The warm, fleeting brush of lips against the nape of his neck made him shiver, even as the copper scent of blood assaulted his nose and called to his hunger.

Hands, as warm as the lips from before, found their way to his shoulders, then smoothed down his chest, making him sigh and then whimper as they traveled lower to caress his stomach. The owner of the wanton hands pressed hot against his back, unseen.

Shido couldn’t stop the gasp that escaped his lips as one of those hands roamed lower still.

Warm breath tickled his ear; the blood-smell was stronger, closer, and hunger of one kind and another twined within him to create something dark and screaming and exquisitely painful. The hand continued to stroke between his legs, drawing helpless noises from his mouth while his hips rocked slightly in time with the touches.

Briefly, he wondered where the other hand had gone to.

“Shido…” The voice at his ear was a rough velvet purr, low and sensuous and somehow frightening.

He shook his head in denial, though he wasn’t sure exactly what he was denying.

“Shido, I feel your hunger, your pain. Taste, Shido, taste that which you seek to escape.”

He closed his eyes and shook his head again. The hand increased its sweet friction and he moaned, hips bucking helplessly. “Please,” he managed to gasp, though what he begged for he did not know.

Fingers trailed across his lips and left wetness behind. Almost in spite of himself, he licked his lips.

He tasted blood.

It was too much, oh God too much, the hunger consuming like beautiful white-hot fire…

“Mister Shido?”

Shido sat up in his chair with an audible gasp, and the startled Riho squeaked and jumped back, dropping the mug of coffee she’d carried over.

“Oh! Riho, I’m sorry…”

She laughed nervously. “It’s okay, just let me get something to clean this up with…” She went into the kitchenette and returned with a towel to sop up the mess on the carpet.

Guni yawned and stretched as she sat up from her lazy sprawl on one of the couch pillows. “You havin’ weird dreams again, Shido?”

Riho looked up, concerned. “’Again’?” she repeated. “Are you feeling okay, Mister Shido?”

He coughed rather embarrassedly. “I’m fine, I’m fine. I can’t even remember what the dreams are about, really.”

She held his gaze for a moment, and he hoped to hell he wasn’t blushing. Sure, he couldn’t entirely recall the dream… But the fact that his pants were suddenly way too tight told him exactly what sort of dream it had been. Thank God I’m sitting behind the desk…

Riho shrugged. “Okay. As long as they’re not nightmares or anything.” She carried the coffee-soaked towel into the kitchen.

“They’re not nightmares,” Shido spoke to her retreating back. “I think. I mean…” His voice trailed off. A wisp of some emotion (Worry? Anxiety? Fear?) brushed across his mind, but it was gone as soon as it had come, and he shrugged, physically trying to shake off the sensation.

Guni was frowning as she chewed on a lock of her hair, her eyes unfocused and her chin in her hands.

“What is it, Guni?” Shido asked of the thoughtful look.

“Just thinkin’,” she said. “About the case, I mean.”

“Ah, the case with no leads, you mean?” Shido leaned back in his chair and put his feet up on his desk. The casual pose belied his own concerns. “It’s been almost two weeks, and neither we nor Yayoi have had any breakthroughs. The woman who was murdered must have been in the wrong place at the wrong time, I’m sorry to say, and was unfortunate enough to run into Cain.”

“So why haven’t we heard from Cain at all?” Riho walked back into the room with a new cup of coffee and set it on the desk. “I mean, if the murder was a display for Mister Shido, then why hasn’t Cain come back? Why hasn’t he done anything else?”

Valid questions, Shido thought. Intelligent questions. “I don’t know,” he admitted, reluctantly. He picked up the coffee, held it to his face, allowing the soothing, fragrant steam to calm his nerves a little. He couldn’t actually drink the coffee (anything more than sips of water would make him violently ill), but the scent of it always made him feel better, somehow. He noted rather idly that it was a mug Riho had bought him, with a picture of a sunny landscape and a quote that read, “Life may be expensive, but at least it includes a free trip around the sun every year”. It always made him smile.

Suddenly the door banged open with enough force to rattle its hinges, and a frazzled-looking Yayoi rushed in. “Shido. There’s been another murder.” She stopped to catch her breath. “I really think you need to see this.”

Shido, Guni, and Riho all shared a look. Maybe this would provide some answers.

Then again, maybe it would only raise more questions.

The second murder had taken place in a swanky high-rise apartment not far from the Ginza district. Police cars with still-flashing lights swarmed around the entrance, blocking the rest of the street to through traffic. A steady stream of cops, both uniform and plainclothes, marched in and out like determined ants.

Shido noticed the ambulance parked patiently to one side. The EMTs leaned against it, a few smoking cigarettes and chatting with a couple of men who wore the coroners’ uniforms.

“How’d you convince them to leave the body undisturbed?” Shido wanted to know.

Yayoi pursed her lips. “Chalk it up to my persuasive charm.” Her tone was meant to be light and teasing, but Shido could hear weariness underneath.

Stay strong, Yayoi. I need you for this, Shido thought.

They took the elevator up to the tenth floor.

It was easy to identify the right apartment; the doors were still open and police went to and fro, some milling out in the hall and some sort of lingering in the doorway.

They were stopped at the door by a young man who gave Shido a narrow-eyed look, then turned to Yayoi. “This your pet detective, Matsunaga?”

Yayoi’s expression was unreadable. “This is my associate, Tatsuhiko Shido, yes,” she said.

The man snorted. “’Associate’.” He glared at Shido. “You think you can find something here that we can’t, mister Private Investigator?” His tone dripped contempt, and Shido was surprised it hadn’t formed a puddle at his feet.

Subtle, very subtle. Shido shrugged, a casual, almost elegant movement. “There’s no way to tell until you let me see the body, Officer…?” He left a blank space for the man to supply his name.

“Takashi.” No first name. No softening of expression or posture. This was going to be difficult.

“Well, Officer Takashi—“

“That’s Lieutenant Takashi.”

Shido suppressed a sigh and tried it again. “Lieutenant Takashi, if you’ll kindly just allow us by—“

“Oh, to hell with this,” Yayoi snarled. She marched up to Takashi, and in her high heels they were exactly the same height. “Hirose, stop being an asshole and get out of the way.”

Takashi (first name Hirose) scowled at Yayoi, dark eyes flashing with barely suppressed anger. Idly, Shido thought that he’d be a rather handsome man if not for the perpetual scowl. “I don’t like private eyes, Yayoi. This is my goddamn case.”

“I know that,” she replied. “We’re not here to steal your thunder, Hirose. Shido’s just here to add another point of view.”

The Lieutenant’s expression soured even further; he’s not going to let me past, Shido realized. But then the other man shook his head and turned his eyes back to the vampire. “Don’t touch anything,” he warned, and Shido knew they’d won, for now.

“I’ve been to crime scenes before, Lieutenant, I know the protocol,” Shido assured him.

The other’s lip curled in a snarl, and with an angry motion he moved away from the door, brushing past close enough to purposely bump shoulders. Then he was down the hall, heading for the elevator.

“Isn’t he just a ray of fucking sunshine,” Shido murmured.

Yayoi looked apologetic. “Don’t take it personally, Shido. He’s just… a very dedicated investigator.”

Shido shook his head, smiling a bit. “I’m not offended. I’ve seen his type plenty of times before.” He started heading into the apartment, but then he gave Yayoi a sly look. “Hirose?” he said, making the name a question.

Yayoi actually blushed and turned away, staring at the wall. “We were… an item for a while. It was several years ago.”

“Why, Yayoi, you never told me I had competition.” Shido’s voice was teasing now. “And for all this time I thought I was your one and only. I’m crushed, you know.”

She punched him in the arm. “Oh, shut up. It was years ago, like I said. Before he made Lieutenant.” Her eyes softened, just a little. “He was a little less of a hard case, then.”

“I assume things soured after his promotion?”

Yayoi’s eyes went back to determined, so that they reminded Shido of sapphires, glittering and hard. He realized he’d perhaps gone too far. “Something like that,” she said, voice tight. “He’s sleeping with Minako, now.”

Oh boy, did you ever step in it THIS time, Shido… “Maybe we should go in now. I’m sure the crime scene isn’t getting any fresher,” he said, lamely.

Yayoi just nodded, eyes still hard.

They went inside.