big thanks to The Yaoiverse of Lemon Pie for all your help with this story!

warning of violence, ooc, bad language and other stuff i probably haven't listed

Enjoy! :)

Akihiko stubbed out his cigarette in the already full ashtray and stared hard at the maps spread out before him. "So, we've taken out this clan here, which leaves the Takatsuki and the Onodera clans as the only major ones in the area. Correct?"

Hiroki ran his hand through his chocolate locks and nodded in agreement. "Right. Listen, don't you think we should call in Takahashi to help us with these? I mean, we've done alright with our group so far but these two are the biggest. I don't think we can do it alone this time."

Akihiko lit another cancer stick and took a long drag as he considered his friend's words. "I know what you're saying but they still have a newbie with them and they'll refuse to go without him."

Hiroki sighed and leaned back in the hard, wooden chair he'd spent the past three hours on. "Well there's no other option. We both know we're out of our depth here. Just admit when you need help and stop being so stubborn or you'll get us all killed."

Akihiko's cold, lavender eyes looked up to pierce Hiroki's warm, brown ones. "Don't give me that crap. I know what I'm doing." Putting out his already finished cigarette, the silver-haired man got to his feet and stretched. "We'll carry on in the morning."

The brunette rose from his chair, frowning a little. "You know they could have killed again by morning."

Akihiko merely shrugged and pulled off his glasses. "We can't do anything until then so you may as well try and get some rest." With that, he left his friend to once again stare at the maps as if they held all the answers to how they were ever going to defeat one of the biggest clans in history. Hiroki squinted down at where they knew the main house of the Takatsuki clan was and stabbed it with a pin, as if somehow that would make it all go away. He rubbed his tired eyes and clicked the over-head light off, trudging out the cold room to find his small room in the maze of hallways that was his home.

Since the Takatsuki's had made themselves known, life had been hell for the hunters. The Usami family was doing their best to keep the killing to a minimum without upsetting the vamps too much but it just wasn't working anymore.

Hiroki wondered why they even bothered to try and make peace in the first place, but then he supposed it was better than a full out war that the hunters were not prepared for. They would be outnumbered 10:1 and there just weren't enough hunters with the skill required to fight that many. Hiroki knew that Akihiko was more than prepared for a war, he was the best hunter out there, excluding that one raven-haired man who went rogue and turned to be with the one he loved. But that's another story.

The brunette found his room and threw the door open, he peeled off his filthy clothes and sank down onto the hard mattress. He looked at the clock on his wall and saw it was 3am, he groaned and threw himself back onto the pillow, knowing that sleep was a rare thing for him after he was taken under Akihiko's wing. Though he had to admit his feelings of admiration for the man were turning into something more, something he didn't want to admit to because those kind of feelings are the ones that get you killed.

Takahashi Takahiro was down in the basement with his parents, going through the basics when an alarm sounded through the house and his parents began to pull on their hunting gear and strap various weapons to their bodies. "I want to come with you."

Both parents looked at each other, then at their son. "Okay, I think you're ready." Takahiro beamed and began to grab the weapons and strap them on as he'd been trained.

They raced out the house, leaving an 8-year-old Misaki at home clueless as to the true profession of his parents and now his brother.

"We have fifteen minutes before the appointed meeting time. This is the night we've been preparing for our whole lives." Takahiro waited expectantly to be told and felt a shiver down his spine. "We're going to attack the Takatsuki clan. Tonight."

Akihiko welcomed the Takahashi's into his home, with a slightly warmer smile when he saw Takahiro behind them. He felt a soft spot for him and even though he was only a newbie, he knew Takahiro had a good instinct for this. As they gathered the whole group into the main hall, there was an air of anxiety and adrenaline weaving through the crowd. They stood at 84 hunters, more than Akihiko had ever expected to show. Usami Fuyuhiko took his place at the head of the hall and silence fell while he spoke grave words. "Tonight is the night we finally rid ourselves of this abhorrent clan." A cheer ran through the crowd but they were quickly silence by the next words. "Not all of us will return. I won't lie to you and say that this night will go smoothly like we want it to. As much as I hate to admit it, the damn suckers are always a step ahead of us so they may already be aware of our plans. We have to act fast. We cannot hesitate to kill any of them, even if they are fallen comrades." Sorrow swept through the room and Fuyuhiko cleared his throat. "Let us go with the intent, not to destroy, but to save. We are saving the human race from these monsters and we must not let our anger consume us. You must remain focused and do not let your emotions get the better of you or you will die. Is that understood?" There was a collective agreement and he spoke his final words before the group disbanded to their assigned places. "I will meet the survivors back here in the morning."

Akihiko took the stake from his belt and held it in his hand, he knew that he was skilled for his age, he knew that he would be able to take out a lot of the vampires that night but he didn't want to let the arrogance go to his head, he just had to do his job and get out. He adjusted his grip as he crept through the undergrowth leading to the back of the Takatsuki residence. He ran a nervous tongue over his bottom lip and felt Hiroki gently touch the small of his back in support, he glanced back and saw the unguarded expression of the brunette behind him. His eyes were full of love and fear. Akihiko turned his body and took hold of Hiroki's chin, pulling his face close so their lips brushed when Akihiko whispered. "After this, how about we go out for dinner?" Hiroki blushed a furious red and could only nod in response. Akihiko smiled and pressed their lips together in a quick, passionate kiss before turning back around and waiting for the signal.

Fuyuhiko was the picture of calm as he approached the front door. He knew this was all too easy. He knew that over half of the hunters would not return. He also knew that this was a suicide mission. He swore under his breath as him and his group of 20 came to a stop outside the front door, he raised his hand and lifted three fingers, signalling the group behind to get ready. A single bead of sweat rolling down his temple, he pulled a grenade from his belt and launched it into one of the top windows. The three seconds it took for the grenade to explode felt like forever to the man as the screams began inside. "Let's go!" Hunters surrounded the house and the group led by Fuyuhiko charged inside.

Akihiko heard the bang and his group fanned out to catch the escaping vampires. Fangs flashed in the moonlight as Akihiko killed vampire after vampire, ploughing his way through the seemingly endless stream of monsters that haunted his nightmares. As he plunged the stake into another dead heart, he glanced over to see Hiroki almost dancing among the creatures, looking so beautiful and graceful. Akihiko felt his heart skip and allowed himself a smile as another vampire came at him. The silver-haired teen was almost to the door when he heard a scream to his right. His head snapped round and saw Hiroki pinned down by a savage-looking woman. She snapped at his neck but he held her off just long enough to notice Akihiko staring at him.

Hiroki shook his head and pushed the woman off with a final burst of strength before he raced over to his love, shoving him out the way of two vampires leaping towards him. Razor-like fangs sank into Hiroki's skin as his scream echoed around the woods, only cut off when other screams of both vampires and humans joined his.

"NO!" Akihiko scrambled to his feet and killed the two animals before hauling their bodies off and falling to his knees by the brunette. "No! Hiroki. No, please." Akihiko felt tears well in his eyes and quickly wiped them away as he stared down at his dying friend. "Is that what it takes to make you finally show emotion, Bakahiko?" Hiroki smiled and reached up to run his bloodied fingers down the well sculpted features of the man he loved. "You need to go. You know what happens now."

Akihiko shook his head and gathered his friend into his arms. "I'm not leaving you. I only just realized that I-" Akihiko was cut off when Hiroki, with surprising strength, pulled himself up to kiss him.

"You have to leave me."

Shinobu ran from the house, still a child he didn't understand the chaos around him. He cried as he ran and pushed his way through bodies and finally made it out of the house. He took deep breaths and as his small eyes frantically searched for someone he knew he saw the hunched figure of a boy, holding another boy in his arms. Shinobu ran over and crouched down by them. "What happened?"
Akihiko looked at the boy and recognized him immediately. He was the son of the Takatsuki clan. Akihiko grabbed his stake and pointed it at the boy. "Get away from me."

Shinobu looked from the stake to the man, confusion in his tear-glistening eyes. "I want to find my mum and dad. Do you know where they are? My nee-san too, she's gone. Please help me." The boy began to cry and Akihiko's hand began to tremble. This was just a child before him, not some blood-sucking monster. "I-I can't." Akihiko dropped the stake and held his friend closer. "You need to get out of here kid. Find somewhere to hide and wait this out."

Shinobu wiped his tears away on his sleeve and saw that the boy the strange guy was holding was bleeding. "What happened to him?"
Akihiko took a deep breath and got to his feet, holding the now unconscious Hiroki in his arms. "He was bitten. Now he'll become a filthy creature like you and your family."

Shinobu stood and frowned, suddenly angry at the words. "My family are not filthy."

Akihiko raised his eyebrows and began to walk away from the boy, his only concern getting Hiroki some help, but the snotty brat kept following him. "I've learned about people like you. You come and kill us for no reason. My mum said that you're really bad and mean and that I should stay away from you but you like him don't you?" Akihiko paused and looked down at the boy. "I can help him if you want. My family will look after him." The silver-haired teen buried his face into the now blood-soaked, brunette hair and cried. His knees gave in and he placed his friend down, his heart no longer beating. "He's gone." Akihiko choked on a sob and felt a small, cold hand pat him on the back.