Soul emerges with a box from Liz's room as Maka sits with Kid. He is shaken in a way that she's never seen before, nearly rambling. "I knew he might get tipped off but I have no idea how he found us."

"He's a hunter and we're two rich kids who buy blood donations by the dozen." Soul puts down the box on the couch. "It's not that hard to figure out."

Maka opens the box, pulling out a knife that gleams silver. "I assume this is what Liz meant when she said she'd take care of finding a weapon."

"It's small but it'll have to do the trick." Soul leans against the couch's armrest next to Maka. "So what happened exactly?"

"We had just finished dinner and Liz wanted to walk around the square." Kid's gaze is more focused than it was when he stumbled into the apartment. "He ambushed us by an arch. It was not much of a fight, he knocked me into it and took Liz."

It's quiet for a moment; Maka fingers the knife handle. "Where do we even start?"

"I wasn't knocked out," Kid says. "Though I let him think I was," he adds guiltily. "I melded with the shadows and followed him. Even the best hunter can't smell a shadow."

"So where is Liz?"

"I tracked him to an old warehouse by the train tracks." He swallows. "Liz was still screaming so she's alive, at least."

Soul snorts. "A small miracle."

"Well." Maka returns the knife to the box and stands. "It's not a fun night unless you add murder to the mix."

"To sum up," she says as they walk down the steps of the apartment building. "We have one human with no super strength to speak of, two vampires with super strength but nonexistent fighting skill-"

Kid starts. "If we could acquire a musket-"

"Which we don't have," she continues. "And a silver knife that only the human can touch."

"That sounds about right," Soul says.

"Wonderful."

"You're looking dead serious." Black Star swings his legs from the tree Maka's car is parked under, balancing a bat on his shoulders.

"I don't have to explain the joke, do I?" he asks when no one answers.

"We have a pressing matter to attend to so we don't have time to indulge you," Kid says as he opens the car door.

"Such as?"

"Murdering the bloodthirsty vampire who kidnapped our friend," answers Maka, sliding the box in the back with Kid.

Black Star pauses in swinging his legs. "I might have a newfound respect for you." He rolls the bat off his shoulders. "I was going to head to the pitches but you need it more."

Soul catches the bat as the werewolf tosses it down and promptly drops it.

"That is oddly kind of you," Kid says after a beat of silence.

Black Star shrugs. "I have my moments."

A werewolf's howl follows them as they drive away.

"And now we have a bat," Maka says.

Back when Death City had been nothing more than a town, the railroad tracks running through it used to be the town's lifeblood, bringing in trade, jobs, and goods from all over.

Now, however, it is abandoned and the area around it are a mix of dying industrial complexes and half-empty warehouses. The warehouse that Kid directs them to is surrounded by a rusting chain link fence and covered in faded graffiti, most of the windows missing or broken.

Maka parks a few warehouses away, unsure how far the vampire's range for sensing them extends.

"Do we have a plan?" Soul asks as she pulls the key from the ignition.

She takes the box from the back seat, taking out the knife. "Do you actually think any kind of plan is going to work?"

"Probably not but it's good to have aspirations."

"I'll scout it out first and get Liz," Kid says suddenly. "I'm better-suited for sneaking around anyways."

"And we find a way to get the vampire to eat silver," finishes Maka. She looks at Soul. "There's your plan."

Kid leaves them at the chain link fence lining the building, morphing seamlessly into the shadow of the warehouse.

As Maka watches the warehouse, she hefts the knife in her hand and says, "What are the chances of him getting caught?"

Soul lifts his head from examining the bat. "Approximately thirty percent."

"You're kinder than I am."

He makes a sound somewhere between a laugh and a snort.

Maka leans against Soul as they wait. "So the question you were going to ask," she twists her head to look at him, "Can I ask what it was?"

Soul hesitates. "It might be contingent on our survival."

"Ah."

"It will be worth it if we make it out alive, though," he promises. "Or not dead dead at least."

Finding his hand, she squeezes it. "I look forward to hearing it."

A shadow on the ground solidifies and Kid springs up, trying and failing to not look like he's breathing heavily.

Maka raises an eyebrow. "Well?"

"The good news is that Liz is still alive," he begins, wiping his forehead with a towel he produces from out of nowhere. "The bad news is that she's locked in a cage and he's eating someone else in front of her."

Soul frowns. "Why would he have her in a cage?"

"Some vampires like to play with their food before eating it."

Maka gags. "Disgusting."

"And the worst news is that he is freshly powered up now," Kid finishes. "However, I think I could break Liz out if I had the proper... distraction," he says, stressing the last word delicately.

Soul trades a look with Maka. "What are we going to do?" he asks. "Walk in and say hello?"

The inside of the warehouse is dark, save for the moonlight peeking through the windows.

"This is the worst idea ever."

Maka tightens her grip on the knife, nearly crushing Soul's hand from how hard she holds it with her other hand. "Then, you shouldn't have said it."

"I didn't think you were going to take me seriously."

"Famous last words."

There's a stack of crates at the back of the warehouse and chains hanging from the ceiling, a web of metal framework above their head and a ladder running up on the far side of the warehouse.

"Maka?"

"Liz?" Maka spots a dark square next to the crates standing out against the darkness.

Liz waves wildly from the makeshift cage she's stuck in. "How did you find me?"

A shadow moves from the top of the pile of crates and the face of the vampire that's been haunting Maka for months comes into view. "Name's Giriko," he says breezily. "You're going to die."

Anger burns hot on her tongue. "You don't recognize me?" she goads, letting go of Soul's hand.

The vampire tilts his head, scrutinizing her. Then he claps his hands together. "The little angel from the Halloween club," he exclaims, leaping down from the crates. "I had burns from your garlic bread for weeks."

She swallows as he strides closer, spying Kid materialize by Liz's cage.

"And who is this?" he says, looking at Soul. "Friend of yours?"

He stops just out of the range that Maka could feasibly lunge and stab him, winking at her as she glances from the knife to him.

"Boyfriend actually," Soul corrects before throwing the bat at Giriko.

"You're not supposed to throw it!" Maka shrieks as she darts forward.

"I panicked!" he yells as Giriko picks up the bat and chucks it back at Soul, hitting him squarely in the chest.

He falls flat on his back with an "oomph" but leaps up, bat in hand.

Maka swerves out of an attempt to stab Giriko as he twists towards her with a supernatural speed, narrowly dodging a swipe of a clawed hand from him.

Giriko's gaze falls on Kid, who is fighting with the lock of Liz's cage. "You," he growls.

"Me," Kid agrees, disappearing into the shadows as Giriko makes a leap for him.

Soul comes running up behind Giriko, bat raised, as Maka charges at him again. The vampire sidesteps her easily as he plucks the bat out of Soul's hand with a single yank, hurling it through an open window.

Soul stares after the bat. "That is unfortunate," he comments, before turning into an actual bat.

Giriko snarls as Soul flies at his face, swatting at the air wildly.

Maka pants heavily as she watches Giriko try to catch Soul, trying to find an opening, and is about to re-enter the fray when she hears Kid call her name. Keeping an eye on Giriko, she backpedals to him and the cage. "What?"

"The lock won't open." He tugs on it, as if to prove his point.

"Seriously?" She brings down the knife in a determined swoop and the lock pops off, landing on the ground in a clatter.

Liz swings open the door and is clambering out when Maka realizes it has gotten too quiet. She looks up to see Giriko glaring at them while Soul flaps frantically at his face.

"Run." Maka pushes on Liz's arm, eyes still fixed on Giriko. "Run, now."

Kid bolts away from the cage to meet the vampire, clamping a hand around Giriko's shoulder to keep from being tossed away like a rag doll, while Liz darts behind the crates. Behind the two appears Soul, breathing heavily.

Maka springs forward as Giriko wraps his hand around Kid's neck. "Soul!"

"Already on it," Soul answers in a strained voice, pulling back the clawed hand that Giriko is attempting to plunge into Kid's brain. He latches his arm around Giriko's elbow and holds on for dear life. A groan escapes from his mouth while Maka dances around the three, trying to get a good angle on Giriko.

Kid yanks on Giriko's arm in vain, other hand pushing on his shoulder as Giriko attempts to bite his face. "Not to be a bother, but I'm dying," he gasps.

Maka jumps on a crate that the vampires struggle around. "Hold him still!"

"We're trying," they shout in unison.

Inhaling, Maka leaps and feels the knife bite flesh. The howl that Giriko lets out reverberates in her hand as she drives the blade in as far as she can go and backs away. The vampire gives another unearthly shriek as he lets go of Kid, falling to his knees as inky black spreads from his wound across his body.

He glares up at the three when he starts to flake away and, with a final roar, lunges towards them as he turns completely into dust.

The three stare at where Giriko had been in utter silence for a long moment, starting when they hear a noise from the back of the warehouse.

"That is some allergic reaction," Liz says as she peeks out from behind the crates.

"So the question you wanted to ask me," Maka says casually after they had returned to the apartment. She props herself up on her elbow, gazing down at Soul where he lays next to her on his bed. "Can you ask it now?"

"Considering we're still alive, yes." Soul twines his fingers with hers. "Would you like to go to a concert with me sometime next week?"

Maka cups his face in her hand. "I wouldn't love anything more."