THE FINAL CLUE

by Tari Palantir

DISCLAIMER: None of the characters except for the villain and extra personalities belong to me.

WARNING: This fanfic includes: Saitou x Sanosuke pairing; a vampire character; random silliness and unedited words.

PART 1: My Soul Shall Find Yours

Alkira was lonely.

He couldn't possibly deny it any longer. The very fact that he went back to Kyoto was enough proof of that. He thought he had lost his liking for this place, especially after that unforgettable night.

The fateful night that seemed to be forever etched in his memory.

Stop it, he told himself firmly. There is no point in reminiscing. It will only consume you, enveloping you in pain until you can't breathe. Besides, it has already been a century. Just focus on what you are supposed to do.

And that is to feed.

Shaking his head, he left the shadows and started walking amidst the crowd. Gray eyes scanned the town people like those of a predator looking for the perfect prey.

He spotted a drunken youth in a deserted alley, leaning against the wall as if about to pass out.

Okay, maybe it wasn't the perfect prey. But it will do. For now.

With incredible skill, he went after the youth. The drunken teen tried to fight back, but it was no use. He was the victim, and Alkira always made sure it stayed that way. Soon the body of the youth fell down, drained and tossed like mere trash.

Alkira wiped his mouth absent-mindedly, lost in a pool of thoughts. The warmth of his little snack seemed useless against the bitter cold growing inside him. The cold only gets worse.

Walking out of the alley, his attention shifted to the crowd out on this busy night. Some people couldn't resist having a little merriment. Shoppers, gamblers, and drinkers occupied almost every space in the street. Homeless children ran to and fro, oblivious of tomorrow. Laughter and hushed conversations filled the air.

He smirked. Yes, some things never change. Humans still go about, looking for something to ease the monotony of their lives. In search of warmth. Warmth that only a precious person could give.

Just like me. In a way, we are quite the same, he thought grimly, watching two men brawling outside a restaurant. Selfish and mostly inhuman.

Nothing like Senko. Senko was different, he----

His thoughts were cut short when he sensed a group of drunken men weaving in his direction. He tried to move out of the way, but it was too late. The force of their bodies hit him hard, leaving him sprawled on the ground. The men just grunted and went on their way, apparently too drunk to care.

So he lay there, unmindful of the pain, waiting for someone who'll notice and help him up. The seconds ticked by, and still no one came.

I should have known. There's no warmth left in humanity.

Not really hurt by the fall, he started to push himself up. That was when he heard someone approach and say, "Hey mister, are you okay?"

The voice sounded familiar. A strange wave of apprehension went through him, and he wasn't able to answer. He felt strong hands gently hold his arms, lifting him. Alkira looked up and finally saw the face of a young man.

Senko?! his mind conjured numbly.

He didn't dare believe it, but it was Senko's very image standing before him. The same soulful brown eyes, now filled with sincere concern. The same spiky strands of chestnut hair poking stubbornly upward. The same voice. Alkira's mind reeled at the realization. Is fate giving me a second chance?

"Are you okay? You're all cold and pale," the youth said yet again, a sense of urgency in his tone.

Alkira recovered from his initial shock and finally answered, "Yes. I just fell. Thank you for your help." He removed himself from the youth's hold, feeling like a fool.

The young man smiled and nodded.

"You should always be careful. Some people don't care about everything around them when they're drunk."

And with a little wave, he started walking towards a gambling house across the street. As the youth walked, the wind blew the red bandanna tied around his head, highlighting the kanji stamped on the back of his white jacket.

EVIL, it read.

And Alkira, standing on the middle of the busy street, suddenly felt the warmth he had always longed for.

He smiled as he recalled Senko's last words. "My soul shall find yours."

Sanosuke Sagara whistled merrily to himself. It was almost midnight, and he was savoring his winnings as he walked home.

His thoughts drifted to Mibu's Wolf as he neared his destination. Hajime Saitou's birthday is a few days away, and he had been working hard to come up with enough money to prepare something special. It hadn't been easy. He had to leave early every morning to haul rice sacks for a factory downtown. His secret endeavors made Saitou suspicious and grumpy (especially the first time he went to work), but Sano was smart enough to avoid being followed by taking a secret route. He felt guilty for being sneaky, but knew that the end result is definitely worth the effort.

That bastard's gonna love me sooo much! he thought happily.

Their little home was dark and quiet. He figured that Hajime must be asleep already, having worked all day.

Silently, he slid the door open, and upon removing his shoes, closed the door. He was about to remove his white jacket when a voice spoke in the darkness, freezing him on the spot.

"Where the hell have you been?"

Sano turned to find Hajime sitting in the corner, his yellow eyes looking like those of his namesake's. He seemed to have been sitting there for quite some time.

"Geez.you startled me. I thought you were asleep", he said awkwardly, trying to avoid further questioning.

"You didn't answer my question."

Nope, he clearly isn't letting me be of the hook that easily. Darn it!

He rolled his eyes in exasperation. "I was at the gambling house." There! The truth minus the fancy trimmings.

Saitou's eyebrow rose"All day?"

"Of course not," he replied. "I hanged out with my friends."

Then to distract his lover, he added amusingly, "Why are you so concerned all of a sudden? Worried about me, Hajime?"

A grunt was his only answer. Heck, he wasn't expecting more than that anyway. He had grown accustomed to Saitou's taciturn nature to do that.

"Well OFFICER, " he stated defiantly, " if you're done with your INTERROGATION, I'd like to go to sleep now." And with that he flopped down angrily on their futon, covered himself with the blanket and closed his eyes.

Silence.

Fine. Make him think I'm mad. That'll keep him from messing my plans. And the worst part is, he isn't even gonna apologize. He's too stuck up to care about my feelings. Damn you Saitou! Why do I put up with you?

Moments later, he felt Saitou slid under the covers. The heat of his body enveloped him like a thick fog. He didn't budge, pretending to be asleep. Waiting for Saitou's apology, at the least.

No movement. No words spoken.

Sano felt lulled by the awkward silence and soon found himself falling into an exhausted slumber. He was too deep in sleep to feel Saitou draw him nearer, to hear him whisper in the darkness.

"I'm sorry roosterhead."

Nor did he feel the soft kiss on his slightly parted lips.

Midnight has passed, and yet Hajime Saitou was still awake. He lay on his side, his head propped up by his left arm staring at the sleeping Sano beside him.

Hmn…snoring is more like it, he thought amusingly, relishing the soft sounds his young lover made in sleep.

His gaze lingered on Sanosuke's face. It seemed only yesterday that they have become really close. Why, I almost killed him when we first met. Who would have thought that I would fall, er…like this ahou?

Gently, he brushed Sano's bangs aside, wondering what scheme this innocent-looking brawler had been doing this past week. He had been surprised at first, waking up and finding Sano already gone. He even tried to follow, but the brat was sneaky, a skill he had learned from growing up alone in the streets. Saitou guessed that Sano took a secret path to wherever he goes off to, as he couldn't track him down. He wished he could investigate it further, but he was too busy with police work to do so.

I'll just wait. This kid couldn't keep his mouth shut long enough anyway.


Sighing, he silently stood up to smoke outside. For some reason, he was feeling edgy. Maybe a few sticks will calm him down. He frowned, confused by this sudden attack of anxiety.

He had just slid the door behind him when a sensation prickled the hair at the back of his neck. The sensation of being watched by someone. Someone evil.

What the--?

Casually, Saitou roved his eyes across the growth of trees on their street, not wanting the stalker to realize that he had felt its presence. Nothing. He couldn't find anything.

Then the feeling vanished as quickly as it came.

Shoot, I must be stressed out. I'm imagining things.

At least that's what he tried to tell himself as he went back inside and lay down beside Sano. But he couldn't help embracing his roosterhead a little tighter than usual, as if bracing for some unknown force that would take Sano away.

Sitting on a thick tree branch, Alkira was seething with rage. He couldn't believe what he just saw a while ago. How could fate twist things so horribly?

He had followed the Senko look-a-like on his way home. It had been a long wait, but time wasn't an issue for him. He wanted to know what the human's name was, where he lived, everything. He decided to watch his house until dawn, to make sure if Senko's reflection has a companion. As he had sat there, he had thought how amazing it was that fate was giving him another chance. Hope had surged in his still heart, making him smile truly for the first time in a century.

But that hope and smile was soon dashed into bits as he saw another man emerge from the house. No, not just a man. That man in particular.

Akira.

He didn't expect it to happen. He didn't think that he'd see his brother again. He though he had finished him off back then.

Unless, he's back. Like Senko.

He watched as Akira searched the trees, apparently sensing his presence. Being a creature of darkness, he easily blended in the shadows. He saw the man shake his head before going back inside, convinced that there wasn't anyone around.

Then all was quiet except for the fury rumbling in Alkira's mind.

"Akira, I'll finish this off once and for all. Senko is mine, and I'll make sure of that", he whispered menacingly in the night air.