It burns his lungs, but at least his hands stopped shaking. He takes a deep breath in, the ashes falling to the ground, mixing into the dry cracked dirt by the grave.

He tossed the cigarette aside. He coughed, "And I'm done!" He reaches into the pocket of his black leather jacket and tossed aside a half full white box of cigarettes. He stomps out the cigarette into the soil.

He coughs once more, "Shit." He looks up at the cloudy gray skies and slicked back his black hair, thinking aloud, "Well... guess I'll need a hobby to distract myself. Wonder what classes are around here?"

He walks down the street, his pale skin even paler than normal under the poor lighting. He hears thunder far away. As he passes by a man in a black trench coat with almost silver skin, thin and sickly, far to much so, thin balding hair, and wide, beastly eyes. The man's teeth are sharp, to sharp, and despite his frail frame, he can tell by bumping into this man that he is quite strong.

"Pardon me sir," the former smoker apologizes.

"The blood..." the pale man gasps, "So sweet on this dark night... give it to me?"

"Pardon?" The man asks, "I'm just some unemployed dude, name's Evander. You need like, a blood transfusion? I can call for help if-"

"Give me your blood!" The pale man screams before lunging, his nails, like talons, aimed at Evander's throat.

Evander ducks under the pale man's attack, the pale man landing on the brick side of a building, snapping his neck.

"Jesus fuck..." Evander mutters, looking at the corpse. "Rest in peace poor soul, I guess. I... should I call someone? Shit man."

He starts to walk away, "I guess I should tell the cops about this? Someone died and it'll look bad if I don't I-"

Then to his horror, he hears a loud crack, the snapping of bone, the pale man stands back up, his neck clicking back into place before he turns his head a full 180°, causing further snapping. "The blood so sweet," the pale man gasps out.

"OK what the fuck!?!" Evander demands. "Stay away from me man!"

"Give it to me!" The pale man screams, charging once more.

Evander quickly grabs a discarded glass bottle as his enemy charges him down. He takes a deep breath to keep his cool, watching as his enemy lunges low to the ground like a wild animal before leaping forward, bearing its horrid fangs. Evander smacks it with a bottle, drawing blood which splatters on his face and knocking it into the wall again.

Once more, like a puppet being pulled, it slowly rises with clicks and cracks, spitting blood, the man, no, the monster turns to look at Evander. "Tough prey..."

Evander is now thoroughly freaked out and demands, "Stay back!"

He shatters the bottle, "I don't have a clue what you are but you're not a man! That's for sure! Stay away!"

The monster leaps several feet above Evander, the moon revealing itself from past the clouds, looming under the moonlight, like an owl about to strike a mouse.

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

Evander stands his ground, as the creature hisses. There's a sudden explosion of crimson, before a flow of blood onto the pavement.

Evander reveals to have blocked with his slightly thin left arm. "You really think I would let you rip my throat out? I know you're too fast for me to evade, but I also know when to make sacrifices! A bite to my arm? Better than death! Now I've got you!"

Evander sticks the broken bottle into the side of the monster's head. Blood splatters on his face as he twists the bladed edge in. He then kicks the monster away, leaving it sputtering in a pool of its own blood. It coughs up blood...

Only to rise once more!

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

"I- impossible!" Evander cries in desperation, "Wh- what are you!?!"

Evander stands his ground, thinking, "Whatever this is cannot be killed by normal means, but what could this devil be? If I don't manage to restrain it, I'm a goner..."

He thinks for a moment, as the creature steadies itself with a gasp, fangs shining in the moonlight. Evander breaks the bottle down to only the tip and charges, jamming it into the monster's eye before it can fully recover.

He tears the creature's eye clean out. Jamming his thumb into the other socket, blinding it. It cries out in pain, clawing at the air as he leaps back to avoid it. He sneered, thinking to himself. "Ha! If I can't kill you I can at least stop you from hurting me or anyone else by blinding you! What now?"

However to his horror, blood spurts from the creatures eyes sockets as it screeches, before revealing, still dripping with blood a fresh pair of eyes.

"Oh God!" Evander cries.

"Enough!" The creature hisses, "Give! Me! Your! Blood!"

The creature lunges once more at Evander only for its prey to be thrown back by a large hand, in an instant that same hand, sparking with energy delivers an uppercut that causes the creature to explode. It screeches in agony before being reduced to naught but ash.

"Wh-" Evander stammers out looking at the man before him, the man has a tall red hat and yellow robes. His black handlebar mustache covers his upper lip, and his arms are covered in hair. Despite having only one arm, that arm made up for its lack of a counterpart with sheer mass. Evander demands, steadying himself, "Wh- what was that?"

The man does not answer, instead asking sternly, "Are you alright sir?"

"It got my arm but," Evander assures, "I'll be fine. Who are you? What was that creature?"

The man smiles and bows, one arm across his chest in respect, "That was a hamon, an ancient art for slaying vampires, and I am Messina, a master of said art."

Evander looks at the pile of ash that was once the vampire that assaulted him, "Are there... more of them?"

Messina nods, "Yes I'm afraid there are."

Evander looks at the wound on his arm and asks, "They'll hurt people, won't they? Can... can I help stop them?"

Messina thinks for a moment, before replying, "Well... you fought it off quite well for someone without hamon. Hmmm... the Joestars are busy with that other vampire..." Messina nods, "Very well, I can attempt to train you, but hamon is an art only the strongest of wills can master."

"Trust me," Evander assures, "Starting this can't be as hard as what I'm trying to end. I need the distraction..."

"Then we head for Venice..." Messina smiles...