Black and endless the night's dome curved above Alan an imperfect shield of darkness punctured by the star's light. His whole body ached with unsaid wants, needs. He could feel the imprint of the elder kami's golden eyes on his back, Q-Chan's gaze lingering calm and cool between his shoulder blades. It made the muscles of his abdomen tremor each time the phantom weight settled on him and stirred uneasy desires throughout his body. He mentally gave himself a shake, warning himself to not go there, to not let himself be seduced by his own pining. Outwardly, Alan was sure and confident, inwardly he was plagued by his own insecurities. He did not understand the kami. The fellow had been deep inside his memories and thoughts, he should be repelled and disgusted, not trailing behind him intently watching his back. Alan jammed his hands in his jacket pocket shrugging his shoulders to ease the weight of the shotgun more evenly between them. His fingers found and curled around his pack of smokes. Alan thought about lighting one to liquefy the tension in his belly and drown out the electric pulses of his brain. If his cousin knew the mix of herbs and drugs rolled into each one of the little white tubes he'd have taken them from him but Alan had kept it a closely guarded secret from his younger cousin. Leon wouldn't understand, wouldn't approve of his self medication and certainly not the methods he chose to do it by. Leon thought they were harmless replacements for the real cigarettes he used to carry, a few mild herbs to give the sensation of smoking. Alan's hand twitched around the package wanting his addiction but refusing to give into it. The kami knew what they were and Alan couldn't risk him bringing it up. Nothing illegal was contained within them but several prescription medications had been ground to fine powder and mixed with a few homeopathic plants allowing Alan to quickly ingest and reap immediate, if temporary, relief to his own psychosis. This in replacement to days of a dulled, numb, plodding existence the drugs would give him had he taken them per his very insistent doctors orders. A deep fire lit momentarily in his eyes of resistance and rage against himself and those who would control him. The words freely scuttled through him of his diagnosis by the witchdoctors, as he fondly referred to them. Manic Depressive, Suicidal Tendencies, Homicidal Tendencies, Poor Impulse Control, Sexually Dysfunctional, Impotence related to Emotional Trauma, Attention Deficit, and others spiraling in a taunt only he could hear. Under his breath Alan hummed Jefferson Airplane's White Rabbit…. "One pill makes you larger…and one pill makes you small…and the ones that mother gives you…don't do anything at all…go ask Alice…when she's ten feet tall…" He was achingly aware that Q-Chan caught every desperate note. Alan turned his head and met his eyes head on, crumbling the smokes in the pack in a sudden clenching fist, before turning away.

Leon caught the movement from the corner of his eye and filed it away for future use. First rule of survival absorb everything but don't stop until you're on safe ground to analysis it. Ning walked beside him and slid his eyes up to meet his briefly acknowledging that he too had seen the abrupt twisting of Alan's head and hands but made no comment. The two men walked in silence letting Alan lead them where he may, the dank smell of rot and wet indicating they were heading towards the bay, a sundry part of town where bad things happened and the police may or may not ever be called. Leon was tense and ready for danger should it happen to come. Jiaoshu slept on in the back of his thoughts and he could feel every slide of his body on the sheet and each deep breath he took as he dreamed. Leon, who had always lived for the moment of chase, wanted nothing more then not to be where he was. He wanted to be in that bed with the Count with the covers spilling around their twined legs. He wanted to not have to friggin worry anymore about half dragons, mutated humans, or evil crazed kami's and their screwed up plans. He couldn't even begin to describe how much he missed the damn shop or sitting across from the Count discussing a case while sipping tea. God, what he'd give for some of that tea right now, sliding down his throat and warming his insides; not crawling through back streets in the chill air looking for trouble. A blur to his side announced that he need look no further as one of the areas many aggressive pick pockets slammed into Ning trying to knock him off balance while fumbling for a wallet the kami didn't carry. Leon leveled a gun directly between the teenaged punk's eyes as he came out of his predetermined spin. The boy froze, eyes wide at the very fast and lethal draw of the detective's weapon and stared up above the metal at two tired, pissed off blue eyes.

"Get." Leon spit out, irritation soaking the one word. The boy backed away several feet before turning and pummeling down the roadside. He paused once as he reached the blocks end and finding the revolver still trained on him took off in a renewed sprint. Leon thought uncharitably thought about shooting him anyway, maybe in the foot or something, but let it go, clearly able to hear Jiaoshu chastising him for being a bully. *Really detective, was this necessary? Or perhaps you were unduly frightened by a mere slip of a boy?* Leon groaned and lowered the weapon. Ning laid a long elegant hand on his arm and Leon shivered at the startling similarity to the Count's. He wanted to go home, no, not want…*needed* to go home. His head felt thick and worn, his body bullish and too heavy.

"It is the bond Leon. It calls you back to him, to his side. Do not let it distract you or make you irrational." Ning told him matter of factly but his hand held nothing but compassion in its warmth. Nana materialized on his other side, her own small hand laying on his back and radiating a wonderful calm that bore through his soft tissue and into his bones.

"Leon-san, you are better now, yes?" Nana questioned, her voice close and kind. Leon nodded enjoying the low burn in his muscles as Nana's hex took the edge off the grating need to be elsewhere.

"Nnnn...better." Leon rolled his head from side to side popping his neck. He took a deep steadying breath and exhaled slowly. Alan had led them to an area populated with docks and warehouses, the deep salty brine of sea water assailing the senses. Alan nodded towards an alley between one busted up broken building and another. Single file they followed him down the narrow causeway each one's eyes and ears wide open for anything untoward. All three kami's stretched their united conscious out to touch the minds of the rats, mice, roaches, and other creatures scurrying in the darker corners around them, searching for traces of humans. Alan crept forward until he came to a large heavy dumpster, an incongruity in a narrow alley that the trash trucks would never be able to come down. His fingers flowed over the dense metal in a blind inquiry looking for a trigger that he knew the metal concealed. Leon brought up the rear the tall blonde towering over them his gun cocked and ready. A slight snick could be heard in the night air and Alan stepped from the blue darkness of night into the inky darkness of waiting archway effectively vanishing in its depths. The kami's followed Nana, Q-Chan and Ning undeterred by the lack of light their pupils expanding until all the color was covered in black. Leon followed the door sliding back into place behind him. He waited patiently on the other side his own eyes useless in the absence of light. He jerked slightly when Ning touched him out of the void, light electricity tingling in his system. Ning pressed a pair of goggles into his hand firmly squeezing his wrist hard to make sure he didn't drop them. Leon brought the pair to his face and pulled them over his head the tight elastic band snug against his scalp. The world returned to him in variegating shades of green. He grinned despite himself at his cousin who looked like a bug with the protruding goggles on.

"And what are you smirking at?" Alan shot at him. Leon couldn't keep a straight face and could barely keep from out and out laughing.

"You, bug face." Leon quipped.

"Me? I'm a bug face? And precisely what do you think you look like? Huh?" Alan asked sardonically hands on his hips.

"I dunno...a really big bug?" Leon laughingly answered.

"Oy." Alan offhandly threw out before turning back to into the night. The cousins had both neglected to mention the strange appearance of the kami's, their skin glowing a cool opulent ivory and their eyes glossy and solid, no hint of white. It was simply easier not to get into the entire kami's aren't human thing at the moment and certainly more comfortable for Leon since he happened to be permanently mated to one. The company fell into silence after that as they delved deeper into the corridors, the walls so close Leon's shoulders brushed in passing. It twisted and turned several times dead ending randomly and forcing many sharp turns from one constricted passageway to another. Leon struggled to contain a rising sense of claustrophobia, his forehead growing damp with sweat as he was forced to turn sideways to slip through. He sighed audibly in relief when a patch of light began to grow and widen indicating they were near the end.

Alan held back at the opening peering out cautiously. He held up one hand signaling the others to wait and went out. A minor scuffle could be heard followed by a muffled thud and then Alan was back at the opening, san's goggles, waving them out. The first thing Leon saw as he emerged was the crumpled body of a large man. He pulled off his goggles and looked from it to his cousin, clearly able to see the man was breathing.

"What? You didn't kill him on principle?" He asked mock shock in his voice. Alan smirked and rolled his eyes.

"Nah, that's George. George and I have a silent understanding. I don't kill him and he doesn't tell Wu Long I breached the security defenses so that he won't kill him. I always leave him a little spare cash in his pocket for his kindness." Alan replied dryly. Leon nodded.

"Sounds like a fair deal to me. Where to from here?" Leon scanned the horizon as he talked taking in the lay of the land. He knew where they were but couldn't believe they'd come that distance. He started to say something about it being impossible but bit back the words before they could spout out. It would sound hypocritical considering his male partner was carrying their child and that too was supposedly impossible. He snapped his jaw shut instead and took off in a quick jog to keep up. Alan led them to a break in of trees and then into them weaving between trunks and roots. In the center of the stand Alan stopped and squatted brushing aside leaves and branches, revealing a motorbike. Leon helped him lift it from its shallow grave and right it.

"I'm sorry there's only the one bike. It's the best I can do." Alan apologized to the group. Wu-Long's main camp lay further into the protected territory and going on foot would take time they didn't have to waste. Silently and with never a word spoken the three kami's shifted form. Q-Chan first dissolving into his bat bunny form and coming to light on a very stunned Alan's shoulder, then Nana her form collapsing in on itself forming a small winged lizard, and then lastly Ning who smiled and winked before sinking inward in a swirl until in his place there was long furred creature resembling a ferret. Nana flitted over to Alan and scurried in one of his many pockets curling up in tight ball for warmth. Ning climbed Leon's pants leg and nosed his way into his jacket, twisting about until he was comfortable and poked his head out of the top looking around with bright purple eyes.

"Well, then I guess that blimey well settles that now doesn't? And don't even think of getting in front cousin. It's my bike." Alan said airily as he swung a leg over the seat. Turning he patted the vacant spot behind him.

"You can sit here sweety..." He told his cousin in an outlandishly flirtatious voice. Leon swung his larger girth behind him grumbling the entire way. In response Alan wriggled his bottom and back against him coyly.

"Ahhh, come on now don't be shy..wrap your arms around me and hold on tight. It's not everyday I get some cute young blonde honey on my raging love machine." Alan continued only to be drawn up short with a hiss of pain as Q-Chan sank his tiny needlepoint teeth into the soft flesh of his ear. Leon snickered, thunked him on the back of the head and leaned close to whisper in his other ear.

"Come on Cassanova it's time to get your 'raging love machine' in gear." Alan nodded and kicked the engine into life. Leon swore he could hear between the click of the starter and the motor engaging Alan swearing 'damn thing acts like we're married or something', but couldn't be sure in the sudden burst of noise as they took off.