A/N: thanks for the reviews, faves and follows! i never thought this then-impulsive-vampire knb fic is still read even if i haven't updated in long time. it makes me really happy~ and please excuse the chapter titles, a lot of things are not my forte and that's one. hmm, so the most awaited character makes appearance...?

Waking Bite

Chapter Eight

There is only one person that Murasakibara Atsushi believed in the world: himself. There is no one greater than himself. No one can be parallel his strength. Well, yes, his father and brothers are there to contend to his powers, but he's strong. He's powerful.

And he's alone.

He had never met his brothers until their father called for them. And even after he was forced to live in some unknown place in the middle of nowhere with his brothers and that other family, he still didn't meet his father that much. All he did was eat (because even if the lady of the house is one of 'those', she's a good cook) and play around. The large mansion and the forest around them were his and his brothers' playground. They made a contest of silly things, made sort of prizes of little things.

But it bored him. Of course he can win. But it was all games and play. There wasn't that feeling of rush before, when he was free to hunt with his mother and her clan — how they overpowered towns of the other species and preyed on them.

That was how things went — until that boy with the red eyes appeared.

'Let me introduce you,' his father told Murasakibara and his brothers.

There was an unusual expression on his father's face — a smile, almost proud. Something Murasakibara has never seen before.

His father gestured at the small, red-eyed boy. 'This is Akashi Seijuro.'

That wasn't the first time they met each other. Murasakibara had seen the boy before. He and his brothers first saw the other boy atop an apple tree, taking a bite on the sweetest apple of their prized tree.

'For being that person's children, you're rather weak,' the boy had commented.

Weak? Murasakibara is never weak. And he would never accept such comment from a scum like a—

...

"Atsushi, Okamura-san won't appreciate you going off like this."

But Murasakibara continued walking. He ignored Himuro Tatsuya, even as his partner breathed a heavy sigh.

"Why did you decide to come here, anyway?" Himuro asked, looking around the unfamiliar passage. It was made of nothing but bricks.

They seemed to be underground, what with the eerie coldness and silence in the passage. There were tree roots breaking into the brick walls too, letting in the musky smell of soil. A steady stream of water ran on one side, suggested by the rushing sound through the single pipe going on and on just like the passage. At least their way was brightly lit by well-kept bulbs in even intervals as they walked on.

"Where are we?" Himuro asked. He had been asking such questions for probably the tenth time. He had a feeling that he should know where they were — but knowing or not knowing where in the world they were, he and Murasakibara should be running the opposite direction.

The vibes coming off Murasakibara wasn't good either.

"Atsushi—"

"Shut up for a minute, Murochin."

Murasakibara spared him a look and Himuro would have been rooted on the spot if he hadn't known Murasakibara for quite a long time. It still took him a moment to gather his thoughts though, and he continued to follow Murasakibara through the passage. He took out his phone to report to Okamura again but found that there wasn't phone service there.

Himuro rarely sees Murasakibara as serious as this. Murasakibara Atsushi is generally a bored giant kid, caring only if the refrigerator or his backpack contain food or not. He doesn't even care about the hunting missions — and that's where Himuro Tatsuya's assignment falls: to pull Yosen's resident vampire into their missions and to guard both their well being. Though to date, no vampire even managed to scratched the surprisingly agile, large vampire.

Himuro sighed. Yes, he's a babysitter. He doesn't really mind. Murasakibara is pretty much simple-minded and cute like a rather huge little brother. But instances like this baffle Himuro, when Murasakibara finds something of interest enough to pull the large vampire from his binge-eating and overall carelessness.

He looked at the time. It was evening already. They were missing since the afternoon and Okamura is going to kill them. But then a door appeared before them, signalling the end of the passage.

It was heavy set of doors, sturdy with its steel make. There was beeping from its side where a card and optics reader sat on the wall, looking almost out of place at the old-fashioned walls and door. Murasakibara regarded them briefly before putting his hands on the door handles.

And he ripped the doors off their hinges.

"Atsushi—?!"

"Murasakibara."

Another person was there inside the room that the doors led to. Himuro looked from behind Murasakibara and he saw odd green hair and eyes. Upon set of green eyes on Himuro, the scowl of the vampire in the room deepened.

"My name is Midorima Shintarou, the resident vampire and hunter of Shuutoku." He gave a small bow to Himuro's direction. He looked angry when he turned back to the other vampire. "Why in the world are you here, Murasakibara?"

"Why are you here, Midochin?" Murasakibara asked. He sounded irritated.

"Rakuzan invited me into its headquarters to take care of...some business," Midorima replied. His eyes were narrowed. "You, on the other hand, aren't supposed to be here. Leave before I make you."

Murasakibara raised his eyebrows at Midorima. "Then make me."

Midorima undid a little of his bandages and raised his fists. Murasakibara also raised his fists but Midorima was suddenly in front of him. The bespectacled green-eyed man aimed his hand on the taller's collarbone, only to parried by Murasakibara by the upward swipe of his own long arm. Using the parrying hand as a guard, Murasakibara directed his closed fist into Midorima's stomach. But Midorima saw his move and swiped the arm away, turning a-hundred-and-eighty on his left leg to deliver a kick on Murasakibara's head. But Murasakibara used his forearm to block.

"Stop, Atsushi—" Himuro started saying. But Murasakibara grabbed his collar to throw him into the room. Himuro could do nothing but be carried by the inhuman force applied to him, landing painfully in the middle of the room against a rectangular metal block.

"Dammit!" Midorima cursed as he tried to go for Himuro. But Murasakibara went for his neck and Midorima could only parry the incoming deathly chop.

Himuro shook his head out of the stars, groaning softly. The metal block he was leaning on was cold. Ice cold that it fogged the air around it. He stood up, rubbing the sore spot on his head and turned around to look at the metal block.

At first glance, it looked like a refrigerator lying horizontally. But it was an open doorless refrigerator, explaining the cold foggy air that escaped its bare top. Himuro's teeth almost chattered as he stared at it. And as he looked further, there was an odd shape in that metal block.

A deathly pale human figure. Sleeping, as the chest of this human figure rose and fell with the cold puffs in front of its face. Himuro watched the face before him and found it unfamiliar, but something else seemed easily recognizable from these features — especially the red-hair and the angular face, despite pale, can be mistaken for a god's because of its beauty and perfection.

And then it hit him.

"Akashi Seijuro," the name slipped from Himuro's lips. The enigmatic captain of Teiko and the upcoming leader of the organization, if it hadn't fallen fifteen years ago. Known for his family's red hair and red eyes.

Himuro hadn't noticed Murasakibara getting past Midorima until the tall vampire shoved him from beside the metal container. This time, the strength of the push was minimal and only enough to get Himuro out of the way. And then to Himuro's surprise, he watched Murasakibara bite into the neck of the boy in the metal container. A gulp, two... and—

Red eyes blinked open.