Shadows From The Past: A BBB fan fiction

[Zelman Clock]

Shadows From The Past, a Black Blood Brothers Fan Fiction

Disclaimer: I do not own Black Blood Brothers or its characters.

Chapter One

Clouds scudded across the night sky, covering the half moon as they passed. Somewhere, a clock struck the hour, three loud gongs that reverberated through the chill autumn air. Jiro Mochizuki stared out the window from the second story of the warehouse turned apartment that he shared with Mimiko Katsuragi and his little brother, Kotaro. He held his long, silver katana to one side, the blade about an inch out of its sheath.

He could hear Kotaro's soft snoring coming from the next room, something he was very glad for. And if he let his senses roam a little further, he could hear the soft breath of Mimiko, followed by the occasional groan as she dreamed. But those were not the sounds that had piqued him this night. He let his senses roam again, listening, smelling for the faint scent that had woken him in the first place, a scent he didn't know, followed by the most peculiar sounds.

He heard it again, the slight, quiet banging of something hitting metal. Judging from the direction, it was somewhere on the street level, near the back of the building. There was a door down there, old and disused. He and Mimiko had talked about it once before, but it had been dismissed merely because it did not seem to want to open when the young woman had tried it. The hinges were apparently rusted shut, and though Jiro was sure any Black Blood, or anyone determined enough, could have forced it open, he'd let it be, for Mimiko's sake. Now, he wished he hadn't.

The sound came again, along with the faint sound of metal slowly being bent. Whoever was down there could not be a normal human. Red Bloods, as they called themselves in the Special Zone, did not have the strength to bend steel.

The moonlight glinted off of Jiro's exposed teeth, fangs protruding past his lips as a low snarl issued from them, a warning and a challenge. "If I were you," he said, speaking clearly but quietly. He didn't want to wake Mimiko or Kotaro. "I would rethink what you're doing. I don't think either of us want a confrontation tonight." If it truly was a vampire down there, and he was fairly sure it was from the smell, he knew they would be able to hear him.

There was a moment of silence, followed by more faint scratching and the moaning of already abused metal. Jiro let out a slightly louder growl. "This is your last chance to leave while you still can."

After another long pause, there was the sound of quick footsteps in the ally, then silence. Jiro strained to hear, closing his eyes as he sought out any other sounds, but the night was silent. He gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, the leather of his gloves protesting slightly at the strain. He waited a moment or two longer, then let his grip relax, the blade to slide back into the sheath.

With a sigh, Jiro let his shoulders sag momentarily before leaning against the window's large frame. A slight breeze came through the window. The scent was clean. In the back room, Mimiko murmured in her sleep. It was time he went back to bed as well. He slid the window closed and headed to his coffin.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Mimiko yawned hugely as she headed for the kitchen, her eyes only half open as she stumbled around. She felt like she hadn't slept a wink and figured her dreams were to blame, though she couldn't remember what they were. Something about a vampire she felt sure she didn't know, but that was about it.

Without realizing where she was going, she found herself knocking into the corner of the table, jabbing herself just below the knee. "Ouch!" She looked up in surprise, realizing that she'd overshot her mark and gotten a bruise in the process.

"Mimiko," Kotaro piped up in the background of her muddled thoughts. "You okay?" The young vampire tugged at her robe, trying to get the distracted girl's attention. "Hey, Mimi!" Jiro was always reminding him of how fragile Red Bloods were.

Mimiko let out another huge yawn and turned towards the stove, subconsciously waving him aside. "Morning, Kotaro," she said out of habit as she fumbled to fill the kettle with water and set it to boil. It didn't even strike her that the young vampire was usually still asleep when she got up.

Figuring that his human friend was probably okay, even though the sound of her running into the table had been rather loud, Kotaro zoomed happily around the kitchen, chattering a million miles a minute about his plans for the day. "And don't forget that Sei and I are going to play today," his words interrupted the murky depths of her thoughts as she struggled to keep her eyes open.

"Sei, right," Mimiko almost parroted as the kettle began to steam. She stared absently at the patterns of the evaporating water. "Where's Jiro?"

Kotaro stopped to blink. "He's still asleep," he stated. "Maybe you are too," he added.
Mimiko reached for a mug on the countertop and poured hot water in, dropping a tea bag in with it. "Just another long night," she tried to assure him as she dipped the bag up and down, one elbow resting on the countertop.

Silence filled the air as Kotaro watched Mimiko bob her tea, practically falling asleep as she stood. He glanced over to the clock and wondered if the compromiser realized the time, not that it really mattered to him. He liked hanging out with Mimiko, but then, her boss would probably get mad if she were late. His brother might get mad too, especially if he knew that Kotaro could have done something about it. He deliberated for a moment, one finger on his chin as he thought about.

"Um, Mimi," he hesitated. "Shouldn't you be at work right now?" He looked up at her with his large blue eyes, blinking questioningly at her.

Mimiko blinked back at him. "Huh?"

"You know, you're usually gone to work by now," Kotaro said in a slightly worried voice. "You wouldn't want to be late, right?"

Mimiko glanced at the clock, taking a moment to focus on the numbers. She suddenly jumped. "CRAP! Is that the time?" She ran to her room, robe trailing behind her as she slammed the door, had to reopen it to pull in the garment, and closed it again.

Kotaro stared after her. He didn't know she could move that fast. Less than five minutes later, Mimiko was flying past him again and out the door. "Wow. She sure can move when she's in a hurry," he thought to himself, then looked around. The tea she'd been steeping was getting starting to get cold in the forgotten mug.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Jiro woke to an empty apartment. Outside, he could hear the sounds of people walking, vehicles moving, the usual banter of the day. Their current schedule was messing with his sleep pattern. He put one hand over his eyes, as if he could just ignore everything and go back to sleep, but the events of last night nagged at the back of his mind.

He sat up and looked around. Kotaro was gone. Not hugely surprising, considering he'd been hyper most of the previous evening because he'd been invited over to Sei's. He smelled the air to get a sense of the hour, sometime in the afternoon, he decided. And with that, he got up, walking slowly through the apartment and down the stairs to the main level.

The sounds from last night definitely had come from the direction of that sealed door and so he headed in that direction, deep in thought, trying to place the scent that still lingered in the back of his mind. Definitely not someone he knew.

Scents from outside found his nose, drifting in on a faint breeze from the direction he was headed. And, after skirting a few more boxes, he found himself looking at the door in question. Upon initial inspection, nothing seemed out of place, at least not to a human's eye. But Jiro noted that there was now a slight gap to one side, where someone had tried to peel the metal away from the outside.

He stared at the small crack for a while, then absently went out and around, keeping to the shadows as much as possible, silently berating himself for not grabbing his umbrella. The faint imprint of fingers met his inspection as he looked at the door from the other side. Any normal vampire could have easily taken the door with a swift pull, probably making more noise than they wanted though. Whoever had tried to break in was careful. After all, throwing a door would cause a lot of attention.

Jiro mused in the shadows, one hand to his chin as he thought. He'd have to do something to reinforce that door while Mimiko was out. If she saw the activity, she'd definitely want to know what was going on. He didn't know what to tell her, and for the sake of protecting her, he wasn't about to tell her until he knew more.

"I'll have to find someone to fix this," he finally decided and headed out to find someone to do just that, stopping to pick up his umbrella on his way.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

"Earth to Mimiko. Earth to Mimiko."

The brunette girl moaned and tried to wave away whoever was trying to wake her. Why couldn't they just let her sleep?

"Hey, Mimiko, time to get up," the same voice continued, its owner bending over the dozing girl. "Wake up!"

Mimiko raised her head from her desk and blinked. "Hey Hibari," she said groggily. "What are you doing here?"

Hibari Kusunogi glared down at her senior compromiser. "I work here," she retorted. "And so do you, unless you don't get up, that is. Jinnai's coming!"

"Jinnai?" Mimiko's face was blank as she stared at her junior.

Hibari changed her glare to a scowl, hands on her hips. "Oh come on! You really need to stop staying up so late with that Silver Blade!"

Something stirred in Mimiko at the sound of Hibari's tone. She sat bolt upright, blushing, eyes wide at what the girl was implying. "You know it's nothing like that!"

Hibari gave her a smug look. "Right! As if anyone could believe that face of yours!"
Mimiko turned away, face still burning.

"Good afternoon ladies," Jinnai said as he entered the room, ignoring the awkwardness of the situation he'd walked into. A chorus of "good afternoons" from around the room followed his greeting as the various compromisers turned to give him their attention.

"I don't want to take long," their supervisor assured them. "We've had reports of strange activity in the Special Zone, nothing to really worry about, but I thought I would give you the heads up in case you're called in to mediate. So far it's just minor things, but one never knows if that will change. Just keep your eyes open and let us know if you see anything out of the ordinary."

Murmurs filled the air as Jinnai left, various compromisers talking amongst themselves.
"Did you hear that, Mimiko," Hibari practically squealed in her senior's ear. "What do you think could be happening? What if the vampires rise up in rebellion? What if we have another Kowloon infiltration!"

Mimiko let out a low growl of frustration. "Aren't you forgetting that there's no easy way another Kowloon child could get in," she hissed through her teeth. "And why would the vampires rise in rebellion when we live in harmony with them!"

Hibari stopped briefly in her ramblings, looking up at Mimiko like she was stupid. "But it was so easy the last time! What if it happens again! I don't think I could take it!" And with that, Hibari was off in her own world of imagining, leaving Mimiko out, which was just fine with her, even though the younger girl's wild imagination was overflowing verbally.

Mimiko took a look at the clock. The day was almost over, finally. Having longer and later shifts was definitely messing with her schedule, but they were necessary to get her used to being able to be up and about at night. But the day had dragged on and on from the moment she'd made it to work, an hour late. And it dragged now that she only had another half hour until she could call it good, unless an assignment came in, something she hoped didn't happen.

"I'm going to get something to eat," she stated, her stomach reminding her that not only had she not had breakfast, but she'd somehow managed to skip lunch. "Want something?" She didn't really expect an answer from her chattering companion but had to ask all the same. She blinked a few times on her way to the vending machine. She stumbled over her own feet, wincing as the bruise she'd gotten that morning was jarred in the process. Maybe she'd be wise to skip the last half hour and go home early, she thought as she stared at the vending machine. There was no way she had enough energy to deal with anything else today.

Abandoning the idea of just getting a quick bite, Mimiko headed towards the main doors, pushing out into the dying sunshine. She tried to block the last rays from blinding her as she walked towards the nearest taxi stand. Jiro would probably be less than happy with her if she tried to walk the distance back to the apartment, especially as tired as she felt and with night coming on. It would leave her defenses way too open for the Black Blood's liking, she decided.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Jiro heard a car door slam outside the apartment just as the repair crew was cleaning up. The door was now safely welded shut from both sides. It may not keep a determined vampire from entering, but it wouldn't make it easy on them either.

He could hear money being exchanged. Taxi cab. The repair crew opened the main door to leave, letting a slight breeze enter the large room, bringing in Mimiko's scent with it, ginger and oranges. He blinked a few times in confusion. The brunette was decidedly early. He went swiftly to the door before she could reach it from the other side, the taxi driving away as he reached the opening.

"Mimiko, is everything all right," he asked, his voice a bit tight as he looked at her from top to bottom, trying to find anything visibly wrong. She had shadows under her eyes, he noted, and she was walking slower than her usual pace. He took the last few steps towards her, trying not to look too worried.

Mimiko looked up, hearing Jiro's concern, her eyes opening wide. She blinked a few times to clear her tangled thoughts. "Fine," she finally managed. 'Everything's fine. I'm just tired."

He stepped back to let her inside the building. "Long day," he asked solicitously.

"You could say that," she replied as she rubbed at her temples and tried to stumble up the steps at the same time. Jiro reached out a steadying hand for her, which she took without thinking. "Where's Kotaro?"

Jiro kept her steady as they climbed. "He's at Sei's house," he replied. "I believe they decided to make it a sleepover."

"Oh." She let go of his hand as they reached the top of the stairs, where she kicked off her shoes and headed for the kitchen. "Who were those people I saw leaving?"

Jiro followed after her, ready if she should need him again. "There was a leak. I had them repair it," he said matter-of-factly. "You needn't worry about it. It was very simple to have repaired." He hung his hat.

She nodded absently as she searched in the cupboard for something to nibble on. She settled on a box of graham crackers, heading to the fridge for some milk. "Thirsty," she asked over her shoulder.

Jiro smiled, wondering if she'd realized what she'd asked him. "Not at the moment." He felt the heat of her blush as she realized her error.

"You know what I meant!" She quickly closed the fridge, milk in hand, her back to him.

Jiro tried not to laugh. "Of course, Mimiko. But you left yourself wide open for that one." His eyes narrowed as he caught the shadows under her eyes once more as she turned around. "Are you sure you're all right?"

She sat at the table, dipping crackers into her cup and eating them slowly. "Aside from a lovely bruise from this morning," she began but stopped at his expression. "Jinnai mentioned that there was the possibility of some restlessness among some of the Black Bloods," she amended, trying to distract him. He could be rather fussy when she hurt herself. "He didn't use those exact words, but that's what he meant."

"Hmmm," Jiro pursed his lips, arms folded. "Did he say why?"

The compromiser shook her head. "No, just a general warning that we might be called in to help mediate if something comes up. Why?" She looked up.

Jiro looked thoughtful as he replied. "No reason. I just hadn't heard anything about it."
She waved a milk sodden cracker. "It's not like he'd give us any details unless we're called in anyway," she continued.

"You're probably right," he conceded, wondering if Jinnai had brought that up with the compromisers because word had reached his ears of the vampire who had tried to break into their apartment. Unlikely, but still possible, he decided. Mimiko was draining the last bit of her milk when he looked up again.

"You mentioned something about a bruise…?" He let his words dangle in the air, eyebrows raised with the question.

He did miss much, Mimiko sighed to herself. She stood up, heading over to the cupboard again. "It's fine. I just bumped into the table this morning," she said, brushing it aside. "No big deal."

Jiro gave her a doubtful expression. He was all too aware of her tendency to downplay any injury. "Mimiko…"

Mimiko resisted the urge to scowl as she reached for something on a higher shelf. She wasn't quite tall enough without doing something to give her a boost, even going on her tiptoes. Grumbling under her breath, she sprang lightly to lunge at the box she wanted, not bothering to ask the much taller Jiro to get it for her.

A loud thump announced her knee hitting into the countertop, followed by a low outcry of pain. No more than half a second later, Jiro was by her side, hands around her waist to keep her from doing any further injury by banging something else or falling backwards and cracking her skull.

Mimiko was taken by surprise, her hands still raised as if to reach the box that seemed to stare back at her tauntingly. Her knee stung and she had to blink a few times to be sure that no tears had come because of it. She grit her teeth. She suddenly found herself turned around, sitting on the counter, the cupboard closed behind her. "Wha..? Jiro!"

Jiro ignored her protests as he gently pushed her skirt up to rest just above her knee. The deep bruise stood out against her pale skin. Jiro frowned. "Mimiko, what have you been doing to yourself?"

The girl laughed nervously. "Does it really look that bad," she asked. "I hardly felt it!"

He looked up at her with an expression she couldn't read. "Mimiko, it's turning black and blue."

"It is?" She bent to look for herself.

Jiro sighed. "Must I look after you every waking moment," he asked under his breath.

Mimiko put her hands on her hips. "Sorry, I didn't catch that."

He ignored her. Instead, he began to gently probe at the discolored skin, noticing when she winced. "It hurts more than you're willing to admit, doesn't it," he said matter-of-factly.

She tried to slide off the countertop but he stopped her. "Jiro, it's just a bruise," she complained. "It will heal."

"It will heal much more quickly if you put some ice on it," he countered. "Now stay there." He turned to the fridge, opening the freezer compartment.

"Yes mother," Mimiko muttered.

"I heard that," Jiro said as he rummaged with an ice tray.

She rolled her eyes but made no further comment as he brought over a bag filled with the frozen cubes, wrapped in a dishtowel. She took it with a sigh, placing it over her knee. "You know, I feel kind of silly sitting on the counter," she said. "It's not exactly sanitary."

Jiro let out a laugh. "Then we'll have to move you to somewhere a little more appropriate." Before she could protest, he had her in his arms and was carrying her to the main living area where he set her on the low couch. Surely she couldn't protest about that.

"Hey!" she protested, though the deed was already done. "Could you at least warn me before you do that again?"

He eyed her critically. "Do you plan on having this happen again, Mimiko," he asked.

"That's not the point!" she spluttered. "A girl does like to have some warning!"

Jiro sighed heavily. He wasn't sure if he'd ever completely understand her. One moment, he thought he had a pretty good grasp on that, the next, he was thrown for another loop. If nothing else, humans were very complex creatures. "My most sincere apologies," he said while bowing.

Mimiko couldn't stay mad at him, especially not since he'd apologized. "Ugh," she finally uttered. "Just no more drama tonight, okay?"

"Of course."

[Zelman Clock]

Chapter Two

The clock read exactly eleven as Mimiko booted up her computer. For once, she was on time. Her fingers skimmed across the keyboard as she typed in her password, then waited for the machine to log her into the system. Last night had been rather uneventful, once everything had settled down. She didn't remember dreaming. But at least she'd had breakfast, even if it was only a little granola. Jiro hadn't been awake to protest and make her eat more.

The voices of her fellow compromisers fell all around her as they came and left the office for their various assignments. She was diligently typing in a report when Hibari suddenly put her hands over her eyes. "Guess who!"

Mimiko tried to pry the hands from her face. "Hibari! Stop it," she complained.

Her junior finally let go, sticking out her tongue. "You're such a sour grape," she complained. "Can't you lighten up for once? Honestly!"

Mimiko did her best to try and ignore the energetic girl, continuing to type around her attempts to get her attention.

"Where did you go last night," Hibari asked, finally managing to get her attention. "I mean, really! You just up and disappeared! And there was a really cute Black Blood who came asking for you, not that he's better looking than the Silver Blade, but you could always have used him to make him jealous."

Mimiko looked up in surprise. "What vampire?"

Hibari flipped an errant strand of her hair. "That's what I was trying to tell you," she replied impatiently. "He was incredibly handsome! Almost as handsome as the Silver Blade! I almost fainted, wondering if he was going to ask me if he could suck my blood!" She pretended to swoon. "Can you imagine if something like that were to happen!"

The older girl growled. If she didn't intercede now, Hibari would go off on this tangent forever. "What did he want?" she tried again, pushing Hibari away from the keyboard where she'd been idly taping keys, messing up the report Mimiko was trying to put in.

The girl stood straight. "He wanted to see you," she said, "obviously."

Mimiko tapped an impatient finger. "Did he leave a name?"

Hibari thought for a moment. "No, not really. He just asked if you were here and left when we couldn't find you."

"He just left. Uh huh, right." She gave her junior a disbelieving look, sure that she'd made the whole thing up.

Hibari took a step back. "Honest, Mimiko! That's all he said! He didn't leave a name or anything. He just wanted to know if you were there. He did seem a bit weird though," she admitted after some more thought.

Mimiko glanced quickly at her face. "What do you mean? How?"

Hibari cocked her head to one side. "Well, he seemed a little nervous, anxious about something. Maybe he was in a hurry." She glanced at her watch, as if speaking about time had reminded her of something. "Oh no! I've got to go! Later Mimiko!" And she quickly ran out of the room.

Mimiko rubbed at one temple. That girl! But why would a strange vampire be asking about her? And why would he act nervous about it?

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Jiro inspected the welding around the door. He even used the Hide Hand against it, just enough to know that it had not been tampered with since the crew had sealed it the evening before. Finally satisfied, he stood from his crouch and headed back to the front of the building. He could already hear Kotaro's voice from out front, bubbly as usual as Rinsuke brought him home from Sei's house. Likely, the purple haired human would want to talk. He sighed, knowing it was inevitable. When didn't the investigator want to talk?

"Welcome back, Kotaro," he smiled as he opened the door.

The young vampire launched himself at his older brother, a giant smile plastered across his face. The giant teddy bear he'd nicknamed Lord Bowwow was strapped to his back like a school bag. "Brother! You wouldn't believe how much fun I had!" And he proceeded to go into detail about the various goodies and games they'd had.

Rinsuke waved lightly as he watched the slightly surprised Silver Blade detach his younger brother so that they could go inside. "Long time, Jiro, darling" he called as he walked behind them, entering without real permission given. "Kain asked me to give you his regards." It was hard to get Rinsuke down, especially when he was always teasing his friends. But his usually jovial personality also made it hard to determine when he had something more serious on his mind.

Jiro didn't turn around but used the Hide Hand to close the door behind everyone, with perhaps a bit more force than was necessary. "Is that so," he said without breaking stride. He kept his face neutral, even though part of him really enjoyed the fact that Rinsuke had jumped when the door closed.

Rinsuke trotted to keep up with the young Black Blood and his brother. He slowed his steps while Kotaro zoomed ahead and out of sight. "Jiro," he stopped halfway up the stairs, his tone more serious. "Can we talk for a moment?"

Jiro stopped and looked back, noting that his friend wasn't smiling now. In fact, his face was uncharacteristically serious. He took a step down and raised his eyebrows in question.

Rinsuke fidgeted a little. Kotaro's happy chirping could be heard in the silence as he zoomed around the upper level of the apartment. "There's something you should know but I don't think Kotaro should hear this."

Jiro folded his arms. "I'm listening."

Rinsuke tugged uncomfortably at his collar. "Well, you see, it has to do with Mimiko."

Jiro clenched his fists tightly as he went down a step or two, trying to control himself. He'd noticed something was off with the compromiser, though he hadn't had a real chance to ask about it, aside from what they'd discussed the night before. And with the attempted break in the other night… "What about Mimiko?"

The purple-haired man tried to take a step back but couldn't. "Uh, Jiro, darling, you're standing on my foot. Could you…?" Jiro's expression instantly went contrite as he took a step back, Rinsuke wincing slightly as he let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you!"

"Now, what about Mimiko?"

He tried to clear his throat as he stared into the vampire's eyes. He blinked quickly, in case Jiro tried to Eye Raid him. "It's just that… Well…."

"Out with it, Rinsuke," Jiro almost snapped. "I'm losing my patience."

He leaned against the railing. "Well, Jinnai asked me to pass on that some strange Black Blood was asking about her at the office. I guess she'd already left for the day when he showed up, but he was acting very nervous, for some reason. At least that's what I'm told!" He put his hands up in defense as Jiro's expression darkened.

"No one seems to know anything about him," he continued quickly. "At least no one was able to accurately describe him. The testimonies are all mixed up, but Jinnai thought that you should know. He's not sure what to make of it himself, and as he did ask you to look after her…. Well, you know how it goes." He tried to shrug casually.

Jiro ground his teeth, fangs protruding. "Does Mimiko know about this?"

Rinsuke blinked a few times. "I… don't think so? At least they were all asked not to mention it," he added quickly. "Though some of them do have rather big mouths," he muttered to himself.

"BROTHER!"

Both vampire and human turned to look up to the top of the stairs where Kotaro was now calling down at them.

"I'm hungry! When's Mimi coming home?" The young vampire's eyes were large as he took in how close the two men were to each other, not to mention his brother's stance.

Jiro immediately made himself relax and smile. "I'm sure she'll be around fairly soon," he assured. "But, remember, she does work later now."

Kotaro blinked a few times. "Oh right. I forgot." He thought for a second. "Do you think she'd mind if I helped myself to something?"

Jiro looked back towards Rinsuke who shrugged. "I don't think that's a good idea," he replied. "You should wait."

Kotaro's face fell. "Aw! But I'm really, really hungry!"

Jiro sighed, rubbing near the bridge of his nose. "Can't you be just a little bit patient?"

Rinsuke put his hands up. "Don't look at me," he said as Jiro turned to him once more. "I've done all I came to do. I really should be getting back." He started to edge down the stairs. "Just don't do anything stupid! We don't know what he wants," he reminded. "And I don't think Jinnai wants her to know, at least not for now. Bye!"

"Brother!" Kotaro called again, distracting the older vampire long enough for Rinsuke to slip out the door.

Jiro's shoulders sagged. "Fine," he said in defeat. "I'll order something, but you'd better be extra nice to Mimiko when she gets home because she'll have had a long day."

"Kay!" And with that, Kotaro zoomed out of sight.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Mimiko let out sigh of relief as she finally reached home and got out of the cab. As if the day hadn't been long enough, one of her superiors, thankfully not Jinnai, had called her in on some errors she'd made in one of her reports. Though it was entirely possible that it was Hibari's fault, it had taken what seemed like for forever to fix it.

She slumped into the apartment, wondering what she could possibly make quickly for dinner. No doubt, everyone would be hungry. But there really wasn't much food in the house. She'd forgotten to go grocery shopping earlier. She paused as she took off her shoes at the top of the stairs and sniffed at the air. Was that teriyaki?

She let her tired senses drift with the aroma for about five seconds, then stopped abruptly. She could hear Kotaro's voice from the kitchen. Wait a minute! Was Kotaro trying to cook something? She dashed for the room. He couldn't be!

"Ah, Mimiko," Jiro's cheerful voice greeted her and she relaxed. Kotaro wasn't alone.

Kotaro jumped up from the table and threw himself at her, wrapping around her in a huge hug. "Mimi's home!"

The girl froze in surprise at the sudden attack, looking up at Jiro who merely shrugged.
"Kotaro complained of hunger earlier," he explained. "I didn't believe you would be too appreciative if he tore the kitchen apart to satisfy himself."

Mimiko shuddered at the thought, taking a quick look around to make sure everything was still in order. It was.

"We actually had them deliver twice," Jiro continued apologetically.

Her shoulders sagged as she noticed the takeout containers, not sure if she felt relieved or defeated. I'm such a terrible housekeeper, she scolded herself.

Kotaro pulled away and returned to his seat, brandishing his chopsticks. "It's really good," he smiled. "You should try some!"

The compromiser smiled weakly. "Thanks," she finally responded as she sat down, avoiding the table legs as best she could, still groaning a bit as her bruise complained.

"How's your knee tonight," Jiro asked cautiously as he passed a pair of chopsticks. It was obvious that she was stressed, and though he worried, he didn't want to add to that.

She put on a feigned smile. "Oh, you know. As good as new, unless I bang into something."

Jiro leaned forward slightly from his place across from her. "Would you like me to look at it again," he offered.

She clenched a fist under the table, marginally upset. "No, that won't be necessary. It'll go away in a few days anyway. Nothing to worry about."

He let it drop and they ate in silence for several minutes. Well, almost silence. Kotaro started chattering about his day happily. The sound of his voice fell into the background of both the Silver Blade and the compromiser's thoughts.

Mimiko began picking at her food, moving it around in the carton with her chopsticks. Jiro tried to watch her without seeming to, wondering if she'd been eating well lately but not bringing it up in front of his brother.

Kotaro stuck his chopsticks in his empty container and sighed happily. "That was good!" He looked around at the two adults still picking at their noodles. "Can I be excused," he asked.

Mimiko turned to him with a smile. "Of course. Why don't you go play with your bear for a while?"

"Yeah!" The boy jumped up again and zoomed towards the room he shared with Jiro, arms spread out like he was an airplane.

Mimiko dropped her chopsticks on the table. "Where does he get all that energy," she asked. "And so late in the day!" She sighed as she ran one hand through her hair. "Oh well. At least I have a chance to catch up on sleep tomorrow."

Jiro stood and began clearing the table while she fidgeted. "Another long day," he asked, picking up her discarded container.

She rubbed at her temples. "You could say that. I got called in on a mistake I'd made in my paperwork. Of course, it could have really been Hibari. She always likes to hover, making my work more difficult. It took forever to fix! But only because the supervisor wouldn't listen. I think I need a vacation."

Jiro swept the last few crumbs into his gloved hands. "I can always ask Jinnai for you," he offered.

"No," Mimiko replied as she got up with some difficulty. "It's fine. Tomorrow's a day off anyway, unless I get called in on something, which isn't likely." She smoothed her skirt. "Besides, with the potential of being called in to mediate, I doubt I'd get the time, not until they figure out what's going on, that is."

Jiro watched her as she headed to her room, probably to change out of her work uniform. He wondered if she knew about that vampire Rinsuke had mentioned. He frowned. Well, he couldn't bring it up unless he went against Jinnai's wishes. Jinnai was, after all, very protective about the girl, almost as protective as he was.

The sound of the shower brought him out of his reverie. She would probably take her time now. And he couldn't blame her. No one liked to be bawled out by a superior, no matter for what reason. He just hoped that was all the reason she felt the need to de-stress tonight. She hadn't eaten much, he realized. He'd have to talk to her about that after she was done with her shower.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Mimiko let the water run down her body as she closed her eyes and turned her face into the warm stream. She'd come so close to telling him what Hibari had told her earlier that day. She wasn't entirely sure why she hadn't, or why she didn't feel like doing so either. Maybe she just didn't want Jiro to worry needlessly. After all, no one knew why the strange Black Blood wanted to see her. For all she knew, he was someone she'd helped settle a dispute with and he wanted to merely thank her, not as likely, but possible.

She put one hand against the wall. At least she would have the opportunity to sleep in as long as she wanted, to forget that she'd ever heard anything about it. She'd just pretend nothing had happened and go on as usual.

She opened her eyes, looking down at her purple knee. It didn't hurt as much today, well, not in the usual way, but it did ache. And it hurt whenever she knocked it or something brushed too close. She wasn't sure if the hot water was making it ache more or if it was helping. But it was obvious that the purple had spread and it now had hints of yellow around the edges. She wouldn't be able to hide it with her skirt if it spread any further, something she knew would make Jiro worry. But it was just a bruise, albeit a good one. Oh well, there were worse things he could worry about, she decided.

She turned the water off and reached for her robe, wrapping it around her slight frame. The warm water had made her drowsy, but she had to make it back to her room before she let herself drift off, preferably changing into pajamas before then. She hated it when the robe twisted.

Not sure where Jiro was, mainly because he was usually just so quiet, she made a quick dash to her room, trusting that he was trying to keep Kotaro occupied while she de-stressed. She was in luck and made it safely to her room where she quickly dried off and put on a comfortable pair of sweats, forgoing a comb through her hair. In minutes, she was fast asleep under the covers.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Jiro listened to the sound of Mimiko's breathing as he stared out into the night. It was well past midnight now. Supposedly, in a few weeks, their schedules would sync and he would officially become her "closer", the one who made sure everything went well during mediation, which generally meant keeping the compromiser safe and out of trouble. And from what he could tell, Mimiko really needed one. He had a lot of words for her about taking better care of herself.

It was true that since the battle with Cassa, Jinnai had tried to keep Mimiko out of the thick of things, something Jiro felt he owed him for. But he knew it wouldn't last forever. And, now with this strange vampire looking for her, he didn't know what to think. He'd have to keep a closer eye, he decided, and match his sleep schedule more to hers until hers became more like his usual one, something both he and Jinnai hoped for. Perhaps, though, Mimiko's human-ness would win in the end and Jiro would simply sync with her for however long he had left with her.

[Zelman Clock]

Chapter Three

It was dark, too dark to distinguish the shadows from their counterpart objects, at least at first. Slowly, her eyes were able to focus and make out the difference. She whimpered, not sure what had woken her. A sound? A light? She pulled the covers up to her eyes and shivered. "Momma?"

The floor outside her room creaked as someone walked down the hallway. A second creak followed the first. Two people. Light shone through the crack at the bottom of her door, shadows moving back and forth. Low voices came through the light wood barrier, including some hissing. How many were out there?

Without knowing why, she realized that none of them were her parents. She quickly pulled her blankets all the way over her head, trembling under them. Why were there strange people in their house? Where was her mother?

The sounds stopped, the shadows no longer moving along the bottom of the door. She lowered the covers enough to see the door across from her. It began to open. The little girl cowered lower under the covers, knees drawn to her chest, breath coming fast. She had to peek.

A dark shadow crept into the room, low to the ground, slowly moving towards the bed, closer and closer.

The little girl's heart accelerated. Large tears streaked down her face as she shook, closing her eyes to hide. But when she opened her eyes again, the shadow was still there, moving forward, now rising from the ground and looming over her. Something glinted off the shadows.

She screamed.

Loud footsteps pounded as Jiro ran to Mimiko's room, sword in hand. "Mimiko!" he yelled as he wrenched the door open, expecting the worst from her almost blood curdling cry. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the darker interior of the room as he swept it with his eyes.

The girl was sitting up in bed, her shoulders heaving. The smell of the ocean and fear washed over Jiro's senses as he stared at her blank eyes. She clenched the covers in both hands, knuckles white. He could hear her heart racing. Another cursory sweep of the room told him that there was no physical threat present.

He placed his long katana against the wall, easily in reach if he needed it, and walked carefully into the room. "Mimiko," he called, his voice urgent but no longer shouting.

A large yawn came from the doorway and Jiro recognized the scent of his brother.

"Aaah! Brother," the young child said groggily as he stretched. "What's going on?" He stopped halfway into the room, blinking. "Brother, why does it smell like sea water?"

Jiro stopped, turning to face the younger vampire. "It's all right, Kotaro. Mimiko just had a bad dream. You should go back to bed. It's nothing to worry about."

Kotaro nodded slightly, his eyelids sliding closed as he turned around. "Kay," he said. Jiro wasn't even sure if he was entirely awake as he watched him run into the doorway, correct himself, then disappear from sight. He waited a few more seconds until he was sure Kotaro had made it back to his bed before he moved over to the still unresponsive Mimiko.

Sitting on the bed next to her, he tried gently shaking her to snap her out of it but she continued to stare blankly ahead of her, breathing way too quickly, tears streaming down her face. "Mimiko," he called her again. "It's all right. You're safe. It's all right."

She shuddered at his touch, but it seemed to bring her back from whatever dream held her. "It was so real," she whispered. "Momma, it was so real." She turned into Jiro's shoulder, sobbing. Her blankets were pulled up, hands still clenching them.

Jiro hesitated. She obviously wasn't coherent or she'd have realized that her mother wasn't there. He knew that her mother was beyond reach for either of them. He didn't know the particulars, but had heard from Jinnai that he considered her his foster child and so had assumed that Mrs. Katsuragi had to have passed on some time ago, along with her father.

Without thinking about it, he put an arm around her slight shoulders, feeling each shudder of breath, each rapid beat of her heart. "Shhh," he said quietly. "It's all right, Mimiko. It was just a dream." He began to rock her gently, humming a rather melancholy melody he used to hum for Kotaro when he was very young.

Slowly, the compromiser's breath and pulse slowed, the tears to trickle off. Her grip on the blankets loosened as her head lulled against Jiro's chest. He looked down at her tenderly, gently moving her to lie back against her pillows. Her dark lashes brushed her cheeks, still slightly wet with tears. He pulled the blankets up around her, tucking her in, bending down to kiss her forehead lightly. "Sleep well, Mimiko," he whispered. "No night demons will bother you will I keep watch."

She groaned slightly in her sleep, shifting to lay more on her side, slightly curl around him. He moved an errant strand of hair from her face. She was so fragile, so very fragile. In the distance, a clock struck the hour, three ringing chimes. Jiro sighed. He would get no sleep tonight.

Kotaro sat coloring in the living room. The large crayons made satisfying lines on the large pad of paper Mimiko had bought specifically for him. Next to the small boy sat his giant bear, Lord Bowwow, silently watching his portrait being sketched in bright colors.

Mimiko yawned hugely as she came into the room, stretching her arms towards the ceiling as she came. She felt stiff all over for some reason, though she wasn't sure why.

"Morning, Kotaro," she greeted the young vampire as she plopped down on the sofa to watch him.

Kotaro laughed happily as he held up his drawing. "What do you think," he asked, presenting it to her.

She took the drawing, studying it. The ten-year-old's scribbles were a fairly good depiction of his faithful companion, bow tie and all. "It's really good," she complimented, handing it back so he could color in some more areas.

She casually glanced at the clock, the hour hand just coming to rest on ten. "Goodness," she said in surprise. "I must have really been tired or something. Are you hungry, Kotaro?"

The little boy didn't look up from his coloring. "Nah, Brother and I had some cereal before he went to bed a couple hours ago. Guess he was out patrolling or something," he added importantly.

"Patrolling is it," she half asked as she got back up and headed to the kitchen. It wasn't uncommon for him to keep watch at night, but if he'd only gone to bed a couple hours ago, he sure had stayed up a long time, she reasoned. Not that she knew when he got up, as of late. She was usually still at work when that happened. Oh well.

Mimiko went directly to the corner where she stashed the cold cereal, surprised when she found it empty. The last box stuck conspicuously out of the trash. "Great," she muttered and put the kettle on instead, settling for some crackers until she made up her mind on something else. The cupboards were starting to get a little more bare than she cared for.

She stuck her head back into the living room. "I need to go to shopping," she said. "Want to come with me?"

Kotaro contemplated. "Brother said he doesn't like it when you go off on your own," he mentioned innocently, recalling his conversation that morning before Jiro had gone off to bed. Apparently Jiro didn't want to let Mimiko out of his sight for a while, though he didn't understand why.

Mimiko placed both hands on her hips. "I won't be alone," she countered. "I'll be with you. Surely such a young, strong vampire as yourself can protect me." She smiled at him, with the usual quirk he loved.

He jumped up. "Course I can!" The crayon in his hand dropped to the floor. Wow, he thought. She called me strong! Surely brother won't mind if I'm there to protect her!

The kettle whistled in the background and Mimiko went to get it. "Just let me get ready first," she requested as she rescued the steaming water.

"Kay!" Kotaro called back happily. He went to put his crayons and paper away in his room. Jiro's coffin loomed in front of him as he pushed the door open. He stopped with a gulp. Would his older brother get mad if he found out?

"Surely such a young, strong vampire as yourself can protect me." Mimiko's words echoed in his ears.

He set his shoulders as he put the crayons and sketch pad away. He could handle this. After all, Mimiko thought him strong. What could go wrong?

The grocery bags were heavy. The cupboards sure must have been empty, Kotaro thought as he strained under his share of the load.

Mimiko stopped with a smile, her simple jeans and t-shirt out of place with his usual view of her. "Here," she offered. "Let me take another bag. Mine are pretty light."

Kotaro clung to his bags protectively. If he surrendered even one of them, he couldn't call himself strong. And if he couldn't call himself strong, how could he protect Mimiko? "No thanks," he said. "I'm okay."

Mimiko rumpled his hair with the hand she'd freed to take the extra bag. "All right," she conceded with a laugh. "You really are quite strong."

Kotaro smiled proudly at that, beaming up at her as they started walking again.

It probably would have been faster to take a cab, the older girl thought, as she watched him valiantly hoisting his bags high up for better balance. But walking sure was nice on such a bright day. She was very glad that the sun didn't affect Kotaro the same way it did Jiro or the whole outing would have been ruined.

The two smiled and laughed over little things as they walked. Thankfully it wasn't too far to the apartment. All the same, with the extra load of the groceries, it was taking longer than Mimiko had expected. They'd been gone for two hours already and she wondered if Jiro had woken by now or if he was still safely asleep.

The compromiser stopped abruptly, Kotaro running into her. Someone was blocking their path.

"Ouch," Kotaro complained as one of the many items jabbed into him. He looked around the girl's waist to see what was going on. "Mimi, what's wrong?" He looked ahead of them to see a male vampire standing in front of them, blocking their path.

Mimiko's face set into determined lines. "Excuse me," she said, annoyed, "but could you please move so we can pass?"

The vampire smiled, his fangs flashing in the light, dark hair hanging over his eyes. "Don't be like that," he said softly, a hint of mirth in his tone as he took a step forward.

Mimiko held her ground. "Please step aside," she said more firmly. "We'd like to pass."

The vampire laughed openly now. "What's the hurry?" He pulled his hands from his pockets. "It's a nice day."

Kotaro tried to not hide himself behind Mimiko's legs, shaking slightly as he stepped in front of her. "Mimi asked you to move," he frowned.

The vampire looked down at him with a slight sneer. "What're you gonna do, small fry? Shoot a spit wad at me?"

The younger vampire grit his teeth, fists clenched around the shopping bags' handles. "You'd better move! Or… or else!"

Mimiko looked nervously down at her young charge, then back at the older vampire who was obviously leering at her. "Kotaro," she muttered at him. "This isn't a good time to-"

Kotaro turned to her. "Mimi, I promised I'd protect you! I'm no good as a man if I can't do that," he protested. His bright eyes shone earnestly up at her. If nothing else, he would certainly do his best to keep her safe, and she knew it.

The Black Blood laughed again, like he'd just heard the world's best joke. "That's funny! Why don't you run along home and leave me and your momma to talk about private stuff?" He took a few more steps closer, grabbing Mimiko by the arm.

Her eyes flashed. "Let me go!" She swung around her groceries around, hitting him square in the face as he bent towards her neck.

Almost immediately, Kotaro was banging his bags of groceries at the strange vampire as well. "Let go of Mimi!"

The compromiser wrenched her arm free from her assailant, jabbing her right knee up into his groin with all her strength just for good measure. "Run, Kotaro," she said breathlessly as she turned to go, slipping past the downed man with a lurch, adrenaline pumping.

Her young charge skirted the growling vampire as he followed her advice, following right behind her, running for all he was worth. After several blocks, they finally slowed down.

Mimiko's legs trembling, her breath coming hard. Looking behind her, however, she couldn't see any sign of the vampire who had accosted them.

Kotaro stood next to her, panting. "That was close! Mimi, are you okay?" He looked up at the older woman who was a little red in the face. "Maybe you should sit down," he offered.

Mimiko wobbled a little. "Maybe you're right." She looked around, finally settling for a set of stairs. Her knee throbbed.

Kotaro settled for standing. "I sure hope that guy didn't ruin our groceries," he commented.

Mimiko groaned. "Oh no!" She lifted one of her bags. A mass of fluid and shells filled the bottom. "The eggs!"

They were both suddenly cracking up, laughing so hard that tears were running down their faces. It took a good ten minutes for them to regain control of themselves.

Mimiko rubbed at her forehead. "Guess we need to go back for more now," she said absently, almost setting off into another fit of giggling. She took a deep breath and leaned back against the stairs, covering her eyes with one hand. "What a day off," she sighed.

Kotaro shielded his eyes as well, looking to the sky to judge the time. "We should probably be heading back soon," he commented. "Brother'll probably be waking up before too long."

Mimiko sat back up with a sigh. "You're probably right. No time to go back to the market now."

Kotaro's stomach grumbled and he laughed nervously.

"I guess that means you'd probably like some lunch too," Mimiko said wryly.

The young vampire turned slightly red as he looked down in embarrassment. "Well, yeah." He looked shyly back up at her.

She set her feet firmly on the ground, gathering the bags in her hands. She made as though to stand, wincing as she put weight on the injured knee. She groaned and sat immediately back down. She clenched her teeth and her fists, eyes closed tightly for a moment. "Great. Just great," she muttered.

Kotaro watched her with wide eyes. "Are you okay, Mimi?"

"No! No, I'm not okay," she tried to not snap, causing him to cower. Her already abused knee throbbed. She turned her face to the sky once more, with a silent "why me" attached. It had started out as such a nice day too. And why had that stupid, accosting vampire have to wear a metal belt buckle?

"My, my," a silky, not too deep voice interrupted her thoughts. "Mimiko Katsuragi and Kotaro Mochizuki. Who'd have thought I'd run into you here."

Mimiko looked up into the mocking eyes of Zelman Clock, the head of The Coven, as well as one of the main vampire voices in the Special Zone. "Zelman," she said in shock. "What are you doing here?"

The red-haired vampire grinned at her. "Oh, nothing out of the ordinary," he replied. "Just a lazy little stroll to keep me occupied."

Kotaro smiled shyly at the older vampire. Even though he knew his brother didn't like this Old Blood, he had found the vampire very informative and friendly. "Hello," he greeted in his usual little chirping voice.

Zelman ruffled the young blonde's hair, giving him an almost brotherly smile. "I hope you're staying out of trouble," he lightly admonished, "though, judging from the state of your groceries, I might wonder." He looked pointedly at the bag of broken eggs.

"Just a small accident," Mimiko said briskly, trying to brush aside any implications he might be making. "We were about ready to be on our way. Right, Kotaro?"

The blonde nodded firmly, picking up on her tone. "Right."

Zelman laughed casually. "I assume that the ability to stand straight is a necessity to being on your way, or did I mistake your attempts at that just now?"

Mimiko's cheeks flamed. "That's none of your business!" She reached for the railing. "Come on, Kotaro. We're leaving." Using the railing as a support, she pushed to her feet, anger sustaining.

Kotaro jumped up beside her, grabbing up his bags "Uh, Mimi," he began but stopped at the expression on her face. He had a feeling Jiro wouldn't exactly be happy about any of this but what could he do?

Zelman eyed her wryly as she tried to prove him wrong. Red Bloods were so amusing, and this one in particular. He leaned against the opposite railing, arms folded, content to see how far she could get.

Mimiko's anger sustained her for about three steps before the pain broke through her concentration. But still trying to prove the older Black Blood wrong, she continued another step before her leg gave out under her and she went down with a crack. She gasped, turning as white as a sheet, and bent over.

Zelman's eyes widened in surprise, his mouth slightly open. Then he let out a low chuckle. "Always so stubborn," he said under his breath as he pushed away from the railing.

Kotaro dropped his groceries and ran to Mimiko's side. Trying to be helpful, but not really knowing what he could do to help, he patted her back. "Mimi," he looked at her with big, worried eyes, "are you okay?"

She wasn't sure if she dared answer or not. The answer should have been obvious, she thought, but Kotaro stared at her with such large eyes that she had to say something or they'd pop out. "No," she hissed through her teeth so that only he could supposedly hear. "Not really."

Zelman lit a cigarette with a snap of his fingers, watching the girl and young vampire with amusement. Would she try to stand again or would she admit defeat? One thing for sure, Mimiko was one tough cookie. Maybe that was part of the reason he liked her, for her spunk. Or was it because her mother and he had once been friends?

Kotaro fluttered, making worried noises as he tried to figure out what he could do to help because patting her back obviously wasn't much help at all. In the back of his mind, he could see his brother giving him evil looks, maybe even punishing him for letting her go without him being there. "What can I do? What can I do? Brother'll be so mad!"

It looked like she'd given up, Zelman decided as he took another drag, then flipped the butt to the ground. Ah well, she was a Red Blood, after all. "Kotaro, let's go," he ordered as he stepped forward. "Leave the groceries. They probably won't do anyone any good now."

Kotaro looked up questioningly, blinking his confusion. "Why? Mimi can't walk." He jumped as a thought crossed his mind. "You don't intend to leave her here, do you?"

Zelman didn't pause to answer as he took the remaining steps to the two huddled people and scooped Mimiko up into his arms.

Mimiko cried out in surprise and alarm. "What do you think you're doing? Put me down!"

Zelman just chuckled as he shifted her to rest more comfortably in his arms, knees over one arm, back supported by the other. "Let's go, Kotaro," he called again as he started off.

Kotaro quickly got up and trotted to keep up with the long stride of the older vampire. His eyes remained wide and he occasionally tripped as he tried to keep his eyes on Mimiko and Zelman.

"Put me down," Mimiko tried again. She tried to struggle but stopped as fire shot up her leg, causing her to gasp.

Zelman smiled knowingly down at her. "You might not want to try that again," he smirked. "Don't worry. I'm not going to eat you. I just have the strong suspicion that the Silver Blade would be less than happy if I didn't bring you home in one piece." With that, he looked away, a slight frown creasing his face. What would Jiro do when he did bring Mimiko back? Probably fly off the handle, knowing him. He wondered if he'd have the chance to explain. Oh well. Either way would be amusing.

"Why don't you just call a cab," Mimiko asked impatiently. Her thoughts ran similar to Zelman's. What would Jiro think of Zelman bringing her back, carrying her across the threshold like a bride? Just thinking about it made her blush. She was too young to be treated like that!

Zelman didn't look down again, keeping his eyes focused on what was ahead. "Because, compromiser, I'm not taking you home just yet."

Kotaro stopped in shock. Mimiko could only drop her mouth in surprise, unable to say anything. "But…" Kotaro's lip quivered. "But… Brother…?"

Zelman stopped, looking back and let out an exasperated sigh. "I'm not looking for a fight with your brother, Kotaro," he said seriously. "Did you really think I'd return Mimiko in the state she's in?" He tisked. "So he'll have to wait a little longer to have his compromiser back. It won't hurt him. But I'd have other people to answer to as well if I let matters lie as they are now."

Both boy and compromiser looked up at his face questioningly. "What do you mean," Mimiko finally asked, hesitantly.

Zelman shrugged and continued walking. "Never mind. I doubt you'd understand anyway. But just so that there's no more questions about where I'm taking you, I'm sure you'd at least like to know how much damage you've inflicted upon yourself."

"The hospital?" Mimiko blinked in surprise.

Zelman let out a hint of a grin once more so that his fangs showed. "Where else?"

Mimiko gulped as his smile widened.

Kotaro swung his legs from the chair he sat on, hands on his knees as he tried not to fidget. This was definitely taking longer than he thought it should. He could just imagine Jiro doing all kinds of horrible things to him when he got back. The very thought made him tremble. After all, he'd let Mimiko talk him into going out without his older brother.

Zelman blew out another bout of smoke, ignoring the disapproving looks of several nurses in the area. "And you're sure that's everything that happened," he asked as he leaned casually back in his chair.

The young vampire nodded. "Brother's going to be so mad at me! It's all my fault!"

The red head took another pull on his cigarette. "Hardly," he countered. "Once things are properly explained… Well, I'm more interested in that vampire you encountered anyway." He stared ahead, thinking. Something definitely wasn't adding up right. Why would two different vampires go after the compromiser? Surely the dark haired girl didn't have many enemies, at least not that he knew about.

"Hmmm," he mused, only mildly noticing Kotaro as he wiggled in his chair in obvious misery. He stood abruptly. "I'll be right back," he promised as he headed towards the exit.

Kotaro watched him go with surprised eyes. What was that all about, he wondered.

[Zelman Clock]

Chapter Four

Jiro woke to red silk and silence all around him. For a moment, he allowed himself to just lie there, thinking. Then he realized that it was too quiet for a day when Mimiko did not work and Kotaro wasn't off playing. He thrust out of his coffin and immediately headed towards the kitchen. Out of the corner of his eye, he noted the time, a little past four o'clock.

"Kotaro. Mimiko," he called but didn't get any answer. A piece of paper fluttered from the counter, Mimiko's scent of ginger and oranges coming from it. He quickly crossed over and picked it up.

Gone to the market. Kotaro's with me. Don't worry. Be back soon. - Mimiko

He crumpled the paper in one hand, his eyes hard. What was that woman thinking? And hadn't he told Kotaro not to let her go off without him being there with them? He smoothed the paper out again, reading every word carefully. He wondered how long ago it had been written. Judging from how faint her scent was, at least an hour, possibly more. A lot could happen in one hour.

Anger burned through him. Couldn't Kotaro ever do as he was told? He pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to contain himself, his other hand tight in a fist. And how could Mimiko go out and about as if nothing had happened when she'd woken in the middle of the night screaming, not to mention everything else that had been going on? He regretted not telling her what Rinsuke had passed on. Maybe if he had, she wouldn't have gone off without him.

Mimiko. He released his nose to stare thoughtfully into the room. Something was obviously bothering her. The nightmare, her small appetite the night before, being overly tired the past few days, all pointed to that. But what was bothering her? And why was she being so stubborn about hiding it?

He remembered the sound of abused metal being bent in the middle of the night, warning off the culprit. Rinsuke's confession that someone was looking for the compromiser, someone who acted overly nervous about it. Even Jinnai was worried.

Jiro's mouth twisted down into a rigid frown as he strode over to the door that separated the apartment from the stairs to the main level. He slid into his long coat, hat firmly placed on his head, and reached for his katana. He was going after them and so help anyone who had done anything to her.

He was just about to storm down the stairs when the main door opened and he could hear voices, along with a very peculiar double-tapping noise that he couldn't immediately place. It was almost metallic in sound and very out of place. But the voices were familiar, the younger voice chirping a bit anxiously at something the older female voice had said.

Kotaro appeared first, carrying some heavy bags with him, straining slightly under the load. He turned to look behind him, almost anxiously, Jiro thought.

Jiro found that he couldn't move as he waited to see what Kotaro was looking at. His mouth opened in surprise as Mimiko entered on crutches. What the…? His initial instinct was to rush down the stairs and take her up into his arms, demanding an explanation, but his movements were further arrested by the sound of another voice, a male voice. He gave a low growl.

Zelman walked through the doorway, several bags in hand as well. "Where would you like me to put these," he asked with a far too carefree voice, putting them on the ground when no on answered. He glanced Jiro out of the corner of his eye, wondering just what the Silver Blade would do now that he'd stuck his foot into the ant hill.

Jiro saw red, literally. "ZELMAN!" Before he'd even thought about what he was doing, he had drawn his sword and was charging down the stairs.

"AH!" Kotaro cried out and jumped out of the way, dropping his bags in the process.

Mimiko saw Jiro launch himself, murder in his eyes, and quickly planted herself right in his path, crutches firmly under her arms. "JIRO! DON'T!" She spread her arms wide to block him, wobbling a bit as she did but she wasn't about to move out of the way.

The silver katana brushed past her cheek, cutting a few strands of hair as it flared out with the sudden breeze. The blade stopped with the hilt just past her right ear to point directly at Zelman's heart.

"Get out of my way," Jiro growled through his teeth. "I'll kill him! I'LL KILL HIM!"

But Mimiko didn't move, standing her ground, arms still spread as she tried to balance on one leg. "It's not what you think, Jiro," she pleaded, tears pricking at her eyes. "Please!"

Zelman didn't so much as flinch, the blade less than an inch from his chest. "Quite a feisty girl you've got there, Silver Blade," he said with a mischievous smile. "I think I'm beginning to really like her."

Jiro swore. "Damn you, Zelman. What did you do to her?" He scowled over the compromiser's head, his eyes darker than pitch.

"Brother," Kotaro spoke up hesitantly but was waved aside by Jiro. He cowered at the expression given him.

Zelman laughed lightly. "Do? Absolutely nothing!" He pushed the tip of the blade away from him with one finger. "At least, not in the way you're thinking." He folded his arms with a smirk.

The katana began to shake in Jiro's grasp, the point wavering.

"You might want to put that away," Zelman commented. "It would really be a shame if you were to accidentally cut her."

One of Mimiko's crutches fell to the floor, distracting the enraged vampire. But she didn't dare reach down to retrieve it. She was the only thing standing between Jiro and Zelman and she would not have Jiro kill someone when there was no justified reason for it. "Jiro, please," she said quietly, her face turned to the ground, not daring to look into his rage filled eyes.

Jiro checked himself. Seeing the expression on her face, his sword wavered, then fell away from her to land by his side, still exposed, but no longer threatening either her or the red-haired Black Blood behind her.

Kotaro clambered back from his hiding place, seeing some reason return to his brother's eyes. "It really wasn't Zelman's fault," he faltered. "Honest! Blame me! Cuz I'm the one who didn't do what you told me to!" He cringed; bracing himself for the clobbering he knew was coming.

Jiro sighed, his blade echoing the sound as it slid back into the sheath near his waist. "Kotaro," he began but was cut off.

"If you want to get angry at anyone," Mimiko broke in, "get mad at the vampire who waylaid us. Zelman only helped." She took an involuntary hop back at the sudden change of expression on Jiro's face, almost tripping over the fallen crutch.

Zelman steadied her from behind, noting that Jiro wasn't exactly in a position to be reasonable. "Don't worry," he said companionably. "I sent a few of my men to find him. I almost pity the vampire though," he laughed. "Judging from what I've been told, he won't be getting too far."

Jiro tapped the end of his sword irritatedly. "You might want to explain yourself," he warned, fangs clearly showing against his frown.

Zelman's cell phone rang. He looked down at his pocket in surprise, then pulled out the device. "Excuse me," he said with a raised finger, then answered the call, totally ignoring Jiro's glare. "Sayuka," he greeted with a frown. He was silent for a full minute while Jiro ground his teeth. "I'll be right there," he said, then flipped the phone closed, turning to leave in the same movement.

"Zelman!" Jiro took an angry step forward.

The red head waved absently. "Sorry, Silver Blade, Compromiser. I have some pressing business to attend to. My apologies." He strode out the door and was gone.

Mimiko let her arms drop to her side, the left banging into her crutch with a slight ping as she let out her held breath. She hoped the worst was over.

Jiro stared out the still open door, warring with himself. He really wanted to go after that bastard, tear him limb from limb. The red haze in his eyes only encouraged him to do just that. But everything was suddenly put back into focus as he heard Mimiko gasp.

She was dangling a little precariously, clinging to one crutch as she reached for the other, desperately trying not to fall over in the process.

Jiro sighed. "Allow me," he said courteously, and helped her back up, reaching for the recalcitrant object as he did so. That act brought his face closer to her knee and he started in surprise at the sturdy brace now wrapped around it. "Mimiko…"

The compromiser snatched the crutch from him and firmly put it under her arm, hobbling quickly towards the stairs. "I'm fine," she snapped. "Kotaro, grab the groceries."

Jiro stood in shock for about five seconds, long enough for Kotaro to jump up and grab the closest bags to him, edging nervously around his brother. The tap, tap of the crutches woke him back to reality and he turned to instantly stand just behind her as she struggled up the stairs. "Mimiko." He resisted the urge to place one hand on her shoulder.

Mimiko grunted with the effort of navigating upwards. "What, Jiro?" She stopped to rest, leaning ever so slightly against the railing. She'd never get used to using those ridiculous things, she moaned.

He stared at the gentle curve of her shoulders, noting how they were hunched forward. Her hands clenched the rests between the two metal parts of each crutch, elbows locked as she held herself up. He could feel the anger and frustration rolling off of her, though he wasn't entirely sure where it was directed. "Would you like me to carry you," he finally asked softly, his expression changing to gentle compassion.

"No." Her tone was sharp and definite. "I can do it. I'm not an invalid, you know."

Jiro's lip quirked at the irony and he had to resist the urge to laugh. What was it about her that caught him off guard and set him more at ease when he least wanted? It was completely irrational. He wasn't sure that he understood it.

Mimiko's grunting broke him from the thought as she struggled up a couple more stairs.

She certainly was something, he decided. Not entirely all grit, but definitely stubborn and firmly set in her ways. And yet so completely innocent and vulnerable.

Kotaro tried to sneak past both of them, lugging the groceries with him. The stairs were just barely wide enough for him to scoot past the struggling compromiser, and it wouldn't have been a problem if her crutch hadn't slipped on the stair in an attempt to not get his foot.

Before Mimiko could even register that she was trying to place her weight on air, she found herself in Jiro's arms, back to his chest, crutches dangling from her hands. She let out a sound of surprise.

Kotaro scurried up the last few stairs. "Sorry!" He apologized as he disappeared towards the kitchen, clearly intent on hiding from his brother, grocery bags banging behind him.

Mimiko's heart skipped a few beats and the grip on her supports loosened. They dropped from her fingers, sliding down the stairs with a lot of jarring clacks and bangs. The next second, she found herself swept up into the same position Zelman had used to carry her earlier that day. She was too surprised to say anything as he carried her up the remaining stairs, then gently set her on the couch, feet resting on the cushions as he slipped her shoes off.

Taking one of several smaller cushions, Jiro used them to prop up Mimiko's right knee so that it wouldn't strain in the brace. He then placed the other small cushions behind her back. Sure that she was safe for the moment; he went to retrieve the crutches.

"Thank you," the girl stammered as Jiro returned, setting the metal supports next to the sofa where she could easily reach them. The entire process had taken less than two minutes.

Pulling another chair closer to her, he sat down. He looked at her critically, comparing her current state to her usual one. The shadows were back under her eyes, he noted. And she looked a little too pale. Then there was the brace, possibly little better than a cast. It looked like she'd had a busy day.

Mimiko watched the emotions scrolling across his face. He probably had a million questions he wanted to ask her, though she didn't know that she was in the mood to answer them. Sure, the day had started out all right, but, like the last few before it, it had turned out to be a lot longer than she'd wanted, with unforeseen complications she'd rather not have dealt with.

Jiro put his head in his hands, elbows on his knees. "Mimiko," he said quietly, almost imploring. "What were you thinking? I asked Kotaro to make sure you didn't leave the house without me and I wake to find you coming home with Zelman Clock, and injured! Why do you do this to me?"

She blinked in surprise. Of all the questions he could ask, that wasn't the one she'd expected. She'd half expected him to go off about the vampire that had attacked her on the way home. Obviously Zelman was first on his mind. "It's not like I went out to find trouble on purpose," she retorted with less heat than she might have used earlier.

He looked up at her through his ebony bangs, expression pained. "Mimiko, do you have any idea of how worried I was?" It was evident on his face, his voice strained as he spoke.

She recognized that look. It was the same expression he'd given Kotaro on the river bank during the whole Kowloon incident. She blinked at him in surprise. "But I just went out for groceries," she exclaimed. "I even left you a note so that you wouldn't worry!"

He took her right hand in his, carressing her palm with his gloved fingers, tracing the creases between her fingers. Inside, he was debating on whether or not he should tell her about the vampire who was looking for her at work (It would be easier to express his concerns if he did.) or if he should sweep her off to some unknown location where he could keep her safe, like the Sanctuary.

Absently, he turned her hand over, massaging the back portion below her wrist. He stopped abruptly, leaning in closer to look, his expression intent.

Mimiko gave him a strange look, wondering what was going through his mind. His mood kept changing on her and she had no idea why. "Jiro?"

He pulled her hand slightly closer, then pointed at a discolored section on her wrist. "Mimiko, what is that?"

The compromiser sat up to look for herself. "Another bruise, I guess," she hazarded. "That's where that vampire grabbed me before we got away. I didn't notice it before."

Jiro gently lay her hand back down like it was made of glass, then looked intently into her eyes. She was immediately entranced by the intensity of his gaze, not even sure what expression he now wore. "I need to know exactly what happened," he said firmly. And without realizing it, she was telling him everything that had happened since she got up that morning.

xXxxxxxxxxxxxXx

Zelman leaned wearily against the back of his favorite couch, one hand to his temple. This was all giving him such a headache, he decided. Why couldn't all vampires be rationally chaotic like he was? Just plain chaotic was causing problems.

He held up the reports Sayuka had brought him, once again amazed at her details and sleuthing skills. There was a lot of information missing that he definitely would have liked, but what she had managed to pull together in so short a time was definitely worth applauding.

A face peered up at him from the top sheet, vampire, male, around his early twenties in appearance, closer to sixteen in vampire years, still an infant, as far as Zelman was concerned. But still such a force to be reckoned with, and accosting a compromiser in broad daylight. Granted, Mimiko hadn't been wearing her uniform, but it did seem that the vampire had known exactly who she was when questioned. Unless Sayuka had gotten something wrong, which was less than likely. It was a pity that the Coven boys had been so rough with him.

He tapped his knee with an errant finger. Two different people seeking out the same compromiser. And he'd heard rumors of someone trying to break into the compromiser's apartment, another fragment of information Sayuka had extracted from a repair team sent to fix the damage. It was only suspicion on their part but he knew better. The main question, however, was why were they after Mimiko Katsuragi of all people?

"Sayuka," he called and the woman who served as his personal assistant stepped out of the shadows. "I need to know if there's any kind of connection between these three incidents. Even the smallest piece of information or gossip will be helpful. I must know why she's being targeted."

Sayuka bowed, her glasses sliding slightly down her nose. "Of course, Lord Zelman." She turned to go.

Zelman leaned forward slightly. "And Sayuka, don't let the Silver Blade or anyone in the Company find out you're looking." He watched the light brown-haired woman incline her head before she opened the doors to the hall. He leaned back against the couch once more. He just hoped his suspicions weren't valid, as faint as they were.

xXxxxxxxxxxxxXx

Jiro paced the kitchen. Half of him wanted to go out right that moment and hunt down the vampire that had hurt Mimiko. The other half of him wanted to stay by her side, protecting and watching over her.

He still couldn't believe it had happened. Three times was far too many for mere coincidence. And he still didn't know the contents of her nightmare from the previous night. He couldn't help but wonder if it hadn't somehow been triggered subconsciously by the stress she was under. Would she be able to sleep at all tonight, he wondered in anger.

He stopped, remembering why he'd escaped into the kitchen in the first place. He needed to calm down. And he needed to get a glass of water for Mimiko, a far simpler task. He wasn't sure if he was relieved or not by learning just how badly she'd been injured. At least it wasn't an outright break. But with a very bruised and slightly chipped bone, it would certainly be painful and take some time to heal.

"I won't leave her side," he vowed. "Even if it means that I have to be the world's strictest guardian." He clenched his fist as he silently vowed that he would catch the vampire responsible for this and personally kill him.

He could hear Mimiko's cell phone ringing, bringing him, once more, back to reality. He was supposed to be getting a glass of water. But he had to regain control of himself again. He breathed in deeply, eyes closed, then exhaled.

Mimiko hung up the phone with a sigh of relief as Jiro reentered the room, carrying the promised glass of water. She was mildly curious about why he'd taken so long, but seeing his face more composed gave her the answer.

"Thank you," she said as she took the offered glass with one hand and tried to open a bottle of pain pills with the other.

He gently took the bottle from her and opened it. "How many," he asked casually.

She glanced up into his eyes briefly, then looked away. "Two, I think," she responded, not sure why he was asking but feeling somehow embarrassed by his expression. It was obvious he was trying not to look too intently at her.

"Hmmm," he mused, quickly scanning the information printed on the side, then handed her two white pills, pocketing the bottle. At least she'd gone with the designated dose, he thought. If she'd asked for more, it would only prove to him how much pain she really was in, not that she was prone to abusing drugs. He still wasn't sure about the extent of her injuries.

She took the pills gratefully, downing them with the entire contents of the glass, then slumped back against the cushions. "Thank you, Jiro," she breathed. "Hopefully they'll kick in soon. It doesn't help that I have a massive headache on top of it all."

"Who was on the phone," he asked while taking back his vacated seat.

Mimiko closed her eyes. "Jinnai," she sighed. "He heard about what happened today so he's giving me a whole week off." She blinked, looking up at him again. "He didn't sound too happy."

I can imagine, Jiro mused. "Remind me to thank him next time we meet," he requested with a touch of irony in his tone. He wasn't exactly giving her a vacation, but at least it was time off, and a more convenient way for him to keep an eye on her.

"Sure," she conceded, eyelids drooping once more. "Sorry," she said slowly. "So… tired…" She yawned.

"It's all right," he assured her. "You have the right to be tired. Sleep, Mimiko. I'll wake you in a few hours so you can eat something." He'd force feed her if he had to. She definitely wasn't eating properly, which likely didn't help matters.

"Thanks," she replied as she drifted, the powerful pain medication starting to kick in on her mostly empty stomach. It only took a few minutes for her to be completely out.

Jiro retrieved a blanket and tucked it around her, then headed back to the kitchen. "Kotaro," he called firmly. "Come out here, please. I need to talk to you." He clearly heard his younger brother gulp from the bedroom.

[Zelman Clock]

Chapter 5

"Mimiko. Mimiko! We have to go!"

The covers were pushed back away from her huddled form and she whimpered. "No!" She tried to grab for the covers, to hide under them again, but to no avail.

"Mimiko, we have to go," the voice spoke again, more urgently.

Other voices could be heard, loud footsteps on the hard flooring. The sound of crashing furniture momentarily overwhelmed them, followed by angry cursing. From outside, the loud crash of thunder reverberated through the air.

Mimiko cowered into an even smaller ball, the darkness surrounding both her and the shrouded figure by her bed.

"Mimiko, we don't have time for this!"

"But, momma! The thunder!" Another clash echoed from the sky.

She suddenly found herself swept up into a pair of strong arms, pressed firmly against the woman's chest, taking in the smell of ginger and apples, her mother's scent. "Momma…"

"Shhh, it's all right, Mimiko," her mother soothed as she headed, not for the door, but the window. "I won't let them take you."

Another round of loud crashing came from the main part of the house, causing the older Katsuragi to hesitate for just a moment. Determination welled up in her once more as she opened the window and thrust Mimiko through the opening.

Mimiko landed with a thump, unable to move from the surprise. Her small arms and legs were scratched by the many thorn bushes outside her window, the blood washed away by the sky's tears. Their leaves had not yet grown to cushion the thorns and she began to cry in earnest. "Momma! Momma! Momma!"

Her mother tried to make soothing noises as she climbed out the window. "Shhh! It's all right. It's all right!"

The crashing inside stopped suddenly and the older woman looked back in horror. She took one step, stooping down to sweep up her cowering child but her leg got entangled in the old growth they'd never cut away. She went down.

"The window!" A harsh voice shouted from inside the house, a masculine voice.

Amaya Katsuragi turned to her daughter, putting her hands on the little girl's shoulders. "Mimiko, you must run. Get away from here. Do you understand? Run!" She pushed her almost four-year-old daughter in the proper direction, then turned to free herself. She looked up long enough to see if Mimiko was doing as she was told. "Run, child!"

Mimiko stared at her mother's face. The older woman's eyes were wider than she'd ever seen them, their dark chocolate mirroring the terror in her own. The loud cracking of wood above them made her jump. She turned away from her mother and ran. Behind her, she could hear snarls, more breaking wood, followed by her mother's screams.

-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Gentle arms held her from behind. She couldn't see for the tears, not that there was much to see. The light was dim and she wasn't sure she recognized where she was.

"Shhh. It's all right. It's all right." The soft voice crooned in her ear as she was slowly rocked back and forth. The gentle movement reminded her of the ocean waves.

"Momma! Momma," she continued to sob, repeating the name over and over again in a small voice.

Jiro smoothed her hair with one hand, keeping the other firmly around her, supporting her. "It was just a dream. You're safe," he continued in her ear. "It's all right." He half expected her to fall back to sleep against him, but she didn't. Instead, she turned into his shoulder.

"She's gone! Momma's gone!" Her slight frame shuddered. "Why? Momma! Why?"

The blanket that had covered her slid to the floor. Her legs were in danger of slipping off of the couch, something that would jar her injured knee. Jiro pulled her in closer to his chest, turning her so that her legs were over his lap, propping them on the chair he'd fallen asleep on hours earlier while watching over her.

The anguish in her voice concerned him. Hadn't she been an orphan for quite some time? How long ago had it been since her parents died, he wondered. She never talked about it, only mentioning it just the once in a rather matter-of-fact way when he'd innocently inquired some time ago. He realized he had no idea how they'd died.

"Mimiko," he called. "Mimiko?" He wasn't sure if she'd fallen asleep again.

Her shoulders were relaxed against him, her eyes closed, but the tears still leaked from their corners. "Jiro," she said, surprising him. "Why did they have to leave me? Why did they have to die?"

His arms tightened around her. "I don't know, Mimiko. I don't know. But I promise I'll find out."

-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Rinsuke sighed heavily into the phone, one hand to his forehead as he tilted his head back. "I'm sorry all this happened, darling, but really, what did you expect? She is strong willed and always will be. You should know that by now. It was only a matter of time before-"

Jiro's angry voice came over the speaker. "She was attacked, Rinsuke," he accused. "You could have at least predicted that something like that was coming. I'm sure that you and Jinnai have a lot more you aren't telling me."

The purple-haired man laughed nervously, waving a hand, even though he knew Jiro couldn't see it. "Nonsense! Listen to what you're saying! You make it sound like we're keeping secrets from you!"

"Not just sound," Jiro growled. "I know you are. I want to know what you're hiding and I want to know now."

Rinsuke pulled the phone away from his ear as Jiro's voice rose in volume. "Jiro, darling, please! I already told you everything I know!" He walked over to a low chair and flopped into it. "Do you really think I'd try to keep anything from you?"

He found himself very glad that he wasn't talking to the Black Blood in person as he wiped at the sweat on his brow. Over the phone was bad enough. And he had been genuinely surprised about Mimiko's nightmares, though, admittedly, he'd known about the incident with the vampire, thanks to Jinnai.

"As to Mimiko's past, that's not something I can answer either," he said rather apologetically. "If you want to know that, you'll have to ask Jinnai himself. He's very closemouthed about it."

Another growl came over the line, followed by a string of low curses, which abruptly stopped. He held the phone up in surprise. "Jiro? Jiro, darling, are you there?" He let out another sigh. "Don't tell me you broke another phone!" Ah well, he decided. There wasn't much he could do about anything right now. He was under orders, after all.

He slipped his phone into his pocket, then turned towards the door. "Was that all right," he asked the man standing there.

Jinnai Shogo nodded curtly. "That's all he needs to know for now."

"I still think we should at least tell him about the connection we found between the vampire that attacked Mimiko and the one who was looking for her," Rinsuke intoned.

Jinnai waved the thought aside. "He needs to focus on protecting her right now, not chasing after other Black Bloods," he pointed out. "We'll tell him when we need to, and not a moment before, understood? Or do I have to bring Kain in to assure it won't happen?"

Rinsuke put his hands out in defense. "No! No! That's hardly necessary!" He remembered the last time he'd had something similar happen, Jiro trying to get information from him with the Eye Raid. He'd passed out cold and woken with a killer headache, definitely not something he wanted to repeat, but that meant he'd have to steer clear of the Old Blood for a while.

Jinnai nodded sharply, then left the room.

"I still think we should tell him though," Rinsuke said under his breath once he knew the Chief was safely out of earshot.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Kotaro stared out the window moodily. A whole day has passed since he and Mimiko were waylaid. Dark clouds sifted across the sky. If it started raining, there was no way his brother would let him go out and about, not with Mimiko as she was. He couldn't protect her and hold his umbrella at the same time, could he, Kotaro wondered.

He headed towards the kitchen, stomach growling. He wouldn't let the weather keep him down. After all, there were a lot of things he could do inside too, like beat his brother at a game of poker. It was fun doing that. Or he could always draw another picture of Lord Bowwow. He could never have enough of those.

The metallic clack of a crutch caught his attention as he walked into the warmer room. He stopped in surprise, staring at Mimiko as she tried to maneuver around. "Uh…?" He blinked up at her. "Aren't you supposed to be resting, Mimi?"

Mimiko clutched a spoon in her hand, a bowl in the crook of her elbow. "If I hear another person telling me I should be resting, they're going to get a spoon in the face," she warned, causing Kotaro to take a step back. "I'm getting sick and tired of being told I need to be sitting around doing nothing!"

The young vampire looked up at her. "You're sick and tired? Then you really should be resting!"

Mimiko took one look at his earnest face, then cracked up. She couldn't help it. Loud laughter spilled out of her and she had to put the bowl down or drop it as she leaned weakly against the counter.

"Well, that's the most cheerful sound I've heard in quite some time," Jiro commented as he, too, entered the kitchen. "What's this all about? I enjoy a good joke as much as anyone else does."

"Sick and tired!" Mimiko crowed, tears of mirth streaming down her face. Her shoulders heaved with laughter. "Kotaro! You're too much!" She tried to wipe away some of the tears with the back of one sleeve.

Kotaro sulked. "I didn't think it was that funny." He folded his arms, pouting.

It took Mimiko another couple of minutes to calm herself and tell Jiro about the misunderstanding, but he, too, enjoyed the joke. He had to wipe a few tears away as well. "Kotaro, what Mimiko meant was…"

The loud crash of thunder filled the air. Mimiko jumped, knocking the metal bowl off the counter, spilling the contents in a large puddle of batter across the floor. Her eyes went wide with the second boom that followed less than five seconds after the first. One of her crutches landing in the mess and she had to hold to the counter top for balance.

"That was silly of me," she said, trying to sound wry, but Jiro noticed that her hands were shaking ever so slightly, her muscles tense.

Thick rain began beating against the window and walls, making a quick rat-a-tat sound against the building.

"Wow," Kotaro commented as he turned to look out the window. "It's really coming down, isn't it?"

"Mimiko." Jiro watched the young compromiser as she tried to recompose herself. He gingerly picked up the fallen crutch, wiping it off with a dishcloth, then handed it to her. "Kotaro, will you clean this up, please." He didn't take his eyes off of her face as he spoke.

She was slowly counting under her breath. "One. Two. Three. Four. Five." When she reached ten, she closed her eyes and took in a deep breath, then accepted the support from her vampire counterpart. "Just a storm," she said quietly to herself. "It's just a storm."

Jiro didn't say anything, but moved in closer as she continued to stare into space. He wasn't sure if she would hear him if he did speak.

Light flashed across the sky as Kotaro finished wiping up the spilled mess, heading to put the dirty towel into the wash. Thunder crashed through the apartment, louder than before. Mimiko gasped as the lights went out.

-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxXx

"Run, Mimiko." The words echoed in her head as the rain came splattering down. Her nightgown stuck to her like a second skin as water streamed down her face, the wind whipping up behind her as she ran for all she was worth.

In the distance, she heard a wolf howl. Her stride was thrown off and she went down into a puddle of water, mud splashing in her face. She shivered as another crack of thunder filled the sky, lightning flashing.

A man she didn't know walked towards her, visible only because of the occasional flicker of electricity across the sky. The light played across his face, making his eyes glow red. The little girl cowered.

-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxXx

Light flickered as Jiro lit a candle. "It looks like the lights are out all along the block," he observed as he set the candle on one of the many shelves in the living room.

Mimiko blinked, wondering when she'd moved back to the couch. The last thing she remembered was the first crack of thunder as it shook through the apartment. Hazily, she thought she remembered a second crash but wasn't sure. She wondered why the lights were off, noticing as Jiro lit a second candle.

The rain continued to pound against the walls but no more thunder sounded. She struggled to push herself up, arms sore from the crutches.

Jiro turned upon hearing the sound. "Ah, you're awake again," he noted. He set the second candle down so he could move to her side. "Kotaro went to fetch more candles," he added. "How's your leg?"

She looked down at the brace, seeming almost confused at it being there. "It's numb," she answered in surprise.

Jiro frowned.

"No, wait." Mimiko moved her leg, stuffing another cushion under it. Blood flowed down her starved veins as the circulation returned. Pins and needles pricked up and down. She grit her teeth. "Oh I can feel it now," she said, her voice heavy with irony. "And I almost wish I couldn't. That really smarts."

Jiro involuntarily chuckled at her tone. It was typical Mimiko all over. "Do you need something for the pain," he asked.

The compromiser grunted. "Give me a minute or two to decide if what I feel is more from lack of circulation or something else," she requested. "I just wish it wasn't quite so… "

"Persistent," he added for her, a question attached. He looked at her face, trying to judge just how much it was affecting her. The flickering candlelight wasn't the most helpful, throwing shadows into high relief.

"Potent is the word that comes to mind," Mimiko stated. "But what do you do? By the way, did I pass out or something?"

"More like a temporary black out," Jiro responded. "Long enough for me to carry you here and hunt down a few candles." He stood and started to leave. "I'd better find out what's taking Kotaro so long."

With Jiro moving away, Mimiko suddenly felt vulnerable in the low light. Her heart started to accelerate, though she wasn't entirely sure why. Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw a dark figure, eyes gleaming red at her in what had to be blood lust. "Jiro!"

The vampire swung around at the panic in her voice, back by her side in an instant. He knelt on one knee so he could be at eye level with her. "What is it, Mimiko? What's wrong?" He could sense nothing but her sudden terror as the rain continued to pound down outside.

She grabbed his arm with one hand, not looking away from the darkened corner. She could still see a hint of those eyes glaring at her. "Don't leave me."

Without thinking, he put one hand over hers, feeling each knuckle through his gloved fingers. Was it the storm that affected her so, he wondered. He knew she didn't show fear for much of anything so why would something like this cause her such agitation? Had she had another nightmare in the short time she'd been out? "It's all right," he said after about half a minute. "I won't."

They both lapsed into silence, listening to the storm while Mimiko's heart returned to its normal pace. Her grip loosened but Jiro continued to hold her trembling hand.

"I'm sorry," she said, breaking the silence.

He looked up in surprise, coming out of his own reverie. "For what, Mimiko?"

She closed her eyes for a moment, then returned his gaze. "For tonight," she answered.

"It was nothing you could help," Jiro soothed. "You have nothing to apologize for."

Mimiko sighed, putting her free hand over her eyes. The candlelight flickered off her skin eerily. "When I was a little girl," she said quietly, "I used to have terrible nightmares. I would wake from sleep, screaming almost every night. Jinnai would comfort me as best he could, but he could never make them go away. I guess I eventually grew out of them as I got older, but I still remember having them."

Jiro pursed his lips in thought as he reached across to gently massage her shoulders. Her muscles were so tense! "What kind of nightmares," he prompted.

She moved her hand in surprise. "Usually I was hiding under the covers when something came in my room, something dark with glowing eyes. It would slowly approach me. And just before it would reach me, I would wake screaming for my mother."

Jiro blinked. It was a typical bad dream for someone young. But he sensed that it held more than just the typical meaning behind it, though he wasn't entirely sure why. "How old were you when Jinnai took you in," he asked before thinking.

"I think I was almost four," she replied, stretching a bit. "Jinnai took me in right after my parents died, though he never told me how it happened. I just know that my parents both worked for the Company. My mother was one of the first compromisers. I'm not sure what my father did."

The vampire paused in surprise. "Is that why you became a compromiser?" He was trying to remember the names of the first compromisers, the ones he'd known.

Mimiko's mouth twitched into a smile. "Part of it. It makes me feel closer to her somehow. And Jinnai also encouraged it. I guess I don't do too bad of a job either."

Jiro had to return the smile. "No, not a bad job at all. If you weren't good at what you do, I doubt Kotaro or I would be here now."

The compromiser sat up. "Speaking of Kotaro, hasn't he been gone for a while now?"

Jiro was about to comment when the door to the stairs was flung open and Kotaro ducked inside, closing the door behind him. He clutched a flashlight in one hand. With a rapid shake, he flung water across the room from his wet clothes like a dog after a bath.

"Kotaro!" Jiro spoke sharply as several drops landed on him, causing his exposed skin to steam.

Kotaro stopped mid shake, his face filled with contrition. "Oops! Sorry, brother!" He looked towards the couch, jumping in sudden excitement. "Mimi! You're awake!" He ran over, braking just before he ran into both vampire and compromiser. "It's a good thing brother was there to catch you when you passed out."

"Kotaro," Jiro repeated, tapping a warning finger. "Weren't you supposed to bring something back with you?"

The younger vampire jumped, his hands nervously near his mouth, flashlight waving. "Uh… about that, brother. I looked. Honest I did! I even went outside to look, but I couldn't find any!"

Jiro rubbed at his forehead. The steaming had stopped, the small blotches regenerated. "What am I going to do with you," he asked rhetorically.

Kotaro felt his pockets. "Oh yeah. I found this taped to the outside door," he said and handed over a wet piece of paper.

Jiro took it gingerly, letting go of Mimiko's hand. "Remember," he read. He thought he caught the faint hint of blood from the ink.

She leaned forward to see. "What does it say down at the bottom," she inquired, trying to make out the running letters.

Jiro turned the paper every which way to try and get some better light, but the letters remained illegible. "I don't know," he finally admitted. "The rain's washed it out." He turned to his brother. "When did you find this?"

Kotaro tried to think, pressing one finger to the corner of his lip as he looked upwards. "Um… when I couldn't find any candles inside, I went out back to see if there might be any there and it was on the door when I came back in so maybe a few minutes ago?"

Mimiko watched Jiro's brows furrow. "What does it mean?"

Their eyes met. "I don't know," he responded. "But I think this is something Rinsuke should see." He stood to place it carefully on a flat surface where it could dry. "We'll have to call him in the morning. It's getting late."

Mimiko checked her watch. "Midnight already? Ugh!" She put both hands over her face as she leaned back against the cushions. "I feel like all I've done since yesterday is sleep! And now it's time for bed again."

Kotaro yawned. "I sure am sleepy though," he said as he stretched. "I'm going to bed." He headed to his room, flashlight bobbing. "Night!"

"Good night, Kotaro," Mimiko called after him.

Jiro resumed his seat by the couch. "You don't have to sleep if you don't want," he reminded her. "If you'd rather talk or do something else, I'll keep you company."

She chuckled mirthlessly. "The sad thing is that I really do feel tired. But you'd think that with all the sleep I've had lately, I wouldn't be."

"Hmmm." Jiro studied her. It really wasn't a surprise to him, but she did have a point. "It's not entirely unexpected," he finally responded. "After all, you are injured. Speaking of which, are you in pain?"

She peeked out from behind her hands. "Nothing I can't handle," she said in more of her usual tone.

"Mimiko." He looked at her with disapproval written across his face.

"I'm fine," she defended lightly. "It's just a dull ache now. You don't need to worry so much."

Part of him wanted to disagree but he decided against expressing that. "Shall I carry you to your room," he offered.

She pretended shock. "What? And give up this perfectly good perch on the couch?" She chuckled to let him know she was joking. "It could always be worse. But you're right; I'd probably be more comfortable there. At least it's not as easy to fall off my own bed."

Jiro chuckled with her as he gently lifted her into his arms, one leg dangling. He moved so smoothly she almost didn't feel the transition.

"A girl could get used to this," she admitted. "I may never want to walk again."

"What a sight that would make," Jiro mused. "We don't need to make your coworkers any more jealous than they already are."

"Ha!" She stared up at his face, the smooth but strong chin, his dark eyes and the dark hair that threatened to cover them. "As if! They'd all love the gossip, especially Hibari."

[Zelman Clock]

Chapter Six

Rinsuke smoothed back his purple hair as he walked down the street. The rain from the night before had definitely washed out a lot of things. The buildings looked cleaner on the outside, but the gutters were filled with trash. He found he was very glad that clearing the gutters didn't fall under his job description.

But it was a lovely day, the sun out and the sky a bright blue once more. His investigations were going fairly well, all things considered, though he was at a bit of a loss on finding out who the vampire after Mimiko was. The Coven boys hadn't helped, destroying the Black Blood before the Company had gotten to him. He was probably just an underling though. Something would turn up. It usually did.

His phone rang and he reached for his pocket, pulling the device out. Looking at the number, he sighed. He waited another ring before answering. "Jiro, darling," he infused, his voice all syrup and honey. "I see you got your phone repaired."

"I'm not in the mood for that this morning, Rinsuke," Jiro warned over the line. "I wondered if you'd be so kind as to come by the apartment this morning."

Rinsuke stopped in his tracks. He gripped the phone, imaging Jiro forcing him to tell him things he knew he shouldn't, or, at worst, making him pass out again. "Um… Well, Jiro… darling, it's not that I wouldn't love to drop by, but you see… I'm just so busy that there's not enough time in the day!"

"I suggest you make time." His calm, almost cold voice sent shivers up the investigator's spine.

"I… don't think that's… well, it's not exactly…" he stuttered.

Jiro sighed. "I'm not asking you to divulge Jinnai's precious secrets," he said, sounding tired.

Rinsuke almost dropped his phone. "You're not?"

"No. Kotaro found a note on our door last night and I wondered if it might not be somehow related to the problems Mimiko's been experiencing lately."

Rinsuke had to blink several times to process what exactly Jiro was telling him. "He found a note? What does it say?"

"It says, "remember", along with something else, but the rain smeared the ink enough that neither I or Mimiko can read it. It might have been written in blood."

"Hmmm." The purple-haired man started walking again. "I suppose I can swing by," he conceded with a heavy sigh. He looked at his watch, then started looking for a cab. Maybe that was the crumb he'd been waiting for.

-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The paper was wrinkled, the ink smudged, but Rinsuke had to admit that it did indeed say, "Remember" on it. And just as Jiro had said, the smaller scrawl at the bottom was completely illegible.

"And you say Kotaro found this on the door?" He looked up to have this confirmed.

"Yes," Jiro replied firmly. "Late last night, though there's no knowing how long it was actually there. I wouldn't guess too long. But I would not at all be surprised if there was blood on this paper."

"Hmmm." Rinsuke pulled out a small bag and placed the paper inside. "You don't mind if I take this for analysis, do you? Maybe they can figure something out down at the lab." He pocketed the paper.

"No," Jiro sighed. "Though I wish you'd just tell me what Jinnai's hiding."

The investigator took a step back. "Jiro, you promised!"

The Black Blood took a seat on the couch, moving aside some of the bunched up cushions. "I know. I know." He put his head in his hands. "I just feel so helpless like this. All I can do is stay by her side."

Rinsuke relaxed, taking a seat next to him. "Isn't that what she needs most right now? I can't just keep the Suppression Team on standby in case some crazed vampire tries to break in, you know."

"I know!" He growled in frustration, then turned away. Getting upset would not help. "I almost wish Alice were still here."

Rinsuke almost reached to pat the Silver Blade's back but stopped. There was no way he could take away the frustration his companion must feel. "Speaking of the Sage, where's Kotaro?"

Jiro didn't look up. "He's watching Mimiko. Last night must have worn her out."

Rinsuke looked at his watch, frowning. "Still sleeping? It's almost eleven. Just how late did she stay up last night?"

"She went to bed around midnight," he responded. "But she probably didn't really fall asleep until after the rain stopped."

Rinsuke sighed. "You must be tired too, Jiro. Staying up at all hours. Would you like me to send someone to keep watch while you catch some sleep yourself?"

Jiro finally looked up. "No, that won't be necessary. Kotaro's keeping an eye right now. He'll call me if anything happens."

Rinsuke stood to go. "I'd better get this to the lab," he said, indicating his pocket. "Call me if you need anything!" He waved cheerily as he walked out the door. "I can always ask Kain to come over!"

Jiro sat back against the couch. It was likely going to be another long day. And he didn't need some wolf hanging around either. If it weren't for his being more tired than he was willing to admit, he might have been tempted to go after the investigator and smack him for the comment.

-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sayuka pushed her glasses up her nose as she stood, back straight, a file folder in her arms. "And this is the full report," she asked the technician.

The man nodded. "Everything we've been able to determine from the sample," he confirmed.

"Thank you. The agreed upon sum will be transferred to your account." She turned to leave.

"Miss Shiramine," the tech called after her. He gulped when she turned and gave him a cold look. "Mr. Clock doesn't intend to use that information for anything… illegal, does he?"

She tucked the folder more firmly under her arm. "Nothing outside of the Company," she replied, slightly dodging the question. "Your name won't even come up in the investigation."

The tech wasn't sure if he felt relieved or not as he watched her leave, even though the price was more than fair for sharing information. He wondered if what she'd said was true, that no one would ever find out that he'd leaked information to her.

-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The cab pulled up to the hospital's main entrance as Jiro took out the appropriate fare, with a little extra. "Thank you very much," he said as he handed the money to the driver. "Keep the change."

Mimiko opened her door and struggled momentarily to get her crutches out, but once out of the cab, she quickly settled into the swinging stride she was getting used to using. "Come on, you two," she called out behind her as Kotaro raced to beat Jiro out of the taxi as the older vampire took out a rather large umbrella. "If you're going to insist on going everywhere with me, you can at least keep up!"

Jiro smiled, bemused. Her spirits had definitely improved over the past few days, he'd noted. The nightmares hadn't troubled her for the last couple of nights now and it was more than nice to see her up and about with her usual energy.

Kotaro skipped to catch up with the hobbling woman while Jiro merely lengthened his stride, catching up to them easily.

"I mean, it's just a check-up," she was saying wryly. "It's not like I need someone to hold my hand." But she was smiling as she spoke, even if her breath was a bit labored from the exercise the crutches gave her.

Jiro opened the door to the clinic section for her, following just behind as she headed to the appropriate office. He put up his umbrella as he walked.

"If I end up on these much longer," she commented as she took a seat in the waiting room, "I'll be just as strong as you are."

Jiro smiled at her as Kotaro headed for the box of toys in the corner. "Kotaro, keep out of trouble," he called after his younger brother. The ten-year-old waved in return.

Mimiko reached for a magazine on one of the low tables nearby, flipping through the pages, then put it back down. She fidgeted with her hands. "If everything checks out, they'll probably let me go back to work," she commented.

"Would you like me to go in with you," Jiro offered as he watched her antics, trying to understand what was causing them.

She shook her head. "I'll be fine. It probably won't take terribly long anyway."

Jiro watched as she continued to play with her hands, twiddle her thumbs, and try to find a more comfortable position to sit with her leg extended. "Something wrong, Mimiko," he asked after several minutes of watching her.

His sudden commented distracted her. "No. Not really," she responded. "Just anxious. I never have liked visiting the doctor."

Jiro reached over to rub her back. "Relax, Mimiko."

"I'll try," she promised.

After a while, the receptionist at the desk called her name and she struggled to stand with her crutches. Jiro watched her enter the back section without further comment. Part of him wanted to follow her back though, and he had to restrain it. Everything would be fine, he had to tell himself.

-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A quiet knock sounded on the inner sanctum of Zelman Clock. "Enter," he called from his usual perch on the furthest sofa where he lounged, one hand over his eyes, the other holding an open can of Coke.

Sayuka pushed the door open, closing it behind her. "Lord Zelman," she greeted. Under one arm, she carried a folder. And as usual, she walked slowly towards him, not bothering to hurry.

The vampire sat up fractionally, removing the hand from his eyes. "Sayuka," he smiled. "What information have you brought me today?"

The woman reached his perch and slid the folder to his outstretched hand. "These are the lab reports for a piece of paper found attached to the door of Mimiko Katsuragi and Jiro Mochizuki's apartment building during the rainstorm a few days ago."

Zelman flipped the file open and began scanning the contents. His expression didn't change as he read through the entirety, going back to a certain page once he'd looked briefly at them all. He looked up at his assistant, eyes bright. "And this report is complete? There are no mistakes?"

Sayuka's expression remained neutral, her hands calmly at her sides. "I have the assurances of my source that this file is complete and accurate."

Zelman closed the file; one finger holding his place on the page that most interested him. He tapped his leg with the can of beverage. "Most interesting. I'm now almost sure." His voice trailed off as he stared into space, thinking.

The human woman continued to stand where she was, waiting. She had worked for Zelman for far to long not to know his habits, and he usually told her when to leave.

The Crimson Eyed-Butcher's eyes continued to glow as he thought, one fang protruding as his lips lifted into a malicious smile. "So that's how it is," he said. He turned, his expression instantly neutral again. "Sayuka, I need one more piece of information to confirm all of this. You know what I need."

Sayuka inclined her head. "Of course." Without another glance, she left. His words were dismissal enough.

Kotaro stared. Maybe it wasn't the most exciting sight in the world, but he was bored. After playing with the toys, and various human children for over an hour, he decided he'd had enough. Most of the children coming in now were kept close to their parents anyway. And they were usually coughing or sneezing. But it did surprise him that, not only were the children kept close to their parents, their parents were giving his brother a wide berth.

Jiro sat with his hat pulled over his eyes, legs extended. Whether or not he was sleeping, or just hiding his face was anyone's guess. But with his arms folded, it sure looked like he was napping to Kotaro. He still didn't get why the others in the room were keeping their distance though. But, then again, maybe it was because they were vampires and everyone else wasn't. Or it could have been their outlandish clothes, though he decidedly liked his outfit. And he thought is brother's coat was pretty cool too.

Staring at his brother's hat was getting old, he decided, so he slid into one of the chairs right next to him, the one Mimiko had abandoned when she'd gone back to see the doctor. He swung his legs from the tall chair, enjoying how freely they swung. "Brother, what's taking Mimi so long," he asked after a few minutes of silence. "She sure has been gone a long time."

Jiro sighed from under his hat. "I'm sure she'll be back in a few minutes, Kotaro. You just have to be patient."

"That's what you said half an hour ago," Kotaro complained under his breath as he headed back over to the toys. He pouted as he went. Playing by himself was fun but only for so long.

The door back to the examining rooms opened for what had to be the umpteenth time. Kotaro didn't even bother looking to see who was coming out. It was obvious that Mimiko or the doctor were taking their dear sweet time but he was to be surprised. This time, Mimiko followed the doctor out into the main waiting area, one crutch under her arm, instead of two. "Thanks, doctor," she said, clutching a paper in her other hand.

Hearing Mimiko's voice, Kotaro immediately abandoned the toy in hand and sprung up in front of her. "Mimi! You're finally done!"

The girl chuckled as the doctor closed the door behind her. "I'm sorry it took so long," she said in apology to both Black Bloods.

Jiro pushed his hat back up where it belonged, then went over to join them. He noted the absence of one crutch and that the brunette was wearing a different brace, one that seemed a bit more flexible. And she was now standing on both feet, instead of having the injured leg tucked behind. "It wasn't a problem," he said. "I was able to catch a quick nap and I think Kotaro managed to make a few new friends."

"Yeah, but their parents didn't seem to like it," Kotaro muttered under his breath, arms folded. "Especially not when I showed them my fangs."

Mimiko blinked at him, not sure what to think about that. "Okay then. Shall we be off? I need to drop this off by the office," she added, holding up the paper. "It's a limited work release. No heavy lifting or strenuous activity, that kind of thing."

Kotaro looked thoughtful as he followed the two out of the building. "So, does that mean you can go back to work now?"

Mimiko smiled, her crutch swinging far more easily now that it was just a slight support instead of complete one. Walking still hurt a bit though, and her knee was jarred with each step, but it was definitely nowhere near as bad as it had been. "Probably," she responded.

"Yay!" Kotaro zoomed around while Jiro waved down a cab, his umbrella held high against the afternoon sun. Mimiko was always happier when she had something to do.

Mimiko watched him running around, now chasing a dragonfly. "Well, at least someone's happy," she commented.

Jiro paused, a taxi pulling up to the curve. "Something wrong?" He opened the cab's door for her.

She got into the vehicle, stowing her crutch at her feet. "No. I just have a lot on my mind. I'm going to have a ton of catching up to do!"

Jiro smiled slightly at her moan. At least it was nothing worse than that. "Kotaro, we're leaving," he called to his little brother as he took his seat inside, folding the umbrella as went. The younger vampire ran over and slid onto the seat right behind him while he gave the address.

The driver tipped his cap and put the car into gear, one fang showing between his smiling lips.

The front of the building faced out from the cemetery like any other building, Jiro mused as their cab pulled up to the doors. If he hadn't known better, he would have thought nothing of it or what was inside, but since he'd come to know Mimiko, he'd learned that there was definitely more on the inside than what it presented, like so many things in life.

Jiro again paid for the fare while Mimiko got out of the vehicle, Kotaro behind her. Pushing his umbrella out ahead of him, Jiro followed after them. He sincerely hoped this was their last errand. Even though the day had been productive, he still thought she should be resting, despite his current observations.

Mimiko certainly moved more freely now that she only had to deal with one crutch, he noted as he watched the spunky brunette striding towards the main entrance. Perhaps being able to walk more normally was the main reason, but it pleased him, non-the-less, to see her acting even more herself after such a trying week.

He hoped the whole ordeal was over, but experience told him to keep an eye open because one never knew what would happen. And there was still the curious detail of that note found on their apartment door. Rinsuke hadn't gotten back with him about that yet. Oh well, he sighed. One thing at a time.

Mimiko entered the building, headed towards the offices instead of her usual work area. It was a little weird to be going into work without actually going to work, she decided, but shrugged it off. She'd probably drop in to say hi on her way out anyway, so it was almost as good as actually going in for more than just a casual visit.

Jiro followed the young woman as she entered a part of the building that he normally didn't get to see. It was like it's own little world apart from the other areas he'd previously visited. Kotaro seemed equally impressed with the decor, his eyes practically bulging as they walked.

"Oh wow," Kotaro enthused as he looked around the impressive reception area of the office suite. "It's almost like Zelman's house!" He immediately headed to one of the sofas to try it out for bounciness.

Mimiko smiled at the youth's energy but continued to the receptionist's desk. "Hey, Kichi," she greeted the woman sitting behind the desk. "Is the Chief in?"

Kichi looked up from her notes as she put down the phone she'd been holding. "Hey Mimiko," she greeted. "Let me check." She pushed a button on an intercom. "Chief Shogo, Mimiko Katsuragi here to see you."

There was no response over the intercom. Instead, one of the office doors was pushed open and the Chief, himself, walked out. "Mimiko!" He calmly walked over to his foster daughter, giving her a slightly awkward hug from the right. "I was going to come visit you," he added.

"Chief!" Mimiko returned the half hug, then quickly straightened, turning professional. She was torn between being professional or casual. Instead of worrying about it, she took out the paper she'd carried. "I was told to give you this," she said as she handed it to her boss.

Jinnai took the paper and quickly scanned it. "Fit for light duty," he mused, rubbing his chin. His thoughts roamed to the various reports he'd received lately, most particularly one from the lab, courtesy of Rinsuke. "Hmmm."

Mimiko stared at him, waiting, wondering why he hesitated. "Well?" She was tempted to tap her foot but didn't. Instead, she gripped her hand more tightly around her crutch.

The Chief glanced over to Jiro, then back to Mimiko. As much as he wanted to keep her out of the line of any danger, he was also aware that regardless of how he might try to protect her, she was strong willed and would go out of her way to do whatever she felt necessary. "You can come back to work," he finally conceded, "but with light duty only, and Jiro will start immediately as your Closer instead of waiting as previously agreed."

Ignoring her crutch, Mimiko jumped into a hug for her foster father. "Thank you!" For a brief moment, she was a young child again, gaining the approval from her father for doing something good. Her smile was a huge.

Jinnai gently pressed her back, curbing her enthusiasm ever so slightly. "I think your fellow compromisers have missed you. Why don't you go say hello? Especially to Hibari. She was beginning to wonder if you were dead." He chuckled, trying to keep the mood light.

Mimiko let her foster father go and hobbled off towards her usual office to spread the good news. Kotaro, sensing her happiness, decided to follow. "Yay! Mimi gets to work again!"

Jiro's expression was unreadable as he watched Mimiko's displays of affection to her foster father. She was still so much a child at heart, he decided, watching her heading out to say hello to her friends. But he waited, knowing there was more coming from Jinnai, and he wasn't disappointed.

Jinnai held out a hand towards the Black Blood. "Jiro, a moment please," he requested, pulling the vampire aside. He watched Mimiko and Kotaro, making sure they were out of earshot before saying anything else.

Jiro waited respectfully, also keeping an eye on the brunette and his little brother until they had turned the corner. Using his connection with his brother, he continued to monitor, paying more attention than usual to his younger brother's mood.

Jinnai ran a hand through his hair as he let out his breath. "I didn't think Mimiko needed to hear this just yet," he confessed, looking to make sure that no one else was paying them any attention. "She's been through so much lately and there hasn't been time, really, to give her a proper vacation. And with this business going on…"

Jiro could hear the strain in the Chief's voice as he spoke, not just as a boss, but also as a father. "I understand," he said. "I haven't forgotten my promise and I am doing my best to keep an eye on her, troublesome as that sometimes is." He smiled wryly.

Jinnai met his eyes. "You have no idea how much that means to me," he said. "And I know she'll resent what I am now asking you to do, but I would rather have her safe and suffer some minor inconveniences than to fall victim through neglect. I want you to stick to her regardless of what she may or may not say or do. Don't let her out of your sight for even an instant."

Jiro's usually smooth face was now lined with a frown. "I expect you have received word about that mysterious paper then? Have they managed to decipher the other message or where it came from?"

Shogo nodded, his eyes going hard. "We know where it came from, at least the general area. We also know that it was sent by a vampire. Unfortunately, I'm fairly certain that they wanted us to know a Black Blood had sent it. It was almost too easy to tell." He took another quick look around. Several Company employees were coming and going. "Why don't we finish talking about this in my office where it's a bit more private," he suggested. "This way," he ushered.

xXxxxxxxxxXxxxxxxXxxxx

Mimiko and Kotaro headed to the compromisers' main offices, passing a few people on the way that Mimiko knew. She waved every time, but did not stop. The very idea that Hibari thought her dead, and was probably spreading rumors about it was a far more pressing matter on her mind than anything else.

"Mimiko?" Hibari stared in shock as her fellow compromiser entered the room. "Is that really you, Mimiko?"

The brunette found herself suddenly rushed by Hibari, and a few others, who grabbed her up into a big group hug.

"I was beginning to think you were dead," Hibari babbled. "Where were you!"

Mimiko suffered the ministrations of her erstwhile companions for about thirty seconds before she was trying to break free so that she could breathe. "Hey! You guys! Ow!"

With her exclamations, the majority of her coworkers let go, though Hibari hung on like she'd never see her again. "I was so worried!"

Kotaro tried to insert himself between the two compromisers. "Hey! Mimi doesn't like that!"

Hibari gave one last squeeze before she let go. "Why didn't you call? You could have at least said something!"

Mimiko blushed fiercely. "I had a lot going on," she protested. "They made me stay in bed for at least half a week!"

Hibari paused in her jabbering questions, a thoughtful expression on her face. "Oh yeah!" She dived for her desk, pulling out a rather large vase filled with flowers and plunked it down in front of her senior. "These are from everyone!" She looked rather pleased with herself.

Kotaro immediately knelt down in front of the vast arrangement, admiring the various blossoms. "Wow! Mimi, look! It's huge!" His brilliant eyes were large as he gazed at the flowers.

Mimiko felt like she was in shock. She certainly hadn't expected anything like this and wasn't sure how to respond. "Hi…Hibari…I don't know what to say," she stuttered.

Hibari smiled at her. "You big goof! Just say thank you! Duh!"

Mimiko hobbled the few steps to her friend and gave her a big hug in return. "Thank you! Everyone. Really."

Jiro sat, his expression unfathomable as he tried to digest what the Chief had just told him. "Are you certain? Absolutely certain about this?"

Jinnai leaned back against his desk with a sigh. "Absolutely, though I wish I wasn't. But there's no mistake. The clues are far too obvious. Everything adds up to this point. There are only two questions that are still unanswered, who, and why, though I have my suspicions on the first."

Jiro's eyes hardened. "Who, then? I know you've kept things from me out of a desire to protect Mimiko, but if you want me to do my job effectively, I need to know everything."

Shogo's entire body appeared to take on ten years as Jiro watched. Every line screamed of how tired this man was and had been for some time. The weight of responsibility was definitely double on his shoulders.

"In the past, we've had encounters with certain vampires," he confessed. "Especially during the critical years between the completion of the current Special Zone and the end of its previous incarnation. You wouldn't know because you disappeared for those ten years."

Jiro felt a bit of a stab at that comment. His disappearance had been necessary for the sake of his brother. All the same, it was a bit of a blow, even though he knew it was not necessarily meant to be one. He and Jinnai had discussed it before.

"But," and Jinnai's tone caught Jiro back from his reverie, "We were always able to keep them at bay." He moved away from his desk to move closer to his visitor.

"Unfortunately, there are vampires out there, as I'm sure you are aware, who do not believe our two species should get along. To them, humans are merely food, and our attempts to try and bring us together were seen as a threat to them. As a result, they would occasionally attack us as we tried to build this city. We lost quite a few good people because of them."

Jiro's eyes remained hard, but he softened his expression, understanding where this man was coming from. "I'm sorry to hear it," he said. "Were any of the culprits ever caught?"

"A few," Jinnai nodded. "But they would never talk. Most of them ended up committing suicide in one way or another. In the end, all we ever learned was that they were extremists following the orders of someone much older than they; so I feel it safe to assume that there is someone older than fifty years behind this as well, though why Mimiko seems to be the only target is beyond me."

Jiro leaned his chin in one hand, thinking. "It certainly doesn't make much sense, unless you go for the fact that she is a compromiser with the Company, and since they obviously don't like the Company…" he trailed off. "But then, that still doesn't make sense because no one else seems to be targeted. So why Mimiko?" He crossed one leg over the other. "This is most troublesome."

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxxXxx

Mimiko headed towards the door. She felt like she'd been swung around by just about every person in the department and was more than ready to head back home to some peace and quiet for just one more afternoon before she rejoined their ranks.

Kotaro strained under the weight of the flower filled vase. His little arms barely managed to reach around the clear glass. He tottered as he carried it.

"Hey, Kotaro," Mimiko stopped mid hobble, "are you sure you can handle that?"

Kotaro wavered to one side, stepping quickly to keep from falling over. "No problem! I got it!" He managed to regain his balance. He set the vase down for a moment to wipe his brow. "Whew!"

Mimiko turned to check on him. "I can always ask one of the girls to carry that for you," she offered. She had one in mind already, Hibari, the blab-mouth. It would serve her right. After all, she'd had to listen to her go on about how bad an influence the Silver Bade was on her, how she should play some manipulation games with him to get him jealous. It was all pointless blather and had given her a bit of a headache.

"Excuse me," a young man tried to get Mimiko's attention. "Miss?"

Mimiko turned to look questioningly at the young man dressed in a delivery uniform. She noticed that he was carrying a box that stood about a foot and a half tall, and about a foot wide. "Yes?"

The delivery boy looked at his clipboard. "I'm looking for a Mimiko Katsuragi? Do you know her?"

The compromiser blinked in surprise. "That's me," she answered.

He handed her the clipboard. "Sign here, please," he said, pointing to a blank line.

She took the clipboard and awkwardly balanced it on her crutch as she signed, then handed the paperwork back. She had to scoot back up a step as he thrust the box at her. "Oof!"

Kotaro left the large vase on the floor as he came over to investigate. "Hey, Mimi, who's it from?"

Mimiko blinked. "I have absolutely no idea," she admitted as she walked over to the nearest table so that she could set the box down and open it.

"What is it," he asked, jumping up and down to try and see inside as she fumbled with the flap on the side. "Open it! Open it!"

Mimiko laughed. "I'm trying." The small segment of cardboard came free from the slot and the side came open. Both vampire and human looked inside.

-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Jiro sat up suddenly, his back ramrod straight.

Jinnai watched him in surprise. "Jiro, what is it?" He went to reach a hand towards the vampire.

Jiro stood too quickly, his back ramrod straight. "Kotaro!"

Before Jinnai knew what was happening, Jiro was out the door, flying towards the Compromiserss offices.

Jinnai immediately knew something had to be wrong. He followed after the Black Blood as fast as he could. "Kichi! Call in the Suppression Team! Now!" he called over his shoulder as he ran. He didn't pause to see if his orders were followed but tried to catch up to Jiro.

[Zelman Clock]

Chapter Seven

Mimiko stared. She suddenly felt very unsteady on her feet. "What… the…?" She stumbled a few steps back, knocking into Kotaro. They both went down, her crutch crashing to the ground beside them with a bang. They sat there for a moment or two in pure shock.

"Mimiko! Mimiko!" Her fellow compromisers were suddenly swarming all over the place. "Are you okay? What's going on? What happened?"

"Speak to me, Mimiko," Hibari was practically crying as she knelt in front of the stunned girl.

"What about the kid," another coworker asked. "You okay?"

Kotaro hitched up onto his feet, brushing off the woman who was trying to help him without answering her. He was strong, after all. He went immediately to Mimiko's side. "Hey, Mimi! Mimi!" He tugged at her sleeve. "Mimi, can you hear me?"

Jiro strode into the room moments later, coat tails flying out behind him as he stopped in his tracks to assess the situation. He saw several compromisers in full uniform standing about, some kneeling around in a group. Kotaro's curly hair stuck up from the small grouping. He couldn't immediately see Mimiko but he could smell her ginger and orange scent. A few more strides into the room gave him the answer he was looking for.

"Mimiko!" Somehow he found his way through the press of people, to kneel by her side as she stared blankly ahead of her. "Mimiko." He put a hand on her shoulder.

She shuddered once, closing her eyes.

Jinnai stormed into the room about a minute later. He had to stop to catch his breath as he looked around. There were too many stairs in the building, he decided. Jiro's hat was the first thing to catch his eye and he immediately went towards it, glad that he didn't see the silver katana out, a sure sign of immediate danger. "Everyone, please! Go back to your work! We'll take care of this."

Several compromisers questioned among themselves but the majority left. Hibari refused to leave. "Chief, please! I'm like Mimiko's best friend!"

"Go, Hibari," Mimiko said in a shaky voice. "I'm okay now. Really. I just tripped over my own feet and knocked the wind out of me. It's fine."

Kotaro was about to open his mouth to protest her excuse but he kept his mouth shut at a glance from his brother.

Jinnai placed a hand on the younger compromiser's shoulder. "Please, Hibari. Everything's fine. You can go back to work now. There's nothing to worry about."

Hibari left reluctantly. She wasn't convinced, but she couldn't go against her boss's orders. The other stragglers followed her.

Jiro watched Mimiko as she tried to pull herself together. "You look a little pale," he commented as he brushed some of the loose hair out of her face. He noted that she was trembling, her eyes still closed as she leaned her head against his shoulder. "What happened?"

Kotaro jumped to answer. "Someone sent Mimi something really mean. It's over there." He pointed at the partially opened box.

Jinnai stepped over, not bothering to ask anything about it. He pushed the flap of the box open, his hand jerking back at what he saw. He gasped.

"What is it," Jiro asked, watching Jinnai while trying to keep an eye on the girl beside him.

It took the Chief a moment to find his voice. "Roses. A dozen, dead, black roses, with what looks like stinging nettles and a dead snake wrapped around the vase."

The two men exchanged glances. They looked at Mimiko who was trying to breathe evenly without too much success.

Kotaro tugged on Jiro's coat. "Brother, what does it mean?" He looked up with large, worried eyes. "Why would someone pull such a mean trick on Mimi?"

Jiro was about to answer when a dozen men heavily armed suddenly stormed the room. "Everyone get down! Now! On the ground! On the ground!"

Kotaro instantly hit the deck with a yelp. Screams could be heard throughout the building as the Suppression Team moved in, surrounding the place.

"Chief!" Badrick Serihan, Head of the Company's Suppression Team moved quickly to cross the room. His full body armor was more than enough to intimidate anyone. His large automatic gun only added to the image.

His men spread throughout the building, scanning, guns at the ready. "Clear!" One officer shouted from down the hall.

"Search the building! Anyone not associated with the Company is to be brought to me immediately," Badrick ordered. "If they resist, shoot them."

Several of his men stayed in the room, their guns leveled at Jiro's small group.

"It's all right," Jinnai tried to assure them. "These three are fine. They work for us."

After a nod from Badrick, the men spread out, creating a periphery around them, in case anyone tried to break in. "Shogo, what's going on," Badrick asked.

In answer to his question, Jinnai pointed at the box. "Miss Katsuragi just received this as a delivery. I wanted to be sure that the one responsible for it wasn't anywhere around. It would seem that she's being targeted."

"It's all right, Mimiko," Jiro's voice could be heard as the girl shuddered. She was trying to be strong, but with so much having happened in such a short amount of time, she felt like she was breaking apart and Jiro knew it. He didn't have to be a vampire to smell the fear and confusion coming from her.

Badrick peered into the box and took a quick step back. "What the..?" He suddenly wished he were far away. "What kind of sick joke is this?"

A lieutenant approached him. "All units report clear," he stated, standing at attention.

"Unfortunately," Jiro spoke up for the first time since the Suppression Team had arrived, "I don't believe it to be any kind of joke, but a threat against Mimiko's life. And not the first one at that."

The lieutenant stayed in position, clearing his throat to remind his captain that he was still there. "Your orders, sir."

Badrick gratefully stepped away from the box. He wasn't afraid of much, but the sight inside that box was enough to make his stomach churn simply because he knew what it meant. He just didn't want to believe it. Sure, Miss Katsuragi could be a pain and get in the ways sometimes, but no one deserved to have that kind of shock. He wondered what she'd done to warrant such a threat.

"Tell the men to stand down," he ordered. "Leave a small detachment here to escort these three home. I want the others to return to base and stay on standby."

The man saluted smartly. " Sir." He turned on his heels and went to deliver the orders. Several of the other men in the room followed after him.

The captain turned to Jinnai. "I want a full explanation," he demanded, bypassing the fact that the man he addressed outranked him.

Jiro motioned his brother over. "Kotaro, stay with Mimiko," he instructed quietly as he stood to face the Suppression Team's leader. He didn't like his attitude, and it was no secret that the two didn't exactly get along, probably stemming from their first encounter. "Gentlemen, if you'd please," he reached out his hands to indicate that they should continue this discussion elsewhere.

Mimiko didn't like the fact that Jiro was suddenly leaving her side. She opened her eyes, her hands automatically reaching out for him. But she didn't say anything as she restrained the movement she'd only started. Every line in Jiro's body was screaming to her of his shock and rage. She withdrew into herself, letting Kotaro take his place by her side. There wasn't much she could do about it anyway, short of throwing some kind of fit and she didn't have the energy for that.

The men moved to one side, discussing things. Occasionally they looked towards the two still on the floor, sometimes also glancing at the box sitting innocently on the table. Their voices rose in intensity as they argued.

xxxxxxxxxXxxxx

"Mimiko likely won't agree to that," Jiro commented.

"What choice do we have," Jinnai broke in. "This changes everything. I won't let her put herself at any more risk, not as her boss and not as her father."

"I'm not saying that you should," Jiro rejoined. "I'm merely pointing out how Mimiko will feel. I'd personally prefer she be kept out of harm's way as much as possible as well. But we will both have a hard time convincing her of that."

Jinnai sighed. "I know."

Badrick folded his arms. "We can have several of my men keep close watch," he offered.

"An escort?" Jiro raised his brow.

The captain shifted his stance. "More like bodyguards."

Jiro looked slightly doubtful. "I thought that was my job."

Jinnai rushed in to smooth things over. "It is, Jiro. No one doubts that you can handle that. What Serihan is suggesting is more of an advanced guard. I know you don't want to miss out on any of the fun, but someone has to keep a close eye on Mimiko and you're the only one I can absolutely trust in this situation. We have no idea who we're dealing with. You're our last line of defense and her main source of protection."

Jiro sighed. "When you put it that way, how can I refuse?"

Jinnai patted his back. "Good man." He turned to Badrick. "Instruct several of your most choice men to keep an invisible guard on them at all times. We don't want our enemy to know they're there until it's too late."

Jiro nodded in thanks. Keeping the extra guard as invisible sentries meant he didn't have to bother telling Mimiko about it, and gave him a little more room to work in if it came down to a confrontation. If he had to, he could hand her off to one of Badrick's men, though he certainly hoped it would never come to that.

Badrick headed over to talk to his men while Jiro and Jinnai went back to where Mimiko and Kotaro waited. The Chief paused. "Jiro, you know this changes everything. I had originally thought of having her start back tomorrow. And as you pointed out, she'll strongly oppose being taken from duty completely. At the very least, I have to give her a few more days before she comes back. You can give her any excuse that you want. I want her to be safe before she comes back to work."

The vampire agreed. "I don't think a few more days will be a problem. I'm sure she'll need them to recover from today. Any normal Red Blood would."

Jinnai nodded. "I'm going to have the lab process those flowers and see if they can find anything new. I'll give you the report as soon as I have it in my hands."

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Sayuka pushed her glasses back up her nose as she stood in front of her employer. It had been a long day, but a rewarding one. "Lord Zelman," she bowed slightly, handing him the latest reports. "This includes the incident today at one of the Company's buildings."

Zelman took the offered reports with a questioning glance. Trust her to be on top of things. He flipped through the papers, scanning them. "Interesting," he mused. "Most interesting. They've become more bold. I think it's time I stepped in a little." He smiled maliciously, his fangs protruding as his eyes glowed red.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Mimiko complained of a vile headache and immediately went to her room the moment they returned home. No one questioned her. Safely in her private sanctuary, she'd let the tears she'd refused to allow earlier flow freely, not caring if Jiro could hear them or not.

Jiro paced the front room, one ear tuned towards Mimiko's room while he also listened for any unusual sounds from outside. Though part of him demanded he stay as close to her as possible, he also knew she needed the time to fall apart privately. But it took almost everything in him to not rush in and comfort her.

Kotaro was busy playing in his room, quietly. The older vampire could hear him humming to his bear, crayons scraping across paper. He probably didn't have a firm grasp on what was going on, but then again, his intuition was often surprising for a ten-year-old. He'd known enough to keep it down in case the compromiser wanted to sleep.

Thinking on the topic of sleep, Jiro turned more attention to the back bedroom, listening. Mimiko's breathing had become more rhythmic, the sobs to almost completely stop. She'd cried herself out, he decided, and he didn't blame her. She'd been through enough.

He wondered if he dared catch a few winks himself. Badrick's men were keeping an eye on the place. He could hear them as they moved around, some of them edgy, others just shifting weight. He counted six distinct men surrounding their apartment, with, perhaps, more a bit further away. Though, if there were, they were covered over by the usual traffic in the streets.

"Kotaro," he called quietly, knowing his brother could hear him. "I'm going to take a nap. Keep an ear open for Mimiko, will you? Call me if anything happens." That said, he folded his arms and slouched back into the couch, eyes closed.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

At first, Mimiko found it hard to sleep. Her headache banged, making her feel as though her skull was rattling. Her knee ached dully, but at least the new brace gave her a little more flexibility to find a semi-comfortable position. And the tears wouldn't stop coming.

She tried to pull it together, to keep the sobs from welling up, but she was at her emotional strength's end and she knew it. At least Jiro wasn't in the room to watch her go through emotional hell and not be able to do a thing about it. She wasn't sure, but she thought it might hurt more to watch him hurt for her too.

Who would do such a thing, she wondered. And even though the three men had gone off to talk, she had a pretty good idea about what they discussed. She was center to it all. She just wished she knew why she was the one being targeted. But thinking about it sent her mind into a spiral of depression that was far from worth the effort. It was only a matter of time before she dropped off into sleep, too exhausted to function anymore.

She dreamed.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

The mud puddle she'd fallen into had splashed up into her eyes and she had a hard time clearing them as the rain came pouring down. But when she did, she almost wished she hadn't because the vampire with the glowing eyes was standing no more than a dozen yards away from her, watching her with bloodlust in his eyes.

She trembled, her small body hunched up. She couldn't run anymore, even if she tried. Her limbs were frozen in fear. She couldn't look away, her chocolate brown eyes staring into the glowing ones.

The vampire slowly began to stalk towards her, his face lit with a malicious, anticipatory grin, fangs fully extended. Every part of him seemed to be laughing as he slowly moved in, unafraid of interference from anything. She was as good as his and they both knew it.

She tried to speak but couldn't. Despite all the water around her, her throat was as dry as a desert. "Momma," she mouthed. "Momma."

The vampire laughed, stopping five feet from her. "Soon enough," he hissed gleefully. "Soon enough!" He crouched for the spring, one hand on the ground, knees bent deeply.

Her breathing sped up, heart pounding for all it was worth, whether in defiance or fear was anyone's guess.

He leaned back just a little further, then sprung forward in a blur of motion, straight at her.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Jiro woke with a start. At first he wasn't sure what woke him. Kotaro was still playing in his room and therefore had not called him. He couldn't have been out long, he decided, as he heard the same tuneless humming from before. He listened more closely for a moment. Then he found it. It wasn't as loud as Kotaro, but still very definite.

Mimiko was breathing heavily from her room, her heart pounding like it wanted to fly out of her chest. But, despite his intense concentration, he couldn't hear any other sound, smell any other presence. It had to be another nightmare. He wondered why she hadn't screamed. The smell of fear was strong in his nostrils, even from the front room.

Without another thought, he was rushing to her room, through the door, and was by her side. Her blankets were twisted around her and she was murmuring something incomprehensible. "Mimiko," he said worriedly, trying to shake her from whatever horror now gripped her. He hoped the sound of his voice would be enough. It wasn't.

He touched her shoulder, raising his voice by just a little. "Mimiko! Wake up! It's all right! It's just a dream."

"No!" Her lips parted and she panted as though she were running. "Please, no!" She rolled over, moaning into her pillow.

Jiro slipped a hand under her shoulders and pulled her into a sitting position, gently shaking her but it wasn't enough to break her from sleep. Her head lolled against his chest. She was trembling all over. Obviously the events of the day had been too much for her. He mentally berated himself. He should have made her talk through the situation, put it into a better perspective. It was too late for that now.

Mimiko's eyebrows scrunched up, eyes remaining closed. Sweat beaded on her forehead and rolled down her face. She shook with every breath.

He had to do something before the strain broke her completely. The conventional methods obviously were not working and he dared not use water because of what it would do to himself.

He looked around the room, searching for ideas, anything. A thought crossed his mind, but he dismissed it. It cropped up again, refusing to leave. Would it work? It wouldn't allow him to share what she was going through, but it just might break through to her inner consciousness enough that he could calm her. It was worth the risk.

His decision set, Jiro gently set Mimiko back against her pillow. Slowly, he reached for her arm, pushing her sleeve up to the elbow. Like he had once before, he brought his lips close to her skin, her arm held by one of his gloved hands. With a soft caress, he kissed her wrist and pulled back enough for his fangs to have room as they extended further from his jaw. He hesitated for just a moment.

This was a dangerous moment. He didn't doubt his self-control, but her body's ability to cope with what he had in mind. To be able to resonate with her properly, and for what he hoped would be long enough, he'd have to drink more than a few drops. And with everything that had gone on lately, her body's ability to cope was likely compromised. But the danger of leaving her in this state out-weighted any other thought. If he didn't break her from the nightmare, it would cause other kinds of damage that might not be repairable. The body would eventually recover from blood loss. He sunk his fangs into her wrist.

A shudder ran down Mimiko's body and her eyes flew open in shock. A gasp slid between her lips as her back arched. Jiro's other hand instantly went to support her so that she wouldn't harm herself. He could tell by the blankness in her eyes that it was only her body that had responded so far.

Her blood tasted slightly off, possibly a sign of anemia. It wouldn't have surprised him, considering her appetite as of late. He kept an eye on her pallor as her blood flowed into him, building and strengthening the connection between them. After about half a minute, he stopped, releasing her wrist from his fangs. It would have to be enough. He didn't dare take more. He already knew he'd have to keep a close watch in case of complications.

Gently, he lowered her back against the bedding as her eyes closed. He was grateful that nothing had snapped, despite how much her body had reacted. He licked the small trickle of blood from the puncture marks. The slight flow would stop in a minute.

She was flushed, but her heart wasn't pounding quite as hard, nor did her breath come as frantically, both of which he considered good signs. But she still wasn't overly responsive, lying like a lifeless doll.

Mimiko. He thought about their first meeting on the beach and how he'd seen her, hoping the images were breaking through the nightmares. Despite his initial mistrust at that time, he had seen her as some kind of angel. He tried to bring up every happy memory he had with her, anything that might pull her through. His thoughts went to the ocean and the sound of it crashing against the beach.

Mimiko stirred. "Jiro," she murmured weakly. Her fists clenched, then relaxed. She smelled the ocean, could hear seagulls. Behind her eyelids, the darkness started to brighten like the sun was rising behind them, dispelling nighttime shadows.

Jiro leaned over her, his eyes searching her face. He tasted the air. "Mimiko," he half whispered. "Are you all right?"

Her heart gave a very strange thump, like it was beating with someone else's, being calmed by it. She hadn't felt that since… The brunette groggily opened her eyes again. "Jiro?" She blinked in confusion, a sense of euphoria still lingering in her body, confusing her. "What…? Why can I hear your thoughts?"

He leaned back just a little, lifting her arm into view. A slight trickle of blood ran down the skin in explanation, which he quickly blotted with a sleeve.

Her eyes grew large as she suddenly understood what he'd done. "Why?" She tried to sit but couldn't.

"It's best if you lie quietly," he advised, putting a restraining hand on her shoulder. "I only did what I thought was necessary. You were trapped in a dream that I could not wake you from."

Her breath quickened, remembering. "The vampire," she whispered, eyes going wide once more. "I could see him." She grabbed at his sleeve. "He was stalking me. He was going to…" She couldn't go on and closed her eyes against the thought, tears leaking out of the corner of her eyes.

Jiro pulled her towards him as he sat on the bed. "It's all right. I won't let that happen. You're safe." He projected thoughts of warmth and happiness towards her.

She could feel the sincerity of his words as the blood he'd taken from her resonated inside him. She relaxed into his arms, suddenly feeling safer than she had for a long time. "Thank you," she whispered.

The two sat like that for some time. Mimiko was so quiet Jiro wondered if she hadn't fallen back to sleep. He looked down to see her staring at him. "Aren't you tired," he asked as he brushed a strand of hair from her face.

She sighed. "I'm more afraid of sleeping," she admitted. "I don't want to dream. I don't want to see those gleaming eyes anymore. I don't want…"

He pressed one gloved finger to her lips. "It's all right. I understand. You don't have to do anything you don't want to." But he slowly rocked her, letting the calm of the ocean fill his thoughts like a lullaby. He knew she needed the sleep, desperately needed it, and he would encourage her as much as he could. As for her dreams, he could only suggest things to keep others out.

She closed her eyes and saw through his as he watched her. Was that how others saw her, she wondered, slightly haggard and pale, though that could have been from the poor lighting. There were two bright points at her cheeks. She opened her eyes again so that she didn't have to see them.

Jiro frowned slightly and looked away. Perhaps it would help her if he closed his eyes as well, he thought, realizing what she had probably seen. Perhaps she was too keyed up to sleep. "Are you thirsty," he asked.

"Huh?" She was surprised when he broke the silence.

He saw momentary panic in her eyes and reinforced his thoughts of the ocean, something he knew would sooth her. "I thought, maybe a glass of milk," he suggested. He wouldn't have minded feeding her something a bit more substantial while he was at it, but they would take things one step at a time.

She eyed him warily. Her thoughts were still muddled, but she was thirsty. And milk did sound good. "Okay," she finally agreed.

He gently set her back down. "I'll be right back." He had turned to leave the room but stopped to glance back, hearing her breathing speed up a little. "It's all right, Mimiko," he comforted. "I'll only be gone for a minute. You won't be alone. You can still hear my thoughts, can't you?"

She nodded, a bit reluctant, but he was right. She wasn't alone, and she couldn't afford to rely so heavily on him for her emotional stability, no matter how fragile it was at the moment. But she wanted that comfort. She put one hand to her head. She felt a little dizzy.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Jiro took a little longer than necessary to procure one glass of milk, but the soothing warmth of the drink was more than worth the wait as she sipped it, once again in his comforting arms. He had to help her hold the glass. She felt like a little child, Jinnai holding her in his lap as he comforted her after a bad dream. It had been such a long time since she'd last felt that childhood security. The memory was more than comfort to her, the sound of the ocean running in the background of her mind. She'd always lived near the ocean.

After about half an hour, Jiro gently placed her under the covers. He wasn't sure how long the resonance had lasted, but it had lasted long enough to set her onto happier dreams at least. She was smiling slightly in her sleep.

With a sigh, he tucked her in and left the room, leaving the door partially open so that a small amount of light spilled in. Even though it was only late afternoon, with her curtains closed, it was almost as dark as night inside. "Sleep well, Mimiko," he whispered as he left.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

A quick knock sounded from the main level of the apartment. Jiro hadn't had a moment to really relax before its sound reached him. Now what, he wondered. He sniffed the air, but the wind was coming from the wrong direction to bring him much scent. One thing he was sure of was that whoever was out there was a Black Blood. Though the scent was slightly masked by other things, it was also somewhat familiar.

With a heavy sigh, he went down the stairs. His eyes registered his surprise as he opened the door and he took an involuntary step back. He suddenly wished he'd grabbed his katana on the way down. catch up to Jiro.

[Zelman Clock]

Chapter Eight

A quick knock sounded at the doorway and Jiro went to answer. He took a quick step back when he saw who was behind the metal barrier.

"Well, Silver Blade," Zelman grinned through the open doorway, "Aren't you going to invite me in?"

-xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Hibari bent to retrieve her drink from the vending machine. Compared to the day before, today was turning out to be completely boring. Mimiko wasn't there to tease about Jiro Mochizuki. The usual crew was all out on assignments, and there was no real juicy gossip to spread or anyone to really spread it to, which was absolutely annoying and unacceptable in her book.

Chihuru, one of her fellow compromisers, tottered past, her face all nervous. She was acting very flustered, more so than usual. And this girl was easily flustered.

Sensing a bit of fun, Hibari went in for the kill. "Hey, Chihuru," she called. "Got a new assignment? Or is it a hot date?" She was rewarded by the younger girl turning beet red. Score! "Come on," she goaded, "tell auntie Hibari all about it."

Chihuru looked like she was going to try and dodge out, but Hibari was faster, grabbing her by the wrist and latching on. She laughed nervously. "Uh… yeah, a date." She looked around nervously.

Hibari beamed in her face. "Come on. So who is it?" She led the poor soul towards a few chairs, forcing her to sit with her. "Someone in the Company? A civilian?" She stopped suddenly, putting one hand to her chest in shock. "Don't tell me, it's a vampire!"

Chihuru almost fainted, her face going white. "N..n…n…" she tried to stammer but nothing much came out.

The older girl thought for a moment. "On second though, I think Mimiko's the only one who has a vampire chasing after her, right?" She let the girl's wrist go as she shrugged. It would be too good to be true to have another compromiser with a Black Blood after her.

The moment the younger compromiser's hand was free, she was jumping up and heading towards the door. "S..sorry! Gotta go!"

Hibari watched after her. What a strange duck! Maybe she had to use the bathroom, she mused. She decided there wasn't really anything she could do about it now, except spread some rumors. She went in search of the first person available.

-xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Jiro had been reluctant. He had no idea what the Crimson-Eyed Zelman wanted, nor was he sure he wanted to find out. He was still smoldering over the condition he'd brought Mimiko in over a week ago. But he had to be courteous, even if the brunette was asleep. She'd probably hear about it sooner or later and vent her frustration over the matter. After all, she was a compromiser and wanted everyone to get along.

He ushered Zelman into the main level of the apartment, not bothering to invite him to the living level. "All right," he said, arms folded, his face showing his disapproval. "What do you want? Please make tell me quickly. Mimiko is sleeping." His eyebrow twitched.

Zelman moved freely about the semi-cluttered space, randomly touching a box here and there. Hearing Jiro's tone, though, he put both hands in the pockets of his running suit. "That's hardly a complimentary tone, Silver Blade," he chided. "It's not like I'm the one who's been harassing little Mimiko."

Jiro ground his teeth, not that he needed that kind of excuse to dislike the older vampire. "My patience is very thin today," he informed, wondering what the Crimson-Eyed Butcher meant when he'd call Mimiko little.

Zelman put his hands in the air, though his air was more teasing than angry. "Fine! Forget the pleasantries! You're far to polite for me." He put his hands back in his pockets. He grinned maliciously for a moment, then settled his face back to a more neutral expression. "I have some information you might find very useful, something Jinnai would probably never willingly tell you."

The Silver Blade's curiosity was piqued, but he wasn't about to admit it. He absently felt for his blade, but it was safely out of reach, upstairs. He cursed silently for not grabbing it on the way down.

"You don't need to be so defensive," Zelman said, easily reading the younger vampire easily. "I'm not going to do anything to harm either you, Kotaro, or the compromiser."

Jiro doubted that and it showed. "Tell me what you came to tell me, then," he growled. "I'm very busy, as I'm sure you are very aware."

Zelman laughed easily. "Very well. You young people are always so impatient." He leaned against one of the larger boxes, pulling out a cigarette and lit it with a flick of his fingers. "You might want to make yourself comfortable, Silver Blade," he warned. "This is a long tale." He inhaled deeply before beginning, giving Jiro a chance to find a seat since he didn't seem inclined to lead them to a more comfortable setting.

"About eighteen or twenty years ago, Hong Kong was just starting to really accept vampires," he began. "You should know, you were in the area, when you weren't gallivanting around the country with the Sage." He smiled at Jiro's reaction, pausing only momentarily in his explanation to take another pull from his death stick.

"Jinnai Shogo had started a program of compromisers to help mediate between humans and vampires. A noble effort on his part, I might add. But not all vampires wanted to see humans as equals, preferring to view them as a source of food instead of as potential allies and friends."

Jiro rolled his eyes, shifting his weight impatiently. "I'm aware of that faction, Zelman, and I don't need a lesson in history," he warned. "If you're not going to tell me something I don't know, you might want to seriously consider leaving before I ask more forcefully." He left the threat hanging.

Zelman tsked at him. "You never change, do you?" He grinned at some private joke. It was just as well. "Still no appreciation for history. Then let me get to the main point of the story, the part you should be interested in because it involves Mimiko Katsuragi's parents."

Times were hard. Even though parts of Hong Kong had accepted vampires and their existence, not everyone was thrilled with the arrangements, including various vampire factions. There was one vampire, in particular, who seemed even less inclined to want to change to the new way of thinking. His name was Kanaye Raidon. Among his followers, he was called the Zealous Thunder God. And he had quite the following.

There was one compromiser who tried to not give up hope on converting him to a more peaceful way of living, like so many of the other bloodlines already had. Her name was Amaya Katsuragi, Mimiko's mother. She had been a compromiser for two years when she was given the assignment to try and reason with Kanaye.

We both know that there is no reasoning with a vampire in that mindset. The Kowloon Children are only one example of that. Humans are nothing to them, just trash, a convenient source of food, subservient to the greater vampire who may do with them as they please. But Amaya was determined to give her best effort. However, after several months of trying to persuade him to at least try to coexist peacefully, the Company gave up on the idea.

Unfortunately for her, the Zealous Thunder God had set on a personal vendetta against her and her family, vowing that they should be eradicated completely. Perhaps he thought that if he used her family as an example, the Company would back down and retake their subservient role. Who knows what reason his crazed mind decided on. All that really matters is that he saw the Katsuragi family as a personal enemy that had to be destroyed at whatever cost.

He planned his assault long and carefully. But some of his men became impatient and struck before he was ready, a fatal mistake on their part. We were tipped off about the hit by an over arrogant follower. Unfortunately, we arrived too late to save her parents, but we saved the girl."

Zelman threw his wasted cigarette to the ground, smashing it under his heel. "The Suppression Team made quick work of the vampires attacking the house. Amaya had managed to escape out a window, taking her small child with her, but she didn't make it past the yard. Mimiko was found some ways from the house." He trailed off, baiting Jiro.

Jiro let his fangs show, his eyes hard. In the back of his mind, he heard four words running over and over again. We saved the girl. We. He wondered what Zelman had meant by that. Surely he hadn't been involved as well. It wasn't like him, unless he had something to gain from it. "Why was I never told about this," he asked angrily, breaking the silence. He vaguely remembered, now that he thought about it, the name of Amaya Katsuragi. Had he known her?

Zelman gave a casual shrug. "Who knows? Maybe they didn't think you could handle it, knowing Mimiko's past that is. Not many people know, only those who were there." He took out another cigarette and lit it. "Besides," he said around the stick, "I doubt she remembers it. Jinnai decided it was best that she forget about it."

Jiro all but gasped. "You don't mean he…?" He couldn't say it. It was too horrible to think about, even if it had been done as a protection. Sealing away someone's memories was dangerous. And it was far from acceptable, especially if the person whose memories were sealed didn't have a say in the matter.

Zelman's expression turned serious for once in their entire conversation. "Yes, Silver Blade. I mean exactly that. Jinnai asked to have it done because he couldn't stand to watch her wake screaming every night from nightmares about her parents' murder. He couldn't stand to see her being mentally torn apart because it tore him apart. You may call him weak for not wanting to live that night over and over again through her eyes as she screamed and cried to make it stop."

Jiro felt like he'd been slapped. He had no idea that she'd had that kind of past. But still, to seal away her memories, to take away a critical part of her past… it was unacceptable. He grabbed Zelman roughly by his collar. He entirely forgot that Mimiko was sleeping upstairs, that Kotaro was just back in his room playing. "Who? Who did he ask? Was it you? Tell me!" he shouted angrily.

Zelman ignored the outburst. Instead, he looked over the enraged vampire's shoulder, towards the stairs. "You might think about being a bit more quiet," he chided. "Didn't you say Mimiko was trying to sleep?"

Jiro didn't let him go. "I want to know who sealed her memories, Zelman Clock," he hissed. "I want to know everything you aren't telling me, and I want to know now."

Zelman smirked. He was about to open his mouth when Kotaro called from upstairs.

"Brother!"

Jiro froze. His fingers released Zelman's lapel without him telling them to. He turned slowly to face the stairs, composing his face.

Zelman took the opportunity to slide a few paces away, though he was just as curious about Kotaro's appearance as Jiro was. However, with Jiro's outburst, it wasn't entirely surprising that the young Black Blood had come to investigate.

Kotaro poked his head around the doorway at the top of the stairs. "Brother?" His eyes lit up. "There you are! I thought you were taking a nap!"

Zelman stifled a snort behind his hand, pretending to light another cigarette. The younger vampire's expression was so amusing.

The young Black Blood noticed his brother's company. "Oh hello, Zelman," he waved as he came down. "What are you doing here? Did you come to see Mimiko?"

The Old Blood smiled warmly. "Just checking in to see how she's holding up," he stated. "Jiro was kind enough to inform me that she was sleeping. I was just on my way out."

"Zelman," Jiro growled warningly.

The Crimson-Eyed vampire merely shrugged. "We'll have to talk again later. I'm supposed to meet with the whole assembly before too long. You don't want me to be late, do you?"

Jiro couldn't say anything and it frustrated him no end. He had no idea if he was telling the truth or not, but he supposed it didn't really matter. He probably would get nothing else from him, not now that Kotaro had joined them so unexpectedly.

Zelman had already opened the door. He turned to wave. "Tell Mimiko that I said hello," he called as he shut the door behind him.

"Kay," Kotaro called back, completely unaware that he'd interrupted something important.

Jiro sighed, letting some of the tension in his shoulders release. He shouldn't be bantering with other Old Bloods, even if he had information that would prove very useful. Mimiko was still asleep and very vulnerable, even though the area was fairly secure. Anything could go wrong and usually did.

"Let's go, Kotaro," he called as he headed up the stairs. "We should make something for dinner."

-xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Almost on the other side of the Special Zone, in an abandoned warehouse, Chihuru waited nervously. She checked her watch for the tenth time in under a minute. Either her watch was no longer working, or they were late.

She tried to smooth her blouse, not Company issue. She'd exchanged the uniform for something more civilian over an hour ago, but the anticipatory anxiety of what was going to happen tonight had been more than enough to keep her poor heart fluttering in spasms and fits. She clasped her hands, both of which were clammy.

It had been quite a while since she'd last had her blood sucked, at least it seemed like it had. When the Kowloon Children had showed up, she'd been a bit more hesitant, afraid that one of her coven had become one of them hated clan, but she needn't have feared. They'd disliked the Kowloon as much as the Company had, though probably not for the same reasons.

Chihuru was having withdrawals, had been for over a week now, though no one seemed to have noticed. Everything that had gone on with that Katsuragi girl had kept their attention from her, which was good. It also kept her free to help in the preparations for tonight. Tonight, she would be welcoming in one of the most important Black Bloods she'd ever get to meet, the vampire who had "saved" her several years ago. And though she went through the motions of her daily life, she couldn't understand why so many of he fellow Red Bloods didn't just let the vampires take a little nip every now and again. It was pure euphoria, better than any drug.

Footsteps sounded from outside. Her heart sped up. Had she been discovered? Or was it her accepted clan finally showing up? One of the many doors opened, four or five vampires entering the building. She let out a sigh of relief. She knew every one of them, had had her blood sucked by each in turn.

They were laughing casually amongst themselves. Each had accepted a job somewhere in the Special Zone, blending in with the natives. One even drove a taxi. There were quite a few more of them, but only five were needed for tonight's venture. The others were safely hidden, finalizing plans, minus one that The Coven had gotten and torn apart. It was an unavoidable loss in this battle, and the vampire had been stupid, actually attacking in broad daylight.

"There she is," one called, like they'd been waiting for Chihuru, instead of the other way around. "Told ya she couldn't resist!" He walked over to the compromiser, who was blushing furiously.

She immediately began unbuttoning the top buttons of her shirt, mentally preparing herself to have her craving filled.

The vampire who had spoken put a hand on her shoulder. "Not yet, love," he laughed at her eagerness. "We need to do a job first, then we'll suck all you want." His fellows laughed like he'd told some joke. "We're going for a little ride. Our god has finally arrived and needs an invitation."

-xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Jinnai was tired. Various reports had come in over the day of minor incidents around the Special Zone, things that might or might not be related. He'd sent teams out to investigate, but so far, there was no news. He steepled his fingers, resting his forehead on them, elbows on his desk. How long had it been since he'd had a decent night's sleep, he wondered. Too long.

A soft knock came at the door and he called for whoever to enter.

Rinsuke's purple hair poked through the doorway as the man leaned around the frame, one hand still on the doorknob. "Hey Chief," he called. In the other hand, he held a folder. "You're up rather late. I have the lab reports back for you," he added as he moved into the room.

Jinnai indicated that he should leave them on the desk as he rubbed at his eyes to try and get some of the sleep out of them. He leaned back in his chair without touching the file.

Rinsuke perched on the desk. "What is it," he asked, his expression matching his boss's apparent mood.

Jinnai leaned forward again. "Rinsuke, I'm getting old."

The purple haired investigator blinked in surprise. Where had that come from? Sure, the man was reaching into his fifties, that didn't mean he was old. "I'm not sure I follow you," he admitted.

The older man sighed. "It's all of this, the stress, the waiting. I don't like sitting around, feeling helpless. My little girl is in danger. The entire Special Zone could be in danger!"

Rinsuke didn't say anything. He didn't have to. They'd worked together for far too long not to understand each other.

"I'm tired," Jinnai continued. "I want to be able to sleep through the night again, not stay up late, wondering what will happen next, what kind of threat will present itself."

"We just have to go one day at a time," he younger man reminded, his tone more serious than usual. "Consider it all a test of our strength. And every day we only get stronger because we have to. I know you're worried about Mimiko, but she's in good hands. And Badrick's men are keeping an eye out as well."

Jinnai laughed slightly. "You're right," he admitted. "That's how things always have been and how they always will be. There will always be some threat on the horizon. I really need to stop borrowing trouble."

Rinsuke smiled. "There, you see? It's not as bad as you were making it out to be. Every cloud has a silver lining!"

Jinnai walked around the desk, clapping his companion on the back. "You're right. I'm going home to get some sleep. The Special Zone always calls early."

Rinsuke watched his superior leave, wondering if he had forgotten about the report or if he was purposely ignoring it for the evening. It was rather late, after all. He wondered if he should call him back to look it over, but he understood what it meant to be as tired as he knew the Chief was. The report could wait until morning.

-xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Kanaye Raidon pushed the lifeless body away from him, then wiped his mouth. He could feel her blood swirling around inside him, strengthening him. It had been some time since he'd last tasted human blood and it made him feel all the more powerful.

It was too bad that he'd had to drain the poor human's life away in the process, but after resonating with him, she'd known too much to let her live. It was a pity, really. She'd been a good tool, a way to smuggle his followers into the Special Zone, with no one the wiser for it.

"Lord," one of his followers bowed low, "what should we do with the body?" He didn't look at the dead compromiser. He couldn't stand to. After all, he'd sort of grown attached to her, and revealing that might be a very bad idea.

Kanaye waved a hand. "Leave her," he instructed. "It's hardly likely that they will find her any time soon. We proceed immediately as planned. Are our scouts in place?"

The vampire bowed again. "Yes, my lord. The building is being guarded from the outside, and likely from inside. I've had all of our brethren gather at the safe house. They've all been anxiously waiting for your arrival."

"Good," he smiled. "Let us not make them wait any longer. The Zealous Thunder God has returned."