sugi’s target was Ino, obviously……Though
he did he bit you in the ear that night.  I assumed you were a random
victim ….now it seems to me that his motive isn’t as simple as I thought.”

    “Well,” Ryu blushed and said, “he kissed me and said that I’m very
pretty… and that my beauty and mortal presence were where he can find the
true reflection of his lost soul…something like that…”

    “!!!” Ino shuddered.  Sugi had said the same thing to me before, Ino
thought.

    Ryu stole a glance at Ino’s face and continue, “he said, he’d like to
make me his companion and stay with him forever.”

    “!!!!!” J was shocked, “you mean….he wants to make you into a vampire?”

    “Yes!!! That’s why I was SO scare~~~ I…J, I always thought I’m just a
normal boy, I’m a nobody…why would I become a target of a vampire?  Unlike
Ino, he wants me to become one of his own...it made me think that… was there
another true intention of Sugi’s approaching on Ino? You know…..” Ryu
whined.

    J remained silent and thought, could this be another game of his?  Why
would Sugi let Ryu go easily if he wants to make him immortal?

    Ryu turn way his eyes from the troubled faces of J and Ino, he blinked
and smile secretively……

* * * * *

     Ryu was asleep.  J and Ino went to the next room that shared an inner
door between the two rooms.  Both of them were in deep thoughts and remain
quiet.   What a long day, J thought, I’ve finally confronted him but let him
slipped away as well.  He remembered the first time he saw that red hair
dark angel…

     It was a quiet night in a little town.  J was only Eight.  He
remembered how much he hated staying inside the house because he hated to
see his parents fighting.  He couldn’t understand why would his mother acted
so hysterical all the time, while his father was always not home.  He was
wandering around the dark forest and came upon a lake; the lake was
illuminated with the silver moon’s reflection.  There, he saw a tall figure
with bloody long red hair.  The figure turned around, the curious little boy
was frozen right there starring at the mysterious person…..his exquisite
beauty was overwhelming!  He had never seen such a beautiful creature before
in his life – seductive and mysterious at the same time.  That beautiful
person looked like he didn’t belong to this common world…as if he’s a
portrait from a famous painting, or a legend from fairytales.  The devilish
red lips smiled as the figure noticed the boy’s approach.

     “Big brother~~Are you a fairy or an angel?” the little J asked in his
innocent voice.

    The man knelt down and looked at J with his eyes full of tenderness, he
said to J,
     “I wish I’m an angel,” he smiled, with a bit of sorrow tone in his
voice.

    “The story always said that there’re beautiful fairies in the forest!
Wow, I must be very lucky that I can see one actually!” J said.

     “haha…you’re a very good boy! That’s why you can see the beauty in
everything…” Sugi stroked J’s face gently……

     That was J’s first meeting with Sugi.  He forgot the details of how
they were separated later, for those moments were too intense as if they had
overwritten everything that happened afterward.  J laughed sadly inside
whenever he pulled out those memories from his forbidden memory bank.  An
angel…the biggest and most pathetically joke in his life.

     And I even went out to the forest waiting for him every night, hoping
to get at least a glance at him once again.  J had sunk into his flashback
again…. He was it was something wonderfully magical; he found comfort and
satisfaction of this little discovery---that a mysterious “angel” would
appeared by the lake under the full moon.  He never caught the sight of Sugi
again…..until that fateful day……

     “Father!” Ino’s voice intruded J’s thought, “I had a confession to
make!”

     “Oh!” J was fully awakened, “yes Ino…what’s been bothering you?”

     Ino knelt to the ground and tears started to fall.  J went panic and
tried to help Ino getting up.   Ino sobbed and said, “I’m a sinner…I’m such
a foolish lost little lamb…”

     “What are you talking about?”

     “oh..father~~ “ Ino said in a trembling voice, “just awhile ago I
was…actually….feeling a little bit….disappointed….”

     J looked at Ino, speechless and trying to utter some sound to encourage
Ino to continued.  Ino dodged his sight from J as if he was guilty of
something.

     “I…I felt a bit jealous toward Ryu, isn’t that silly?” Ino mocked
himself, “I had this foolish idea that it was such a romantic idea that I
was a fateful lover of another person in this world, even if he’s a devil,
because he would want me so desperately…that I ‘m the ‘chosen’ one, the
‘special’ one….”

     J looked sympathetically at Ino, who sobbed like an abandoned doggy.
He reached out his arms and wrapped them around Ino’s shoulder.

     “I must be out of my mind…” Ino went on, “I believed everything that
Sugi had told me without a doubt, even you had warned me and lectured me
numerous times.  But I was stubborn….I rather believe in fantasy.  I thought
he really loved me and wanted me…I actually felt flattered and special.  Oh
father!  Please forgive me for my disgusting behavior.  I even worried that
you might have killed him today!  Ah~~~ “

     “Don’t say a word anymore,” J said tenderly, “I’m glad that you finally
see the truth.  As for Ryu’s case, to tell you the truth, I questioned the
creditability of some of them.  Not that I’m suggesting Ryu would lie to us,
it’s just that it seems to contradict with what my observation on Sugi’s
usual behavior.   Well, at least Ryu  had proven to us that anyone would
become his target.  This vampire would do and say anything to get his goal.
I could not understand what his true intention is right now; maybe it was
just all a game to him?  He was out there to shatter human’s delicate mind,
to triumphant over human’s fragile belief system, to play with human’s
feelings…just to satisfy his own bored damned eternal life!”

     “Please guide me Father!”

     “Let me tell you what had happened between me and Sugi briefly, as you
have heard our conversations today.  I never liked my home, because my
mother constantly said complaint about my father in front of me, threatened
me and said a lot of horrid twisted things; she even beat me up…saying that
I’m an exact copy of my pathetic father.  I never know what was going on
between my parents.  My father was almost never home; he was a musician,
always went on traveling for ideas and inspirations.  My mother said my
father was cursed, that he had fallen into the dark side.  I always ran away
from home to dodge from my hysterical mother.  It was until one night when I
went back home…I saw pool of blood soaking my house’s floor….”

     J paused, Ino shuddered at the silence.

     “There was my mother…lying dead on the ground with her throat slashed
open, so deep that her head almost fall off.  My father, who seemed just
came home with his luggage, was lying dead with a stabbed knife in his
heart.  He was in someone’s arms…”

     “Sugi!?” Ino gasped.

     “Yes.  Sugi looked emotionless while holding my father in his arms;
they were deadly white with blood all over.  I screamed in horror and stood
there like a stone statue.  Sugi turned around and walk up to me, he said,
“poor innocent child, maybe I’ll take your little life as well instead of
letting you suffer in pain, hatred and insanity for the rest of your life.
You’d be better off going to heaven now…,”  He raised his hand.  I yelled at
him to stop him from advancing to me.  I cried, “You monster had killed my
parents!!!!!”   My face and hair was wet from my tears.  They were tears of
fear and hatred.  I starred at him with all my hatred and anger.  I said to
him, “You better kill me now or else you’d regret!  I’m going to survive on
my own and I will destroy you someday.”  Sugi…he just starred at me for a
long time.  He then say to me, “I do like to play God granting you back your
life, but you must fulfilled what you’ve said.”  I laughed suddenly, I told
him not to worry, and I was much stronger than he thinks.  He then said he
wanted to make a deal with me…that on the next time we met, he’d turn
himself in to me if I’ve grown strong enough.”

     Ino was totally speechless; he had a better clue on what their
convernsations were about.

     “He then left.  I lay on the ground and soaked myself in the blood for
couple days until an Evangelist Priest had found me.  He took me under his
care.  It must be fate, because he was a vampire hunter.  He raised me and
trained me with vampire hunting skills.  I’m very grateful to him, Father
Imai……  I went on independent later after I’ve gained enough experiences.
My revenge on Sugi was my mission of life.  However, after much slaying of
vampires and helping victims, such as yourself, I’ve found other meanings in
my life.”

     Ino sat in silence, as if he was overwhelmed by J’s story.  What was it
like to be in J’s shoes?  It was strange that sometimes J talked about Sugi
as if he was talking about a long time friend of his….

     J looked away, and said, “every night I closed my eyes, I saw Sugi.
That image will never fade.  I’m pretty sure I will never ever be able to
sleep peacefully from now on, I’m now a step closer to my goal. “

* * * * *

     Ryu couldn’t fall asleep.  He was too excited by what had happened
today.  What an extraordinary experience for him~ !   He tried to remember
all the wonderful details.  “Hmm…I made up and exaggerate a lot of things in
front of J and Ino…oh well,”  Ryu giggled, “it’s great to be the center of
attention, hehe!”  That beautiful and dangerous creature….Ryu couldn’t get
his mind off from him.  “What if I’m the fateful past-life lover of Sugi
instead of Ino?  He will then abducted me and own me forever like he wanted
to do that to Ino……”   Every time he thought of that, he bit his thumb nails
harder….

{ Ryu…. }

     Ryu was startled by a whisper; someone was calling him.  It’s a demonic
beautiful voice.  Ryu got up and looked around…he felt a strange atmosphere
in the room, as if someone was standing in the corner starring at him.
That “someone” was familiar, but not THE familiar one he was yearning for.

     “Who…who is there!!??”  Ryu asked in frightening voice.

     “I’m here to continue our unfinished affair…”  a slender figure
appeared in the room.

     “YOU!!!”  Ryu screamed in surprise.

* * * * * *

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