A Light In The Heart Of Darkness

Kotaro took one look at Yohji groping ‘His Woman’ and lost it. Within the blink of an eye, Yohji was slammed against the wall with Kotaro’s hand around his throat, lifting him several inches into the air. He had dealt with the lecherous brothers before and where one was… the other was sure to follow.

His senses were on high alert as he smelled Hitomi’s stench and knew he was coming from behind. With one well-placed kick, Kotaro sent Hitomi flying through the air, to land in a heap on the floor down the hall. People scattered and the hallway quickly cleared.

Kyoko sat where she had landed on the floor with her eyes wide… almost missing what had just happened, since it had happen so fast. Her gaze went from the crumpled form of Hitomi to the furious form of Kotaro who was holding the neck of a slowly turning blue Yohji.

Knowing she had to stop Kotaro before he really hurt someone, Kyoko gasped and started to stand up. Pressing her hands on the floor, she stumbled up behind Kotaro, laying a hand on his shoulder as she tried to calm him.

“Thanks Kotaro, but I’m alright now, so you can let Yohji go. Okay?” Her voice was soft but her panic heightened when Kotaro’s fingers tightened around Yohji’s throat. Kotaro turned his face to Kyoko and she took a startled step back seeing the red tint around his ice blue eyes.

“I saw where his hand was, Kyoko, and I think it’s time to take the trash out!” Kotaro growled as he turned back to Yohji and listened in morbid fascination as the boy made gurgling sounds and turned a frightening shade of blue.

Kotaro’s temper was satisfied by the darker color giving him enough control to realize Kyoko was watching him in shock. Needing to ease her fear, he grabbed Yohji by the scruff of his shirt and headed for the door to teach the bastard some manners. She didn’t need to see the rest.

Kyoko blinked as the door slammed shut behind Kotaro. Dumbfounded, she was still in a shocked daze. Wow, Kotaro could be really scary when he was mad. She even felt sorry for Yohji at that moment.

Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Yohji’s brother Hitomi still lying where Kotaro had left him on the floor. For once, she didn’t mind that Kotaro was so protective of her. She shivered and tried not to think of what could have happened had Kotaro not shown up when he did.

Kyou watched her gnaw on her bottom lip as if uncertain of what to do. As her gaze traveled back to the door, he mused. So she has the protection of the Lycan. He wondered what other mysteries surrounded the girl. This one wasn’t a normal wolf, the one she had called Kotaro, he could sense, was as old as himself.

Kyoko stepped closer to the glass doors looking out at the dark parking lot, wondering where Kotaro had gone. Putting her hand on the handle, she started to open the door but a young boy stepped in front of it, blocking her path. She stood motionless for a moment as the small boy locked eyes with her. It was the eeriest feeling she had ever experienced.

The boy had solid white hair and a skin tone that almost matched it. But that wasn’t the worst part. His eyes were so black, they seemed to go on forever, giving Kyoko the feeling she was falling into them. The boy smiled softly, barely baring his inhuman fangs and for a moment, Kyoko actually believed she saw them.

A hand came out of nowhere and gripped Kyoko’s shoulder making a terrified scream lodge in her throat as she turned to see whose hand it belonged to.

*****

Kyou stepped out of the darkness when he saw Hyakuhei's minion on the other side of the glass. He knew of the deceiving boy. The youngest one who seemed so innocent was often the most deadly.

Gliding up behind Kyoko, his eyes bled and his fangs elongated letting the ghost of a boy know he would not bite this girl without losing his own immortal life.

Kyoko's hand stilled on the door not quite sure if she wanted to open it. Something about the young boy was really creeping her out. Just as she started to take a step back, a heavy hand came out of nowhere and gripped her shoulder. A terrified scream lodged in her throat as she turned to see who it was.

Kyoko forgot to breathe as she looked up into eyes of shattering gold. Long white hair framed his face and shoulders. He was a couple of years older and his hair was missing the darkness behind the silver highlights, but he almost looked like…

"Toya?" Kyoko whispered hesitantly, knowing she was wrong but more importantly… why was the room spinning?

As soon as their eyes locked, Kyou felt drawn into them. She was looking at him as if she knew him. But that wasn't near as disturbing as when she whispered his dead brother's name. His arms slipped around her, seeing her sway from the tainted liquid she had consumed earlier.

As his hands slid across her bare skin where her shirt was too short to cover, he felt a stirring within his vampire blood, whispering for him to keep her.

Kyoko's eyesight had decided she wasn't good enough for it at the moment. It seemed to defy her will as the man began to blur while she gazed up at him curiously. Even if she couldn't see well, she could still feel the body holding her.

Reaching her fingers up to touch his cheek, she asked. "You’re not Toya… Who are you?" Before she could get an answer, Buddha or whatever god kept playing tricks on her, turned out the lights as she slipped into unconsciousness.

Kyou clasped her tightly to him as her body went limp in his arms. She had passed out but at least she hadn’t passed out in the arms of an enemy. Her head fell back exposing the smooth pale column of her throat and Kyou fought his instincts. He silently wondered if she wasn’t in the arms of the enemy after all. His fangs started to lengthen and he reigned the sensation in… this one was too pure for such darkness.

He then felt his anger spark at the naive girl. If he had not been here to protect her, what would have happened to her? He conveniently forgot his own urges just moments before. If the wolf had been an adequate protector, he would not have left her. He looked around realizing the friends she had been with earlier had also abandon her.

Stretching his senses, Kyou could still feel his own nemesis, Hyakuhei, within the confines of the building. Feeling the evil coming from above him, he knew Hyakuhei was somewhere high up in the rooms on the second floor.

*****

Shinbe jumped out of the car before it had even stopped moving. One thing spurred him forward and had him heading straight for the main entrance of the club at a dead run. He couldn't get the thought of Suki and Kyoko becoming one of those missing girls out of his head and it was terrorizing him.

Toya had filled him in on what Kotaro had told him and once he got his hands on Suki, he was going to very well keep them there. Where on her body he couldn't say but he had to find her first.

Shinbe stopped dead in his tracks when he burst through the front doors of Club Midnight.

Right there in the middle of the hallway was a man holding Kyoko and she didn't look that well. She was unmoving and way too pale. For that matter, the man didn't look all that normal either. Pale would have been an understatement for him… which made Shinbe pause nervously when he realized the man reminded him of his best friend.

The silver hair and golden eyes… Toya’s hair was dark as midnight but within it were the same silver streaks as the man in front of him. Those were very uncommon characteristics and he only knew of Toya ever having that type of unusual combination.

Noticing the man moving to leave with her, Shinbe pushed the uneasy feeling aside. Toya would kill him if he didn’t stop the abduction of Kyoko.

"What the hell are you doing with Kyoko?" Amethyst eyes glowed as Shinbe yelled, feeling his feet move again without thought. She may not be his girlfriend but she was very dear to him… dearer then even he would admit and plus, she was Suki's best friend. No way was this guy leaving with Kyoko in his clutches.

Kyou slid his arm under Kyoko's knees and lifted her effortlessly. He cradled her like a baby, laying her head against his shoulder, careful not to disturb her. The moment her head touched his shoulder, she snuggled into his embrace, sighing softly.

He could feel the trust and contentment emit from her aura as she settled in his arms. This woman-child disturbed him greatly and the longer he watched her slumber, the more he wanted to hide her from everyone. He knew he could… if he really wanted to and the temptation was great indeed. He had never turned anyone into what he was … but if he wanted to… he could.

His protectiveness of the girl, as well as the possessive need to keep her surprised him and Kyou growled softly at his actions. How could this girl affect him like this? Tearing his gaze from her angelic face, he looked up as a young man shouted at him. It would seem that the men who wanted her kept getting in the way.

Gold eyes locked with amethyst and he sensed an odd familiarity. “This is not for you to decide wizard,” Kyou warned in a low deadly tone.

At that moment he knew that Hyakuhei himself would not be able to take her from him, she was his. His arms tightened around her, not liking the love he could feel rising for the girl radiating from the other man's powerful aura.

Steeling himself against his wayward thoughts, Kyou growled again softly. He would not let the girl get to him but… he wasn’t ready to give her up yet. He had too many questions and she would answer them, whether she liked it or not.

Positive he had himself back under control, Kyou decided it was time to depart.

Shinbe was on his way to Kyoko when the man moved. Moved? That might not have been the right word. Shimmered and disappeared, then reappearing out of nowhere right in front of him was more like it.

"What the…" Shinbe skidded to a stop as he looked up into a face that had death written all over it.

His eyes widened in shock, it felt as if his heart just stopped. This close to him… he could clearly see the man had practically porcelain white skin and looked too much like Toya for it to be a joke. Blinking, he could've sworn he noticed fangs protrude from the man's mouth and a warning growl rumble around them.

Shinbe stood planted as the man reached out one finger and pushed against his chest. The next thing Shinbe knew, he was sitting on his butt in the middle of the floor. Blinking again, he sat confused as the silver haired man dressed in black simply stepped over him, then suddenly disappeared.

Suki reached the hall just in time to see Shinbe hit the floor none too gently and a tall, silver haired man disappearing with Kyoko. She blinked once and they were gone… there one second then gone the next.

Shinbe, who looked like he was in the twilight zone, sat there for a moment longer, blinking in confusion. "What the hell?"

Running up to Shinbe, Suki’s hands shook as she attempted to help him stand up. "Who was that man that disappeared with Kyoko?" She glanced at Shinbe worriedly as they both turned and rushed out the door to find them. `Did he really just disappear?'

They exited the building and looked around frantically only to find no trace of the man or Kyoko anywhere.

Turning to Shinbe, Suki's eyes shimmered. She felt like she was on the verge of tears. "Where'd they go? That man kidnapped Kyoko!" She was shaking with fear. What had started out as a fun girl's night out had turned into a nightmare.