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“He’s going to walk!?” Heizou’s voice cracks around his anger like a whip. “Sara!” He chases his boss down the courthouse’s steps. “I’m talking to you!” he demands, hopping the stair rail that had been separating them to get in Kujou Sara’s way. “He can’t walk away from this! That’s Bullshit!”
“Enough!” Sara slams her hand down on the handrail, making the metal echo along with the thunder rolling in the distance. “Enough. You know I agree with you, but Shikanoin, give it a rest.”
“This isn’t right.” Heizou shakes his head. “This isn’t right and you know it!”
“It’s not right,” Sara agrees. “However, the system has played out. Without further evidence, Akuma Hoshimaru is an innocent man.”
“Tell that to the families of his victims,” Heizou hisses. “I have their phone numbers if you’d like. So you can call them and personally tell them—“
“I said,” Sara growls back, her voice dangerously low, “that is enough. ” Without further fanfare, she shoves past Heizou, checking his shoulder. He watches her leave, seeing Sara’s shoulders deflate once she assumes she’s out of his line of sight. Heizou feels his stomach churn with guilt. He should have controlled himself; she was upset and didn’t need Heizou barking at her too.
A raindrop lands on Heizou’s nose as he glances upwards to the sky before looking out over the bustling city street. He catches a glimpse of a familiar crimson paper umbrella.
At the top of the stairs, there’s a clamoring that draws Heizou’s attention. It's a horde of journalists and news anchors. At the center he sees the literal star of the show, Akuma Hoshimaru. He looks like a marble statue with handsome well-cut features, a smile that blinds people to his true nature, with eyes and hair black as night. A demon hidden in plain sight.
“No, no, I never had any worries. My legal team is the best.” His voice carries over the crowd as he plays up the role of a wrongfully convicted man. His eyes meet Heizou’s. “I can only hope the true killer is caught and those poor girls’ souls may find peace.” The anger in Heizou reignites to a full-force blaze. Keeping eye contact with the man he knows is a killer, Heizou spits at the stairs before ripping his hateful glare away from Hoshimaru. He stomps down the stairs towards the red umbrella and the mysterious man waiting underneath it.
“You are rather upset.” Kazuha’s voice reflects the calmness Heizou wishes he could feel upon seeing his lover, but Heizou is far too angry.
“I think upset is underselling it.” Heizou sighs. They begin to walk side by side back to the old teahouse that Kazuha and Kunikuzushi reside in. “I’m pissed.” He laughs, but it's dry and bitter.
Kazuha brings a hand to his chin as he hums. “If need be…” His smile grows, revealing the set of elongated canines in his jaw. “I could feed off him instead of you tonight. Show that man a real monster.”
Heizou feels the marks on his arms itch at the mention of Kazuha feeding. “No.” He shakes his head. “No, thank you for the offer.” Heizou subconsciously bites his lip. “I need to bring him to justice. Hoshimaru needs to get locked up and face the families of the women he killed and be punished for that. You’d kill him far faster and with greater mercy than he deserves.”
Kazuha nods in agreement. “Very well.” He reaches for Heizou’s hand, his own covered with a black leather glove, the length of it hidden by the billowing sleeve of his kimono. “He probably wouldn’t taste half as good as you anyways.”
Heizou feels his face heat up. He’s unsure if it’s a spell or something Kazuha casts over him with his vampiric powers, but the young detective calms down from Kazuha’s touch. “Yeah, yeah. Can we go to your place? I kinda wanna get out of the rain, and it's closer than mine.”
The encroaching storm made it appear as if night was already upon them. Kazuha was quick to agree and silently changed course, leading Heizou further from Hanamizaka.
Soon enough, the building Kazuha called home came into view. From inside a few lanterns glow, signifying that even Kunikuzushi had woken up early.
Heizou follows Kazuha inside, closing the door behind himself. Kazuha slips off his geta, waiting patiently as Heizou steps out of his boots. They walk through the old dark twisting hallways to the main room. Kunikuzushi is lounging in his favorite corner; he barely cracks an eye open as the duo enters.
The room is dark, only lit by a few glowing candles and lanterns. Once a tea house, it had long since fallen into disrepair, but the two inhabitants had managed enough repairs to house themselves.
“You didn’t need to get up when I did,” Kazuha muses as he takes a seat in his own corner. Letting his haori fall off his shoulders, pooling around him and revealing the kimono underneath. Heizou leans against one of the many old ornate wooden pillars.
“Yes I did,” Kunikuzushi yawns, “I have to keep an eye on you,” he points out, tapping his finger against the blood-red orb at his side. At his touch the stone turns clear. “Least you do something stupid…” He glances at Heizou, his face turning smug as he arches an eyebrow, “but I see Shikanoin still has all his clothing on. So, you haven’t gone that far yet,” he muses with a pout. Heizou doesn’t comment on it, but he seems particularly moody today. Maybe it was his curse-versary or something…
He tries to remember the details that Kazuha had told him before. Heizou knew that Kunikuzushi was cursed by a witch long ago. Centuries later, it was still a sore subject, so Heizou didn’t get the full story. Just a few details here and there. Kunikuzushi had inherited some of her powers, along with the whole undead and needing blood to survive thing .
“Nice seeing you too,” Heizou retorts. “Your chew toy must not be back then?”
Kazuha clears his throat in warning as he removes his gloves, settling in. Heizou knows he needs to show some level of respect to Kunikuzushi. Kazuha feels indebted to the man as he’d saved his… Well, found a way for Kazuha to continue his “life”.
In the few years Heizou has known Kazuha and Kunikuzushi, he still hasn’t figured all the differences out, but so far he’s noticed that unlike turned vampires, Kunikuzushi cannot go outside during the day. Not even layered up the way Kazuha had been.
He also ages far slower. Heizou has to take Kazuha’s word on that part.
“Ugh. Why did you bring him here?” Kunikuzushi growls, showing his own fangs, another difference. Unlike Kazuha, not only are Kunikuzushi’s canines longer, but his first premolars directly behind his canines also have a dangerous point to them.
Kazuha answers simply, “I need to feed.”
Kunikuzushi hums as he stands. “Do it then, I won’t keep you.” He passes them, pausing in the doorway, as if he has more to say. Heizou catches the worried look in his eyes, but before he can ask what the look is for the other vampire leaves, slamming the door behind himself and retreating further into the teahouse.
Heizou listens to his retreating footsteps as he turns back to Kazuha, who reaches for him. “He’s in a mood.”
“You could also stand to not egg him on, dearest.” Kazuha sighs softly as he gets comfortable on the zabuton placed beside a small end table.
“Yeah, I know. I know.” Heizou joins him, sitting across from Kazuha and reaching for his hand. It’s cold to the touch, just barely strumming with the last traces of blood from his previous feeding a few nights ago. Heizou never thought he’d find himself in the situation of being a willing donor for a vampire, let alone loving one, yet here he was.
Kazuha chuckles at the feeling of Heizou tracing the lines in his palm. “Are you reading my fortune?” he teases.
Heizou rolls his eyes, “Tsk, no.” Heizou wrinkles his nose, turning Kazuha’s hand over. “You know I don’t believe in that stuff,” he reminds him, leaving his hand resting atop Kazuha’s. “Or maybe it’s not that I don’t believe, more like I’m not a fan of my future being planned out for me,” Heizou explains. “My whole life has been fighting for being who I want, doing what I want. The idea of it all being predestined kind of ticks me off, ya know? Why bother with anything then?”
“Mmm, well we don’t want that.” Kazuha hums as he leans back and pats his thighs. “Come.” Heizou quickly complies and situates himself in Kazuha’s lap, his thighs on either side of the vampire's hips. Kazuha brushes Heizou’s hair behind his ears, letting his clawed hand trail slowly under his lover’s jaw.
Kazuha adores watching the reactions in Heizou as he teases him, Heizou knows this. He can feel himself flushing a deep crimson, the pin pricks of goosebumps forming across his skin. Kazuha’s fingers rest against Heizou’s neck, just above the leather collar around his neck. Faintly, Heizou can feel his pulse steadily beating against Kazuha’s finger tips. There’s a look of longing in the vampire’s eyes that Heizou doesn’t know how to feel about. Sometimes he wonders if Kazuha misses being human, or regrets becoming a vampire.
Heizou leans into the touch with a sigh, before pulling away as he thinks of something. “I’ve got an idea,” Heizou whispers, hands reaching for the leather collar around his neck. If Kazuha misses feeling a pulse so much maybe he’d like to drink from Heizou’s neck for a change. Kazuha’s mouth falls agape, watching Heizou nimbly undo the clasp. “I don’t mind if you take from here.” He accentuates his point with a tap over his jugular. Heizou smiles watching the way Kazuha’s pupils blow wide. The vampire gulps, and then looks away shaking his head.
A disciplined man, Kazuha closes his eyes and breathes calmly, “No, never the neck.” He urges Heizou to return the accessory to his neck. “Please.”
Heizou is almost surprised by how strongly he insists. “There, all covered. Sorry,” he announces as the leather is wrapped safely back around his neck.
Kazuha hums, carefully tugging Heizou’s leather jacket from his shoulders. “No harm done.” He smiles. “Are you sure this is alright?” he asks, voicing concern once he sees the hoodie under the jacket. Typically Heizou is one that avoids layering his clothing, always quick to over heat. “Have I been draining you too much?”
“No, no.” Heizou shakes his head, gracelessly stripping out of the hoodie as well, showing the short-sleeved button up he’d been wearing in court. “I just needed to cover the bites up.” He explains rotating his arm. “I promise, I’m fine.”
Kazuha takes hold of Heizou’s arm, letting his fingers trail slowly between the old scars and marks he’d left in previous feedings. He finds a clear section near the crook of Heizou’s elbow. “It’s risky,” Kazuha says as he moves Heizou to situate him for better access to his chosen feeding site. “To feed from the neck. Think of it like someone offering you the crunchiest and juiciest serving of katsudon you’ve ever had and how you wouldn’t be able to stop eating until every last bit of it was gone.” Softly, Kazuha presses a tender kiss to the area just before he bares his fangs. Heizou clenches his hand into a fist, then hardly gasps or reacts at all to the sensation of pain as his flesh is punctured.
“I mean, you say that like it’d be a bad thing,” Heizou mutters, wincing slightly as Kazuha sucks a bit harder than necessary. “Ow! Okay, okay, point taken. Never from the neck.” He rolls his eyes hearing the happy little hum from Kazuha.
For a few moments, there’s nothing but the soft sound of Kazuha sucking at Heizou’s arm. The latter begins to play with a few of Kazuha's loose unruly curls. Heizou is content in these moments. He trusts Kazuha with his life and offers it to the vampire almost nightly without hesitation.
The nights Kazuha spends with him in his apartment are usually longer, involving more than just Kazuha feeding. Sometimes Heizou will ask Kazuha about old cold cases, from long before Heizou’s lifetime, and see if the vampire remembers hearing anything about them. Sometimes they make love, as freshly fed is the closest to human Kazuha will ever be. Which usually leads to pleasant cuddles and soft conversations in the dark.
Heizou’s eyelids begin to feel heavy; he realizes that he’s rapidly becoming drowsy. An uncomfortable chill begins to spread into his limbs. “K-Kazuha,” he moans. “H-hey, Kazuha. Stop,” Heizou warns. He starts to squirm, becoming uncomfortable as the pain begins to grow, an unpleasant sting setting in.
Kazuha lifts his head, his own hot breath fanning over Heizou’s arm as he regains control of himself. “Are you alright?”
“Yeah, just really feeling it.” Heizou offers a weak smile. “Sorry, I didn’t last long.”
“No need to apologize,” Kazuha whispers as he turns away from Heizou’s arm, fetching a cloth to press to the still bleeding wound. “You did have a long day after all,” He reasons, pressing a kiss to Heizou’s temple. He studies Heizou’s face, watching as he seems to nearly nod off. “Are you sure you feel alright?”
“Yeah,” Heizou gives him a lax smile. “Just a lil’ tired, but better than earlier.” He moves, resting his head on Kazuha’s shoulder. He lets his eyes close as his lover sets to work bandaging the fresh wound on his arm. Moments later, an arm wraps around Heizou, the other rubbing soothing circles into the small of his back. Heizou sighs into the touch. He wants to stay longer—usually he does, taking his sweet time to recover from being drained. However, something in his mind seems to grow restless at the thought of staying. He needs to go home and dive back into his work. He needs to bring that damn murderer Hoshimaru to justice.
“What are you thinking?” Kazuha notices the slightest shift in Heizou’s demeanor.
“I should go home,” Heizou admits, sitting upright with a soft pout. “I need to really focus on that case from today. Try to find some other way to really stick it to that asshole,” he explains, his expression darkening. “Hoshimaru killed those girls and I’m gonna get their families the closure they deserve.”
“And why, my dearest, would a night of rest prevent you from that?” Kazuha asks with a weak smile. “You have a mind that all wicked ones should fear, but it cannot ensnare them if you burn out.”
Heizou rolls his eyes, leaning in to kiss Kazuha, slotting their lips together. It’s a soft, sweet, chaste kiss. Slowly, Heizou pulls away, tracing his fingers over Kazuha’s features. “Lucky for them,” he playfully wrinkles his nose, “I don’t burn easily. Sorry. Next time, come to my place? We’ll spend the whole night together.”
When they pull apart, Heizou slips from Kazuha’s lap. He gathers up his coat and hoodie, pulling them both back on as Kazuha walks him to the front door. “I’ll see you soon,” Kazuha whispers, an overwhelming need to protect Heizou gnawing at the back of his mind. “Do you want me to walk you home?” Kazuha frowns, partially leaning out of the doorway, watching the evening rain fall.
“No, stay here, make sure the royal pain in the neck is okay… and let him know I’m sorry for being a dick?” Heizou requests with a weak smile as he ducks into his hood, bracing for the walk home.
“Of course.” Kazuha chuckles, kissing the crown of Heizou’s forehead.
“Bye.” Heizou smiles as he turns, tucking his hands into his pockets and walking out into the night.
As he walks, Heizou is fully aware of the presence behind him.
Usually it’s Kazuha. Maybe, because Kazuha feeds off him, Heizou has developed a sense for when his lover is near, despite the vampire’s claims that he never follows Heizou without telling him. (He almost always does)
However, at this moment, Heizou is absolutely positive Kazuha is not the person following him.
He’d taken an extra two lefts, and the footsteps had followed him. If he hadn’t just been fed from, Heizou would run. As it is though, he feels weak. Weaker than he’d expected from the short feeding session.
He’s also unarmed since he’d spent the day in court and again, with his exhaustion, he probably would be useless trying to take the stalker on hand-to-hand.
Maybe he could talk his way out of this. Determined, Heizou makes his way down an alley, being sure it's devoid of anyone else for their safety. Heizou sighs, hearing the footsteps follow him. “And I had really just hoped this was a shitty coincidence.”
There’s no reply as he turns, but the moment Heizou faces his stalker, a sharp pain rips through his stomach. He only registers the deafening sound of the gun going off after he sees the blood. Heizou tries to breathe, but instead chokes. He tries again to breathe in, and then out, but he can’t. It hurts too much.
“Should have kept to yourself and not fucked with the boss,” the man declares. He looks around nervously, his gun still trained on Heizou. “First you, then… Then, Kujou Sara.” He nods reassuringly before turning to run.
Instinctively, Heizou reaches to try and chase the man, but he instead clenches his stomach with a groan. He can hardly move.
“Oh, no.” Kunikuzushi’s voice slips from the shadows as the vampire appears. Heizou realizes from the strange haunting echo that Kunikuzushi is using his ability to hypnotize Heizou’s attacker. “You’re gonna stop right now.” The man stops, like he’d just runinto an invisible wall. “Just wait there for a moment and, oh .” He waves a hand dismissively. “Drop the gun. It's not going to do you any good.”
The weapon falls to the ground with a clatter and Kunikuzushi lightly kicks it out of the man’s reach.
With a sob, Heizou falls backwards into a pair of familiar arms. They wrap around him and ease Heizou gently to the ground. “K-Kaz?” Heizou whispers weakly.
“I’m here,” Kazuha assures him. “I’m here, Heizou.” He’s cradling Heizou, torn between staying in his line of sight or clutching him to his chest.
A million things are rushing through Heizou’s mind. Maybe this is what they mean by one’s life flashing before their eyes as they die. His teeth chatter; funny, he’s not even cold. Then Hoshimaru’s smug grin crosses Heizou’s memory and he digs his nails into the collar of Kazuha’s kimono. He forces himself to breathe before fixing a sharp glare at Kazuha, and he says something that would have knocked the air from Kazuha’s lungs, if the vampire had still breathed. “T-t—” he gulps, then coughs, blood slipping from his lips, “turn me. Now. ”
“Hei,” Kazuha gasps. “I, I don’t want this for you. You need to think of all the things you'd be giving up-”
“I can mourn that later, but right now, I can’t die. Not yet.” Heizou glares at the man, still stuck frozen in place like a statue watching the odd display.
Guilt washes over Kazuha’s face, and he anxiously looks at Kunikuzushi. “Well?” The elder vampire crosses his arms. “That sounded like consent to me.”
“No.” Kazuha shakes his head. “Heizou, I don’t want to lose you, but this—”
“This is the only way I can finish this!” Heizou roars at Kazuha. He’s breaking out into a cold sweat, his eyes beginning to dull. “If I die, he goes after Sara. Then those victims, they died for some man’s sick, twisted pleasure, and their families will never see him pay for it.”
“Kazuha, do it,” Kunikuzushi commands as he kneels, reaching out and undoing the collar from around Heizou’s neck. “He’s willing. Drain him before he loses too much blood and dies from his injuries.”
Kazuha rests his head against Heizou’s forehead. “Trust me?”
“Always.” Heizou nods before craning his neck and squeezing his eyes closed. This time, when Kazuha’s fangs pierce through Heizou’s skin and into the vein, a new feeling blooms over him. He feels strangely euphoric. The pain he’d been feeling flees and is replaced by warmth. He moans, the tight grip he’d had on Kazuha beginning to loosen.
Shikanoin Heizou dies. He feels the moment his heart slows; the final beats are blindingly painful. He’s staring up at the starry sky breaking through the storm clouds as he breathes in his final breath. Kunikuzushi lifts him, moving him to rest in Kazuha’s lap.
There are tears streaking down Kazuha’s face and Heizou tries to reach up. He wants to dry his eyes, but his body isn’t responding. “Open his mouth,” Kunikuzushi demands, and Heizou feels Kazuha’s hand pinch his jaw, separating his lips. “You’re going to owe me for this,” Kunikuzushi warns with a click of his tongue as he drags one of his talons along the center of his palm before squeezing his hand into a fist, letting the first few drops fall onto Heizou’s mouth.
Almost instantly Heizou rises, clutching Kunikuzushi’s hand and sinking his teeth into the meat of his palm, forcing more of the blood into his mouth. Feral growls and snarls escape the detective as he drinks from Kunikuzushi, drinking in the other man’s curse.
Kazuha pulls Heizou back after a moment, the fledgling vampire hissing. “Easy!” Kazuha warns, holding him back. He whispers soothing words into Heizou’s ear, urging his lover to come back to himself.
“Greedy shit,” Kunikunzushi huffs with a pout. “You,” he growls at the man that shot Heizou. “Come here,” he urges, curling his finger at him. The man steps forward, clearly trying to fight the movement of his legs. “Heizou,” Kunikuzushi hums, “ready for your first meal?”
“N-no! No, please! I’m sorry. I’m sorry!” the man wails, like a scorned phantom.
There's a long silent moment before Heizou finally lifts his head. “I’m not feeding off him,” he rasps out as he stands. “You said your boss, and then you threatened Sara.” Heizou reaches into his coat, pulling out his phone. He struggles to hold it, hands slippery with his blood. “I want you to tell me your name, who your boss is, and who you were planning to hurt next.” He turns on the camera and points it directly at the man, switching over to film a video.
The man shakes his head. “P-please, just let me go-“
“Shut up!” Kunikuzushi snaps. “Heizou, this is stupid. He shot you, he planned to—welltechnically, he did kill you.”
“No!” Heizou holds firm, shaking his head. “You wanna live? Then talk.”
The man flounders, but gives in. “My name is Shoma Yuu, my boss is Akuma Hoshimaru, and I was hired to kill you and Kujou Sara,” Yuu answers stiffly.
Kazuha stops filming as Heizou nods to him. He passes the phone back. “Let him go.”
“What?” Kunikuzushi snaps. “You want to let him go?”
“He won’t be free for long.” Heizou shrugs and then waves his phone at Yuu. “Besides, I have something more pressing to take care of.”
“Heizou,” Kazuha whispers. “I admire the determination, but you must be ravenous right now. That is not a good thing, you’re less likely to stay in control of yourself. You could hurt innocent people.”
“If I’m being honest,” Heizou dryly laughs. “My teeth itch and I want to bury them into his neck. I can hear his heart beat from here. Shit, I can practically see the way his blood is coursing through his veins.” Yuu makes an anxious noise, still trapped by Kunikuzushi’s spell. “He’s not worth it. Yes, he shot me, pretty much killed me.” Heizou side-eyes his murderer. “But like I said, he’s going to get his dues, and then he’s going to remember every night when he goes to bed that I am still out here.”
The color visibly drains from Yuu’s face. “Oh, oh Archons.”
“You get it now? I’m not being kind. You may only get a few years for conspiracy to commit murder, have the safety of prison walls to keep me out. But how long will you last knowing I could come back for you once you’re out? As far as you know, for the rest of your life, I will be in the shadows. You move one more toe out of line, I won’t hesitate again.”
Kazuha blinks, surprised by how vindictive Heizou truly could be. Kunikuzushi slowly claps. “And I thought I could be petty. You heard him. Run .” He snaps his fingers and Yuu scrambles, tripping over his feet as he screams, running into the night.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Kazuha whispers, turning Heizou to face him.
“For now, yeah, when it sinks in that I’m,” Heizou pauses, “a vampire, I might need you more than ever. I’m sorry, I know you rely on me to feed you–”
Kazuha cuts him off by pulling Heizou into a bone-crushing hug. “I don’t care about that.” He sighs. “I don’t care about me. I survived for years without you. No offense.” Kazuha pulls away to look at Heizou, cupping his face, “I still want to throttle you for choosing this so carelessly! Heizou, this isn't something you just do on a whim. This is an eternity of watching your friends and family grow old and die, while you stay the same.”
“Well.” Heizou steps closer. “Good thing I suck at making friends.” He loops his arms around Kazuha’s neck. “As for my family, that’s you. You’re who I chose to be my family.”
Kunikunzushi makes a playful gagging noise as he looks away from the now two undead lovers.
“What about your job?” Kazuha asks. He’s still on edge and clearly displeased. However, right now, he knows Heizou will be far too stubborn to listen to reason.
“I’ll figure it out later. For now.” Heizou gives Kazuha a quick kiss to the cheek. “I need to call Sara and get a certain murderer down to the station.”
“Take a seat,” Sara demands as she leads Hoshimaru into the interrogation room.
“I don’t understand why I am here.” Hoshimaru sighs loudly. “I was already cleared, what more could you want from me?” he asks, slipping into one of the cold metal chairs. “You have nothing.”
“I don’t,” Sara confirms. “However, my partner, Detective Shikanoin, came up with some interesting intel that he would like to ask you about.”
Hoshimaru’s face twitches for a moment. “Oh?” He covers up his apprehension with a smile. “Whatever could that be?”
Sara doesn't say anything as she turns to leave, the door shutting behind her. To Hoshimaru’s surprise, Heizou was waiting behind it. “Sorry for waking you up,” Heizou laughs as he walks forward, leaning over the table. “I’ll bet you were sleeping like the dead, huh?”
“I must admit, I’m surprised to see you,” Hoshimaru sneers. “Yuu is, how do I say this…”
“Your best shot?” Heizou asks. Hoshimaru laughs and Heizou joins him, instantly dropping the laugh to lift up his shirt, revealing the partially healed, still scarring fatal wound. “Tell me about it.”
Hoshimaru’s expression drops. “He— You.”
Heizou drops his clothing back down. Thankful that the black leather of his coat and the black denim of his jeans had hidden the blood well enough that no one noticed it. “Oh, I want to talk about me.” Heizou shrugs as he sits in the chair across from Hoshimaru. “I want you to tell me everything you did to those girls.”
Fighting his disbelief, Hoshimaru snarls, “I am not a fool! I did nothing! You cannot trick me into a false confession.”
“Oh, I didn’t say anything about a false confession. Evidence doesn’t lie, DNA doesn’t lie,” Heizou says, drumming his fingers on the steel table, the sight and sound of them drawing Hoshimaru’s attention. His eyes widened and the claw-like points of Heizou’s nails. “All of that evidence we had before is locked up thanks to the current trial. However, after Yuu’s attack and threat, I am giving you a chance to come clean.”
The lights cut out in the interrogation room. Heizou can hear the commotion as Sara and the other guards scramble to try to recover the light.
In the darkness, Hoshimaru is yanked from his chair and thrown against the wall. He can’t see Heizou, but he’s aware the detective is the one pinning him. “You’re sure about this?” A third voice asks in the darkness.
“Do it. I know it's him, Kunikuzushi.” Heizou answers a third voice, one that wasn’t there a moment before, “Quick, they’re gonna get the room connected to the generator any second now. Say it, then go meet up with Kazuha.”
“Tell the truth.”
A sharp breath, and suddenly Hoshimaru is dropped back into his chair just as the lights come back on. Only he and Heizou are in the room, and Heizou is at the door, feigning surprise. “Ah, looks like we’re back online.” Hoshimaru’s lip quivers, looking ready to piss himself from fear. “Now, where were we?” Heizou asks, tilting his head as his lips draw up into a lopsided smile, showing only Hoshimaru his shiny new fangs.
“I want to confess.”
“It’s a beautiful night,” Kazuha hums as he steps onto the roof. “How are you feeling?”
Heizo
u is leaning on the ledge, watching the lively city below before he turns to face Kazuha. “Better. Sorry I’ve been such a sad sack as of late.” Kazuha steps up behind Heizou, boxing him against the railing.
“Dearest,” he whispers. “You’ve nothing to apologize for. There is always an adjustment period,” Kazuha reminds him, pressing a kiss to his temple. “You’ve only been a vampire for a few months now.”
Kazuha rests his chin on Heizou’s shoulders. They’re both silent for a moment, before Heizou finally speaks. “Kazuha.” Heizou sighs. “Do you miss how we were?” He asks nervously, “did I ruin everything by turning?”
Rather than answer, Kazuha steps aside, joining Heizou in leaning against the barrier over the police station’s roof. He stares out over Inazuma City, then shakes his head. “I do miss what we had,” he admits, quickly taking Heizou’s hand before the detective can spiral. “However, before I would have only had you for a lifetime.” He looks over to smile at Heizou. “Now I have you for an eternity.”
Heizou looks as if he could cry. “An eternity?” He asks with a worried smile. “You’d best be careful, Kaedehara.”
“Oh and why is that, Shikanoin?”
“Because.” Heizou steps closer, pulling his hand free from Kazuha’s hold to cup his face in his hands. “I
really
like the sound of eternity with you.” Kazuha smile's warmly. Despite the fact that Heizou know's the two of them are colder than the grave, he can't help but feel warmed by the sight.