They talked for what had to have been hours, interspersed by Gackt forcing Hyde to consume more food than should have been humanly possible, but by about lunch time he was feeling a lot better. There had been some explanation about how vampire feeding caused a reaction in the human body and blood was replaced very quickly, but that it required lots of fuel. Hyde had not taken in all the details, but it made a weird kind of sense, so he had behaved and not balked every time Gackt had placed another bowl of noodles or rice in front of him. At least the last time Gackt had had some as well.

Hyde was beginning to think that it might be time to return to his own room when there was another knock at the door. It couldn't have been room service because they had just sent the last lot of empty dishes back. He watched Gackt walk towards the door and saw his friend stiffen just before he got there.

The tension in the room went up a notch.

Whoever was at the door they didn't stay long and when Gackt spoke, he spoke in a language Hyde did not understand. By the time his friend walked back into the room carrying a letter, Hyde was completely confused and more than a little worried.

He sat still and just waited, since he was sure Gackt would tell him if this concerned him, but he prepared to leave if Gackt needed time to himself. The last thing he wanted to do was cause problems now that he and Gackt seemed to be almost back to normal.

"Fuck," was Gackt's heartfelt reaction.

Hyde watched him finish reading the letter before balling it up and throwing it into a corner.

"Something wrong?" he asked, not wanting to pry, but feeling the need to express his concern for his friend.

"A complication," Gackt said shortly, clearly annoyed, "nothing for you to worry about."

That sounded like his out of the problem, but Hyde could see that Gackt was suddenly very tense. That was not good.

"Something from the local vampires?" he asked, hoping that he was not stepping over a line.

For a moment Hyde thought Gackt might not tell him, but then he saw his friend's expression change.

"I was negotiating for a donor when our encounter occurred," Gackt reiterated what Hyde already knew, "and I did not hide my immediate need. Since I did not contact them again, they wish to know how I satisfied that need and their law givers have requested my presence this evening to explain."

"And if you tell them about me, they'll just believe you?" Hyde asked, not sure what was making Gackt so on edge.

"Possibly," Gackt said, clearly reluctant about his answer.

It dawned on Hyde why his friend was tense.

"They'll want you to prove who your donor was won't they," he said slowly, "and that means meeting me."

"Not necessarily," Gackt replied, but his tone was not convincing.

The idea of meeting other vampires filled Hyde with anxiety that finding out about Gackt never really had. However, he was not about to abandon his friend.

"I could come with you," he said, gathering up all his courage before voicing his solution, "and that would settle everything wouldn't it?"

Gackt was frowning.

"I don't want to drag you into this," his friend said, clearly uncomfortable, "not unless I have to. Vampire politics can be bothersome."

"Then wouldn't it be better to sort this out straight away so we can get on with making the movie?" Hyde asked, wondering what details Gackt was not telling him. "If you turn up alone, won't you just have to go back with me anyway? I honestly don't mind going with you if it will help get us back on track."

Gackt looked pensive for a few minutes until finally he nodded, tension easing a little bit, but not disappearing. Hyde knew there was something he wasn't being told, but he trusted Gackt enough to let his friend handle it.

"Okay," Gackt said without a trace of emotion in his voice, "our appointment is at ten."

Hyde just accepted the information with a nod and all thoughts of returning to his room fled. Now he had a hundred new questions. One thing he definitely didn't want to do was insult anyone.

~*~

Climbing out of the car behind Gackt, Hyde smoothed down the smart jacket he had decided to wear and hoped that his nervousness was not too obvious. His instructions were basically to stay with Gackt and keep his mouth shut unless asked direct questions, which niggled a little, but made sense since he was dealing with an environment with which he had no experience. He could be shy at the best of times so this was probably the better course of action anyway; he really didn't want to come over as an idiot.

There were two large looking men on the door of what was an impressive, modern building. The way they were looking at him made Hyde feel even more nervous. Gackt didn't seem to like it either if the set of his shoulders was anything to go by and Hyde had to wonder what was going on.

"If I flirt," Gackt whispered, turning back to him and leaning in close, "flirt back. I fear we may have to give the impression we are closer than friends."

"Why?" Hyde asked, wanting to understand even though he trusted Gackt's judgement.

"I believe I may have underestimated your impact," Gackt replied, straightening his collar for him even though it was quite straight to begin with. "I do not wish any of those here to get ideas about pursuing you, and a deeper connection between us will prevent that. I apologise in advance for anything inappropriate I may do or say."

"I'm a big boy," Hyde replied, "I can cope. Let's just pretend we're on stage at one of your concerts."

That made Gackt crack the tiniest of smiles, but it was gone as soon as his friend turned back towards the building. As soon as Gackt began to walk, Hyde followed, and they entered the building with him only slightly behind his friend.

In the hotel Hyde had kept the residual marks of Gackt's feeding well hidden, but now they were on display, almost as if they were a badge of honour. They were almost gone, but Hyde saw several pair of eyes flick to them and away again; he hoped this would not take long.

They spoke to a receptionist who directed them to an elevator and, once they were inside, Gackt reached up to remove the coloured glasses he was wearing. It didn't really surprise Hyde to see that his companion was not wearing his blue lenses to this meeting. It did explain why Gackt had been wearing sunglasses after dark, which was eccentric even for him.

They were met on the ninth floor by a woman in a long black dress who looked to Hyde like she'd been sewn into the garment. How she moved was a mystery to him, but at the same time she had an air about her that told him she could rip his head off and suck out the insides without so much as breaking a nail. He was not embarrassed to admit that she intimidated him even as she greeted them politely and led them towards another room.

She threw open a set of oak double doors and revealed a plush, modern office that was arranged around a very large, impressive wooden desk. Behind the desk was sat a man who barely looked thirty. He was flanked on one side by an older looking man who, as far as Hyde was concerned, was the size of a house, and as he followed Gackt into the room he spotted another man lounging against the wall to the right.

"Ah, good evening," the man behind the desk greeted as if he hadn't known who was about the walk in, "thank you for being so punctual."

"It was the least I could do," Gackt said, turning on the charm and sounding anything but annoyed to have answered what was basically a summons, "I must apologise for the confusion."

"It was unfortunate that we had to request your presence, Gackt-san, but we have had a little trouble with some of our younger residents and visitors and we felt it better to be safe than sorry," the man behind the desk said and it was clear to Hyde that Gackt and the other vampire had met before. "I do hope you understand."

"Of course, Sato-san," Gackt replied with a polite bow of his head. "it is my fault for not contacting you today to explain, but I must admit that last night's events were rather surprising and took my entire attention. This is Hyde, he has become the solution to my problem and unfortunately my distraction as well."

Hyde stepped up beside Gackt when he was mentioned and did not resist as Gackt reach out, snaking an arm around his shoulders to pull him close. He stayed put as Gackt's fingers ran leisurely down his neck and danced lightly over what was left of the bite mark. The shiver that ran through him was completely unintentional, but he couldn't help it.

"Isn't it rather a dangerous game to reveal your nature to such a high-profile acquaintance?" It was the vampire lounging against the wall who had spoken and something about the man's tone annoyed Hyde.

It was clear the others in the room knew who he was, but he still had the feeling that most of them were looking down their noses at him.

"I am a little more than an acquaintance," he said, unable to stop his annoyance showing through.

He was quite surprised to see the vampire he had challenged grin at that.

"And fiery too," was the offhand comment that came back and made Hyde bristle even more, but Gackt's hand on his shoulder tightened just slightly and kept him silent.

"I must apologise for Lee Seung-Jin," Sato said and looked at the still lounging vampire sharply, "he is visiting from Korea and their methods are less civilised than ours."

That made the aforementioned Lee Seung-Jin laugh and Hyde decided that he definitely didn't like the man.

"I'm sure you will civilise me in the end, Sato-san," the vampire said without even bothering to stand up. "I still think it was a valid question."

"It was not a conscious decision," Gackt said, fingers gently running up and down Hyde's neck again; "I'm sure you have noticed that there is something unique about Hyde. We have been dancing around each other for some time and last night we intersected at the wrong moment, or right one, depending on how you look at it."

"Are you psychic, Hyde-san," Sato asked politely.

"Not that I know of," Hyde replied with complete honesty; he had no idea why he seemed to be so attractive to vampires.

He never would have known if it hadn't been for the previous evening. It was a rather uncomfortable few seconds as he realised that he was the centre of attention in the room and he found Gackt's touch very comforting as four vampires studied him.

"Don't suppose you feel like sharing?" it was Lee who spoke again and just proved to Hyde that his opinion of the vampire was correct.

What surprised him was the growl that came from Gackt and the way the arm holding him close tightened so that he couldn't have stepped away if he wanted to.

"If you cannot be polite you will leave," Sato said with a crack of authority in his voice that made Hyde glad that he was not the focus of the vampire's attention.

When he glanced over at Lee, the Korean simply appeared bored, but it was telling that there was no retort. Hyde suddenly wanted to be out of the building as soon as possible; he did not like the atmosphere in the room.

"With respect, Sato-san," Gackt brought the attention back to himself and Hyde just did his best to be as inconspicuous as possible, "I became somewhat carried away last night and Hyde came this evening against my better judgement because he wished to make sure this situation was resolved. If you are satisfied, I would like to take him back to our hotel so that he may rest."

For once Hyde did not mind being the weak little human and he gave Sato a small smile when the law giver looked at him again. He could do innocent and vulnerable with the best of them and he employed the fact that he could look feminine and helpless to its utmost. Sometimes it was a pain in the arse, but just about then it was very useful.

"Thank you, Gackt-san, Hyde-san," Sato said after a moment, "I believe we have all the information we require. If you wish for any assistance during your stay, please do not hesitate to contact us, Gackt-san."

"Thank you for your hospitality, Sato-san," Gackt replied, "perhaps you or yours will visit Kyoto one day and I will be able to return it."

Hyde bowed his head in respect but was very glad as Gackt took him by the hand and led him to the door. If he never saw another vampire, it would be too soon.