When Nightmares Become Reality 1/5
Title: When Nightmares Become Reality
Author: write_my_dreams
Pairings: Asagi x Ruiza, Hakuei x MiA, Kisaki x Jui, eventual Asagi x Tsunehito
Genre: AU, crime, drama
Warning: Mentions of rape and murder, violence in later chapters, stalking.
Disclaimer: The band members portrayed do not belong to me and the only profit I make off of this piece of fanfiction is the personal satisfaction of completing another part of To Love a Vampire.
Rating: PG-13
Chapters: 1/5
Summary: Jin has gone rogue and is leaving a trail of victims whose bizarre deaths mystify the Tokyo police. Hakuei sends Asagi, Ruiza, and Jui out to eliminate Jin before he can take his eleventh victim: a retired figure skater named Tsunehito who now works as a bartender in Shinjuku.
Tsunehito left the pressure and glamour of figure skating behind. He's content with his simple life of bartending and attending Hide-Zou's lives. About a month ago, a man that Tsunehito and Hide-Zou have dubbed "The Stalker" changes everything.
Author's Comment: ...It is so good to be finally, finally writing this. I've had this particular storyline in mind since I first came up with the idea for To Love a Vampire. Crime fics aren't my forte so I hope this still reads well.
Every city has its secrets. Some are innocent-a secluded park favored by couples, that restaurant with additional menu items known only to a few-while others are dirty. Dark. Secrets that the general public are better off not knowing.
Asagi sighed softly as he looked out the car window. He and his kind were one of Tokyo’s dark secrets. The high council of vampires worked hard to keep their race hidden. Secrecy had become even more of a necessity since the 2000s given the rising popularity of vampire romance novels. If the average citizen discovered that the daylight-avoiding and impossibly beautiful neighbor was in fact a vampire, that the pale girl with the old eyes had left her human life behind long ago… it would be a disaster. This was real life. Not a novel. Asagi knew from Ruiza’s experiences that vampire/human relationships didn’t always have a happy ending. So it was necessary to keep Tokyo’s human population oblivious to the vampire world beneath their feet. Sometimes literally. There were vampire-only nightclubs and bars, vending machines that dispensed blood packs instead of water and carbonated drinks, even entire shopping malls that only a vampire could enter. As the vampire population rose, so did their need for places they could comfortably shop at or go out to have a good time.
Unfortunately, not all vampires wanted to blend into human society. The number of vampire related crimes increased along with the vampire population. Victims drained of blood, victims with visible bite marks at the throat or wrist… crimes that would baffle a police officer. Or be overlooked entirely if the victim was no one of importance. Any vampire with an ounce of common sense knew to go after victims that wouldn’t be missed. That wouldn’t cause a disturbance if they went missing or were found dead, drained of blood like so many humans over the centuries. The deaths and disappearances would continue to happen so long as humans and vampires shared the world.
Slender fingers reached up to toy with a lock of his hair, pulling his gaze from the window to look into the soft brown eyes of his lover. “What are you thinking about so hard?” Ruiza asked.
Asagi draped his arm around the blonde’s thin shoulders. “Tokyo’s secrets.” And its vampire crimes, although he didn’t mention the last part.
“Tokyo’s secrets?” Ruiza made a face. “That sounds boring.” He smirked as he leaned closer, speaking through their mental connection instead of aloud. You should be thinking of Tokyo’s greatest restaurants. Remember that delicious pizza place we went to last week?
Ruiza, I don’t think I could ever forgot going there. You convinced Jui to join you in taking on that ridiculous pizza that had both of you vomiting by the time you got home.
…The pizza was still good.
Your gluttony scares me sometimes.
You didn’t object when I licked chocolate off your thighs last night before giving you an amazing blowjob, Ruiza retorted.
Asagi flushed as he recalled that. Rui, please. We’re on duty.
So?
A soft sigh next to Ruiza stopped Asagi from replying. He glanced over at Jui to see the younger vampire looking out the window while toying with his jacket collar. Asagi had known Jui for almost twenty years now. Despite their relationship being short-lived, the two had stayed in each other’s lives as close friends. Asagi knew the young blonde well enough to recognize the signs that something was bothering him. Sighing, toying with his collar or the hem of his shirt, how Jui avoided touching his own skin. Asagi had been able to help Jui overcome the horrors of his past but even he hadn’t been able to repair that much damage. Jui was still wary of having his neck touched and continued to suffer from triggers although his episodes were far less frequent than they’d been when Jui first started dating Asagi.
“Jui?” Asagi called his name. It wasn’t like him to be this uneasy before knowing the details of their next case. Asagi would never admit this to anyone but he did wonder if police work was beneficial for Jui or if it only caused more trauma. Ruiza had been the first to propose to Asagi and Jui that they should work for Hakuei to solve and stop vampire crimes. Due to Ruiza and Jui suffering violent deaths as humans, preventing renegade vampires from doing the same to others seemed to give them closure despite how it sometimes haunted their dreams.
The blonde sat up straighter and dropped his hands into his lap. “I’m fine,” he said quietly. “Just wondering who Hakuei will send us after.”
They would discover that soon. Hakuei had sent his driver to collect the trio and bring them to his house where he conducted business. Hakuei was the son of a strategist who had been turned in the 1650s. As a vampire, he was a member of the council and had taken on the head of security position after WWII. A role that suited him well. Hakuei assigned cases, decided which threats needed to be eliminated, made sure that new vampires were handled properly, and assured that a vampire/human couple knew their options.
“I wonder too,” Ruiza mused as he leaned into Asagi. When the black-haired vampire brushed his thoughts he found his lover once more thinking about food. Some things never changed. Asagi smiled a little as he turned to look at Jui, smile fading when he saw the blonde toying with the hem of his jacket. It was clear that there was more on his mind but Asagi didn’t push him to talk. He knew better.
*
Hakuei’s lover, MiA, greeted them at the door. Like Jui he was a young vampire, having been turned in the late 1980s. It was unusual for an elder to take such a young lover but Hakuei and MiA were, as far as Asagi could tell, perfect for each other. MiA was tough and had refused to be seen as just some “pretty young thing” since the beginning of their relationship. He was usually present during case assignments, had contacts in major police departments throughout the country, and worked with Hakuei to keep their society secure. He’d been a police officer in life although he’d only been one for about a year before his turning.
“Thank you for coming on such short notice.” MiA raised one slim hand to adjust the black and bedazzled soldier hat he wore. Hakuei favored a 1940s soldier uniform as his attire of choice for meetings but MiA was unpredictable. Tonight’s outfit would look incredible on Ruiza. His shimmery, military style jacket had three quarter length sleeves and was cut high to show off his stomach. The back of the jacket was long, reaching the tops of his high black boots. The boots covered more of him than his tiny black shorts did. MiA had curled his brown and blonde hair and pulled it forward to rest over one shoulder, completing his look with fingerless black gloves.
“Of course,” Jui said, distracting Asagi from picturing Ruiza in an outfit like MiA’s. He felt his cheeks heating up and quickly smoothed down his hair to regain his composure. Ruiza took that moment to brush against Asagi’s mind, amusement echoing in the black-haired vampire’s thoughts as his lover caught the visuals.
Taking inspiration from Hakuei’s lover?
I’m shocked Hakuei let him out of his sight dressed like that. If you wore that outfit… he didn’t finish the thought with words, instead sending Ruiza images of exactly what would happen. Arousal colored Ruiza’s thoughts as he drank in the images.
I’ll find something similar then. The words echoed with a sultry promise and then Ruiza broke the connection to greet MiA. “Looking good. Did Hakuei drool when he saw you in this?”
MiA grinned. “He’d insist he’s far too refined for that but he did… appreciate it earlier.” His expression grew somber as he stepped forward to lock the door. “Hakuei is in his office. As much as I would like to offer you a drink or stay and chat, this case is too urgent to allow delays.”
Asagi exchanged a concerned look with Jui. An urgent case? They’d had assignments like this before but something was different now. “We won’t keep Hakuei waiting then.” He followed MiA down the elaborately decorated hallway and to the door of Hakuei’s office. MiA didn’t bother knocking. He opened the door and held it, letting Asagi walk in first followed by Ruiza and then Jui. MiA stepped inside and pulled the door shut behind him. Hakuei was seated at his desk studying the contents of a folder. He closed the folder and raised his head when they entered. As expected Hakuei wore his black uniform but, unlike MiA, hadn’t worn his hat. Hakuei’s nails were painted black and he wore fingerless, black leather gloves with a white star printed on the back. His black hair-almost as long as Asagi’s-was pulled over his right shoulder like MiA’s although he’d left it straight instead of curling it.
Hakuei indicated the chairs placed in front of his desk. “Please sit.”
“Of course.” Asagi bowed his head then moved to take the chair directly in front of Hakuei. Jui sat to his right and Ruiza took the chair to his left. They exchanged greetings while MiA moved to stand next to Hakuei. The older vampire glanced up briefly then smirked, grabbing MiA by the hips and pulling him down into his lap. MiA huffed in irritation but didn’t protest or move from his current position.
Hakuei kept one hand on MiA’s hip as he rotated a file towards them. “I called the three of you here because of Jin. Have you heard of him?”
Asagi pulled the file closer. Jin… it seemed familiar, although that could merely be due to Jin being a common name. Asagi knew three other vampires named Jin and none of them would be on Hakuei’s radar. So what had this Jin done? “I don’t think so.”
“Jin?” Ruiza looked thoughtful before shaking his head. “No, I haven’t heard of him unless one of the Jins I know is a secret criminal. What about you, Jui?”
Asagi felt a flash of worry as he saw how pale his ex-lover had become. “I’ve heard rumors,” he said quietly. “Stories… of what happens to his victims or those who interfere with his f-fun.” His voice cracked on the word, fingers curling into the fabric of his jeans. If Jui had a pulse his heart would surely be racing now. Asagi’s worry deepened. Had Jui predicted they would be assigned Jin’s case? Also, what were these stories and why hadn’t Asagi or Ruiza heard them before?
“The stories are all true,” Hakuei said darkly. “This,” he indicated the folder that Asagi’s hand still rested on, “is from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. This is their case file on Jin. Look through it and you’ll understand why I’ve called you here tonight. Why he’s a threat to our society… a threat that needs to be eliminated.” He curled his fingers into a fist and brought it down on the desk to make a point, forceful enough to make the wood rattle but gentle enough not to break it.
MiA laid a gentle hand on Hakuei’s arm. “Jin needs to be eliminated quickly,” he added. “Before he’s able to kill again.”
“When was his last victim found?” Ruiza asked.
“A week ago.”
Frowning, Asagi glanced at the folder. He was tired of being in the dark about Jin. He opened the folder then blanched as he saw the crime scene photos. There were ten victims in total: all slender, beautiful young men who had been killed in various places. An alley, love hotels, an apartment, even a bathroom. The victims had been drained of blood and had vivid puncture marks in their necks. Some had bruising around their wrists, clothes were torn or removed entirely, and all had been raped. From the corner of his eye Asagi saw Jui trembling. Rape and murder cases were difficult for Jui because of what his boyfriend had done to him the night of Jui’s human death. Asagi brushed Jui’s thoughts only to recoil at the turmoil within.
Christmas lights twinkling overhead. He’s dragging me by my hair, screaming that I’m a dirty whore.
Wrists pinned above my head. Gripping them hard enough to bruise.
The couch creaking beneath us as he pounds into me.
It hurts. I beg him to stop, to let me go. He won’t.
Tears. Whimpering that I’m sorry, so sorry.
Pulling out. Walking away.
My body is raw.
Try to get up. Can’t. Pain. Hurts too much.
He’s coming back.
Has a knife he’s going to kill me he’s going to kill me.
Gripping my hair.
“If I can’t have you, no one else can.”
Knife across my throat.
Blood.
Blood everywhere I’m dying no no no I don’t want to die I don’t want to die!
“Jui!” Asagi seized the blonde’s shoulders to shake him gently. “Jui, shh. It’s okay. You’re safe now… he hurt you in 1995. It’s 2013. He’s long dead and can never hurt you or anyone else again,” he said softly when Jui turned panicked eyes to him. He brushed Jui’s mind again to send him warm, comforting thoughts.
The blonde closed his eyes then took a shuddering breath. “Asagi,” he whispered. Jui took his hand and clutched it tightly as he forced himself to sit up straight in his chair. His face was still too pale but when Asagi touched his mind again, Jui was no longer drowning in his dark memories. The blonde pulled his hand free and rubbed his thighs before looking at Hakuei and MiA, the latter looking concerned while the older vampire’s expression was a blank mask. “Forgive me. I was…” he swallowed, “remembering.”
Hakuei watched Jui for a few moments before speaking. “Are you capable of handling this case? I know your background, Jui. I know your boyfriend raped and murdered you before Kisaki turned you. Merely looking at photos triggered one of your episodes so how could you possibly handle going after Jin when he’s done the same to his victims and might even do it to you?”
Asagi bristled at the harsh words while Jui flinched, pressing back against his chair. The older vampire was about to snap at Hakuei but restrained himself when MiA shot him a warning look. He shouldn’t yell at his boss even if he was being an insensitive ass to Jui. Asagi took a calming breath then laid a supportive hand on Jui’s shoulder. “Jui has worked with Ruiza and I on similar cases before. Sometimes the cases trigger his memories but he’s always completed the cases before. Jin won’t be any different.”
“It’s true,” Ruiza chimed in. “I was stabbed in the chest so murder cases are painful for me… for Jui as well… but you know our record. We’ve never failed a case.”
“I wasn’t asking either of you. I was asking Jui,” Hakuei replied without taking his eyes off of the young vampire. “Can you look beyond your past in order to eliminate this threat to our society? If you let your emotions overwhelm you, you’ll only be in the way.”
Jui met Hakuei’s stern gaze. “I may have ‘episodes’ but that doesn’t mean I’m incapable of going after a monster,” he said flatly. “I will do everything in my power to prevent Jin from finding his next victim and forcing him to endure the horrors that I have had to.”
Despite his cold words earlier, Hakuei seemed content with that answer. “Very well then. I trust the three of you to handle Jin for me.” He leaned back in his chair, moving his hand off MiA’s hip to slide his arm around his young lover’s waist and draw him closer to his chest. Asagi understood the protective gesture when Hakuei spoke again. “You’ve seen the crime scene photos so you know what Jin’s type is. Slender, attractive young men who live and work in Tokyo.”
“Do the victims have any connection to each other?” Ruiza asked.
MiA shook his head. “They don’t. They work in different industries or are unemployed, they live in different parts of Tokyo… the only things they have in common are their looks and where they were killed. So far, Jin’s victims have only been discovered in Shibuya, Shinjuku, and Roppongi.”
It was logical. All three were popular districts for shopping and entertainment. Also, Kabuki-cho wasn’t far from Shinjuku. It had changed greatly over the last decades but Kabuki-cho used to be the famous sex district. He flipped through the folder again, moving it closer to Ruiza so his lover could study it. The police had autopsy reports on each victim which Asagi skipped over, already aware of that information. He paused when he reached a page that had three photos of a slender man whose shoulder-length blonde hair was shot through with black. The coldness of his dark eyes was repelling. This… was clearly Jin.
“Where were these taken?”
“Near the crime scenes,” MiA replied. “The first was taken near the second crime scene, the second at a bar, and the third was near another crime scene. Jin makes no attempt to hide his victims or the way they died so it’s not surprising that he makes himself seen shortly after the bodies are discovered.”
Asagi bit his lip. What a monster. “What else can you tell us about Jin?”
“He and Ruiza are roughly the same age although the similarities end there,” Hakuei replied with a brief glance at Ruiza before continuing. “It seems that Jin has always had a cruel side. He was in the army during World War II and took great pleasure in torturing prisoners. He was turned shortly after the end of the war. I’ve never met him and for a while he seemed content to be reclusive. Jin took victims but he didn’t make a scene of their deaths until this year.” Hakuei tapped the photo of a victim who had been killed in a love hotel. “This man was killed five months ago. He took three victims the next month then switched to two victims per month. It’s a new month now so he’s likely to leave a new victim any day now.”
Jui surprised Asagi by leaning forward to study the photos. “If Jin is being so obvious with his kills, why hasn’t he been stopped yet? It’s not like you to let a menace like him continue to walk the streets.”
Hakuei’s fangs emerged for a brief moment before he pushed them back with his tongue. “Because the bastard is as clever as he is brutal. A month ago, MiA and I decided we would eliminate him. It appears that one of Jin’s allies got to him before we could. He abandoned his apartment, stopped visiting his usual haunts, and seemed to vanish until his next victim turned up behind a club in Roppongi. MiA and I are too well known in our society so that’s why leave the case to the three of you.”
“Read the file thoroughly,” MiA urged. “And you have to find him and stop him quickly before he takes his next victim.”
It wasn’t much to go on. Asagi was about to mention that but Hakuei slid two photos towards him. One was the outside of a bar while the other showed a slim, gorgeous redhead with a bottle of tequila in hand. He was smiling at a customer and, to Asagi’s horror, Jin was in the background watching the redhead.
“We believe this man is Jin’s next target. His name is Tsunehito and he’s worked at this bar for two years. He used to be a competitive figure skater but he retired from the sport when he was twenty-one. He’s twenty-four now and he fits Jin’s type. Young, slim, beautiful. Works in Shinjuku.”
Asagi bit his lip as he picked up the photo of Tsunehito. “You said that Jin abandoned his usual haunts when he heard that you and MiA were after him. Is this bar one of them?”
“It is.”
“Because of Tsunehito?”
“Given how often he’s reported to be there, it seems impossible that there could be any other reason.”
Ruiza rose from his chair. “I think we’ve heard enough. Jui, tell Kisaki you’ll be staying with us until sunset tomorrow. We need to read over Jin’s file and figure out how we should approach this case.”
Jui nodded. “All right.”
“We’ll call if anything else comes up,” MiA promised.
“Thank you.” Asagi gently tucked the photo of Tsunehito into Jin’s file. He picked it up before standing, bowing politely to Hakuei and MiA. “We will do our best to have Jin eliminated by the end of the week.”
“Do it as soon as you can or Tsunehito will be his next victim.”
Asagi could only hope that they would stop Jin before he turned Tsunehito into his eleventh victim, erasing that smile forever.
Notes
1) Thanks to Fae for giving me the idea to use Jin as my villain.
2) Yes, Asagi and Ruiza are a couple at the time of this fic. They're off and on lovers.
3) Hakuei's outfit is based off of his look for Litchi Hikari Club. MiA looks the way he does in the "Messiah" PV.
4) When Ruiza and Asagi are talking about the pizza challenge - that's another fic I'll be writing that was inspired by Man v. Food. It'll be called "Vampires vs Pizza"
Author: write_my_dreams
Pairings: Asagi x Ruiza, Hakuei x MiA, Kisaki x Jui, eventual Asagi x Tsunehito
Genre: AU, crime, drama
Warning: Mentions of rape and murder, violence in later chapters, stalking.
Disclaimer: The band members portrayed do not belong to me and the only profit I make off of this piece of fanfiction is the personal satisfaction of completing another part of To Love a Vampire.
Rating: PG-13
Chapters: 1/5
Summary: Jin has gone rogue and is leaving a trail of victims whose bizarre deaths mystify the Tokyo police. Hakuei sends Asagi, Ruiza, and Jui out to eliminate Jin before he can take his eleventh victim: a retired figure skater named Tsunehito who now works as a bartender in Shinjuku.
Tsunehito left the pressure and glamour of figure skating behind. He's content with his simple life of bartending and attending Hide-Zou's lives. About a month ago, a man that Tsunehito and Hide-Zou have dubbed "The Stalker" changes everything.
Author's Comment: ...It is so good to be finally, finally writing this. I've had this particular storyline in mind since I first came up with the idea for To Love a Vampire. Crime fics aren't my forte so I hope this still reads well.
Every city has its secrets. Some are innocent-a secluded park favored by couples, that restaurant with additional menu items known only to a few-while others are dirty. Dark. Secrets that the general public are better off not knowing.
Asagi sighed softly as he looked out the car window. He and his kind were one of Tokyo’s dark secrets. The high council of vampires worked hard to keep their race hidden. Secrecy had become even more of a necessity since the 2000s given the rising popularity of vampire romance novels. If the average citizen discovered that the daylight-avoiding and impossibly beautiful neighbor was in fact a vampire, that the pale girl with the old eyes had left her human life behind long ago… it would be a disaster. This was real life. Not a novel. Asagi knew from Ruiza’s experiences that vampire/human relationships didn’t always have a happy ending. So it was necessary to keep Tokyo’s human population oblivious to the vampire world beneath their feet. Sometimes literally. There were vampire-only nightclubs and bars, vending machines that dispensed blood packs instead of water and carbonated drinks, even entire shopping malls that only a vampire could enter. As the vampire population rose, so did their need for places they could comfortably shop at or go out to have a good time.
Unfortunately, not all vampires wanted to blend into human society. The number of vampire related crimes increased along with the vampire population. Victims drained of blood, victims with visible bite marks at the throat or wrist… crimes that would baffle a police officer. Or be overlooked entirely if the victim was no one of importance. Any vampire with an ounce of common sense knew to go after victims that wouldn’t be missed. That wouldn’t cause a disturbance if they went missing or were found dead, drained of blood like so many humans over the centuries. The deaths and disappearances would continue to happen so long as humans and vampires shared the world.
Slender fingers reached up to toy with a lock of his hair, pulling his gaze from the window to look into the soft brown eyes of his lover. “What are you thinking about so hard?” Ruiza asked.
Asagi draped his arm around the blonde’s thin shoulders. “Tokyo’s secrets.” And its vampire crimes, although he didn’t mention the last part.
“Tokyo’s secrets?” Ruiza made a face. “That sounds boring.” He smirked as he leaned closer, speaking through their mental connection instead of aloud. You should be thinking of Tokyo’s greatest restaurants. Remember that delicious pizza place we went to last week?
Ruiza, I don’t think I could ever forgot going there. You convinced Jui to join you in taking on that ridiculous pizza that had both of you vomiting by the time you got home.
…The pizza was still good.
Your gluttony scares me sometimes.
You didn’t object when I licked chocolate off your thighs last night before giving you an amazing blowjob, Ruiza retorted.
Asagi flushed as he recalled that. Rui, please. We’re on duty.
So?
A soft sigh next to Ruiza stopped Asagi from replying. He glanced over at Jui to see the younger vampire looking out the window while toying with his jacket collar. Asagi had known Jui for almost twenty years now. Despite their relationship being short-lived, the two had stayed in each other’s lives as close friends. Asagi knew the young blonde well enough to recognize the signs that something was bothering him. Sighing, toying with his collar or the hem of his shirt, how Jui avoided touching his own skin. Asagi had been able to help Jui overcome the horrors of his past but even he hadn’t been able to repair that much damage. Jui was still wary of having his neck touched and continued to suffer from triggers although his episodes were far less frequent than they’d been when Jui first started dating Asagi.
“Jui?” Asagi called his name. It wasn’t like him to be this uneasy before knowing the details of their next case. Asagi would never admit this to anyone but he did wonder if police work was beneficial for Jui or if it only caused more trauma. Ruiza had been the first to propose to Asagi and Jui that they should work for Hakuei to solve and stop vampire crimes. Due to Ruiza and Jui suffering violent deaths as humans, preventing renegade vampires from doing the same to others seemed to give them closure despite how it sometimes haunted their dreams.
The blonde sat up straighter and dropped his hands into his lap. “I’m fine,” he said quietly. “Just wondering who Hakuei will send us after.”
They would discover that soon. Hakuei had sent his driver to collect the trio and bring them to his house where he conducted business. Hakuei was the son of a strategist who had been turned in the 1650s. As a vampire, he was a member of the council and had taken on the head of security position after WWII. A role that suited him well. Hakuei assigned cases, decided which threats needed to be eliminated, made sure that new vampires were handled properly, and assured that a vampire/human couple knew their options.
“I wonder too,” Ruiza mused as he leaned into Asagi. When the black-haired vampire brushed his thoughts he found his lover once more thinking about food. Some things never changed. Asagi smiled a little as he turned to look at Jui, smile fading when he saw the blonde toying with the hem of his jacket. It was clear that there was more on his mind but Asagi didn’t push him to talk. He knew better.
*
Hakuei’s lover, MiA, greeted them at the door. Like Jui he was a young vampire, having been turned in the late 1980s. It was unusual for an elder to take such a young lover but Hakuei and MiA were, as far as Asagi could tell, perfect for each other. MiA was tough and had refused to be seen as just some “pretty young thing” since the beginning of their relationship. He was usually present during case assignments, had contacts in major police departments throughout the country, and worked with Hakuei to keep their society secure. He’d been a police officer in life although he’d only been one for about a year before his turning.
“Thank you for coming on such short notice.” MiA raised one slim hand to adjust the black and bedazzled soldier hat he wore. Hakuei favored a 1940s soldier uniform as his attire of choice for meetings but MiA was unpredictable. Tonight’s outfit would look incredible on Ruiza. His shimmery, military style jacket had three quarter length sleeves and was cut high to show off his stomach. The back of the jacket was long, reaching the tops of his high black boots. The boots covered more of him than his tiny black shorts did. MiA had curled his brown and blonde hair and pulled it forward to rest over one shoulder, completing his look with fingerless black gloves.
“Of course,” Jui said, distracting Asagi from picturing Ruiza in an outfit like MiA’s. He felt his cheeks heating up and quickly smoothed down his hair to regain his composure. Ruiza took that moment to brush against Asagi’s mind, amusement echoing in the black-haired vampire’s thoughts as his lover caught the visuals.
Taking inspiration from Hakuei’s lover?
I’m shocked Hakuei let him out of his sight dressed like that. If you wore that outfit… he didn’t finish the thought with words, instead sending Ruiza images of exactly what would happen. Arousal colored Ruiza’s thoughts as he drank in the images.
I’ll find something similar then. The words echoed with a sultry promise and then Ruiza broke the connection to greet MiA. “Looking good. Did Hakuei drool when he saw you in this?”
MiA grinned. “He’d insist he’s far too refined for that but he did… appreciate it earlier.” His expression grew somber as he stepped forward to lock the door. “Hakuei is in his office. As much as I would like to offer you a drink or stay and chat, this case is too urgent to allow delays.”
Asagi exchanged a concerned look with Jui. An urgent case? They’d had assignments like this before but something was different now. “We won’t keep Hakuei waiting then.” He followed MiA down the elaborately decorated hallway and to the door of Hakuei’s office. MiA didn’t bother knocking. He opened the door and held it, letting Asagi walk in first followed by Ruiza and then Jui. MiA stepped inside and pulled the door shut behind him. Hakuei was seated at his desk studying the contents of a folder. He closed the folder and raised his head when they entered. As expected Hakuei wore his black uniform but, unlike MiA, hadn’t worn his hat. Hakuei’s nails were painted black and he wore fingerless, black leather gloves with a white star printed on the back. His black hair-almost as long as Asagi’s-was pulled over his right shoulder like MiA’s although he’d left it straight instead of curling it.
Hakuei indicated the chairs placed in front of his desk. “Please sit.”
“Of course.” Asagi bowed his head then moved to take the chair directly in front of Hakuei. Jui sat to his right and Ruiza took the chair to his left. They exchanged greetings while MiA moved to stand next to Hakuei. The older vampire glanced up briefly then smirked, grabbing MiA by the hips and pulling him down into his lap. MiA huffed in irritation but didn’t protest or move from his current position.
Hakuei kept one hand on MiA’s hip as he rotated a file towards them. “I called the three of you here because of Jin. Have you heard of him?”
Asagi pulled the file closer. Jin… it seemed familiar, although that could merely be due to Jin being a common name. Asagi knew three other vampires named Jin and none of them would be on Hakuei’s radar. So what had this Jin done? “I don’t think so.”
“Jin?” Ruiza looked thoughtful before shaking his head. “No, I haven’t heard of him unless one of the Jins I know is a secret criminal. What about you, Jui?”
Asagi felt a flash of worry as he saw how pale his ex-lover had become. “I’ve heard rumors,” he said quietly. “Stories… of what happens to his victims or those who interfere with his f-fun.” His voice cracked on the word, fingers curling into the fabric of his jeans. If Jui had a pulse his heart would surely be racing now. Asagi’s worry deepened. Had Jui predicted they would be assigned Jin’s case? Also, what were these stories and why hadn’t Asagi or Ruiza heard them before?
“The stories are all true,” Hakuei said darkly. “This,” he indicated the folder that Asagi’s hand still rested on, “is from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. This is their case file on Jin. Look through it and you’ll understand why I’ve called you here tonight. Why he’s a threat to our society… a threat that needs to be eliminated.” He curled his fingers into a fist and brought it down on the desk to make a point, forceful enough to make the wood rattle but gentle enough not to break it.
MiA laid a gentle hand on Hakuei’s arm. “Jin needs to be eliminated quickly,” he added. “Before he’s able to kill again.”
“When was his last victim found?” Ruiza asked.
“A week ago.”
Frowning, Asagi glanced at the folder. He was tired of being in the dark about Jin. He opened the folder then blanched as he saw the crime scene photos. There were ten victims in total: all slender, beautiful young men who had been killed in various places. An alley, love hotels, an apartment, even a bathroom. The victims had been drained of blood and had vivid puncture marks in their necks. Some had bruising around their wrists, clothes were torn or removed entirely, and all had been raped. From the corner of his eye Asagi saw Jui trembling. Rape and murder cases were difficult for Jui because of what his boyfriend had done to him the night of Jui’s human death. Asagi brushed Jui’s thoughts only to recoil at the turmoil within.
Christmas lights twinkling overhead. He’s dragging me by my hair, screaming that I’m a dirty whore.
Wrists pinned above my head. Gripping them hard enough to bruise.
The couch creaking beneath us as he pounds into me.
It hurts. I beg him to stop, to let me go. He won’t.
Tears. Whimpering that I’m sorry, so sorry.
Pulling out. Walking away.
My body is raw.
Try to get up. Can’t. Pain. Hurts too much.
He’s coming back.
Has a knife he’s going to kill me he’s going to kill me.
Gripping my hair.
“If I can’t have you, no one else can.”
Knife across my throat.
Blood.
Blood everywhere I’m dying no no no I don’t want to die I don’t want to die!
“Jui!” Asagi seized the blonde’s shoulders to shake him gently. “Jui, shh. It’s okay. You’re safe now… he hurt you in 1995. It’s 2013. He’s long dead and can never hurt you or anyone else again,” he said softly when Jui turned panicked eyes to him. He brushed Jui’s mind again to send him warm, comforting thoughts.
The blonde closed his eyes then took a shuddering breath. “Asagi,” he whispered. Jui took his hand and clutched it tightly as he forced himself to sit up straight in his chair. His face was still too pale but when Asagi touched his mind again, Jui was no longer drowning in his dark memories. The blonde pulled his hand free and rubbed his thighs before looking at Hakuei and MiA, the latter looking concerned while the older vampire’s expression was a blank mask. “Forgive me. I was…” he swallowed, “remembering.”
Hakuei watched Jui for a few moments before speaking. “Are you capable of handling this case? I know your background, Jui. I know your boyfriend raped and murdered you before Kisaki turned you. Merely looking at photos triggered one of your episodes so how could you possibly handle going after Jin when he’s done the same to his victims and might even do it to you?”
Asagi bristled at the harsh words while Jui flinched, pressing back against his chair. The older vampire was about to snap at Hakuei but restrained himself when MiA shot him a warning look. He shouldn’t yell at his boss even if he was being an insensitive ass to Jui. Asagi took a calming breath then laid a supportive hand on Jui’s shoulder. “Jui has worked with Ruiza and I on similar cases before. Sometimes the cases trigger his memories but he’s always completed the cases before. Jin won’t be any different.”
“It’s true,” Ruiza chimed in. “I was stabbed in the chest so murder cases are painful for me… for Jui as well… but you know our record. We’ve never failed a case.”
“I wasn’t asking either of you. I was asking Jui,” Hakuei replied without taking his eyes off of the young vampire. “Can you look beyond your past in order to eliminate this threat to our society? If you let your emotions overwhelm you, you’ll only be in the way.”
Jui met Hakuei’s stern gaze. “I may have ‘episodes’ but that doesn’t mean I’m incapable of going after a monster,” he said flatly. “I will do everything in my power to prevent Jin from finding his next victim and forcing him to endure the horrors that I have had to.”
Despite his cold words earlier, Hakuei seemed content with that answer. “Very well then. I trust the three of you to handle Jin for me.” He leaned back in his chair, moving his hand off MiA’s hip to slide his arm around his young lover’s waist and draw him closer to his chest. Asagi understood the protective gesture when Hakuei spoke again. “You’ve seen the crime scene photos so you know what Jin’s type is. Slender, attractive young men who live and work in Tokyo.”
“Do the victims have any connection to each other?” Ruiza asked.
MiA shook his head. “They don’t. They work in different industries or are unemployed, they live in different parts of Tokyo… the only things they have in common are their looks and where they were killed. So far, Jin’s victims have only been discovered in Shibuya, Shinjuku, and Roppongi.”
It was logical. All three were popular districts for shopping and entertainment. Also, Kabuki-cho wasn’t far from Shinjuku. It had changed greatly over the last decades but Kabuki-cho used to be the famous sex district. He flipped through the folder again, moving it closer to Ruiza so his lover could study it. The police had autopsy reports on each victim which Asagi skipped over, already aware of that information. He paused when he reached a page that had three photos of a slender man whose shoulder-length blonde hair was shot through with black. The coldness of his dark eyes was repelling. This… was clearly Jin.
“Where were these taken?”
“Near the crime scenes,” MiA replied. “The first was taken near the second crime scene, the second at a bar, and the third was near another crime scene. Jin makes no attempt to hide his victims or the way they died so it’s not surprising that he makes himself seen shortly after the bodies are discovered.”
Asagi bit his lip. What a monster. “What else can you tell us about Jin?”
“He and Ruiza are roughly the same age although the similarities end there,” Hakuei replied with a brief glance at Ruiza before continuing. “It seems that Jin has always had a cruel side. He was in the army during World War II and took great pleasure in torturing prisoners. He was turned shortly after the end of the war. I’ve never met him and for a while he seemed content to be reclusive. Jin took victims but he didn’t make a scene of their deaths until this year.” Hakuei tapped the photo of a victim who had been killed in a love hotel. “This man was killed five months ago. He took three victims the next month then switched to two victims per month. It’s a new month now so he’s likely to leave a new victim any day now.”
Jui surprised Asagi by leaning forward to study the photos. “If Jin is being so obvious with his kills, why hasn’t he been stopped yet? It’s not like you to let a menace like him continue to walk the streets.”
Hakuei’s fangs emerged for a brief moment before he pushed them back with his tongue. “Because the bastard is as clever as he is brutal. A month ago, MiA and I decided we would eliminate him. It appears that one of Jin’s allies got to him before we could. He abandoned his apartment, stopped visiting his usual haunts, and seemed to vanish until his next victim turned up behind a club in Roppongi. MiA and I are too well known in our society so that’s why leave the case to the three of you.”
“Read the file thoroughly,” MiA urged. “And you have to find him and stop him quickly before he takes his next victim.”
It wasn’t much to go on. Asagi was about to mention that but Hakuei slid two photos towards him. One was the outside of a bar while the other showed a slim, gorgeous redhead with a bottle of tequila in hand. He was smiling at a customer and, to Asagi’s horror, Jin was in the background watching the redhead.
“We believe this man is Jin’s next target. His name is Tsunehito and he’s worked at this bar for two years. He used to be a competitive figure skater but he retired from the sport when he was twenty-one. He’s twenty-four now and he fits Jin’s type. Young, slim, beautiful. Works in Shinjuku.”
Asagi bit his lip as he picked up the photo of Tsunehito. “You said that Jin abandoned his usual haunts when he heard that you and MiA were after him. Is this bar one of them?”
“It is.”
“Because of Tsunehito?”
“Given how often he’s reported to be there, it seems impossible that there could be any other reason.”
Ruiza rose from his chair. “I think we’ve heard enough. Jui, tell Kisaki you’ll be staying with us until sunset tomorrow. We need to read over Jin’s file and figure out how we should approach this case.”
Jui nodded. “All right.”
“We’ll call if anything else comes up,” MiA promised.
“Thank you.” Asagi gently tucked the photo of Tsunehito into Jin’s file. He picked it up before standing, bowing politely to Hakuei and MiA. “We will do our best to have Jin eliminated by the end of the week.”
“Do it as soon as you can or Tsunehito will be his next victim.”
Asagi could only hope that they would stop Jin before he turned Tsunehito into his eleventh victim, erasing that smile forever.
Notes
1) Thanks to Fae for giving me the idea to use Jin as my villain.
2) Yes, Asagi and Ruiza are a couple at the time of this fic. They're off and on lovers.
3) Hakuei's outfit is based off of his look for Litchi Hikari Club. MiA looks the way he does in the "Messiah" PV.
4) When Ruiza and Asagi are talking about the pizza challenge - that's another fic I'll be writing that was inspired by Man v. Food. It'll be called "Vampires vs Pizza"